[Archived] Getting In The Football For Free !

[Mike Graham]

At the Rovers -v- Citeh game on Saturday 5 of the Asian car park stewards left their stewards jackets hung up outside when they went to the prayer room. Suprise suprise some Citeh low life nicked them. At the start of the game when Citeh scored two "stewards" were jumping up and down in the Darren End celebrating....they were so stupid that they did not take off their new jackets....the old bill arrested them for theft of the jackets !!

The Head Car Park Steward was offered £100 for his jacket!!

What have you done to get in for nowt?

I recall Halifax away in the 1970's and walking in for nowt when some kindly Rovers fans removed the gates!

At Preston away in 2001 when Jansen scored I was ejected from the main nobbers stand for my wild celebrations to be laughed at by North End work mates. I walked round to the Rovers end (side) and told the stewards that I had flown in for the game from the States and was about to go on an Antartic survey ship for 2 years and they let me in.

In the past (old Ewood) I have crawled under the turnstiles...and one evening 4 of us pushed a Riverside turnstile door open and had a game on Ewood for 30 mins with not a soul in sight.

Any good blags out there?

[Beta Ray Bill]

Away at Gillingham in the promotion season, Jordan, Martin, another mate and I had arranged to meet a 'rough and ready' sort from Gillingham called "Brillo" after the game.

Brillo was a bit of a lad and from his tales had a bit of a reputation, but was very friendly towards us - we'd met him at the Brown Cow a couple of times as one of his mates lived in the area or something. We thought if we were wanting to drink in Gillingham after the game, being with Brillo was either going make sure we were pretty safe, or probably having a collective trip to the local hospital. We gambled.

Anyway, that's the context, here's the blag.

Early on in the second half I needed a p!$$ so walked down the stand and who should I meet coming up the steps, but Brillo. Puzzled as to why he should be in the away end, and the fact I hadn't seen him there up until that point I asked what he was doing.

Turns out he'd been hurling abuse at the stewards in the home area, then a policeman, and was summarily thrown out just into the second half. He calmly walked to the away turnstiles, went up to a steward and claimed he was a Blackburn fan and had lost his sense of direction when going for a pie at half time and instead of getting to the stall, he'd accidentally left the ground.

Despite the fact the steward hadn't seen him come out, he was let 'back' in!

Thankfully he behaved himself in the Rovers end, and we had an excellent time in one of the local pubs afterwards, including decorating the pub dog with a Souey wig and moustache.

[Gav]

I remember birdy (the one who doesn’t go now), who lived on Kidder street, used to regularly come out of his house and help people climb over the Blackburn end gates.

Also the Riverside toilets next to the Darwen end was a favourite place for people to climb over.

[sambo]

At the Rovers -v- Citeh game on Saturday 5 of the Asian car park stewards left their stewards jackets hung up outside when they went to the prayer room. Suprise suprise some Citeh low life nicked them. At the start of the game when Citeh scored two "stewards" were jumping up and down in the Darren End celebrating....they were so stupid that they did not take off their new jackets....the old bill arrested them for theft of the jackets !!

The Head Car Park Steward was offered £100 for his jacket!!

What have you done to get in for nowt?

I recall Halifax away in the 1970's and walking in for nowt when some kindly Rovers fans removed the gates!

At Preston away in 2001 when Jansen scored I was ejected from the main nobbers stand for my wild celebrations to be laughed at by North End work mates. I walked round to the Rovers end (side) and told the stewards that I had flown in for the game from the States and was about to go on an Antartic survey ship for 2 years and they let me in.

In the past (old Ewood) I have crawled under the turnstiles...and one evening 4 of us pushed a Riverside turnstile door open and had a game on Ewood for 30 mins with not a soul in sight.

Any good blags out there?

That's brilliant!

[Tim Southampton Rover]

When Saints played at The Dell, we used to watch the first half of the game peeking through the window of the BBC van in the car park and wait for the stewards to open up the gates to allow the smokers outside to have a half time cigarette. My friends and I used to then stand next to random groups of men and then walk in with them pretending they were our dads. We then hid in the tiny toilet until the second half began and then we'd have a minute or two to find a rare empty seat as the capacity was only 13,000 or so at the time. Sometimes we all found a seat scattered around but most of the time the majority of us we were kicked out usually by the same set of stewards each time

They used to find it funny and have a laugh over it but I expect nowadays you'd end up in a cell and banned from the stadium. How times have changed.

[Hasta]

Completely unrelated to footy but about 10 years ago me and a mate used to go to Haydock and, bold as you like, walk straight through the trainers and jockeys entrance around the side. As it was off the normal route for the public, 4 out of 5 times the guy would just say hiya and open the gate for you. If he stopped you then you could just blag it by saying you were a guest of Trainer X or Owner Y. I think it failed once in about 3 years.

[tcj_jones]

one evening 4 of us pushed a Riverside turnstile door open and had a game on Ewood for 30 mins with not a soul in sight.

Ah man, you're so lucky!

[Shabani]

Ah man, you're so lucky!

i'd absolutely love to do that

[Stuart]

At the Rovers -v- Citeh game on Saturday 5 of the Asian car park stewards left their stewards jackets hung up outside when they went to the prayer room. Suprise suprise some Citeh low life nicked them. At the start of the game when Citeh scored two "stewards" were jumping up and down in the Darren End celebrating....they were so stupid that they did not take off their new jackets....the old bill arrested them for theft of the jackets !!

