One rule for one club, another rule for BFC

Discussion in 'Bulletin Board' started by fired, Apr 11, 2018.

  1. fir

    fired Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    I haven't been to Loftus Rd for a good few years, but I do remember the layout. Anyway, my other half was there last night, and said that it was pretty dangerous - the concourse isn't wide enough to accommodate everyone at half time. (obviously he wanted a massive concourse!) I asked him if there was a bar open - there was.

    I'm sure I remember BFC being unable to have a bar in the concourse of the Ponty, because it was "too narrow"?

    Then again, I also remember us having to close down 3 sides of the ground as we were only allowed to use seats, and yet years later, Fulham were still getting away with standing behind the goals, in the Premier League.

    And don't even get me started on how Celtic and Rangers fans can be adequately segregated and policed by a bit of Nylon, but Barnsley not only has to use a specific, separate stand, which is then further restricted at the front, and sides.

    Where's the consistency?
     
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  2. DEETEE

    DEETEE Well-Known Member

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    Given 90% of Swfc fans are obese a cattle yard would be too narrow.
     
  3. ste

    steve1887 Active Member

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    its very dangerous tbf
     
  4. pompey_red

    pompey_red Well-Known Member

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    I’ve half a feeling we bring some of it on ourselves. Maybe QPR pay for adequate stewarding and policing and therefore can operate in a different manner to us? The concourse issue at Oakwell was a joke as we’ve seen at SWFC and QPR.

    The away stand baffles me, there must be an over zealous health and safety rep at the council that’s for sure
     
  5. MappRed

    MappRed Well-Known Member

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    I don’t know how true it is but I’ve read previously that the Council’s representative on the Safety Advisory Committee is particularly overzealous hence the somewhat over the top things we see at Oakwell.
     
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  6. Dan

    DannyWilsonLovechild Well-Known Member

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    The only way you make progress is challenging these things and not being afraid to bite. Its not surprising the teams who challenge most red cards are large clubs with money and good legal representation.

    One of the things I do hope is that with our very wealthy owners, they bring some very weighty legal counsel to ensure we are able to overturn these crazy things inflicted upon us that clearly restrain our trade
     
  7. dreamboy3000

    dreamboy3000 Well-Known Member

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    A far too small and unsafe concourse, the Wendy fans will feel at home like they are in Leppings Lane.
     
  8. John Peachy

    John Peachy Well-Known Member

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    I think this is definitely the case. As the council co owns the ground I guess we have little chance doing a lot about it either.
     
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  9. MappRed

    MappRed Well-Known Member

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    Presumably it’s the same chap that signs off on the safety certificate without which we wouldn’t be able to host a game. There’s little wonder so many games are called off or heavily restricted.
     
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  10. Carlycu5tard

    Carlycu5tard Well-Known Member

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    So do you want to prevent other people from enjoying themselves by banning these unsafe practices at other grounds - or do you want Oakwell to become unsafe....
     
  11. Ripper

    Ripper Well-Known Member

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    I’m not one for spending time underneath the stand, I tend to go for a piss in the last pub, time it to get in the ground at 14-50 locate my seat or the place I intend to stand if it’s unreserved. Normally at the back at the end of the row, then I stay there until the ref blows for full time, down the stairs, into the lav for a piss and on my way to the pub, before grown blokes have stopped clapping other grown blokes for doing their jobs. So none of this matters to me to be honest, it doesn’t effect me in the slightest. But places like Derby that utilise the outside space for a burger van and smoking area so people don’t smoke in the bog are excellent in my opinion, I can’t see why other grounds don’t do the same, especially QPR, and Wensdeh.
     
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2018
  12. George Kerr

    George Kerr Well-Known Member

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    I haven't been to Loftus Rd for a good few years, but I do remember the layout. Anyway, my other half was there last night, and said that it was pretty dangerous - the concourse isn't wide enough to accommodate everyone at half time. (obviously he wanted a massive concourse!) I asked him if there was a bar open - there was.

    I'm sure I remember BFC being unable to have a bar in the concourse of the Ponty, because it was "too narrow"?

