The guy who stormed out of H Block

[Safeway]

If it's SO important that the rules are enforced, how come they're enforced for a small group of home fans but NEVER enforced for a large group of away fans?

This question will never be answered.

 

[Brovion]

No no, I'm not "ranting", I'm posting a counter-point to your points. Your points I imagine are to everyone who wants to read - so why is it off for me to present another observation to your (well stated) viewpoint? I'm only DISCUSSING your points Tim, not putting up a wall or aggressive 'rant'. It's for anyone to take on or not, just as your points are.
Simples

I dunno, I only thought you were ranting because you were going on about Hillsborough, football violence and player safety. That was a considerably wider scope than my original point which was only concentrating on one aspect: standing up whilst the game is in progress and pointing out that this does not incur club-level penalties.

 

[NMH]

I dunno, I only thought you were ranting because you were going on about Hillsborough, football violence and player safety. That was a considerably wider scope than my original point which was only concentrating on one aspect: standing up whilst the game is in progress and pointing out that this does not incur club-level penalties.

The spectrum is wide mate, I want to discuss your points and also look at wider issues and contributing peripherals, that's the way I roll.
Everything is up for discussion on this subject surely, unconfined by singular points tabled. You can discuss your points, mine, or neither. And anyone can throw in their 2cents worth to your or my points surely ("and stop calling me Shirley").

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Death and destruction in Pakistan and Haiti, flooding in New Orleans and Brisbane, and having to sit down when asked at a football match.

Tenuous link of the year award?

 

[Storer68]

Yes, but you have ignored the quite legitimate point that supporters are allowed to stand along the back of both the South and East stands, in no way complying with regulations and surely at greater risk of having a fatal accident falling off the back of the stand or something (joking). The regulations are health and safety based so why are the people at the highest point of the stadium allowed to lean against scaffolding?

Also when big away followings, or any at all, turn up to the Withdean they are allowed to stand for the entirety of the game. It is contradictive of what the club are enforcing on their own fans and at times has killed any sort of wiff of an atmosphere. This particular steward is so utterly annoying you would have to personally experience him yourself. It is quite funny what an utter tool he is.

err no they are NOT.You may not like the all seater requirement but it is the law. Regulations may be healt and safety but they are based on bitter experience from peopkle going to watch a game of football and ending up in a mortuary because thegroundwas not safe.

 

[Spiros]

This question will never be answered.

I know. It's amazing how many threads there are about this topic, yet the stewards, ex-stewards and their mates who post NEVER answer it. They just bang on about how important the rules are without ever explaining why they are not enforced consistently.

 

[Acker79]

Actually, at Withdean I DO abide by the rules and I wasn't moaning about stewards. But as I've mentioned before I've seen Newcastle play quite a few times and the Newcastle fans (away) invariably stand up for 90 minutes. Despite the fact that this is a FLAGRANT breach of the Regulations stewards never try to get them to sit down. And despite the fact this happens match after match, year after year the grounds (White Hart Lane, Stamford Bridge, Upton Park, etc) do not have areas closed because of persistent standing and the clubs such as Chelsea, Spurs etc aren't fined because the Regulations have been breached. Consequently saying that the club will be 'punished' for allowing standing (as Perkino suggested) is the equivalent of telling children that the bogeyman will get them unless they eat their greens.

Whether it's 'right' or 'safe' that persistent standing at or by big clubs goes unpunished is another matter. I'm pleased the Regulations get flouted with impunity but you may feel differently.

I was mentioned on sky during a live match recently that Man Utd had their away allocation reduced because of persistent standing.

And a quick google search gives:

Sunderland reduce Liverpool allocation

Villa allocation reduced by birmingham

Man city reduce man utd allocation

Sunderland reduce man utd allocation

Liverpool allocation reduced v villa

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I know. It's amazing how many threads there are about this topic, yet the stewards, ex-stewards and their mates who post NEVER answer it. They just bang on about how important the rules are without ever explaining why they are not enforced consistently.

OK, I'll give it a go. If in the parts of the stand that I used to Steward there were people standing and I didn't deal with it then I would get a bollocking. Therefore, I used to ensure everyone sat down in my part of the stand - including those on the back line. Over time I got to know many of the regulars in my stand and we had an unwritten agreement that I would let the odd swear word go and standing on and off ( not constantly ) if they sat down when I asked them. Not strictly by the rules but nevertheless everyone was happy. Part of the problem in blocks such as H Block is that the stewards are rotated too much and so don't build that relationship with the people using that block. It also doesn't help the mindless idiots in H Block that steward bait etc.

As with every job in life the difference is the people doing the job. Some have better person to person skills, others are more intelligent etc etc etc. That means people handle situations differently. Having worked in a customer service industry all my life I tend to be more customer focused and so I was able to appreciate both sides of the story and maybe that's way I could get my stand sat down most of the time and without any arguments. Ironically it was always the casual supporters that got all heated when asked to sit down.

The thing that frustrated me the most was looking across at other stands and seeing people standing. If I'd made the effort to get my stand seated then why the hell couldn't stewards in other parts of the ground.

 

[Safeway]

OK, I'll give it a go. If in the parts of the stand that I used to Steward there were people standing and I didn't deal with it then I would get a bollocking. Therefore, I used to ensure everyone sat down in my part of the stand - including those on the back line. Over time I got to know many of the regulars in my stand and we had an unwritten agreement that I would let the odd swear word go and standing on and off ( not constantly ) if they sat down when I asked them. Not strictly by the rules but nevertheless everyone was happy. Part of the problem in blocks such as H Block is that the stewards are rotated too much and so don't build that relationship with the people using that block. It also doesn't help the mindless idiots in H Block that steward bait etc.

