[Archived] Wigan Vs Blackburn Rovers

[gumboots]

Unfair gumboots? Bet that little lad didn't think so! I'm sure that he'd only be in the aisle cos he couldn't see for people standing up in front of him. It needs stamping out. Some ignoramus stands up and everybody behind has to do the same.

Except he was in the front row!!!! I agree normally and I have had words about people near the front standing before but on saturday nobody near us seemed to want to sit down and even when I did as the kid in front of me was small enough to see over nobody behind me did, so I just ended up pleasing myself sitting as and when I felt like it and standing if I felt like stretching my legs.

[Roost]

Yeah yeah we get it, you're our version of John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood, you go to every game; you've named your kids Crompton, Garner and Jack; you bought a blue car and sprayed half of it white; you are covered in BRFCS tattoos and have every match day programme ever released...

You are Rovers greatest fan an better and supporting them than anyone else..

WE GET IT!

[Ozz]

I don't think I have seen as many people who I know at a single Rovers match ever. Every five minutes I ran into a mate. The Anvil pub was superb, full of Rovers and a short walk from the Chorley 352 to Wigan, and a pint of Schneider weisse on draught was £2.17, same beer on Deansgate is around £4.00 !

Similarly it was one of the wettest match days ever, it never stopped raining from leaving my front door to getting back to Chorley. Some folk were not prepared for the weather (Kapt Kayos) but I was and my trainers took till Sunday to dry out.

Up till they scored the first equaliser I thought we would win 2 or 3 nil really, we wiped the floor with them. But the goal before half time seemed to give them confidence, and I said to 1864 at half time that the next goal would win. I was right. Even at 4-3 I thought we were doomed to lose, and so it was.

Now the bridge over the Douggy heading out after the game was certainly a flash point for opposing fans, and a crew of young Rovers followers tried to antagonise everyone from both sides with more juvenile racist chants. There was a long queue to get over it and I reckon on another day things could get ugly.

[thenodrog]

.......Some folk were not prepared for the weather (Kapt Kayos) but I was and my trainers took till Sunday to dry out.

[Gav]

i usually attend most away games, but due to other commitments, this was my 1st under steve kean... i know we lost and thats frustrating, but man it was exciting and attacking, and i really enjoyed it. the complete opposite to the dross of away performances under fat sam.

Amen to that.

[blue_and_white]

We were sat down as were most people around us. There were a lot standing in other areas. I don't understand why people insist on standing.

Cause its a lot more awkward trying to sing and clap when you're sat down. Cracks me up how annoyed some of our fans get about it. For most other clubs in the country, their entire away following stands up at every match. Just because about 2/3rds do at Rovers in our most popular away match of the season against local rivals, there's always this sanctimonious outrage from those who prefer not to. If I were you I'd be thankful Rovers on the whole is a family club with poor away support, you'd never be sat down travelling with most other clubs.

[Mattyblue]

The atmosphere has been superb at the recent away games I have been at- is this down to the majority of the end standing? It certianly helps and I prefer it.

However, a lot of 'old timers' etc that go EVERYWHERE watching Rovers will struggle standing up all game.

[gumboots]

Cause its a lot more awkward trying to sing and clap when you're sat down. Cracks me up how annoyed some of our fans get about it. For most other clubs in the country, their entire away following stands up at every match. Just because about 2/3rds do at Rovers in our most popular away match of the season against local rivals, there's always this sanctimonious outrage from those who prefer not to. If I were you I'd be thankful Rovers on the whole is a family club with poor away support, you'd never be sat down travelling with most other clubs.

Thing is, standing isn't too much of a problem when you can choose where you buy your seat. However, at away games you don't get the choice most of the time - seats are sold in a certain order. That does mean that children, older people and other groups of people have to stand even if they are not comfortable with it or not fit enough to do so. It's about taking into account those around you and remembering we are all fans of the same club. If a relatively polite request to sit down is met with abuse then perhaps some of those standing should have another think. More away fans means more support for our players and if people are being put off because they are getting abuse from fellow fans then it's not good for anyone.

[blue_and_white]

Yeah thats fair enough. Personally I always try to make sure I'm at the back (by conventional or uncoventional methods!) and 90% of the time I manage it, even for Wigan that was bizarrely a sell-out but had sections of 5-10 empty seats. But if I was sat nearer the front and somebody asked me to sit down I would do.

I just don't buy this argument that people should have to sit down. Theres no safety risk to persistent standing, or if there is then its far less than the risk of people jumping around to cheer a goal. I can understand why it came about in the first place after Hillsborough but all-seater stadiums have ironically made standing safe. There's no risk of overcrowding or surges of pushing.

It works pretty well at most Rovers away games anyway because we rarely sell out. The standers move to the back and everyone else sits in the front/middle. This angry insistence that some fans seem to have of everyone sat down would spell the end of any atmosphere and remove what makes away games special, so I'm all for standing at the back.

[Ricky]

I still feel rough from Saturday.

[CrazyIvan]

I still feel rough from Saturday.

Must have been a LARGE one then

[Ricky]

I'm not sure if it may have been me who upset someone by asking them to sit down. I had an elderly guy behind me with a walking stick so didn't really want to stand up. I politely asked the people in front to sit down, some did some didn't. I was in row f.

Apologies if I offended anyone on here by asking them to sit down. I've not read the whole thread.

Ended up leaving at half time so missed the majority of the game. Felt far too rough to stay put for the second half so ducked out and headed back to the pub.

