Darwen End Closure / New Singing Section

[pk1875]

Blackburn End Upper...... CLOSED
Darwen End.........CLOSED  

Riverside.........NEXT?   Just think about it

[Mattyblue]

It’s possible as that would still leave 15,500-16,000 home seats - which has more than sufficed since 2012.

Though the club should now be of the mindset that we have bottomed out and should be striving to increase attendances.

[HowieFive0]

  On 10/05/2018 at 20:14, Stuart said:

If you think about it, they don’t have to move.

Just get there early enough to claim a seat.

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If your going to do that then you may as well make the whole ground unreserved seating.....like away games which if i remember rightly many on here complained about not getting their allocated away seat ..so think that wont work somehow!

Better idea would be if people all over the ground put a bit more effort in and became more vocal as one .

[Stuart]

  On 11/05/2018 at 13:20, HowieFive0 said:

If your going to do that then you may as well make the whole ground unreserved seating.....like away games which if i remember rightly many on here complained about not getting their allocated away seat ..so think that wont work somehow!

Better idea would be if people all over the ground put a bit more effort in and became more vocal as one .

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Eh? That first paragraph makes no sense.

Second one. Great idea. What are YOU going to suggest to make that more likely?

And it’s ‘you’re’.

[Stuart]

  On 11/05/2018 at 11:59, pk1875 said:

Blackburn End Upper...... CLOSED
Darwen End.........CLOSED  

Riverside.........NEXT?   Just think about it

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Darwen end isn’t closed, Paul. Away fans are going to be in it. It could even help with segregation. People will get used to their new seats.

Can’t see the Riverside closing any time soon. It’s getting regular use by a majority and is the ‘cheap seat’ area. Lose that and it becomes a real squeeze and they will have to pay JW Upper prices. Doesn’t make economic sense.

My only real beef is the loss of unreserved seating. (Like we have for away games - apparently.  ). There is a market for it and it can help to grow the fanbase as bringing a mate (or kids) along is really easy.

[roversfan2001]

The entire ground is basically unreserved seating anyway, it's not like there's a shortage of empty ones.

[HowieFive0]

  On 11/05/2018 at 14:08, Stuart said:

Eh? That first paragraph makes no sense.

Second one. Great idea. What are YOU going to suggest to make that more likely?

And it’s ‘you’re’.

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Free bar one hour before kick off Stuart...drop YOUR inhibitions then and you can join in.

As for the unreserved seating for eight back rows   in the BBE i think it  would  cause more aggro than its worth.People get very precious over THEIR seat.

[pk1875]

  On 11/05/2018 at 14:14, Stuart said:

Darwen end isn’t closed, Paul. Away fans are going to be in it. It could even help with segregation. People will get used to their new seats.

Can’t see the Riverside closing any time soon. It’s getting regular use by a majority and is the ‘cheap seat’ area. Lose that and it becomes a real squeeze and they will have to pay JW Upper prices. Doesn’t make economic sense.

My only real beef is the loss of unreserved seating. (Like we have for away games - apparently.  ). There is a market for it and it can help to grow the fanbase as bringing a mate (or kids) along is really easy.

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If / When the Riverside is affected its more likely to be safety issues, although I suppose economics do come to it as the stand needs serious renovation.

[Exiled in Toronto]

  On 11/05/2018 at 01:29, old darwen blue said:

No it’s not. The Darwen End is traditionally Home support. 

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Indeed so, I spent my first couple of seasons in it. That roof made for tremendous acoustics. I have to say I don’t remember a lot of fuss when we were relocated to the Blackburn End when the ground was first segregated. I think it was purely a logistical decision: majority of home fans head off back toward town or up LBR, easier to bring in the away coaches down from the Boundary.

How on earth did we survive the next 40 years where home fans only went in the Darwen End by going over the top into battle.

Edited May 11, 2018 by Exiled in Toronto

[Stuart]

  On 11/05/2018 at 14:31, HowieFive0 said:

Free bar one hour before kick off Stuart...drop YOUR inhibitions then and you can join in.

As for the unreserved seating for eight back rows   in the BBE i think it  would  cause more aggro than its worth.People get very precious over THEIR seat.

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You’ve got my vote!   Although I think you’d agree I’m not usually inhibited.

You are also right about people being precious about “their” seat but in reality all the seats belong to the club and if they want to move you they can. Unless you decide not to attend.

It just seems such an obvious place for singing, standing, unreserved seats. The won’t be in anyone’s way, they are behind the goal and mates can all congregate together. The alternative would be down at the front but as they do seem to want to stand it would require at least two rows behind them to be empty.

