Stewarding and the club/fan relationship

[Hughesy]

During the Liverpool game we could all stand for 90 minutes? What will happen them, we all get banned.

Or when we score we could just all sit and clap, although on recent results I can't see that happening.

The whole blackburn end should stand for the game and sing we shall not be moved!

Or maybe sing

'Make the scousers, make the scousers

Make the f#%king scousers sit, make the f#%kin scousers sit!

[BRFCC]

The stewards are wan*ers if you ask me.

[CAPT KAYOS]

LET

The Telegraph`s view.....

Would be interesting to hear what the supposed 'public order offences' where as from what I can see these where only brought on by the attitude of the stewards and the way they acted to people standing and not those having ago at the people in the boxes.

As a result the Police pobably had to make an arrests but the question has to be asked whether they where they due to the imcompetence of the Stewards being able to handle the situation?

Edited October 20, 2004 by CAPT KAYOS

[Guest CivLibRover]

Did anyone see the fans and police round the BB, JW stands area after the match. Well first off a chorus of you 'only sh1t on your own fans'. Then Police got camera's out and threathened to take a picture. Then started singing 'you can shove your @#/?1n camera's up youR a$$'.

All i can say they brought it on thereselves. We don't get many fans as it is without driviing them away.

GET IT SORTED !!

If you object to being filmed, there is a very simple and easy way to make Lancs Constabulay's life so hard that it will no longer be cost effective to film fans at Ewood.

Simply use this template letter to request the footage that contains you. Not only will the have to spend a substaintial amount of time and effort locating the footage, but they'll then have to blur every other fan in the footage.

It won't take too many people requesting their footage to force the police into stopping filming. Unde rthe DPA you have a legal to such footage (including from CCTV cameras) although you can be charged a maximum of £10 for it.

[den]

Link doesn't work.

[Glenn]

I think he ment this instead (be warned, it's an MS-Word document not a web page).

[RevidgeBlue]

The Club have to sort this out as a matter of urgency.

I have no sympathy for people who persistently stand, stadias are now all seater - end of. BUT it is plainly not on to enforce the regulations against home fans only and not against away fans simply because there's a lot more of them standing.

There must be one rule for all.

God knows it's been bad enough on the pitch at Ewood over the last couple of seasons. We can ill afford to alienate any more support off it.

[mattyboy6000]

LET

The Telegraph`s view.....

Would be interesting to hear what the supposed 'public order offences' where as from what I can see these where only brought on by the attitude of the stewards and the way they acted to people standing and not those having ago at the people in the boxes.

As a result the Police pobably had to make an arrests but the question has to be asked whether they where they due to the imcompetence of the Stewards being able to handle the situation?

you're bob on there kayos

[The Prof.]

Shows how much common sense we have left at the club. Jack Walker will be turning in his grave.

[Atomicrover]

Verrrry difficult to call on this one. Its almost impossible to think of an appropriate, practical censure method to prevent/discourage away fans from standing. The (continued) Licensing of Ewood to remain a football stadium depends upon compliance with the Football Spectators Act and its easier to impose such controls on the areas where the names/addresses etc of the ticket holders are known.

If the Licensing authority don't think Rovers can control it, they WILL reduce the number of seats in those areas I'm afraid

[ainscough99]

will be interesting to see what happens at liverpool game when fans have been on the beer all afternoon!

'$h1t on your own fans'

[Ste B]

Did anyone see the fans and police round the BB, JW stands area after the match. Well first off a chorus of you 'only sh1t on your own fans'. Then Police got camera's out and threathened to take a picture. Then started singing 'you can shove your @#/?1n camera's up youR a$$'.

All i can say they brought it on thereselves. We don't get many fans as it is without driviing them away.

GET IT SORTED !! 

If you object to being filmed, there is a very simple and easy way to make Lancs Constabulay's life so hard that it will no longer be cost effective to film fans at Ewood.

Simply use this template letter to request the footage that contains you. Not only will the have to spend a substaintial amount of time and effort locating the footage, but they'll then have to blur every other fan in the footage.

It won't take too many people requesting their footage to force the police into stopping filming. Unde rthe DPA you have a legal to such footage (including from CCTV cameras) although you can be charged a maximum of £10 for it.

