You'll have plenty to celebrate when you subscribe to the Liverpool FC newsletter Sign me up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Liverpool FC's hopes of relaying the Anfield pitch this summer look set to be dashed due to building work on the redevelopment of the Main Stand.

Manager Brendan Rodgers has frequently bemoaned the state of the playing surface which has deteriorated badly over the course of the season.

The Reds’ hierarchy acknowledge the problem which hampers and slows down Liverpool’s passing game but plans to address the issue during the off-season are now in serious jeopardy.

Cranes are scheduled to be on the pitch during June as contractors Carillion step up work on the £100million Main Stand project to add 8,500 extra seats to Anfield’s capacity.

Even if Liverpool were able to put in new drainage prior to the cranes moving in there are fears the weight of the machinery would burst the piping. As a result the Reds may have to continue playing on the same surface in 2015/16 before it can be ripped up and replaced when the stand is completed in the summer of 2016.

Previously, Anfield was renowned as one of the best pitches in the Premier League but opposition players and managers have regularly commented on its shabbiness this term. There are numerous bare patches and the ball bobbles across it.

The ECHO understands there is no blame attached to the club’s ground staff who work tirelessly to ensure it’s in the best possible condition.

It’s simply a case of Liverpool having failed to sufficiently invest in the infrastructure. Industry experts says a pitch which was given a 10-year life span is now 14-years-old.

The current pitch is a ‘Desso GrassMaster’ – a combination of natural grass and artificial fibres. Some 20 million artificial grass fibres are injected 20cm deep and cover about 3% of the surface.

The natural grass roots intertwine with the artificial turf fibres and the result is a pitch that can take three times as much football as a normal, natural grass pitch. You don’t get clumps of turf being dislodged. The company’s list of clients also includes Wembley, Manchester City and Arsenal.

Liverpool are getting two new ‘Desso’ pitches installed at their Melwood training ground this summer but sorting out Anfield is proving more problematic.

The current drainage and irrigation system dates back to 1998. There is no state of the art sprinkler system with a hose currently used to water the pitch before matches. There is also a shortage of grow lights which are used to warm the surface and artificially grow the grass.

Issues with Anfield’s previous natural grass pitch during Gerard Houllier’s reign back in the 1999/2000 season led to the club teaming up with ‘Desso’ in 2001. Each summer since then extensive work has been carried out, with the natural grass removed and the surface re-seeded, but window dressing is no longer sufficient.

For such an iconic stadium, the current state of the pitch is a disgrace. It’s to the current crop’s immense credit that they haven’t allowed that historical neglect to hamper the Reds’ revival.