As with every job in life the difference is the people doing the job. Some have better person to person skills, others are more intelligent etc etc etc. That means people handle situations differently. Having worked in a customer service industry all my life I tend to be more customer focused and so I was able to appreciate both sides of the story and maybe that's way I could get my stand sat down most of the time and without any arguments. Ironically it was always the casual supporters that got all heated when asked to sit down.

The thing that frustrated me the most was looking across at other stands and seeing people standing. If I'd made the effort to get my stand seated then why the hell couldn't stewards in other parts of the ground.

Some good stuff there.

Regarding the last paragraph, as we've seen on here, some stewards are so awe-struck by a large all-singing all-dancing away following that they neglect their duties entirely and simply watch in amazement. That must be frustrating for the decent ones such as yourself.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Some good stuff there.

Regarding the last paragraph, as we've seen on here, some stewards are so awe-struck by a large all-singing all-dancing away following that they neglect their duties entirely and simply watch in amazement. That must be frustrating for the decent ones such as yourself.

Agreed although it will also have something to do with the rotation of stewards on the away stand and the fact that away fans have less to lose by standing. You only need to look at the threads on here about away days and it's clear that people see an away match as the chance to "misbehave" for want of a better word - and that isn't a dig an anybody at all before I get flamed !

 

[NMH]

Agreed although it will also have something to do with the rotation of stewards on the away stand and the fact that away fans have less to lose by standing. You only need to look at the threads on here about away days and it's clear that people see an away match as the chance to "misbehave" for want of a better word - and that isn't a dig an anybody at all before I get flamed !

Which would, as I'm sure Westdene Seagull will agree, also read as; 'many home fans will be the same people coming back week after week, and so NOT showing respect for ground rules will decline down a slippery slope to confusion, perhaps even mayhem - or at the least, disarray'.

 

[Storer68]

Anyone who went to Sunderland last time we played there will clearly recall the fantastically inconsistent stewarding between the home fans areas (where they were all, about 25,000 of them, standing for the whole game) and the away end, about 2-3,000 (where the stewards were piling in to make people sit down and creating unneccessary mayhem by trying to eject people from a prettu full blocvk of seats and stopping people actually watchiong the match)

 

[Westdene Wonder]

This thread started with the comment that standing did not obstruct the view of others,how come??
Of course those standing are OBSTRUCTING the view of the game it has happened to me and have noted the disappointment of youngsters who have missed out the action in the area and the goal,is it not what we attend the game for? or should we be content just to see the midfield.
The board must ensure the stewards carry out their duties and take action action against those who ignore them,one warning then withdraw of season ticket,tv cameras will provide evidence.
Whats the point of a new Stadium when your view of the game is obstructed

 

[Working class pride]

The standing up issue is odd. Clubs know wht some of their customers want, and some clubs like, Liverpool, Leeds and Leicester go with the customer. Some clubs like Brighton moan about atmosphere and tell their fans to sit on their hands and say that teraces / standing is dangerous, then trot out Hillsborough (caused by fencing not standing) whlst forgetting that the second worst football disaster in England happend in the seats at Bradford. But nobody has banned seating yet.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

The standing up issue is odd. Clubs know wht some of their customers want, and some clubs like, Liverpool, Leeds and Leicester go with the customer. Some clubs like Brighton moan about atmosphere and tell their fans to sit on their hands and say that teraces / standing is dangerous, then trot out Hillsborough (caused by fencing not standing) whlst forgetting that the second worst football disaster in England happend in the seats at Bradford. But nobody has banned seating yet.

The reason they haven't banned seats after Bradford is because seats weren't to blame. The build up of rubbish, the wooden stands and poor stewarding were the main reasons.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Really? Lets see if he says that next time they meet.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

The Germans pride themselves in cleanliness, orderliness, saftey and what-have-you. If safe standing is good enough for them, then it should be good enough for us.

I wish the various dissenting voices against standing at football would quieten down and there be some sort of sense in the issue.

Thousands upon thousands of people stand at football week in, week out. Controlling the standing is clearly not working, so why not come to some sort of agreement and provide standing for those that wish to do so.

 

[Working class pride]

The reason they haven't banned seats after Bradford is because seats weren't to blame. The build up of rubbish, the wooden stands and poor stewarding were the main reasons.

Great you are getting there. You see you need a causative link between something before you should ban it. Terraces did not kill at Hillsborough, and seats did not kill at Bradford (although clearing an area is harder with seats, so seats did not help). Fences killed at Hillsborough. No fences, then nobody would have died.Ultimately the club need to work out what they want, if an atmosphere, then do as they do in Leeds, Liverpool, everton, Spurs, West Ham, in fact all over, and stop being officious by telling teenagers to sit down. The club need to grow up a bit and learn from more established clubs like Liverpool and stop being so arrogant on the issue.

 

[Garage_Doors]

Thousands upon thousands of people stand at football week in, week out. Controlling the standing is clearly not working, so why not come to some sort of agreement and provide standing for those that wish to do so.

But would it be safe though ?

 

[Barrel of Fun]

But would it be safe though ?

How are you going to crush anyone in front of you with a barrier in the way?