The club have made a rod for their own back with the DE unreserved option and also with cheap tickets. Taking away both is bound to be met with resistance.

[Stuart]

  On 11/05/2018 at 14:48, pk1875 said:

If / When the Riverside is affected its more likely to be safety issues, although I suppose economics do come to it as the stand needs serious renovation.

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Fair play. That stand needs a revamp sooner rather than later. Removing those bloody posts for starters.

[old darwen blue]

  On 11/05/2018 at 11:59, pk1875 said:

Blackburn End Upper...... CLOSED
Darwen End.........CLOSED  

Riverside.........NEXT?   Just think about it

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So if some think that evicting me and others who want to be in the Darwen End is a good idea then the same can be applied to the Riverside. The JWU would be filled up nicely and let’s face it, the owners can’t see the Riverside from where the cameras now are. 

 

 

Oh and if you think shutting the Riverside is crazy then how do you think us Darren Enders feel. 

Whats good fert goose an all that.  

[pk1875]

  On 12/05/2018 at 01:07, old darwen blue said:

So if some think that evicting me and others who want to be in the Darwen End is a good idea then the same can be applied to the Riverside. The JWU would be filled up nicely and let’s face it, the owners can’t see the Riverside from where the cameras now are. 

 

 

Oh and if you think shutting the Riverside is crazy then how do you think us Darren Enders feel. 

Whats good fert goose an all that.  

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The family stand was closed without consultation
The Darwen End Home section closed without consultation
Nothing makes The Riverside safe an empty Riverside wouldn't be shown on TV

[Stuart]

  On 13/05/2018 at 13:27, pk1875 said:

The family stand was closed without consultation
The Darwen End Home section closed without consultation
Nothing makes The Riverside safe an empty Riverside wouldn't be shown on TV

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The family stand was moved not closed - and to be fair has been a huge success. One of very few - if not the only - successes.

I also understand why closing the DE could make sense. I just don’t see how closing the Riverside could work. There is nowhere else for them to go - unless they move the family stand back to the BBE upper. If the DE was full every week then it might be a different story but it wasn’t. I also think that the behaviour of those johnny-come-latelies who went for the DE unreserved seating last weekend creating massive groups who then embarrassed us all by charging the pitch during play won’t have helped matters. The genuine DE regulars looked to all still be in the stand but the chancers didn’t do you any favours.

[Mattyblue]

There is a place for the 1,500/2,000-ish regular Riversiders to go - the Jack Walker.

Though you would think that’s it for the closures, and closing the Riverside would create a furore bigger than the other two put together, there are a hell of a lot of folk in there that have been Riversiders for decades.

[Mattyblue]

Couple of seasons in the Hughes era from memory, that’s it.

[Songman]

In fairness there has been trouble at the back of the Darwen end almost every home game this season,  just check out other teams forums and most mention it. Whilst this is a minority, the number of kids involved has seemed to grow week by week. I’m sure this will have been taken into account when closing it, due to the bigger followings and higher risk of violence next season.

[Stuart]

  On 13/05/2018 at 13:54, Mattyblue said:

There is a place for the 1,500/2,000-ish regular Riversiders to go - the Jack Walker.

Though you would think that’s it for the closures, and closing the Riverside would create a furore bigger than the other two put together, there are a hell of a lot of folk in there that have been Riversiders for decades.

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Not for a discounted ticket. The JW upper tier would be the only area with space and is the most expensive ticket in the ground.

They'd have to go in the BBE upper - or send the family stand back up there.

However, with the kind of fan in the Riverside, 90% would just stop going altogether.

[pk1875]

  On 13/05/2018 at 13:44, Stuart said:

The family stand was moved not closed - and to be fair has been a huge success. One of very few - if not the only - successes.

I also understand why closing the DE could make sense. I just don’t see how closing the Riverside could work. There is nowhere else for them to go - unless they move the family stand back to the BBE upper. If the DE was full every week then it might be a different story but it wasn’t. I also think that the behaviour of those johnny-come-latelies who went for the DE unreserved seating last weekend creating massive groups who then embarrassed us all by charging the pitch during play won’t have helped matters. The genuine DE regulars looked to all still be in the stand but the chancers didn’t do you any favours.

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Whether it was closed or moved is a side point, it was done without consultation and upset many fans, some of whom did not renew. The same argument could be used for the Darwen End Singing section isn't closing just moving to W02 in the JW lower albeit without the assistance of the club (at this moment in time).

