Darwen End Closure / New Singing Section

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

I wonder how Lancashire Police would cope with a WestHam/Millwall,Utd/Liverpool,Celtic/Rangers game were fans are literally sat next to each other?

Maybe the club don't want an empty lower tier Stuart to save embarrassment on TV?

 

[Mattyblue]

Which side of the JW gregg ? 

From my seat the kids in the family stand seemed to be milling about, having photos taken with Rover the Dog etc.

[JHRover]

1 hour ago, Stuart said:

It would be good if one of the fan groups could get an answer from the club about why they don’t house away fans in the upper tier. Even if the lower stand is empty.

There is no intention to maximise the home fan numbers so why are they (presumably) trying to maximise the away fan numbers by making their experience more convenient/pleasant?

Get the smaller followings out of the way upstairs.

I noticed that Bolton had an empty bottom tier yesterday with Bristol City supporters upstairs in one corner. No doubt they were paying a high price for their tickets too. 

Why we don't do that I find odd. Surely it is much easier to steward/police with away fans upstairs and the club could also charge them more for tickets, another way to raise revenues which would probably bring in more than the 1875 club would. 

[old darwen blue]

3 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

People support how they see fit, they put money into the club, they often bring others who then get the bug, most fans do clap even if they don’t sing and if they don’t, so what?

I know you and barry et al are upset about this whole affair. But it was the club that made a mess of the Darwen End issue, not the fans in other stands, so aim your fire at those who deserve it instead of calling long standing Blues, who’ve put up with no end of shite this last few years ‘non supporters’.

Hey don't take it personal as it wasn't intended to be. I was merely making the point that there are far more quiet spectators in the BE now than vocal supporters. There looked to be about 4K in their yesterday but very quiet; were not going to the cinema, it's a football match and the noise a crowd makes will help the players. Maybe if the silent spectators were moved to other parts of the BE and for example make two whole blocks singing sections it would help?

[1864roverite]

2 hours ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

The only plausible explanation Stuart is that it's been done on Police advise and as ever the club have bent over forward to accommodate.They simply don't want home and away fans merged in or behind that stand...anything else makes zero sense.

Absolutely wrong. Police decision making not involved in any way shape or form. It’s a financial decision alone

[Paul]

6 hours ago, barry_ said:

Arrogant.

This from somone who sits in the JWU.

Someone who just sits and watches a game IS a spectator.

In your description of 60+, i'm surprised you didn't throw in any women and children ?

 

 

 

Arrogant? Why? Could you explain this please.

I'd suggest the arrogance comes from you, and a number of others who chose to characterise or categorise Rovers supporters, in one way or another. By your definition Rovers probably have thousands of spectators and very few supporters, that doesn't make any sense.

Edited August 12, 2018 by Paul

[old darwen blue]

Just now, Paul said:

Arrogant? Why? Could you explain this please.

I'd suggest the arrogance comes from you, and a number of others who chose to characterise or categorise Rovers supporters, in one way or another. By your definition Rovers probably have thousands of spectators and very few supporters, that doesn't make any sense.

I agree with that definition completely. 

[Paul]

Just now, old darwen blue said:

I agree with that definition completely. 

It's your view the only people who can be considered to be Rovers supporters are those who sing? The rest are simply spectators who by inference don't care about the club one way or another.

 

Can you confirm I've understood you correctly?

[old darwen blue]

Your filling in a lot of words in my sentences there! When was the last time a song was sung in the JWU?

Edited August 12, 2018 by old darwen blue

[Stuart]

10 minutes ago, Paul said:

It's your view the only people who can be considered to be Rovers supporters are those who sing? The rest are simply spectators who by inference don't care about the club one way or another.

 

Can you confirm I've understood you correctly?

Any thoughts about housing the away fans in the DE upper, Paul? A much more pertinent debate I’d say.

[Rogerb]

19 minutes ago, old darwen blue said:

Your filling in a lot of words in my sentences there! When was the last time a song was sung in the JWU?

Probably Coyles last match!

[Mattyblue]

28 minutes ago, old darwen blue said:

Hey don't take it personal as it wasn't intended to be. I was merely making the point that there are far more quiet spectators in the BE now than vocal supporters. There looked to be about 4K in their yesterday but very quiet; were not going to the cinema, it's a football match and the noise a crowd makes will help the players. Maybe if the silent spectators were moved to other parts of the BE and for example make two whole blocks singing sections it would help?

