Apologies if discussed already, but what was with the smoke flares??

Aren't they among the list of 'banned' items for football grounds? Given the Wigan fans let them off before the match and after every goal, as far as I could see, there was ample time for the stewards/police to go and arrest or eject the people involved. **** me, I could see who they were from Row Y of the Ponty! Not a single attempt was made to stop them doing it.

 

Very continental.

They need to remember they are Wigan Athletic, playing in Barnsley. Not some southern European outfit. Wigan are c0cks.

And yes, that's purely because I'm pi55ed off this evening.

 

2 quid off the special effects website, we let loads of at Man City

 

Just read a young kid was hit with one and escorted out, thankfully unhurt.

 

So is smoking but we allow it

 

Sadly now other clubs will get wind of how soft we were at dealing with the multiple flare incidents and do it themselves.

 

Two very loud explosions went off before the game started followed by some pretty dense smoke at the top of the north stand. These must have been some kind of smoke grenades and I thought at the time surely the police surveillance will have picked that up and the idiots will soon be out of there. But no ....it happened again and again. Er, how come?

Is there any point to match day security these days if you can get away with things like that. It would have been fine if the fools letting them off suffered some serious burn injuries but what about people around them? Completely brainless all of them.

 

They're utter idiots! I'm not sure what those big bangs were before the game but from the sound of them, I'm guessing you don't want to be near them when they go off!

The worst thing is when someone gets injured, it's usually someone that wasn't involved. That kid must have been lucky to not get burned!

 

was sat in east lower towards the away end, one of their fans threw one of the fans down the stand and it hit one of their fans on the back. could see when he turned round the black mark on his green top where the flare had hit him

 

Noticed it before the game yet no action from stewards or police - they should have been in to eject the offenders

 

So does the other 91 clubs in the league

 

Very dissapointed with how they dealt with them. I thought for sure that after the first two really loud bangs and dense smoke before kick off that something would be done but they turned a blind eye to it. I didn't even see any police or stewards make their way into the stand at all to even have a word. The most action they got was for a police man to stand in front of the stand filming it. I assume that's how they deal with murder these days too, just let the crime happen and film it for evidence even though they wont use it as they don't bother arresting anyone.

Was very surprised to see them still doing it about 6 or 7 times later. Just how many flares did our stewards let them 'smuggle' in? They kept coming from the same people so they must have had a bag full or two.

Then to top it off the only PA announcements were to the Barnsley fans in the ponty end about something.

 

Hit em where it hurts and stop the game ,plus fine the club .

 

Absolutely! I'd have fined 'em 5 goals on the spot!

 

I wondered the same, especially after the fourth/fifth and sixth went off. I'm sure we operate an 'anything goes' policy in the North Stand. Anything that happens near the top of the stand, whether it's flares, smoke bombs, fireworks, overcrowding, blocking gangways, jumping about in the camera bit or whatever tends to get ignored. Suppose it's a lot easier to grab fans celebrating at the front and drag them off to the police than it is going up and dealing with actual problems, but that's not the point. Compare our approach with the way Blackpool stewards deal with us next week and you'll see the two extremes of stewarding, neither acceptable.

 

I saw that Barry. If it had hit the lad in the face it could have caused serious damage.

Their fans came over as quite 'billy big boots' as if they were a Man Utd who'd just been unlucky to be relegated because of one bad season. 'You're just a Rochdale with money' for if it wasn't for Mr Whelan's support league one or two is probably where they'd be.

 

"So is smoking but we allow it"

Not in the stands we don't. It's not even a rule that has to be policed. Barnsley fans stopped smoking in the stands from the first game the rule was brought in and haven't done so since. At half time they now go outside away from non-smokers so not to bother them. It's a good rule that has worked well at Oakwell for the benefit of everyone. It's not to the letter of the law, but as far as I can see it suits everyone and is a common sense approach to an issue that needed addressing.

 

I was more appalled by their chants aimed at Martinez - they'd be in the alehouse league now were it not for his management. He showed loyalty when bigger jobs than Everton came up and just got on with his job quietly, with real class. And they're having a pop at him! Ignorant feckers.

 

Yes, they are banned. First time it came to my attention was when Sw*nsea played Chelsea in the 2nd leg of the Carling Cup semi. Two Chelsea fans brought flares to the game and got three months each. And no, it wasn't the fashion police clamping down on ridiculous 1970s type clothing, it was the smoke bomb issue. We've seen a few at our pre-season games and S Wales police have been quick to respond - they've arrested the teens that let them off at Cheltenham and put out warnings in the local press & on messageboards. Suppose it depends on how the police in your area view it - but be warned.