BM response to stewarding complaints

Towing the party line?

 

Me feel the gentleman doth protest too much!!

 

It's been many a year since I owned a season ticket. And barring the occasional match I managed to get into during the prem season, I don't believe I've ever even looked at my match day ticket number, n'er mind sitting in it. But I don't wear flares. I'm only half a criminal.

 

Am I in the minority here, where I check, double check, and then triple check my number to make sure I am in the correct seat? No wonder I'm sometimes on my own in the middle of nowhere! (Like I was when ESL and co. came and joined me).

 

Half-time hangings? Could sponsor it, get some more cash into the club.

 

Being able to read is definitely an advantage. Probably why you are getting attention from that lot.

Only kidding lads. Lads...?

 

And maybe have a corporate chord pulling package? That's what I call vision.

 

There are folk who buy a ticket and just walk in and sit wherever they fancy, we've had to tell people to move from our seats about 4 times this season (back when we were getting the regular 16000 crowds it was almost every game).

I must admit though if I've dragged someone else along as a one off who has paid on the door I'll generally wait until the game has kicked off and then find some empty seats where we can sit together, I don't think there's really any harm in that based on the fact the ground is so empty these days.

 

I've always been a fan of the guillotine, maybe we could alternate between that and some gallows then bury someone for a stoning on the final day of the season given that the pitch is normally taken up anyway?

 

Maybe some stocks for lesser offences though let's not put Kennedy in charge of chucking the cabbages at the miscreants he'd never get them over the first man.

 

1smoke bomb. What vandalism has taken place?

Gally, understand you have to work with the club. I understand why the club would target that area. I don't understand the way it's been handled and I'm disappointed that the Trust seem to be siding with the Club.

 

1? Your eyes must be painted on

 

I have sat in the upper and lower tiers of the West Stand this season, and the Ponty End. I haven't sat in my allocated seat once. I like to move about, depending on who I'm with, the weather and so on.
But they're empty seats. I'm not depriving someone of a seat. And I'm not causing any trouble.

I have informed the club of my hooligan behaviour, and I fully expect them to ban me from entering Oakwell in future.

Such a shame. But you can understand the clubs problem, what with the huge crowds and that..

 

As the one who seems to have witnessed it at first hand..as well as the one who's had the most to say, I have to say there seem to be some pluses and minuses in Ben's statement...I'm not trying to be overcritical, the statement that the lads will be allowed to move seats permanently is a bit of an Olive branch I didn't expect and full marks for that one,however the bit that suggested Doyles were good for the Club is one I find difficult to agree with,their attitude may be OK for race meetings and pop concerts where the punters don't attend on a regular basis,but many of the stewards I see at away games are a much better advert for their Club.I fully understand the intention of this action is to avoid costs to the club..the seating issue is just the excuse...the club won't know who the pay on the gate punters are at all..it just gives them a lever over season ticket holders.It seems to me a much better way would be to use the stewards to stand at intervals on the end gangway to deter the lads who wish to bang on the panels at the side as well as keeping an eye on them it would surely deter any who wished to play with the smoke bombs...they could be identified in an instant and ejected ...far quicker than trying to identify seat numbers ..identities..addresses etc....who knows if the right stewards with a good attitude are employed there it could lead to a better experience all round.

 

I understand completely why the club would look to target that area if there have been complaints. I don't understand the way it has seemingly been handled. For weeks from the West Stand it's been obvious there's been problems in that area with the Stewards shifting lads in the top corner. It seems like Saturday was a culmination of a few weeks of just being pissed off. Older lads got involved from what it seems like frustration of seeing the stewards throwing their weight about in the top corner.

Completely out of order that someone got pushed down the stairs. Absolutely. But unfortunately when lads get pissed off after weeks of similar behaviour they're going to react. It's all well and good saying we need to work together - maybe the club should have tried that before sending the heavies in. Maybe treat people like adults, explain this in a statement and ask for support and reason with lads rather than just asking Doyle's lads to wind folk up.

One other thing Gally - Ben mentioned there were instances of young lads taking in smoke canisters for older supporters - aka 'flare mules'. Does he have any evidence of that? Because after the BBC report that stated it was happening the only evidence ever found was that it was mentioned by a single safety officer at Fulham as a suspicion it was happening.

 

Some of these stewards are knuckle draggers and are looking for confrontation !! Time club got rid of Doyle security

 

didn't the steward end up in the wheelie bin somehow. wasn't that the 1st match without any police at the ground ?

 

I think from the outside (again, I don't sit in that area) that it's been very noticeable there's been a Doyle's presence in that area for a number of weeks.

My point was that maybe if the club had reached out to the fans via Twitter/Facebook/Official Site/letter etc and explained the difficult situation they're in they might have had a different response.

And with all due respect Gally some stewards aren't well known for their polite requests. I imagine they've took some hammer from young lads but I also imagine they've given plenty back.