Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 70,250
You seem oddly punchy
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[Albion] 2 and a half hours before we could leave?!?
- Thread starter RM-Taylor
- Start date
- Aug 8, 2005
- 26,569
I don’t get the moans I’m afraid. Anyone with half a brain knew this was going to happen. And it’s not the clubs fault or the individual policeman’s fault or even PC Balkham’s fault. It’s just French police policy when dealing with foreign fans. It’s their country they can do what they like. We were visitors and have to respect that. Bottom line is they were mostly doing it to protect us and they did that very well indeed despite the considerable inconvenience. In my experience the Italians will be just as bad. Spanish similar. Germans and Dutch maybe better. No idea about the Greeks!
Roadrunner
Well-known member
We based ourselves in a bar just off the square and kept a close eye on how quickly the bus queues moved (or rather didn't). About two hours before kick off it became pretty obvious that the whole situation was becoming shambolic, so we took a spur of the moment decision to gamble on the metro. I'd been to the Velodrome several times before, so knew it was pretty straightforward. We deliberately kept a low profile but, to be honest, we needn't have worried as it wasn't particularly threatening.
Got through the initial security cordon without any bother, but then it all got a bit messy with different stewards sending us in all directions and one telling us that we couldn't get into the away section unless we arrived by bus. We perservered and, eventually, found a car park steward who took us down in a lift to the the bus drop-off point. Got in to the ground with half an hour or so to spare, so it was definitely the right decision.
Wish I'd have known that there was an option to do the same on the way back (after missing the first wave of return buses) as I'd have been more than happy to jump on a metro back into town rather then be dropped off at midnight after a completely unnecessary detour around the ring road. I think it would be harsh to blame BHA for the terrible organisation, although the communication could have been a lot better. Even for someone who, after decades of following England overseas, is used to being treated like an animal, that post match delay was totally unacceptable.
Seagull1989
Well-known member
- Oct 31, 2011
- 1,198
It really was shambolic all around after the game. We were kept in this downstairs room at the bottom of the stairs for what seemed like forever, everyone sweaty and dehydrated.
When eventually “released” into the car park, I wasn’t expecting to see another 2000 fans still waiting.
There was zero communication at all from the Police and I think even if they had said to everyone, it’s going to be an hour at least we would have known. People fainted and passed out whilst the emergency services appeared useless.
If they knew the wait was going to be this long why kick us out the stands so early on? Keep a bar open on the concourse …
When the buses did eventually turn up the amount of people trying to get on the bus was dangerous. I tried to get on one bus and due to the force of everyone pushing was unable to even turn to get on it . It could have been a serious situation if someone had fallen and been crushed.
When eventually “released” into the car park, I wasn’t expecting to see another 2000 fans still waiting.
There was zero communication at all from the Police and I think even if they had said to everyone, it’s going to be an hour at least we would have known. People fainted and passed out whilst the emergency services appeared useless.
If they knew the wait was going to be this long why kick us out the stands so early on? Keep a bar open on the concourse …
When the buses did eventually turn up the amount of people trying to get on the bus was dangerous. I tried to get on one bus and due to the force of everyone pushing was unable to even turn to get on it . It could have been a serious situation if someone had fallen and been crushed.
At least the Robocops on the middle concourse overruled the jobsworth stewards who were preventing people from using the toilets, and that was only about an hour into the 2.5 hour wait to get out.
Solly March and Broom man made the wait in the stairwells slightly more bearable but the lack of communication in the area where the buses were due to pick us up was frustrating.
Solly March and Broom man made the wait in the stairwells slightly more bearable but the lack of communication in the area where the buses were due to pick us up was frustrating.
Thanks to the guy leading the singing in the stairwells. By the end digging out songs from the past to stop people becoming restless - Michel Kuypers and 2 Kerry Mayo's
When in the waiting area I felt the situation was on a knife edge a couple of times, when a few fans voiced their frustration and I feared that if more joined in then the police may use batons and tear gas.
Think how much worse it would have been if it had been a 9pm kick off or if we had lost!
There was just us and a row of riot police. There was no one else there! Any sort of communication that buses were on their way, and some idea of timing would have made all the difference!
When in the waiting area I felt the situation was on a knife edge a couple of times, when a few fans voiced their frustration and I feared that if more joined in then the police may use batons and tear gas.
Think how much worse it would have been if it had been a 9pm kick off or if we had lost!
There was just us and a row of riot police. There was no one else there! Any sort of communication that buses were on their way, and some idea of timing would have made all the difference!
Soul Finger
Well-known member
- May 12, 2004
- 2,257
Bollocks.
I've watched the Albion for over 40 years, including many trips to the Den, Selhurst etc, and Thursday night was shite and avoidable.
It's the not the club's fault, in any way, but it was a total shambles.
Someone fainted, someone had a fit, and there was zero communication, water etc.
No-one had an issue with being kept in for 45 minutes but for two-and-a-half hours?
All that experience of dealing with big European crowds and they couldn't organise a piss-up in a vineyard.
Anyway, I'm trying to concentrate on the positives.
UTA.
BUTTERBALL
East Stand Brighton Boyz
Great game - thankfully the Albion fans were in good spirits otherwise our two-and-a-half hour wait could have been very different. Lots of great retro Albion songs on the stairs until we were taken down to the large coach park area only to see no coaches and around 1000 or so fans still stranded there, it was also very hot.
When they did turn up, the bundle onto the coaches was chaotic, nobody organising an orderly queue, I was almost pushed on to the bus by the shoving in the crowd behind. Then there was the ridiculous almost hour-long circular route back to La Joliette standing on a hot bus packed in like sardines. By the time we'd got back, the Metro had closed and we had to get at Uber back to our hotel.
The club had seemingly abandoned it's supporter services Twitter handle set up to assist fans and PC Balkham admitted he wasn't even at the ground (although he was in the dark too seemingly). The communication throughout was non existent.
Thankfully the good nature of our supporters saved the day.
When they did turn up, the bundle onto the coaches was chaotic, nobody organising an orderly queue, I was almost pushed on to the bus by the shoving in the crowd behind. Then there was the ridiculous almost hour-long circular route back to La Joliette standing on a hot bus packed in like sardines. By the time we'd got back, the Metro had closed and we had to get at Uber back to our hotel.
The club had seemingly abandoned it's supporter services Twitter handle set up to assist fans and PC Balkham admitted he wasn't even at the ground (although he was in the dark too seemingly). The communication throughout was non existent.
Thankfully the good nature of our supporters saved the day.
Same. French police are hardly known for their light touch, fan friendly tactics.