GLENN MIDDLETON hopes the Hampden hierarchy take players’ concerns on board in the debate over plastic pitches in the Premiership.
Representatives from nine out of the 12 top flight clubs have called for the surfaces to be outlawed after signing a petition on behalf of PFA Scotland.
Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard has repeatedly voiced his opposition against the pitches after Jamie Murphy sustained serious knee damage at Rugby Park.
And Light Blues winger Middleton reckons the views from dressing rooms across the country should be taken into account in the corridors of power.
He said: “I used to watch my dad playing on ash pitches. To be fair there’s not much difference from them to some of the plastic pitches today.
“He said it was pretty uncomfortable playing on them but it’s like that on the Astro.
“It just doesn’t feel like proper football on them, it totally changes the way you approach the game.
“Getting injured is always something in the back of your mind and that shouldn’t’ be the case. I have been lucky so far, but others haven’t.
“They have grass pitches in the Premier League so it should be the same up here.
“No one wants a teammate to get injured, even if it’s just a short one. We’ve missed Jamie, even though he has been a presence at training and in the changing room.
“At the end of the day it’s us who are playing on them so our opinions should be listened to.
“People say that young players don’t mind them because we are used to it – but no one enjoys it
“These are the pitches I was playing school games on at 12 or 13 so there’s no way they should be used for Premiership football.
“It is completely different. You can’t get any momentum, you can’t run as quick or change direction as quickly. It changes the way you play.
“Is it embarrassing for the game to have them? Possibly.
“You can be playing a good team in Europe one week then on the plastic the next, so it’s not great.”
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