Evolving the atmosphere

[brendywendy]

Don't get me wrong, I've done my time on the Southbank and the East Stand but now I have young kids I choose to shield them from the harsher realities of life. There is a world of difference between hearing "dirty northern b*stards" from across the pitch and having some beered up yoof shouting obscenities at the officials and opposition from immediately behind you.

This was just the wrong place to do it (though I accept there was probably nowhere else to try and was a worthy effort).I pay a fair premium to sit in the Upper West and away from the the more intimidating atmosphere generated by some of our supporters.

I wouldn't dream of going into the East Stand and complaining - that's just the way it is. Perhaps some of you lot should just accept the West Stand for what it is.

sorry but not once did we use the "dirty northern b*astards" one although now you mention it i feel we should have
there was about 10 of us who continued to sing the moderate songs once the stewards came in

when the whole of the back 4 or 5 rows where taken up by us GU1 guinea pigs and the ones at the very back were the most vocal and not even going over the top no one should have been intimidated with as you say "beered up yoofs" behind you

i did


sometimes its hard to control my potty mouth, though i did try very hard

[chandog]

Don't get me wrong, I've done my time on the Southbank and the East Stand but now I have young kids I choose to shield them from the harsher realities of life. There is a world of difference between hearing "dirty northern b*stards" from across the pitch and having some beered up yoof shouting obscenities at the officials and opposition from immediately behind you.

This was just the wrong place to do it (though I accept there was probably nowhere else to try and was a worthy effort).I pay a fair premium to sit in the Upper West and away from the the more intimidating atmosphere generated by some of our supporters.

I wouldn't dream of going into the East Stand and complaining - that's just the way it is. Perhaps some of you lot should just accept the West Stand for what it is.

sorry but not once did we use the "dirty northern b*astards" one although now you mention it i feel we should have
there was about 10 of us who continued to sing the moderate songs once the stewards came in

when the whole of the back 4 or 5 rows where taken up by us GU1 guinea pigs and the ones at the very back were the most vocal and not even going over the top no one should have been intimidated with as you say "beered up yoofs" behind you

i did


sometimes its hard to control my potty mouth, though i did try very hard

at least you tried and thats the main thing
apart from that one tiny but very special exception we were all on our bestest behaviour

[brendywendy]

i LOL at those sneerers from the sidelines who say it was a failure


i had a great time, it was very nice to sit with people who would also like to sing, and have a laugh, in a generally good natured way

and that is exactly what i got


top notch enjoyment.....was the game shit? i didnt notice



the swearing seems silly to those who dont mind it, but if it did upset people i can only apologise

[Bob Smith]

Don't get me wrong, I've done my time on the Southbank and the East Stand but now I have young kids I choose to shield them from the harsher realities of life. There is a world of difference between hearing "dirty northern b*stards" from across the pitch and having some beered up yoof shouting obscenities at the officials and opposition from immediately behind you.

This was just the wrong place to do it (though I accept there was probably nowhere else to try and was a worthy effort).I pay a fair premium to sit in the Upper West and away from the the more intimidating atmosphere generated by some of our supporters.

I wouldn't dream of going into the East Stand and complaining - that's just the way it is. Perhaps some of you lot should just accept the West Stand for what it is.

So you have never swore at a match before.

Did I say that?

I do respect your parenting decisions but with all the best of intentions children will come into contact with their own peers who will swear. My daughter went through this as soon as she went to school. She knows that swearing is not the done thing but came into contact with the raucus elements of football at a very early age and after a lecture from myself choses not to join in.

I'm quite happy to take my kids to football. They hear swearing, they think it's funny, they don't join in.

It's not really the the chanting that bothers me. It's the shouted, aggressive swearing that's directed at opposition fans/players and match officials. That doesn't happen (much) in the Upper West which is why I choose to sit there.

I suppose it's a question of what each supporter wants out aof a match day experience and it's finding a balance and level where all are happy and enjoy the day without offending each other.

'zatley. Maybe even a stand for the noisy folk and a stand for the quieter folk?

[TFF]

Will there be any swearing?

See, I knew this would happen.

[bobby1413]

i LOL at those sneerers from the sidelines who say it was a failure

Yep me too. I said to someone today, I'd happily go to football everyday even if they were losing, as long as i was having a good time.

I really enjoyed Friday, but the steward (the black guy) did ruin it. I don't think the others were too bad, but that one was the worst. Even just standing up when the game stopped (due to cisse's injury) he was telling us to sit down.

It was a success as I was in a group of people that wanted the same thing I did. To finish the game with barely a voice left, and to have sore legs from standing.

[Royalshow]

i LOL at those sneerers from the sidelines who say it was a failure

Yep me too. I said to someone today, I'd happily go to football everyday even if they were losing, as long as i was having a good time.