Methinks somebody has been watching too much Mark Thomas.

Seem to remember an episode of his comedy product where he went round London filming coppers and annoying them to the point where he was threatened with arrest.

[den]

Tom Finn explains the pressure rovers are under, to ensure all fans remain seated during games.

LET

I can't argue with that, but IMO, what he will have to be careful about is that they don't start throwing rovers fans out during the Liverpool game. If they do and the 'pool fans are standing there could be real trouble.

One possible problem rovers will face, is that some of the home fans could be ready to actually START trouble, even if they're not provoked.

[Hasta]

1.) Plenty of work is done behind the scenes to stop away fans standing up as well. Posters are put up - welcoming fans to Ewood and asking them politely to remain seated in the interests of safety. This was succesful against West Brom and even their fans thought it was a good idea. Letters are also sent with tickets distributed to away fans warning them they risk being ejected if they stand persistently. Aston Villa received these letters, however, and never included them when distributing tickets to their fans.

2.) Licensing Authority grants safety certificates on the measure that people sit down. Rules stipulate that if the stand is at more than 25% camber/gradient from the back to the front it is deemed dangerous to stay stood up. The camber/gradient in the stands at Ewood is 28% raising to 32%, dipping in the middle. Licensing authority will grant a safety certificate on condition fans do not persistently stand during the match

3.) If the problem persists drastic action will be taken such as problem areas having ticket allocations slashed/reduced. This has already happened at Notts Forest where they have reduced tickets given to away fans from 3,500 to 2,000.

1) The away fans get letters and posters. The home fans get heavy handed stewarding and policing. I appreciate the club are showing they are trying to combat the problem but it's double standards.

2) Unless the club do more than what they are doing in point 1 away fans will stand in the DE and BRFC will be in breach of the safety certificate .....

3) ... therefore they will inevitably have their alloctation cut and the club will lose £££££££'s. However for some reason they turn a blind eye to the away fans.

The fact is it's easy for the stewards and police to wade into the home fans but they do not want the effort / trouble to deal with the away fans despite the fact that they are breaching the same rule.

Just read the Tom Finn statement from den's link and he seems to be passing the book on the away fans as 'not our problem'. I'll remember this when I'm getting thrown out at the Reebok by their stewards for trying to go to the loo.

Edited October 20, 2004 by Hasta

[den]

The club are in a VERY difficult position. One simple question that they haven't answered is: What action will the club take when fans in both the home and away areas are seen to be standing.

It's a question that they are, not surprisingly, avoiding.

[Glenn]

Lets break this down.

The club is trying to do something about the away fans, but most feel it's not enough.

Many don't have a problem with sitting in the BBE, they just feel that the same rules should be enforced at both ends of the ground.

Direct Action against the stewards is not an option as this is just likely to lead to arrest and/or removal of ST.

Nobody expects the Liverpool fans to sit.

The Liverpool game is on TV.

A 5pm kick off will lead to an increase in beer consumption which will enevitably lead to more people getting more upset about it.

I therefore think young Hughsey has the answer (not something I expected to be typing).

Through well timed vocal harmonies (OK, I mean loud chanting) bring it to the entire viewing publics attention that the club are failing to attempt control the away fans. Thus forcing the club to enforce their own rules with everyone, not just the soft targets.

OK, so it's not the most militant protest ever formed, but it's legal, not likely to give the club cause to remove your ST, something everyone who feels strongly enough can join it and not against the ground regulations.

Turn the attention away from ourselves (i.e. #### on your own fans) which on TV will just seem like us having a big of a squabble with the police and stewards and onto the away fans (thus actually getting the point across).

[Blueheart]

Fine so long as we actually get enough home fans turning up at the next match.Based on the entertainment/cost value presented at the last debacle, i really do think the attendance will fall.

[CAPT KAYOS]

Lets break this down.

The club is trying to do something about the away fans, but most feel it's not enough.

Many don't have a problem with sitting in the BBE, they just feel that the same rules should be enforced at both ends of the ground.

Direct Action against the stewards is not an option as this is just likely to lead to arrest and/or removal of ST.

Nobody expects the Liverpool fans to sit.