[thenodrog]

I just don't buy this argument that people should have to sit down. Theres no safety risk to persistent standing, or if there is then its far less than the risk of people jumping around to cheer a goal. I can understand why it came about in the first place after Hillsborough but all-seater stadiums have ironically made standing safe. There's no risk of overcrowding or surges of pushing.

"In the present day following the Taylor Report we see the following legal conditions which must be adhered to for all football stadiums throughout the country:

All stadiums must be all seater

There must be appropriate segregation of rival sets of supporters

There must be appropriate amounts of stewards in specific areas of the stadiums

The club security must work in accordance with the Police in providing access to certain areas of the stadium – for example the main control room

The smoking ban extends to all areas of a football stadium - Smoke-free (Premises and Enforcement) Regulations

No alcohol can be drunk in site of the pitch "

You are not taking up an option blue and white, you are breaking the law and/or the club is breaking the law by allowing people to stand. If you want to stand you need to lobby your MP to see if an exemption can be brought in which allows for some standing areas at grounds. Just as an aside are you old enough to remember Heysal, Bradford and Hillsborough? Perimeter fences even? Whether you are or not I can tell you it was not good at all. We have come on a long way and to regress would be beyond stupidity.

Personally I can't wait until somebody breaking the rules by standing up at some ground lurches or is pushed over the seat in front and ends up breaking his neck or worse. It'll be stopped and I might even take in an away game or two again.

[roversmum]

I just don't buy this argument that people should have to sit down. Theres no safety risk to persistent standing, or if there is then its far less than the risk of people jumping around to cheer a goal. I can understand why it came about in the first place after Hillsborough but all-seater stadiums have ironically made standing safe. There's no risk of overcrowding or surges of pushing.

It works pretty well at most Rovers away games anyway because we rarely sell out. The standers move to the back and everyone else sits in the front/middle. This angry insistence that some fans seem to have of everyone sat down would spell the end of any atmosphere and remove what makes away games special, so I'm all for standing at the back.

It would be nice, though, if the needs of those less fortunate than oneself (i.e. disabled persons sitting in wheelchairs or those patently not able to stand or cannot see because they are of short stature including children) could be considered but in my experience that is just not the case. The disabled are usually in a clear area but even so able people frequently insist on standing in front of them, sometimes even moving to seats that have been cordoned off for the purpose of allowing disabled people to see, just shrugging their shoulders if challenged. For older supporters, the short and children the situation is worse.

[Ben-2000]

Yeah thats fair enough. Personally I always try to make sure I'm at the back (by conventional or uncoventional methods!) and 90% of the time I manage it, even for Wigan that was bizarrely a sell-out but had sections of 5-10 empty seats. But if I was sat nearer the front and somebody asked me to sit down I would do.

I just don't buy this argument that people should have to sit down. Theres no safety risk to persistent standing, or if there is then its far less than the risk of people jumping around to cheer a goal. I can understand why it came about in the first place after Hillsborough but all-seater stadiums have ironically made standing safe. There's no risk of overcrowding or surges of pushing.

It works pretty well at most Rovers away games anyway because we rarely sell out. The standers move to the back and everyone else sits in the front/middle. This angry insistence that some fans seem to have of everyone sat down would spell the end of any atmosphere and remove what makes away games special, so I'm all for standing at the back.

Couldn't agree more. There is less danger standing for long periods than there is when a goal is scored and people are jumping around!

People can quote what they like, but if every rule was enforced at a sporting event, it wouldn't be worth going and for those that did it would be a very soul-less quiet experience.

I find it very hard to believe that somebody has never broken a rule/law at a football game at some point in their lives - There are so bloody many of them!

[Mattyblue]

When the game is calm, everybody sits down, when a goal is scored everyone jumps about off their seats! There is no logic to it, half time/pre game everyone also stands up!

All seater stadiums were a massive overreaction to Hillsborough. A tragic day that could have been avoided. However, it was not necessary to remove standing from football grounds, just ensuring only a set amount of ticketed fans enter the standing area would have suficed and a modernisation of crumbling terraces and removal of perimeter fencing.

[Ozz]

I still feel rough from Saturday.

You make it to Belle Vue?

[Ricky]

Nope, didn't make it Oz.

Ended up in a series of random pubs and clubs around printworks.

Very messy indeed.

[Ozz]

Oh dear. Sounds like my stag do back in 2002, same plans-Belle Vue after a drinking session. Just ended up in a drinking session.

I got back to Chorley, had about six pints and a curry, went home and fell asleep at my desk watching Get Carter clips on You tube.

(After the Wigan match, not my stag do. On my stag do, I rang the future Mrs Jones on the way back from Manchester from the train asking her to meet my at the station with some shoes so I could get in some local pubs for more drinking)

[super_arran]

Yeah yeah we get it, you're our version of John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood, you go to every game; you've named your kids Crompton, Garner and Jack; you bought a blue car and sprayed half of it white; you are covered in BRFCS tattoos and have every match day programme ever released...

You are Rovers greatest fan an better and supporting them than anyone else..

WE GET IT!

Haha

Standing up through a match is not permitted. I trust the two offenders either saw sense and sat down or were ejected.

Isn't there a quote floating about on here about you admitting exceeding the speed limited frequently?

If true, I trust you see sense and slow down. Or if you don't; you should be banned....afterall it's not permitted.

Practice. Preach.

[Presty On Tour]

WOW!!!!

[old darwen blue]

It was very loud on that concourse and also in the stand after

[Sandiway Blue]