[Archived] Increase In Attendances

[JAL]

What would make you take the 5 minute walk to Ewood JAL?

Quality recruitment I'm not going to waste my time watching Jason pass another anal ball back to the goalkeeper or defender, Along with thousand of others weve suffered enough of that as it doesn't win you many games no more, simple as.

Why pay to watch three alleged forwards who haven't scored collectively more than a hundred goals between them in fifteen years plus of playing professional football.

[deryck guyler's spoon]

Quality recruitment I'm not going to waste my time watching Jason pass another anal ball back to the goalkeeper or defender, Along with thousand of others weve suffered enough of that as it doesn't win you many games no more, simple as.

Why pay to watch three alleged forwards who haven't scored collectively more than a hundred goals between them in fifteen years plus of playing professional football.

Fair enough. To be honest I wouldn't want to see Jason Lowe pass an anal ball either.

[Mike Graham]

After that so called performance against Bolton we will be lucky to make 10,000 again. The 8,750 against Forest was a sign of things to come.

[JAL]

Seeing Brown and Williamson on the subs bench is even less attractive for me......but I will still be there!

.

[Stuart]

I must be in the minority here (excuse the pun) but I'm heartened by attendances. This must be the worst of times for Rovers in the last 30 years and yet we still have 10,000 fans turning up.

What I don't like is all of the empty seats and personally, although controversial, and being a Riversider I've no right to talk, I would close the DE to home supporters - at least until we start to have sufficient demand.

We could close the top tier and spread out the away fans in the lower. At the minute we are bunching them together and at times making them more vocal. I'd prefer the DE'ers to sit in the BBE and combine to generate some proper noise. Standing areas don't yet have any political backing and it never will unless demand can be demonstrated. I guess worst case we would end up with some lads moving to the JW lower for 'bants' - which is fine providing they don't act like the scotes in the corner of Bolton's east stand.

We need to become more compact generally and try to create an away atmosphere in the BBE lower. I guess the fact that fans "can" stand at away grounds without their own club being fined makes a difference but just having a section of unreserved seating in the BBE should be possible, although it might upset a few folk. Make the last half a dozen rows of the BBE lower unreserved for a cup match and see what happens. Personally, and providing you aren't blocking anyone's view behind you, I don't this standing is unsafe if you are stood in front of a seat. The HSE agenda will say each seat will need a rail in front of it but I've yet to see anyone go tumbling forward down the stand at any away game, where virtually everyone stands!

[47er]

Standing areas don't yet have any political backing and it never will unless demand can be demonstrated. !

Coincidentally Stuart there was a discussion on 5Live less than an hour ago on this very subject!

2 guys arguing for standing areas in British football stadiums, one of whom was a Lib Dem MP!

One good point made was these arrangements operate everywhere else in Europe, including Germany where attendances are huge.

[Stuart]

Coincidentally Stuart there was a discussion on 5Live less than an hour ago on this very subject!

2 guys arguing for standing areas in British football stadiums, one of whom was a Lib Dem MP!

One good point made was these arrangements operate everywhere else in Europe, including Germany where attendances are huge.

The daft thing is that everyone is in denial. Standing happens every single week of the season by thousands of - specifically - away supporters. The authorities shut their eyes and pretend that it's not happening to avoid getting drawn on the subject.

There is a serious credible argument for SAFE standing at modern football stadia. Particularly in the top flight the necessary ground "improvements" are easily affordable. There are (at least) two issues with this. One, is the "Hillsborough effect" - and I appreciate this is a sensitive issue which generates an emotional reaction, particularly in the current PC-offended-on-behalf-of-others British culture - and the other is that football fans are still seen as hooligans by the establishment - not helped by young scrotes who don't really give a stuff about things like respect for themselves, let alone others. These people are the minority though and should be dealt with appropriately. Until they are they will be used as an example of the 'boorish behaviour' that - despite all of the admissions about police incompetence / mistakes are still seen by many as a root cause for much of football's historic troubles - still prevent a more sensible and responsible approach to "football spectator management".

It's not just being able to stand in my season ticket location either. For instance, I can watch the cricket with a pint in my hand but I can't be trusted to at a football match.

Attitudes towards football spectators need to change first. Next time you see a yob giving football fans a bad name, have a word. If you feel too threatened to do so, report their seat number and behaviour (maybe even with video footage to prove it) to the club and insist that they deal with it. Get rid of the idiots and maybe those left will get more respect for their ideas and suggestions.

[Baz]

Coincidentally Stuart there was a discussion on 5Live less than an hour ago on this very subject!

2 guys arguing for standing areas in British football stadiums, one of whom was a Lib Dem MP!

One good point made was these arrangements operate everywhere else in Europe, including Germany where attendances are huge.

At Leverkusen, you had rows of barriers with seats built into them, so you could choose whether to stand or sit (nominally anyway, as you cant see anything if the person in front is standing). The standing area is therefore safe, as the crush effect would only be 1 rows worth.

It just needs some sensible planning to enact safely. Away games are the worst idea IMO though, as those who do stand, force others seated behind them to do so as well, whether they want to or not.

[riverside returns]

At Leverkusen, you had rows of barriers with seats built into them, so you could choose whether to stand or sit (nominally anyway, as you cant see anything if the person in front is standing). The standing area is therefore safe, as the crush effect would only be 1 rows worth.

It just needs some sensible planning to enact safely. Away games are the worst idea IMO though, as those who do stand, force others seated behind them to do so as well, whether they want to or not.

i watched the manure v chelski game the other evening and lo and behold the manure fans to a man in either end were stood throughout the game. The authorities do nothing to stop this. Why? Because this is manure, this is what the public want to see and it is safe. The rest, i.e. The hilssborough self interested partisans hold no sway apart from their political diatribe.

[Baz]

Id say the authorities know better than to try and get thousands of people to sit down, who don't want to. Its much easier at Ewood as the numbers are far fewer.

Standing in seated areas I feel isn't safe, not in a hillsborough manner, but in some grounds it would be hazardous materials if you fell.

Even if you had solid barriers every 4 or 5 rows, there is little chance of a crush arising.

Im all for Rovers giving it a go, but it has to be done in the proper manner, be passed by the authorities, and cause expense for the club too. Maybe the top 5 rows of the Darwen end, remove the seating and install a crush barrier, to stop them toppling over the seats in front?

[Stuart]

Id say the authorities know better than to try and get thousands of people to sit down, who don't want to. Its much easier at Ewood as the numbers are far fewer.

Standing in seated areas I feel isn't safe, not in a hillsborough manner, but in some grounds it would be hazardous materials if you fell.

Even if you had solid barriers every 4 or 5 rows, there is little chance of a crush arising.

Im all for Rovers giving it a go, but it has to be done in the proper manner, be passed by the authorities, and cause expense for the club too. Maybe the top 5 rows of the Darwen end, remove the seating and install a crush barrier, to stop them toppling over the seats in front?

This is simple the HSE problem I mentioned earlier. The real risk is minimal thousands of people stand every week. Nobody has come tumbling down yet. Hazardous materials!

I'm all for safety but things have gone too far the other way. Paper safety - where real risk isn't a concern as long as someone has ticked the necessary boxes.