I don’t take it personally I like a good sing song as much as the next man.

I just don’t see how labelling fans who don’t sing as non supporters helps debate?

I thought the BBEnd made a decent noise yesterday, as did the Millwall fan at the other end of the ground, as it goes.

But I’m not sure what else people expect in a less than half full all seater stadium in this day and age, Ewood, like most grounds is fairly quiet unless roused - a 0-0 against Millwall isn’t going to get thousands of people engaging in 90 minutes of raucous chanting.

[roversfan99]

There is labelling on both sides. Some seem to like being in their ivory tower labelling the folk in the Darwen End as a bunch of pathetic teenagers only interesting in baiting the away supporters from behind the safety of a line of police and stewards. A stereotyped often used to justify the move of home fans from the Darwen End without consultation.

As someone who used to be in the Darwen End and did none of that, just like the majority of others, I found that labelling just as bad as the needless use of the word spectators seems to have irked a couple on here.

[barry_]

We all support the club by going to games ect.

When the match starts, there is a difference. Do you think your support counts for much by sitting silently, spectating?

Yesterday, the usual headsof security/police were by the side of W01 watching to see what 'we' would get up to.

They didn't stay long as they knew that, for them, it was 'job done'. They'd got rid of what had been a nuisance.

I applaud the post where someone acknowledges the fact thay the reason there's been no support from the club with relocation is because they wanted to break the support up, so it is scattetrd abd ineffectual as a point of vocal dissent.

All through the years of the DE, home fans were treated as hostiles. Our support isn't valued.

 

 

 

Edited August 12, 2018 by barry_

[Mattyblue]

Still room in N01, why not move over?

The Crystal Palace singing section is in the exact same position in their main end and they are known as the best in the Premier League.

[barry_]

Putting the away fans upstairs in DE would surely be less expensive (not by much, i'd wager) due to the fact that the there wouldn't need to be security between them and the pitch (not that it is of much use).

57 minutes ago, 1864roverite said:

Absolutely wrong. Police decision making not involved in any way shape or form. It’s a financial decision alone

 

[Oldgregg86]

4 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Which side of the JW gregg ? 

From my seat the kids in the family stand seemed to be milling about, having photos taken with Rover the Dog etc.

Blackburn end side. I sit on the frony row so she can mooch about. She's only 4 and trying keep her in one place is a nightmare so I end up missing most the game when she comes playing daft games entertain her. She was playing with a few kids at the front then a steward told her sit down. The other kids ignored him and carried on but she was to scared because she's a bit soft when being told off by strangers to get back up.

[Paul]

17 minutes ago, Stuart said:

Any thoughts about housing the away fans in the DE upper, Paul? A much more pertinent debate I’d say.

As far as I can see there are two issues with putting away fans in DE upper - increased match day costs which are unavoidable and ensuring missles etc. can't be thrown on to the Rovers support below. The second is simple enough to overcome if the club has the desire. I can't see any other problems inside the ground and there don't seem to be any major incidents outside.

For me being told I am not a Rovers supporter and a mere spectator is equally pertinent. I'm looking forward to the view being explained.

[Paul]

2 hours ago, old darwen blue said:

Maybe if the silent spectators were moved to other parts of the BE and for example make two whole blocks singing sections it would help?

So moving the singing supporters from the DE is unacceptable but moving the silent spectators is acceptable?

Smacks of double standards to me.

[roversfan2001]

7 minutes ago, Paul said:

As far as I can see there are two issues with putting away fans in DE upper - increased match day costs which are unavoidable and ensuring missles etc. can't be thrown on to the Rovers support below. The second is simple enough to overcome if the club has the desire. I can't see any other problems inside the ground and there don't seem to be any major incidents outside.

For me being told I am not a Rovers supporter and a mere spectator is equally pertinent. I'm looking forward to the view being explained.

I don't think the debate is whether to move the away fans into the DE upper to allow Rovers fans back in the lower tier, more to get them away from the pitch and reduce their influence on the game (and charge them more potentially, though Cheston wouldn't do that).

