On being kept prisoner at the New Den

[MissGull]

Cheers buddy, so next season when we are given 'our freedom' at the same time as the Millwall fans and it all kicks off, who should I complain to? You?
25 mins in the open air with fellow supporters is not exactly the end of the world.

 

[Prince Monolulu]

Well I have to admit that I have just about recovered from the ignominy and stress of waiting with fellow fans for a brief period in the name of safety and common sense. Met. Police OUT

 

[Phat Baz 68]

Couldn't make it last season but the season before we definitely weren't kept in like yesterday.
I have no problem if it saves a whole load of aggro for everyone.
Hardly being held prisoner though is it?

 

[theboybilly]

It wasn't too long a wait and I was happy to have a safe exit to Sth Bermondsey station. It seemed to me that two trains available for Brighton fans left packed like sardines (I caught the second train) but there didn't seem to be the mad rush for the third. I would have been grateful of the opportunity of a beer (and somewhere to sit) while waiting and letting a few trains go before heading for the train. Some times at away games I really miss the Amex.

 

[Perkino]

Millwall supporters were kept in for the same amount of time at our place, Completely expected.

I'm not sure that this is true

 

[theboybilly]

Although the wait didn't really bother me, what it did make me realise is that Millwall is yet another example of a ground that is inferior to The Amex in terms of getting away, yet doesn't have a fraction of the poor reputation The Amex has with some fans. I was very near the front of the queue of Albion fans after yesterday's match and I ended up on the 17:28 back to London Bridge. You'd have to be a long way back in the queue at The Amex to still be at Falmer station at 17:28, yet still people whinge about it. Plus there was one train every 15 minutes from South Bermondsey immediately after the match, whereas there is one every eight to ten minutes from Falmer. Just because places like Millwall are five minutes from central London people presume they're in a dream location, and that The Amex (five miles outside Brighton) is a total ballache, when actually I look at our stadium and see the best transport infrastructure of ANY football ground I have been to bar Wembley.

I usually aim for the 17.38 back to town after necking a couple of beers on the North concourse. If I don't manage to board that I'll be almost guaranteed a seat on the train seven minutes later. It's so easy at the Amex

 

[goldstone]

Cheers buddy, so next season when we are given 'our freedom' at the same time as the Millwall fans and it all kicks off, who should I complain to? You?
25 mins in the open air with fellow supporters is not exactly the end of the world.

Look, if you're concerned that home supporters might attack you after an away game you have a couple of options:
1) make your own decision to wait behind until you believe the home fans have dispersed
2) don't go to away matches
3) don't wear Brighton colours outside the ground ... that way you most likely won't be recognised as an Albion fan.

(That's actually three options)

Just because you want to attend games at the New Den and just because you have safety concerns shouldn't mean that the entire Albion contingent of fans has to stay behind. This country and democracy is about freedom of choice (or is supposed to be) ... you do what you feel comfortable with, but don't impose those conditions on me.

 

[bn1&bn3 Albion]

All their "boys" are literally that now boys !
They don't have the rep they had years ago , quite the opposite really.

Definitely not true.

They aren't what they used to be but on their day they are still a very respectable mob.

 

[Giraffe]

I was a 14 year old whipper snapper at that game, and remains the only time I've genuinely been scared at a match. I haven't seen Millwall behave quite like they did that game since.

I was 19 and was still shitting it. Was amazed we didn't get ambushed on the march back to the station, scary stuff.

 

[theboybilly]

Look, if you're concerned that home supporters might attack you after an away game you have a couple of options:
1) make your own decision to wait behind until you believe the home fans have dispersed
2) don't go to away matches
3) don't wear Brighton colours outside the ground ... that way you most likely won't be recognised as an Albion fan.

(That's actually three options)

Just because you want to attend games at the New Den and just because you have safety concerns shouldn't mean that the entire Albion contingent of fans has to stay behind. This country and democracy is about freedom of choice (or is supposed to be) ... you do what you feel comfortable with, but don't impose those conditions on me.

But it's not just about you, me or everybody else that attended the game is it? South Bermondsey station and the area around the ground have people going about their own business who would much prefer their lives not blighted by trouble at a football match. This is what the Met Police are trying to avoid. It was bad enough for people trying to alight from trains onto a packed platform as it was (young women with children in pushchairs) without trying to negotiate brawling fans too. A minor wait on my part to make life easier for others is a small price to pay.

 

[goldstone]

But it's not just about you, me or everybody else that attended the game is it? South Bermondsey station and the area around the ground have people going about their own business who would much prefer their lives not blighted by trouble at a football match. This is what the Met Police are trying to avoid. It was bad enough for people trying to alight from trains onto a packed platform as it was (young women with children in pushchairs) without trying to negotiate brawling fans too. A minor wait on my part to make life easier for others is a small price to pay.

I agree that there may be a need for some kind of action to keep the fans apart at South Bermondsey station as there could be a severe danger to life if someone fell from the platform.

However, I was not going to the station (nor were hundreds of others); I was walking to my car. What they used to do was keep the away fans back on the walkway to the station, but permit others to leave immediately through the main gate. That seems like a sensible decision and I don't know why they've changed it.

 

[Grassman]

What they used to do was keep the away fans back on the walkway to the station, but permit others to leave immediately through the main gate. That seems like a sensible decision and I don't know why they've changed it.

Now, if only you'd used these words in your original post, I think many people would have agreed with what you were saying.

 

[The Spanish]

the Den has to be one of the best public transport served football grounds in the country. Always has been. umpteen mainline rail and now jubilee stations within walking distance, buses left right and centre, cabs flying about everywhere, to claim it is hard to get out of is insanity. I honestly cannot think of a better ground in the UK for public transport if you do a bit of research.

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Didn't go to the play off Semi Finals a few years back, bloody hell, we were waiting for rations and tented accommodation!

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Didn't go to the play off Semi Finals a few years back, bloody hell, we were waiting for rations and tented accommodation!

Remember it well lol