I really enjoyed Friday, but the steward (the black guy) did ruin it. I don't think the others were too bad, but that one was the worst. Even just standing up when the game stopped (due to cisse's injury) he was telling us to sit down.

It was a success as I was in a group of people that wanted the same thing I did. To finish the game with barely a voice left, and to have sore legs from standing.

Agreed with that really.If we had won the game say 3 nil i'm sure we would have been even louder and i dare i say that all these complaints would have been brushed under the carpet.As i've mention before we choose GU1 when it was empty,non of those people in front of us were season ticket holders with the exception of about 4 so really the club should have communicated in the last few days that we were going to be there for the game.I think everyone appreciates that there was a little bit of swearing but honestly if we bothered them with what we we saying then why come to football.

This is just the start.........gu2 anyone

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

.I think everyone appreciates that there was a little bit of swearing but honestly if we bothered them with what we we saying then why come to football.

maybe they want to just watch football away from under 25s who don't appreciate that being offensive isn't a birthright. I don't think it's even the swearing as such that they find offensive so much as the "if you don't like it you can F off" attitude.


It's rarer these days, but most pubs used to have two separate bars knowing that drinkers preferred to mix with their "own sort". The lounge bar lot would get annoyed by loud younger types in their bar, while they'd prefer not to have "suits" taking up space in theirs. Similarly, football grounds used to be pretty well segregated with there being parts of the ground where a more youthful element would go, and other parts where the less vocal would watch from. We've lost that to a large degree, which is the root of a lot of the problems.

[brendywendy]

the swearing as such that they find offensive so much as the "if you don't like it you can F off" attitude

we always apologise in the north stand

and often modify our chants accordingly


as we did on friday

[Nobby]

The point about this is surely the irony that:

a) The club moan about the crowd being too quiet.

b) They send heavy handed stewards in when some fans try to improve it.

The stewards are rather like bullies. They will go in where there is a small number but faced with a large mob, just leave them alone.

I don't know if STAR have any communication links between these factions but a decent meeting with the club, the fans and the stewards might just help.

[brendywendy]

to be fair to darren campbell he had just gottn a mouthfull from of the lady who wanted to move at half time


still......no need for the notebook though

[Rex]

The point about this is surely the irony that:

a) The club moan about the crowd being too quiet.

b) They send heavy handed stewards in when some fans try to improve it.

The stewards are rather like bullies. They will go in where there is a small number but faced with a large mob, just leave them alone.

I don't know if STAR have any communication links between these factions but a decent meeting with the club, the fans and the stewards might just help.

See my earlier post a couple of pages ago. A fans forum has been arranged where this would reach the right ears.

[davis69]

if this women is really bothered about a little bit of swearing she shouldn't really bother coming to football. Most probably a typically posh bitch. Where as the stewarding is totally ridiculous and not called for. I really do hope it all kicks off one day between the fans and stewards. I for one is becoming very tired and pissed off with stewards

[Deathy]

North Stand

Is there a way for next season, maybe the 20 or so of us can get season tickets in the North Stand? Even in a corner near the West Stand, top, middle or bottom? (what's a hot spot not?)

There must be a few bums not renewing around there that a good portion of us can move too, and when there is persistant noise every game, others get sucked in and before you know it, we'll have the North Stand giving it some as well as Y25.

Less boring faggots in the North Stand. Plus I prefer the view.

[Stuffed Crust Pizza]

See my earlier post a couple of pages ago. A fans forum has been arranged where this would reach the right ears.

This would be an excellent oportunity to get a dialouge going between us, the club and the stewards. Please can you link me to more details?

[Royalshow]

Do you think the club are against the ideal altogether now? or just in the West Stand.I think the North Stand is the way forward really but the drummer

[Stuffed Crust Pizza]

Do you think the club are against the ideal altogether now? or just in the West Stand.I think the North Stand is the way forward really but the drummer

My main objective this week is to arrange a meeting with the club and STAR to see how we can take our ideas forward. I will of course keep all Biscuit Boys updated and would like a few other founders to attend any such meeting aswell. Will keep you all posted!

[Toon Toon Blue army]

Despite not renewing I still plan to attend a fairly large number of games next season. I will do my best to get tickets near to where ever this group will be. But please, not near the bloody drummer.

[Rex]

See my earlier post a couple of pages ago. A fans forum has been arranged where this would reach the right ears.

This would be an excellent oportunity to get a dialouge going between us, the club and the stewards. Please can you link me to more details?

STAR has scheduled an extra fans forum for Tuesday 24th March.

The first half hour will concern stewarding and policing (we have definite acceptances from tangos yellow jackets and the police liaison officer) and then Kevin and Wally will answer questions.

Questions for either to info@star-reading.org

[Matt de K]

Sounds like it was a good job i didnt move my seat on friday.
My language was awful. I reckon i could have cleared the whole west