[Stuart]

6 minutes ago, Paul said:

As far as I can see there are two issues with putting away fans in DE upper - increased match day costs which are unavoidable and ensuring missles etc. can't be thrown on to the Rovers support below. The second is simple enough to overcome if the club has the desire. I can't see any other problems inside the ground and there don't seem to be any major incidents outside.

For me being told I am not a Rovers supporter and a mere spectator is equally pertinent. I'm looking forward to the view being explained.

There wouldn’t be any Rovers fans in the section below, that was my point. Having them up there keeps them well out of the way and the noise at that end of the ground to a minimum. Stewarding costs are moot because upper and lower sections are kept separate. It would be good to understand why the club don’t think this would be to the benefit of the team on match day - other clubs do. Just to be clear, I’m not asking them to reverse the decision to move DE fans back. The milk is spilled now.

As for being told you aren’t a supporter of you don’t sing, stop being soft. Of course you are a proper supporter, it’s just that another equally passionate supporter but their equally passionate foot in their equally passionate gob.

[Claytons Left Boot]

1 hour ago, barry_ said:

When the match starts, there is a difference. Do you think your support counts for much by sitting silently, spectating?

You need to understand something Barry. There are a lot of fans in the Blackburn End that are aged 40 and over. I am 60.

From being aged 12 or so, I stood at the back of the Blackburn End with all the other singers and generally had a good time. I always stayed well clear of Church Birdy mind, folk of a certain vintage will testify that he was a bit of a loose canon. In fact there were a few characters like that. We were all like minded lads who stood in the same spot each home game giving it our all. We all travelled to away games via coach or train and again gave it our all. If you got back to the railway station in one piece back then, you had done well.

I’m nothing special, there are loads like me. Been on since 1966 and a life long Rover. All over the country watching the lads and into Europe. Seen all the key games, Plymouth 1975, Derby FA Cup c.1976, West Brom FA Cup, Liverpool League Cup, Port Vale 1975, Bury 1980, Leicester at Wembley, Liverpool 1995, Preston for the promotion game, Spurs 2002 at Cardiff, Doncaster 2018, Ankara 2003, Celtic away and a million games I’ve forgotten.

Now, I like a sing song as much as the next man. I like the atmosphere at away matches, I usually stand up and sing at those but, when you’ve been singing/shouting/standing for 50 years or more, sometimes at a relatively mediocre game like Millwall at home, who bring a paltry 851 supporters with them, you like to just sit and watch the game and in silence if need be!

[AAK]

6 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Hmm, not something I remember myself very often.

I think we often look back to those days with rose tinted spectacles. 30,000 at Ewood for Liverpool with a load of away fans too, of course the atmosphere was great.

But there were many games against clubs like Fulham who brought very few and the ground would often have 10,000 or so empty seats, the atmosphere would be average then too, it’s just those empty seats now number 17,000/18,000 - how are you supposed to have a cracking atmosphere with such vast gaps?

I go to plenty of away matches and the atmospheres are poor at most of them, so not going to get too worried about it - get safe standing in and we may see changes.

Very much disagree pal. I remember looking forward to going ewood singing a good 2/3 of the game. Now i dont bother going much as atmosphere is a big part of it for me, hence more away games these days. Ewood isnt enjoyable for me and i feel a lot more feel the same. If i go i am down in the concourse all game having a beer, sad i know, but sitting down watching average football for 95 mins doesn't do it for me, whereas an atmosphere accompanying that would. I dont think people realise the importance of that for some. Not aiming that at you mate by the way. 

Edited August 12, 2018 by AAK

[Mattyblue]

Fair enough, but Ewood really really hasn’t been like that for donkeys years, well apart from odd pockets like the hundred or so in the Darwen End or N01 at one time.

Most grounds haven’t been how you describe for a long time, folk just watch the game and you hear that general murmur sound of chatting.

Great performance or terrible ref or big away following often got the place going, but I’m not having that Ewood was a cauldron every week in the 2000s, because it just wasn’t.

Edited August 12, 2018 by Mattyblue

[tomphil]

It wasn't but compared to the last 7 years it probably was might be a better way of putting it.  It was often far too mute but it had a soul called the Blackburn End and could get revved up, Wigan game last season was as close as it's been to crackling for a league game since the Hughes era probably, early Souness era it always seemed to be buzzing.

Burnley aside of course which is usually an altogether different type of atmosphere.