was at my local team's away game yesterday

[barrymorrison1 1,033]

yeah, travelled all the way down to berwick wiith my father in law and son for this epic top v second bottom clash.

what a feckin dump they play at. total disgrace.

feck they got a feckin dog track round the outside! now i fully understand the route of problems in the scottish game at lower level. i tell u, when i was involved in a reasonably successful amateur side, sometimes u played on crap pitches, sometimes on really good surfaces, but as was amateur, u could understand.

this place, and i not exagerating, the pitch must have a slope of 2 metres from end to end, christ, it was unbelievable. no wonder the lower league player will never get the chance to improve their game on this type of pish. it typical get it down and dump it in the corners for the midfielders/strikers to chase.

this not sour grapes cause stenie got beat(folow them when not at gers matches), cause all teams have to put up with it, but it cannot do the game here any good.

i know from stenies set up, that they now reaping the benefits of having an all weather pitch, which has been down for 3 years now.

it a total money maker. they now have east stirling sharing it, i was told yesterday they have a five year agreement with stenie to share it unless something comes up quicker, kids games on sat and sun morning, bounce games, amateur cup semis and finals, various other matches can b hired out during the week, eg polis forces league, etc and lots of other games i imagine.

the benefit is that stenie now have a facility condusive to good football, on a pitch which looks and plays great, games will never b off because of bad weather, unless totally terrible like heavy snow, never needs high maintenace, and can b utilised in all seasonal weather, not like grass which needs repair time.

this has benefitted stenie, as they now have put a squad together, using funds raised from not just the pitch, but which has helped, and taken them to top of the division.

i ask, if more clubs could afford to get this type of pitch, or like the one at falkirk, which is a mixture of grass and synthetic, would we see more players gaining more skills, playing better football, and see our bigger clubs quite keen on loaniong out younger players to lower levels to gain experience on pitches which might benefit their footballing education?

because, i do not go to away games with stenie, yesterday was only my second, the first being hampden v queens park last year, cause what was on offer at berwick rangers for a pitch in the professional game, was a sad state of affairs.

the local junior club, camelon juniors, would wipe the floor with that pitch on display yesterday.

i do fear for tomorrows player, the conditions and set up our game is spawning, is what graeme souness called when he arrived "hammer throwers"

an opinion from a disallusioned rangers supporter/part time stenie fan.