[Archived] Riverside 'not available for relocation' for Burnley game

[Gav]

I agree, I was in w03 riverside last year and didnt see anything to excessive going on other than verbals and hand gestures.

Exactly T.J

But the police and club are now united in the stance that trouble occurred, when in fact it didn't, but if you sling enough mud it'll ensure Lancashire police control this fixture on their terms for the foreseeable future and that's destroying the game for supporters of both sides.

[McClarky]

Obviously standing up is seen as a serious public order issue by lancashire Police. I was in that section last year with my daughter and there was no trouble. You wonder what the world is coming to when you can't stand and shout at a game without being branded a hooligan.

[only2garners]

When I went to the meeting between the clubs and police about a month or so ago I must admit that I thought the police were making rather more of what happened in the Riverside than I thought. From where I sit in the Family Stand it looked like a lot of people standing and baiting the Burnley fans but not much violence. The police said that there were a number of injuries including a couple of quite serious ones. Then I read Glen's post on the first page of this thread.

[Ben-2000]

I think one of the main issue was overcrowding. A number of us legitimately had tickets in E04 but could not get to our seats due to people from other parts of the stand occupying them. The steps were also blocked.

I agree that the trouble was minimal, though I did get hit in the chest by a coin! If both sets of fans wanted to get at each other - they would have done.

[Gav]

Then I read Glen's post on the first page of this thread.

What happened to the chap with Glen was unfortunate, but wasn’t because of violence, more from over exuberance from what I can gather, but unfortunate none the less.

If a policemen was seriously hurt it wasn’t in that section of the Riverside because everyone would have seen it, and the police would have moved in to clear the fans, but that never happened and I doubt it had anything to do with that section of the ground.

I think one of the main issue was overcrowding. A number of us legitimately had tickets in E04 but could not get to our seats due to people from other parts of the stand occupying them. The steps were also blocked.

Thats frustrating but isn't exactly the worst thing to ever happen in a football ground.

[Tom]

In a 'post Hillsborough' world overcrowding won't be taken lightly though

There were more people than seats in that area by most accounts and its potentially dangerous which is what the club wants to avoid

[only2garners]

I also understand that there were a number of season ticket holders in the Riverside who complained about the situation last year. Who do you think the club should support, the fans sat in their seats or the ones stood at the front lobbing coins?

[Gav]

I also understand that there were a number of season ticket holders in the Riverside who complained about the situation last year. Who do you think the club should support, the fans sat in their seats or the ones stood at the front lobbing coins?

Did you see Rovers fans lobbing coins? I didn't and neither did the 30 or so police stood right in front of them.

But I do have sympathy for people who couldn't get to their seats.

[Stuart]

Majority no longer rules in Britain. If one person complains or is injured then everything stops - and not even because of safety or logic...

...but to avoid litigation.

[pk1875]

I also understand that there were a number of season ticket holders in the Riverside who complained about the situation last year. Who do you think the club should support, the fans sat in their seats or the ones stood at the front lobbing coins?

If that was the attitude of the FF then Im surprised any home fans are allowed for the Burnley game, Where you in the Riverside that day? 90% of the problems where caused by limp wristed @#/? poor stewarding.

Representing the fans doesn't mean sitting there dipping your digestive in your brew and nodding at everything you are told.

[tomphil]

The goading fans at the front at the end of the match should surely have been shoved in the direction of the exit by stewards / police and not back towards the stand causing a crush to those trying to leave in that direction. Again NON of this would have happened had they left the end block of the away section empty. Making a total mockery of the ticketing and restrictions because handbags were allowed to fester during the game anyway.

[ABBEY]

Scum bumley fans got thrown out of chorley mcD the other night singing jack walker is dead and venky songs ...

[Mike E]

If that was the attitude of the FF then Im surprised any home fans are allowed for the Burnley game, Where you in the Riverside that day? 90% of the problems where caused by limp wristed kean poor stewarding.

Representing the fans doesn't mean sitting there dipping your digestive in your brew and nodding at everything you are told.

While I agree to an extent, active stewarding (poor or otherwise) is usually because fans are acting like morons. If fans knew how to behave without getting aggressive, the stewards wouldn't even be needed.

My dad recalls games vs Burnley at both grounds where you wandered amongst each other and had a laugh, not a hi-viz or bobby's hat in sight.

[only2garners]

If that was the attitude of the FF then Im surprised any home fans are allowed for the Burnley game, Where you in the Riverside that day? 90% of the problems where caused by limp wristed kean poor stewarding.

Representing the fans doesn't mean sitting there dipping your digestive in your brew and nodding at everything you are told.

I'm at a loss to understand why you think that this was the attitude of the FF. I was just relating a fact (unless of course you believe that club officials are lying to justify actions?).

We try to represent all shades of opinion amongst Rovers fans. As anyone who has spent any time on here will know that's often akin to herding cats. I've heard views saying it was mostly the fault of incompetent stewarding but also plenty of fans complaining about the fans gathered on the forecourt. I've heard both the club and the police reporting several injuries, some serious. They have reported coins being thrown from both sets of fans and Ben above has reported being hit by one. I was 100 yards away so I can't offer any first hand experience.

[T.J.Newton]

If that was the attitude of the FF then Im surprised any home fans are allowed for the Burnley game, Where you in the Riverside that day? 90% of the problems where caused by limp wristed kean poor stewarding.

Representing the fans doesn't mean sitting there dipping your digestive in your brew and nodding at everything you are told.

Me thinks!

[Stuart]

And you reckon you aren't a troll...

Clearly you are hoping PK rises to that bait so you can have a good chuckle.

