Ironically, Celtic will play the only match of the season on the existing grass pitch at East End Park this Saturday before it is ripped up and replaced by FieldTurf, the latest synthetic surface. “I don’t know whether we have got an advantage or disadvantage but it’s the only home game that they are going to play on grass this season,” said O’Neill. “That ruling came in very, very quickly. I will have to see the pitch but we have a FieldTurf pitch down where the younger lads train and if it is the same, then whatever you say, it’s not grass. I played on the QPR pitch in the 1980s. Surfaces have improved since then, but that was like concrete.”
The pitch is partly funded by Uefa as part of a pilot scheme to test the artificial surfaces in countries that suffer from inclement weather during the football season. The others are Orebro SK of Sweden, SV Salzburg of Austria, Denizlispor of Turkey and the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow which is used by Spartak and Torpedo. The European governing body will not, however, allow clubs to use the pitches in its own competitions, and none of the major European leagues are involved in the scheme.
“I can’t say that I am in favour of it,” added O’Neill. “I went to see the FieldTurf in Seattle, the one that the Seahawks train at. The players there are pleased about that compared to what the astroturf was beforehand, but they still say it’s not grass. My own preference is playing on grass. It seems to be that Uefa have given the go-ahead, but if Dunfermline qualify for Europe next year they will have to dig it up or play elsewhere.”
O’Neill, however, is anxious to avoid any further conflict with the Fife club ahead of next week’s opener after Chris Sutton’s comments on the final day of last season. The English striker claimed that Dunfermline had surrendered to Rangers at Ibrox, allowing them to win the League. Last week, he received a one-match ban from the SFA for bringing the game into disrepute. O’Neill will decide today whether to appeal that ban. That was added to a four-match ban already imposed for abusing officials after Celtic’s final day victory at Kilmarnock.
“The good news is that Chris is not playing,” said O’Neill, “so there is probably no need for him to be there.” Celtic completed their pre-season preparations with a 1-1 draw against Arsenal. Afterwards Arsène Wenger, manager of the Premiership runners-up, warned that any move by the Old Firm into England would kill Scottish football.
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“I couldn’t see Scottish football surviving if its two biggest clubs left. It might be good for the Premiership but it wouldn’t be good for the other Scottish clubs.” His comments were echoed by Freddie Ljungberg, his Swedish midfielder. “The Scottish League might be killed off without Celtic and Rangers.”