Ha, I saw that as it happened. Didn't see him get nicked but saw him jumping up and down and running up to a seat, removing the jacket as he went.

Don't want to be a killjoy though, as you are from a slightly different era to me and just having a bit of a laugh and a reminisce, but trying to get into a game for free has some pretty glaring safety risks - especially if an area is already full...

[Mike Graham]

Ha, I saw that as it happened. Didn't see him get nicked but saw him jumping up and down and running up to a seat, removing the jacket as he went.

Don't want to be a killjoy though, as you are from a slightly different era to me and just having a bit of a laugh and a reminisce, but trying to get into a game for free has some pretty glaring safety risks - especially if an area is already full...

you are so kind Jisty

"from a slighty different era" = OLD GIT

In those days it was standing only rather than one fan per seat...and bovver boots, silk scarf around your wrist, and a trip to their end at the final whistle....and Slade of course !

[67splitscreen]

you are so kind Jisty

"from a slighty different era" = OLD GIT

In those days it was standing only rather than one fan per seat...and bovver boots, silk scarf around your wrist, and a trip to their end at the final whistle....and Slade of course !

Don't forget donkey/ bomber jackets and crombie (sp)

[rovgers]

one evening 4 of us pushed a Riverside turnstile door open and had a game on Ewood for 30 mins with not a soul in sight.

Any good blags out there?

I used to live near the kwik save in Blackburn when I was younger. A group of us used to regularly climb over the wall between the darwen end and riverside, to play football on the pitch. Our luck ran out when we went to have a kick about on the saturday morning we played Bury in our last home game of the 79-80 season. We didn't realise that TV cameras were going to be there and we got caught, just moments after I'd scored in the BBE goals.

Talking about Bury, if I remember correctly, we some how played them twice in 4 days in our last two games of that season.

Oh, I once got into the ground at sheff utd at half time for nowt. I told a steward we had arrived late, he took us through the players entrance up the tunnel. we got to see the second half behind the rovers bench, the game ended 3-3 I think

[Paul]

At OT last season we were walking through the covered bit that faces you as you approach the away section. I noticed 5-6 young lads hang about who then jogged past us. They suddenly turned and raced towards the turnstiles, vaulted straight over and into the ground.

[thenodrog]

At the Rovers -v- Citeh game on Saturday 5 of the Asian car park stewards left their stewards jackets hung up outside when they went to the prayer room. Suprise suprise some Citeh low life nicked them. At the start of the game when Citeh scored two "stewards" were jumping up and down in the Darren End celebrating....they were so stupid that they did not take off their new jackets....the old bill arrested them for theft of the jackets !!

Just as a question to any of our muslim members. Is there a definite need for this? It's not like it's a full time job is it? The stewards must only spend a few hours on duty and I seem to recall reading that the praying time requirements for muslims have moveable goalposts as it were and are not set in tablets of stone. Surely a quick prayer before work and another one after would suffice? If those 5 Mancs had hurt somebody in some way inside the ground then I'd imagine that in our blame seeking culture BRFC would be deemed to hold some level of responsibility.

[American Rover12]

..nevermind

[brfcs5359]

Bury twice 79-80. One was rearranged, the midweek one away at Bury where we sealed promotion. We then went and lost on the Saturday and Bury were bottom! I remember empty champagne bottles rolling down the riverside in the sunshine.

In the early 70's two Rovers fans who shall remain nameless (one very well known) entered the ground with an air gun. At half time they walked around to the Darwen end behind the nets. When a Rovers player had a long range shot, they fired a pellet at the Fulham goalkeeper who jumped up with a sting up his arse and the ball flew into the net. True story....

[Billy Castell]

I'd never have expected that from Jim Bowen.

This is not football related, but my dad has managed to blag a free upgrade to the posh seats at the Cheltenham Festival. Actually it was his friend Gerry who did the talking and got them in. They were standing outside the executive boxes, when Gerry told my dad of his plan to blag it and get them in, and suddenly told him he was 'Major Heywood', and was in charge of the military housing in the south west area (both my dad and Gerry worked as civilians within the military). As soon as he said this Gerry was off, breezing past sercurity with my dad trying to look as if he belonged there too. They both managed to get in, but my dad's enjoyment of the upgrade was tempered by the thought that some security guard was just about to throw him out. And the owners of double glazing companies making small talk whilst angling for a contract he could never give in an area he knew nothing about.

[berkshireblue]

At Highbury a couple of years ago bought a ticket on the day for the home end

Walked round to the away turnstyles with a couple of board members and went through behind them as one was let through without the guy seeing

Play off final at palace, rovers tickets sold out so we bought 4 in the palarse end. When we got to the ground we thought no way are we going in there, it was a highly charged atmosphere..so we went to the away end, the guy on the turnstyles looked at the tickets and said wrong end, we said yes but we are rovers fans so we want to come in here, he said no problem and let us in

Last month for the ashes test got into edgebaston without a ticket, I did have a ticket, but the mate who had mine was outside the entrance, somehow I walked into the ground trying to find that entrance without a ticket

Final one, a mate of mine always got into Twickenham without a ticket in the days of terracing for engalnd games, he had a bay face ( he was 19yrs old ) so used to go to the stewards start crying saying i ve lost my dad and he's got the tickets, always worked always let in..I one winter worked at twickenham in the catering dept as a manager. so I gained a Pain and Gunter tie, the firm that runs hospitality, I never returned the uniform and gained entry for every game of the following 5 nations campaign by dressing in a suit with that tie on and just saying hi to the stewards