Idiots, scum and the way forward!

[Mattyblue]

As tomphil says. Ewood has been so sedate and so empty for so long, the club seem to be struggling to cope with a sustained increase in numbers (and not that big an increase) and the raucousness that goes with being at the top end of the table…. Christ knows how’d they’d cope in the PL.

[Ben Frost]

3 hours ago, Kie_BRFC said:

On another note I think it's a disgrace the way the stewards are behaving in NO1 at the minute. Against forest there was an army of them barging round checking the tickets of the regulars during the game which helped to kill off any sort of atmosphere in the first half. Seem to be actively trying to discourage any sort of an atmosphere 

About time too. When there are dozens if not hundreds of "fans" congregating in N01 despite not having tickets for N01 it was becoming massively unsafe in there. I know some people who have had STs for 20 years about half way up, they have had to move them because game after game they were finding intruders in their seats and having to practically start fights to get their own seats back! It's the same mentality as described by the OP, it's a selfish sense of entitlement which empowers these kids (and it's mainly kids) to do what the f*** they like regardless of the effect their actions have on anybody else.

[rigger]

24 minutes ago, Ben Frost said:

About time too. When there are dozens if not hundreds of "fans" congregating in N01 despite not having tickets for N01 it was becoming massively unsafe in there. I know some people who have had STs for 20 years about half way up, they have had to move them because game after game they were finding intruders in their seats and having to practically start fights to get their own seats back! It's the same mentality as described by the OP, it's a selfish sense of entitlement which empowers these kids (and it's mainly kids) to do what the f*** they like regardless of the effect their actions have on anybody else.

An easy solution to the problem. Make NO1 a safe standing area. If people are intent on having a seat, they could relocate. It would mean when they come into the seating area, they would have to turn right to their seats instead of left. Not a lot to ask. Saves all the agro and the hassle with the stewards.

[tomphil]

It was the single worst thing they ever did for football fans in this country by completely closing standing terraces.  You see more kids and middle aged man childs wrecked on drugs and booze now than anytime back then. 

Why ? Because the craic as it was and should be has been taken out of it, can't stand with your mates and the more voiciferous and jump and and chant. Can't do this can't do that etc so they just tend to get wasted instead and that has become the rule of thumb for the day.

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by tomphil

[Kie_BRFC]

47 minutes ago, Ben Frost said:

About time too. When there are dozens if not hundreds of "fans" congregating in N01 despite not having tickets for N01 it was becoming massively unsafe in there. I know some people who have had STs for 20 years about half way up, they have had to move them because game after game they were finding intruders in their seats and having to practically start fights to get their own seats back! It's the same mentality as described by the OP, it's a selfish sense of entitlement which empowers these kids (and it's mainly kids) to do what the f*** they like regardless of the effect their actions have on anybody else.

I would agree with you if we weren’t checked for tickets on the way up the stairs, so if they don’t sit there then they don’t get up. 

In what world is it massively unsafe in there, Christ 

[tomphil]

Looking out onto NO1 from high in the Jack Walker BBE side the impression i get is it looks better than it has done for years.  Seems more vibrant and camaraderie than when i used to go in there anyway, you don't get the impression of it being toxic.

 

[darrenrover]

At The Hawthorns on Monday night, it was like a Teddy Bears Picnic for teenagers amongst our away following but whilst raucous and having a good time, they were generally well behaved. Probably a night out over half term.

Whilst I do not condone in any way the throwing of missiles on to the pitch or any form of pyrotechnics in the ground, I feel that some sense of perspective is required.

We as a club are crying out for increased support and it has to generally come from youngsters. It is a society issue IMO, the 'millennials' but rather than us older generation moan and groan and seek to "ban the scum", why not be adult and have a quiet word and say "come on lads, out of order" and have a bit of craic with them?

We were all young once and by no means 'angels' back in the day and to re-iterate, it annoys the hell out of me too but perhaps we as 50,60 and 70 year old supporters that have all 'been around the block' a few times have a bit of a duty too.

Just my opinion.

[Mattyblue]

And that’s a fine for some, probably the majority of young lads.

But you are being a bit naive here, as I can tell you now at a game like Wigan with others who are not as well behaved, who’ve been on the booze and coke all day, having a ‘quiet word’ with them wouldn’t generally be advised…. 

Edited February 16, 2022 by Mattyblue

[darrenrover]

2 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

And that’s a fine for some, probably the majority of young lads.

But you are being a bit naive here, as I can tell you now at a game like Wigan with others who are not as well behaved, who’ve been on the booze and coke all day, having a ‘quiet word’ with them wouldn’t generally be advised…. 

I don't necessarily disagree Matty but I've done it several times at away games this season and never had a problem....quite the contrary in fact.

