Stephen Robsinson, manager of St Mirren, went even farther, claiming he despises artificial surfaces ‘with a passion.’
Brendan Rodgers has proposed that grass pitches be included as one of the basic requirements for playing in the Scottish Premiership.
His Celtic were eliminated from the Viaplay Cup earlier this season after a poor showing on the pitch. The champions return to Ayrshire on Sunday, and Rodgers thinks it will be the last time they play on a synthetic pitch there. Kilmarnock owner Billy Bowie has submitted plans for a new training ground, which could see the club abandon the astroturf in time for the start of the 2024/25 season.
Depending on whether Killie finish in the top six or not, that could mean that Sunday’s clash will be last between the two that isn’t on grass at Rugby Park for Rodgers and his team. Livingston are the only other top flight club with a plastic pitch but Davie Martindale insists it would simply cost the Lions too much to get rid of it. However, Rodgers is keen to make grass mandatory if you want to play at the top level in this country.
“It’s a constant conversation,” he said. “It’s clear that every coach would want to play, I’m pretty sure, on a grass pitch. The sooner that is the possibility up here then the better it would be for everyone.
“I understand the economics of it all and what it would mean for some clubs, but there should be a certain level or a certain standard of which every team, if you are playing in the top flight, should have a grass pitch.”
St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson left no-one 9n any doubt over how he feels about 5G. He said: “I hate them, I hate them with a passion, I understand why clubs use them and understand the financial implications that you’re able to use the pitch all year round.
“I think the lower clubs, outside the Premiership, I think yeah 100%, it’s the same in Northern Ireland there’s a lot of investment in kids’ football and with the weather we suffer from in Scotland and Northern Ireland it makes total sense at the lower levels.
“In the Premiership, I don’t think it should be in the top league, it shouldn’t be in the top league at all. I think for a spectacle and across the world, we should, in terms of the football we are trying to play and to raise the standards of Scottish football, I don’t think they should be in our top league.
“So that would be absolutely fantastic news, but I think they should be kept in the lower leagues because financially it can be a lifeblood for clubs.”
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