    Then again, I also remember us having to close down 3 sides of the ground as we were only allowed to use seats, and yet years later, Fulham were still getting away with standing behind the goals, in the Premier League.

    And don't even get me started on how Celtic and Rangers fans can be adequately segregated and policed by a bit of Nylon, but Barnsley not only has to use a specific, separate stand, which is then further restricted at the front, and sides.

    Where's the consistency?[/QUOTE]

    I'm not sure where you get this false information about bias against BFC from. We do not limit away fans solely to the north stand as the club can if they wish use the north end of the west stand. Also overspill visiting 'dignitries' and scouts etc are sometimes allowed in the centre of the upper east stand. You may have noticed that at the recent Sheff. Utd. game some of the more rowdy visitors were ejected by the stewards from this area. The netting at the bottom corner of the north stand and the restricting of home fans from the north end of the lower east stand was introduced after the Wednesday game 4 or 5 years ago when coins and other objects were thrown at one another. It's not as if we're currently capable of 23,000 gates is it?
     
  13. Mid

    MidlandsBFC Well-Known Member

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    The difference (as mentioned above) is always the club’s legal team. I’m a law student, and, to be frank, in cases like this, money wins. Up until the takeover, we had more pressing issues than building a team of great lawyers (like staying afloat), but if the new owners have any sense then they’d change this pretty soon.
     
  14. MappRed

    MappRed Well-Known Member

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    The club has always had a team of excellent lawyers. The club itself under the Cryne regime latterly retained the services of Walker Morris and Brabners LLP, not to mention at the time that Ben Mansford was a qualified solicitor and Maurice Watkins is/was senior partner at Brabners LLP.
     
  15. Mid

    MidlandsBFC Well-Known Member

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    That’s fair, however both of the firms listed are on the smaller side. Clubs like Everton have Gateley PLC, a top Manchester club has Clifford Chance, a top London club has DLA Piper (unsure what is public knowledge and what isn’t so won’t name names)- huge international firms with massive political influence and connections. If that’s the level we aspire to reach, then we either need a proper in-house team, or some real heavy hitters who can sway the local council.

    Of course I’m talking about a ‘dream world’ scenario- I’m sure our current legal team is more than adequate!
     
  16. MappRed

    MappRed Well-Known Member

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    I have to disagree. Walker Morris and Brabners are both national firms who are heavily and incredibly successfully involved in this particular field.

    The issues noted in this thread aren’t as a result of the club’s lack of expert legal representation, in fact far from it, there are so many other variables that impact on the ground and on the matchday experience.

    Don’t forget that Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council holds circa 50% of the issued share capital in Oakwell Community Assets Limited.

    There’s also the composition of the Safety Advisory Group and the fact that BMBC issues the safety certificate without which the game can’t go ahead.
     
  17. pon

    pontyender Well-Known Member

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    There's two sides to every story and the level of stewarding we pay for is probably the crucial factor. I've always said that's the real reason we haven't used the West Stand North for ages. The North Stand may not be entirely down to stewarding. When away fans have posted videos of some of their high jinks, my first thought has been how narrow that concourse looks. Maybe too much so for 6,000 people under today's thinking.
     
  18. Dan

    DannyWilsonLovechild Well-Known Member

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    The firms involved are minnows compared to silver and magic circle firms. That does have a bearing, but moreso the intent of the club in the first place. I think in many ways Patrick often followed a path of least resistance. I think he openly said he didn't want to stand in the way of players leaving and in challenging red cards etc

    Sadly as we've seen you get tarred accordingly. As we were open about letting players leave and not trying to retain them, and we probably tried to attract them in the first place on the basis of a stepping stone club. Hill mentioned it lots, so did Flitcroft, so did the ex head coach. We found players leaving and not trying too hard to retain them, almost giving it that we'd lose them anyway, that we'd had their value almost. We've rarely made any noise about wanting more areas open or restricting travelling numbers, or unfair decisions/ dismissals.

    If you challenge, over time you're no longer seen as a soft touch and you may find more things fall your way, or you're restricted less.

    I'd much rather see us challenging, fairly, when we're wronged. yes it may cost money, but it may just give us a fairer path to tread in future.
     

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