I agree though, it's how one approaches it and how it's said....not for everyone accepted.

[Hasta]

1 hour ago, darrenrover said:

why not be adult and have a quiet word and say "come on lads, out of order" and have a bit of craic with them?

I saw a guy try that at Wigan a few years ago and he got punched for his trouble. 

If I am in a stand and I toss a bottle on the pitch at an opposition player I would expect to get banned if I got caught. Therefore if I elected to do it I couldn't complain at any reprisals that action may have. I dont understand how anyone that did get banned could have any complaints about it. Do they seriously not think that is not what is going to happen to them?

Edited February 16, 2022 by Hasta

[darrenrover]

25 minutes ago, Hasta said:

I saw a guy try that at Wigan a few years ago and he got punched for his trouble. 

If I am in a stand and I toss a bottle on the pitch at an opposition player I would expect to get banned if I got caught. Therefore if I elected to do it I couldn't complain at any reprisals that action may have. I dont understand how anyone that did get banned could have any complaints about it. Do they seriously not think that is not what is going to happen to them?

You're right with an incident similar to the one you describe, i.e. throwing missiles and the like, I totally agree with you.

I was just meaning the general comment re the OP of "ban the scum". As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I've had a word on the quiet, in a jovial sort of way, with a few groups of young lads at away games this season and it's always been accepted, well received and better behaviour ensued. What more can I say?

We need more young supporters and if controlling them and educating them better is required, then BRFC, Police and fellow fans need to step up to the plate.

Again IMO.

[only2garners]

7 hours ago, darrenrover said:

At The Hawthorns on Monday night, it was like a Teddy Bears Picnic for teenagers amongst our away following but whilst raucous and having a good time, they were generally well behaved. Probably a night out over half term.

I think it's possible to easily predict where there is going to be trouble at away games. I've been to 4 away games so far this season - Stoke, Bournemouth, Wigan and Luton. The only game that was really messy was Wigan - cheap tickets and a short easy journey by train. Bournemouth and Luton both miles away with a small allocation snapped up by regular ST holders, no problem at all. Stoke somewhere in between but I don't recall any issues.

You can almost guarantee that there will be problems when we go to Deepdale and maybe Birmingham if the game is important

The issues in NO1 I didn't know about until I read above. There doesn't seem to be an issue looking at it from my seat in the JW Upper. But if there is a situation where fans from elsewhere in the BE Lower are moving into the top of NO1 to get into the singing area then that's an issue that needs sorting out.

As Darrenrover says I wouldn't want to demonise fans who just want to make a noise and support the team so we need to find them somewhere to go where they won't upset fans who have sat (or stood) in NO1 since the stand was built. This Saturday would be the perfect time to let them go en masse into the Darwen End where there will be plenty of space and they won't upset other ticket holders.

[Mattyblue]

Of course a game down at West Brom on a miserable Monday night, live on Sky, in February, is going to have your true blue fans of all ages there. 

Wigan on a Saturday afternoon, £15 a ticket, is obviously going to attract plenty more of those that just fancy a day out on the razz… and all the potential issues that can cause.

Edited February 16, 2022 by Mattyblue

[Gav]

Lads causing trouble at Rovers has been going on for 60yrs, the current intake are no different its just much smaller in numbers. The rest of us have grown up and society is far less tolerant of this kind of behaviour. I don't condone it, especially when it spoils other fans days out, but its hardly anything new.

An empty plastic bottle was thrown at the keeper, big deal, many on here will remember a Rovers fan running on the pitch and punching the QPR? keeper back in the 70's. Then we had the assault on the burnley team a few years back, and I can remember the goalmouth at The Blackburn End being covered in bananas early 80's when we played City at home and Alex Williams was in the nets for City, disgusting behaviour.

This is nothing new and it will never go away, but in the main its under control with stiff sentences if the police catch you at it.

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by Gav

[Mattyblue]

All seater stadiums don’t help away from home. All types of fans are hemmed in together.

Safe standing is the way forward. A standing section for those that fancy a raucous away end. But also a seated section for those that just want to sit and watch. 

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by Mattyblue

[RoversTilliDie]

The biggest moron at ewood against forest was the ref, his one sided at times ridiculous decisions was really getting the crowd heated up.

 

[RoversTilliDie]

On 10/02/2022 at 09:32, K-Hod said:

It was hard to tell from the upper end of the JW on the DE side, but I certainly saw Samba throw something into the BBE, it looked like a water bottle, but I may well be mistaken of course!

 

Why did forest fans not drink out of bottles, it came from somewere else. They were worse than the blackburn end at times some real abusive language aimed at some rovers players.