The Liverpool game is on TV.

A 5pm kick off will lead to an increase in beer consumption which will enevitably lead to more people getting more upset about it.

I therefore think young Hughsey has the answer (not something I expected to be typing).

Through well timed vocal harmonies (OK, I mean loud chanting) bring it to the entire viewing publics attention that the club are failing to attempt control the away fans. Thus forcing the club to enforce their own rules with everyone, not just the soft targets.

OK, so it's not the most militant protest ever formed, but it's legal, not likely to give the club cause to remove your ST, something everyone who feels strongly enough can join it and not against the ground regulations.

Turn the attention away from ourselves (i.e. #### on your own fans) which on TV will just seem like us having a big of a squabble with the police and stewards and onto the away fans (thus actually getting the point across).

Glenn stop beiing so reasoned in your replies people might start to listen

Just one point which is a double edged sword really - to get everybody involved and get the mantra going to effect, it normally has to start with people standing up otherwise it will not gather momentum thus leading to a issue akin to Saturday on possibly a far greater scale and back to square one and possibly consequences far worse.

My answer - nobody go to their seats and just stand on the concourse wishing you had a beer as you certainly won't be able to get served at the two manned bar, therefore creating a far more dangerous situation than that of people standing in their seats.

Personally I feel the horse has already bolted - and listening to people already the Season Ticket sales next season will tell the tale.

[stuwilky]

Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am arranging to go into the club and speak to Stuart Caley about this issue. I am fairly confident of the reply I will get. If anyone wants me to raise a specific point I am happy to do so.

Please send me a PM if this is the case.

Stu

[RevidgeBlue]

I must take issue slightly with that statement from Tom Finn, to simply say that clubs are only deemed to be responsible for the behaviour of their own fans seems to be a very literal reading of the guidelines and a case of passing the buck.

On a broader level surely Rovers are responsible for the behaviour and ultimately the safety of ALL the fans in the stadium.

Granted on an operational level there may be occasions when it is extremely difficult to get say 5,000 Manc barstewards to sit down but the club must at least be seen to be making every possible attempt to get away fans to comply with the regulations.

If the home fans could see the club seemed to be doing their best in difficult circumstances there would be surely little ground for complaint and similarly the licensing authorities would surely recognise this.

[den]

The best answer to all this, is simply to instruct the stewards in the home areas, to use as much common sense as possible.

i.e, NOT to throw home fans out. To use friendly persuasion, not what is essentially violence. That will calm the situation at least for the immediate future.

They don't see the need to throw away fans out at this moment in time, so they shouldn't see the need to throw the home fans out.

[mattyboy6000]

The best answer to all this, is simply to instruct the stewards in the home areas, to use as much common sense as possible.

woah there... surely you're asking a bit much there.

seriously though common sense and a little tact, diplomacy in the first instance would have prevented this from happening, though now, touching on kayos's point, has the horse already bolted from the stable?

either way the stewards could well have a difficult job to do against liverpool

[tashor]

The stands at Ewood Park...

They had twenty thousand men...

And some stood up for a bit of a thrill...

Before sitting down again.

When they stood up, they stood up...

And when they sat down, they sat down...

And when they were only halfway up...

They were arrested.........

[jim mk2]

Standing up at football matches is another form of anti-social behaviour in my view.

The club has to take firm action to deal with this growing problem. The only way as I see it is to adopt a "zero tolerance" approach.

All those "supporters" - home and away - who persist in standing up, to the detriment of law-abiding fans who are happy to watch the match sitting down, should be thrown out of the ground and banned from the ground.

These are the same morons who continue to defy smoking bans on trains and in restaurants, the same cretins who litter the streets instead of putting their rubbish in a bin or take it home, the same imbeciles who endanger other people's lives by breaking the speed limit on the roads.

They should not be allowed to attend football matches until they have learnt how to behave properly.

[Dan Furness]

can I ask a question.

all the 'non-standers' here, do you bother standing up when its, say, a one-on-one, someone clean down the wing running towards goal, goalmouth scramble.

Im a stander, but only in times when it should be ok, such as creating an atmosphere. Come on weve all been there and seen the Blackburn End bouncing to 'barmy army' etc with EVERYONE standing