  On 13/05/2018 at 14:47, Songman said:

In fairness there has been trouble at the back of the Darwen end almost every home game this season,  just check out other teams forums and most mention it. Whilst this is a minority, the number of kids involved has seemed to grow week by week. I’m sure this will have been taken into account when closing it, due to the bigger followings and higher risk of violence next season.

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To be fair Stuart and Songman, this move wont do anything to stop the morons. The club should like many others do and hold back the away fans for 10 minutes if the think there is a bad atmosphere. The idiots will simply walk from whatever stand they are in and loiter around the Darwen End.

Lets not forget that many of the pitch invaders came from the Blackburn End and I may add from what I have seen several assaults took place in the Blackburn End. Now I don't condone pitch invading but in my eyes assaulting a person is more serious.

[Stuart]

  On 14/05/2018 at 14:42, pk1875 said:

Whether it was closed or moved is a side point, it was done without consultation and upset many fans, some of whom did not renew. The same argument could be used for the Darwen End Singing section isn't closing just moving to W02 in the JW lower albeit without the assistance of the club (at this moment in time).

To be fair Stuart and Songman, this move wont do anything to stop the morons. The club should like many others do and hold back the away fans for 10 minutes if the think there is a bad atmosphere. The idiots will simply walk from whatever stand they are in and loiter around the Darwen End.

Lets not forget that many of the pitch invaders came from the Blackburn End and I may add from what I have seen several assaults took place in the Blackburn End. Now I don't condone pitch invading but in my eyes assaulting a person is more serious.

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The first invasion before the game ended was almost exclusively DE I’m afraid. It was a handful of idiots from the BBE. It probably wouldn’t have mattered where they were though, they were all tanked up and getting on there regardless.

I agree about holding fans back, although the should now easily be able to cordon off the away fans straight to the away car park and coaches.

[Paul]

I’m sure everyone knows between the JW and DE stands there are large steel gates. I enter and exit through these gates for every game. 

We walk straight out of these gates, through the exiting away support, through the gated fencing towards exiting Rovers fans and in to car park B.

I have once, in all the seasons we’ve done this, seen a few Rovers kids taunting away support and once, possibly twice, this season had to walk through a police line.

If trouble at the back of the DE refers to outside the ground I’ve yet to see any. 

[Songman]

  On 14/05/2018 at 17:25, Paul said:

I’m sure everyone knows between the JW and DE stands there are large steel gates. I enter and exit through these gates for every game. 

We walk straight out of these gates, through the exiting away support, through the gated fencing towards exiting Rovers fans and in to car park B.

I have once, in all the seasons we’ve done this, seen a few Rovers kids taunting away support and once, possibly twice, this season had to walk through a police line.

If trouble at the back of the DE refers to outside the ground I’ve yet to see any. 

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A mate of mine works for the police and is often at Ewood on a matchday (and the turf) and reckons there is a growing issue at Ewood, says the Oldham game was among the worst hes policed. Pretty sure there was a report in the telegraph saying similar not to long back as well.

The handful of times ive exited that way I have seen police having to intervene and punches or missiles being thrown (I have walked round from the far side of the riverside by this point) can’t recall which games off the top of my head but Shrewsbury and Southend were certainly two of them.

Edit - For all I know it could be the away support causing it, but I would imagine it usually takes both sides.

 

 

 

:

Edited May 14, 2018 by Songman

[Hasta]

  On 14/05/2018 at 21:05, Songman said:

A mate of mine works for the police and is often at Ewood on a matchday (and the turf) and reckons there is a growing issue at Ewood, says the Oldham game was among the worst hes policed. Pretty sure there was a report in the telegraph saying similar not to long back as well.

:

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The Oldham following had plenty of idiots looking for trouble. Ive never seen people break through an escort and charge at the Blackburn End since Ewood was rebuilt, even if it was only a dozen or so. I'd guess they kept the police busy most of that day,

[rigger]

  On 14/05/2018 at 17:25, Paul said:

I’m sure everyone knows between the JW and DE stands there are large steel gates. I enter and exit through these gates for every game. 

We walk straight out of these gates, through the exiting away support, through the gated fencing towards exiting Rovers fans and in to car park B.

I have once, in all the seasons we’ve done this, seen a few Rovers kids taunting away support and once, possibly twice, this season had to walk through a police line.

If trouble at the back of the DE refers to outside the ground I’ve yet to see any. 

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Oldham, Wigan, Shrewsbury, Southend, Doncaster.

Edited May 15, 2018 by rigger
correction

[barry_]

that's me and my lads in for a season!!!!!!!!!! in W01.