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No seeds of doubt in McIntyre's mind about the right playing surface

No seeds of doubt in McIntyre's mind about the right playing surface
© Reuters
Jim says Premiership teams should not face pitch battle.

Dundee manager Jim McIntyre claims there is enough revenue in the top flight to insist on grass pitches.

PFA Scotland has delivered a petition to the Scottish Professional Football League – signed by every player from the nine clubs with grass pitches – calling for artificial surfaces to be banned in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

McIntyre's biggest complaint about the pitches is their inconsistency as he backed the calls ahead of Saturday's trip to face Livingston on their plastic surface at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

McIntyre, who managed Queen of the South for just over a year on an artificial pitch, said:  "It's a different surface. I found it fine but I don't think it should be allowed at the top level.

"I can understand clubs at lower levels putting that in because obviously the revenue it brings, you can rent it out and (it) gives you extra money. But I think at the top level there's enough revenue for grass pitches.

"My big gripe about plastic pitches is they are all different. Kilmarnock's is totally different to Livingston's. Having been to Falkirk several times and Queen of the South this year, they are all completely different.

"If it's going to be allowed it should be the same spec everywhere."

McIntyre accepts there are no conclusive studies showing artificial pitches cause more injuries but he believes anecdotal evidence should be taken into account.

"People ask you whether you are going to train on a plastic pitch leading up to playing on it," he said.

"I wouldn't train on it the whole week because my players aren't used to training on it the whole week, and I know there's a difference to how their bodies feel on a grass pitch.

"At Queen of the South we had to monitor our training times, because it's harder on the body.

"I wasn't a fan of it as a player and I'm still not a fan of it, but I can understand why clubs at a lower level have them."

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Jim McIntyre pictured in March 2016
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
Championship Group
1Celtic000080265478
2RangersRangers000072234975
3Hearts000046341262
4Kilmarnock00004334951
5St Mirren00003843-543
6Dundee00004454-1041
Relegation Group
1Hibernian00004451-739
2Motherwell00004651-537
3Aberdeen00003549-1435
4St Johnstone00002446-2231
5Ross County00003256-2430
6Livingston00002259-3718
 
First Phase
1Celtic33246380265478
2RangersRangers33243672234975
3Hearts33195946341262
4Kilmarnock33131284334951
5St Mirren33127143843-543
6Dundee331011124454-1041
7Hibernian33912124451-739
8Motherwell33813124651-537
9Aberdeen33811143549-1435
10St Johnstone33710162446-2231
11Ross County3379173256-2430
12Livingston3339212259-3718


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