Old Feller wrote:
Hard to see what else Leeds Rugby PLC could do.
The pitch had to be replaced, do you do it & inconvenience the part of the business that attracts crowds of 12k plus or that which attracts siginificantly fewer?
So, not an embarrassment to him but certainly an annoyance.
FWIW they're not a plc and it wasn't Leeds Rugby it was the Leeds Rhinos company which made the investment.
But the embarrassment for Hetherington, such as it is, comes from the club's communication with the (few) Tykes fans - which is hilariously entertaining to the passing observer until you remember that these guys are also running our club:
1. At the very outset when selling season tickets comically not admitting the reason the Tykes were playing "on the road" (i.e. due to the pitch being relaid). Instead there was a mighty fine story about spreading the club's presence around Yorkshire and reaching out to new fans
2. Having sold the (few) Tykes season tickets with the promise of three (I think) "on the road" games, they then pushed back their Headingley debut until the New Year forcing further two more game to be played away from Headingley.
3. One of those games ended in farce when the pitch at Otley froze and the game was abandoned.
4. Finally there was much hype to their (few) fans at the return to the Home of Rugby League and its megapitch. Hetherington or his assistants should have listened to the groundstaff's reported fears about RU being played on the new surface - the sport duly disgraced itself in a predictable manner. This is why we can't have nice things.
5. That match was deemed void by the RU authorities and will have to be replayed (but it won't be at Headingley).
6. The subsequent home game (the one referred to as "a minor fixture" by Hetherington, pleasing the holders of season tickets who have it included) was switched to South Leeds Stadium, to be played yesterday.
7. The game was then at short notice switched to West Park and yesterday was off (some of the (very few) supporters duly left) before being on again but no detail was posted on the club's website to inform folk of this.
8. Right now they are promising there will be an RU game at Headingley the weekend between the Hull and Salford games but the reality is that no one really thinks they will be allowed to play there until at least after the WCC so another about-face will have to follow in due course.
9. Before that England RU are due to train on our £1m "unsuitable" pitch on 25 January in a well-publicised open-to-the-public training session. It would be excruciating for GH to have to make the call to cancel that due to pitch failure - but it is only 1 week before the SL kick off when the pitch makes its televised debut.