[rigger]

1 hour ago, Gav said:

Lads causing trouble at Rovers has been going on for 60yrs, the current intake are no different its just much smaller in numbers. The rest of us have grown up and society is far less tolerant of this kind of behaviour. I don't condone it, especially when it spoils other fans days out, but its hardly anything new.

An empty plastic bottle was thrown at the keeper, big deal, many on here will remember a Rovers fan running on the pitch and punching the QPR? keeper back in the 70's. Then we had the assault on the burnley team a few years back, and I can remember the goalmouth at The Blackburn End being covered in bananas early 80's when we played City at home and Alex Williams was in the nets for City, disgusting behaviour.

This is nothing new and it will never go away, but in the main its under control with stiff sentences if the police catch you at it.

 

If I remember right, wasn't the QPR keeper Phil Parkes ?

[only2garners]

2 hours ago, Gav said:

An empty plastic bottle was thrown at the keeper, big deal,

Was it empty Gav? I don’t know, but it didn’t look empty to me, either when it came on to the pitch or when Johnson threw it back.

[darrenrover]

5 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Of course a game down at West Brom on a miserable Monday night, live on Sky, in February, is going to have your true blue fans of all ages there. 

Wigan on a Saturday afternoon, £15 a ticket, is obviously going to attract plenty more of those that just fancy a day out on the razz… and all the potential issues that can cause.

Well control "the razz" FFS!.....someone?

Don't chuck the baby out with the bath water, we need bums on seats and all Rovers together!

Were we not all kids once, and once in a blue moon needed keeping in check?....Sorry but I will never stop giving a kindly curly finger wherever necessary (IMO) but that perhaps is just me.....

 

[Mattyblue]

Boys will be boys and all that, obviously. As Gav says, was ever thus. But bucketloads of cocaine on top of the booze has given all this a different dimension across football over the last few years, and especially post locking youngsters down for two years.

At local aways, a load of other folk come out the woodwork, folk that never step foot in Ewood, ‘cos it’s shit’. They go largely because it’s a good day out.

Fair enough, better than an empty seat, and such games will always attract said people, but it’s a fact that a lot of these lads are off their heads by kick off and intimidating other fans that just want to watch a game. Obviously not you, you seem to be some kind of snake charmer that can talk round anybody with a ‘bit of craic’, but it is an issue for others.

There's nowt we can do about it short term, but when safe standing becomes more bedded in then a lot of these issues will go away as your more ‘sedate’ fan can sit in the seating section, the local day tripper ‘lads’ can enjoy the standing section.

[Upside Down]

Wasn't Blackburn notorious at one point for throwing darts on the pitch?

Times have certainly changed for the better.

I'm certainly in favour of standing areas.

[oldjamfan1]

5 hours ago, Upside Down said:

Wasn't Blackburn notorious at one point for throwing darts on the pitch?

Times have certainly changed for the better.

I'm certainly in favour of standing areas.

I think there was a phase in the mid 70s where throwing darts at the footie was rife, and not just at Ewood.  There were various photos in the tabloids of young men being led around various pitches with darts sticking out of their heads/faces and in one particularly graphic photo, an eye! Slightly later than that, Terry Gennoe once said that one missed his head by about 2 inches in a game at Ewood against Burnley.

[Exiled_Rover]

On 16/02/2022 at 10:30, darrenrover said:

At The Hawthorns on Monday night, it was like a Teddy Bears Picnic for teenagers amongst our away following but whilst raucous and having a good time, they were generally well behaved. Probably a night out over half term.

Whilst I do not condone in any way the throwing of missiles on to the pitch or any form of pyrotechnics in the ground, I feel that some sense of perspective is required.

We as a club are crying out for increased support and it has to generally come from youngsters. It is a society issue IMO, the 'millennials' but rather than us older generation moan and groan and seek to "ban the scum", why not be adult and have a quiet word and say "come on lads, out of order" and have a bit of craic with them?

We were all young once and by no means 'angels' back in the day and to re-iterate, it annoys the hell out of me too but perhaps we as 50,60 and 70 year old supporters that have all 'been around the block' a few times have a bit of a duty too.

Just my opinion.

Bloody hell, us millennials get blamed for everything - we have mortgages and kids of our own, if we're lucky.

You need to direct this at Gen Z - or the Zoomers as they're colloquially known. 

[darrenrover]

11 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Bloody hell, us millennials get blamed for everything - we have mortgages and kids of our own, if we're lucky.

You need to direct this at Gen Z - or the Zoomers as they're colloquially known. 

Ok, I'll direct it at 13 to 18 year olds...you label it as you wish!

It's imperative that we as a club, encourage and harness support from this generation of lads and lasses, who may be hard work (it was forever thus!).

Recognise that the potential IS there and do something about it ROVERS!!!