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Pitch invasion. Try this yourself next time you're in Croke and see what happenns!

Without a doubt the biggest story since the new Croke Park opened has been the state of the pitch. Going back over the years, player complained about the effect on their feet, questioned the sorts of boots they should wear. Hurlers were wary of the irregular bounce compounded by the vagaries of the then O’Neills sliotars. Club players going up for Intermediate and Junior Finals were nervous about playing at the national stadium, the concerns over the pitch making things worse.

All this was compounded by the Powers That Be showing a certain reluctance to let teams onto the surface to train. This was compounded this season when Geezer eventually was allowed on the hallowed turf with Kildare for a brief try-out with his Kildare team ahead of their tie with Dublin. The complaint has been for years that Rugby and soccer teams are allowed to train there but the GAA’s own people aren’t.

The controvery is certain to rumble on this week after the astonishing decision to change the playing surface within a week of the All Ireland Football quarter finals. The argument has been that with U2 playing in Croker for three nights the existing grass would have died having been covered by an artificial surface. So, apparently because the surface was due a change anyway, the PTB took a hefty contribution from U2 to allow the concerts to go ahead and relay the surface.

Peter McKenna and his team appear supremely confident that all will be in order for Sunday afternoon. He tells us that Paddy Andrews and a few others will check the new surface over the intervening days to make sure all is in order for the weekend. The process wasn’t helped by a demonstration by local residents the other night that led to a ten hour deay in U2 getting their stuff out of there so the process could get underway.

What is astonishing and anyway who has been at Croker with a team or even on a day trip will know all to well, is that the grouondsman is extremely retentive when it comes to his pitch. And he treats it as if it is his pitch. Under normal circumstances there is no way this guy would be happy having the surface torn up and a new one laid days before the first big showpiece in the All Ireland series.

But then in this case, money talks. It’s all about taking an opportunity. U2 were offering money for something that was going to be done anyway so that makes it OK. To add insult to injury (well hopefully not) the new turf is of English origin.

It reminds us of the old story concerning Winston Churchill. Seeking some evening entertainment Churchill enquired of a wealthy socialite of his acquaintance: ‘Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds??To which she replied, ‘My goodness, Mr. Churchill… Well, I suppose… we would have to discuss terms, of course…’?

Churchill replied: ‘Would you sleep with me for five pounds??Insulted she responded, ‘Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?!’

He replied: ‘Madam, we’ve already established that. Now we are haggling about the price.’

Let’s hope no-one pays the price in Croker this weekend.