St Johnstone have invested £100,000 into upgrading the pitch at McDiarmid Park ahead of next season, The Courier has reported this week.
The playing surface in Perth was in dire shape for large chunks of 2021/22, especially from December onwards when it struggled to recover from being waterlogged ahead of a Ross County clash.
Ange Postecoglou noted the surface was difficult to overcome after our 3-1 win there on Boxing Day. [CelticFC.com]
On a prior visit, in a 2020 Scottish Cup clash, former captain Scott Brown blasted the pitch and branded it ‘terrible’, even suggesting the notorious artificial effort in Livingston would play better.
It goes beyond Celtic though, even St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson has admitted it’s hampered his team on occasion.
He’s actually been changing his tactics as a result, which is a pretty strong indictment.
He told reporters in March: “It’s difficult on the pitch because the surface isn’t as good as you’d like it to be. So sometimes the team selection mirrors that because it is difficult to get it down and run with it.
“We are trying to get the ball forward early and out wide so you have to think of ways to do that when the pitch is like that.”
It can be difficult to maintain a quality playing surface through the winter months. We’ve even seen spells at Celtic Park where the pitch leaves a lot to be desired.
It’s good news that St Johnstone are doing something about it. A £100,000 outlay is not insignificant for them, so clearly they see this as an urgent matter.
Hopefully it pays off for the home side and visiting teams next season, including Celtic.
In other news, Ange Postecoglou set to make another Celtic backroom staff appointment.
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