[T.J.Newton]

And you reckon you aren't a troll...

Clearly you are hoping PK rises to that bait so you can have a good chuckle.

ridiculous thing to say, but as usual its fine to constantly have digs at the ff and its members, but have a harmless little dig at a brag member in the ff's defence and im a troll, that's about right.

[Stuart]

Someone gave their considered opinion in a reasonable, if obviously frustrated, way.

You made a snide post designed only to antagonise.

[ABBEY]

Me thinks!

Words not needed.

[T.J.Newton]

Someone gave their considered opinion in a reasonable, if obviously frustrated, way.

You made a snide post designed only to antagonise.

sorry, I just thought it was funny and pretty tame, don't be so sensitive, I doubt pk is taking it with any seriousness.

[thenodrog]

In a 'post Hillsborough' world overcrowding won't be taken lightly though

Would that that was true, unfortunately Liverpool will make sure we never are.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Majority no longer rules in Britain. If one person complains or is injured then everything stops - and not even because of safety or logic...

...but to avoid litigation.

Absolute nail on the head there Stuart.

The threat of litigation is pretty much responsible for every moronic, common sense lacking, inconvenient, fun-sapping, pedantic, pointless, irritating thing done by any form of authority in this country in modern times.

[thenodrog]

I've heard both the club and the police reporting several injuries, some serious. They have reported coins being thrown from both sets of fans and Ben above has reported being hit by one. I was 100 yards away so I can't offer any first hand experience.

So when it's known and reported that fans have thrown and been hit by coins last season and the club still allows the same situation to occur I'd say the next chap to get hit by a stray coin will have a strong claim against the club should he wish to apportion blame. Ambulance chasers are rife these days.

Whatever decision is made will not be the right one for the moaners out of the DE... even though they knew they'd have to move for certain matches when they bought their tickets. If the DE supporters covet the Riverside so much then why didn't they buy their ST's there?

If it was my decision I'd close and fence off the entire Darwen End half of the Riverside. Existing ST holders from that area would be the only ones allowed to relocate to the Blackburn End half of the Riverside. The DE faithful would have to sit in the Blackburn End stand and thats that.

I also understand that there were a number of season ticket holders in the Riverside who complained about the situation last year. Who do you think the club should support, the fans sat in their seats or the ones stood at the front lobbing coins?

Quite right. I'd have complained too. As I said above leave the riverside for the riversiders.

[pk1875]

I'm at a loss to understand why you think that this was the attitude of the FF. I was just relating a fact (unless of course you believe that club officials are lying to justify actions?).

We try to represent all shades of opinion amongst Rovers fans. As anyone who has spent any time on here will know that's often akin to herding cats. I've heard views saying it was mostly the fault of incompetent stewarding but also plenty of fans complaining about the fans gathered on the forecourt. I've heard both the club and the police reporting several injuries, some serious. They have reported coins being thrown from both sets of fans and Ben above has reported being hit by one. I was 100 yards away so I can't offer any first hand experience.

I thought this was the attitude of the FF because you said "I also understand that there were a number of season ticket holders in the Riverside who complained about the situation last year. Who do you think the club should support, the fans sat in their seats or the ones stood at the front lobbing coins?"

The overcrowding was caused by poor stewarding, when I got to the ground a steward said this section is full you will have to find somewhere else to sit, when I showed him my ticket his reply was look (pointed to the seat) someone else has taken it. I replied that my seat on row 3 was where I wanted to sit, he replied not my keaning problem, move on somewhere else. They then herded people who couldn't get to a seat to stand on the aisles.

Yes it was overcrowded and dangerous but this was down to poor stewarding.

Did the FF request figures from the club?

How many where arrested?

How many where ejected?

If the Club told you about so many coin throwers I presume the stewards / Police saw this and duly arrested them

Why did the stewards allow the overcrowding to occur?

How much damage was done to the Riverside?

How much damage was done to the Darwen End?

Why did the club not reduce the amount of tickets for Burnley and close the end sections of the Darwen End?

Why when Burnley fans sat in the Riverside where identified by stewards did they take a good 10-15 inures to remove them?

I would hope that you asked all these questions?

At the end of the game I pointed out a young lad from Burnley who was stamping on his seat the Policeman and steward looked at him as he snapped the seat off and hurled it towards the pitch, their response was do nothing at all.

It was also claimed at the time that a lot of the problems where caused by "walk ons" who hadn't been seen at Ewood recently, yet walk ons can still buy tickets in the Riverside?

[Ben-2000]

If that was the attitude of the FF then Im surprised any home fans are allowed for the Burnley game, Where you in the Riverside that day? 90% of the problems where caused by limp wristed kean poor stewarding.

Representing the fans doesn't mean sitting there dipping your digestive in your brew and nodding at everything you are told.

I'm a little disappointed by your last comment there mate...

At the meeting the club advised/confirmed the basic arrangements for the game in respect of segregation etc...

After numerous people had come to me personally about various aspects of these arrangements, I sought to clarify the following (this is not word for word, but you'll get the jist)...

Why can DE ST holders not relocate to the Riverside whilst walk-on fans can especially when in the past the club had blamed walk-on's for the problems last season. I said that this, together with a recent newspaper article (where a club 'spokesman' was interviewed) appears to be blaming fans from the Darwen End.

They denied that they were putting the blame on fans from the Darwen End and are restricting match-day sales in the Riverside by refusing to sell tickets to anyone who had only been in there for Burnley last season. Unfortunately Stuart Caley wasn't at the meeting to give further info from the safety aspect and his take on the situation.

Also, Burnley have 4,500 tickets split into both tiers & spread over the middle, with the ends left empty.