MadStad steward watch 09/10

[floyd__streete]

I must say that the stewarding this season has been greatly improved on previous years, but much of that good work was undone today by the lamentable efforts of the power-trip morons in yellow and orange bibs.

A meaningless end of season game in the sun with 250 away fans and no needle whatsoever between the two sets of supporters was the perfect opportunity for the stewards to wade in to between 40 and 50 RFC fans stood up at the back of Y25 & 26, singling out my brother's mate stood in front of me for standing and as I interjected that the steward doing the talking was interupting people's views during the game just as those standing apparently were, I was asked "d'ya wanna go out too?", proving that some of these failed night club bouncers are basically just looking for a reaction. I must add that no bad language was being used by the individual who was eventually prevented from returning to his seat after half time. I wouldn't mind so much if it wasn't for the fact that RFC are about 87th of the 92 clubs for arrests, can anyone remember the last time there was serious disorder at a Reading home game caused by the home support? The RFC stewards should count themselves fortunate to work at a ground with such a generally apathetic support, and the arrogant and disrespectful attitude of these idiots patrolling the staircases today is an insult to good, long term supporters of the club.

It wasn't just RFC fans being victimised though. A dozen harmless Peterborough fans at the back of the South Stand suddenly had two tangos for company keeping an eye on them at close proximity halfway through the first half - where was this close supervision of 4,000 standing Geordies on Tuesday night? The final straw for me was when a good natured Peterborough conga at 6-0 down was stopped halfway down the staircase by the tangos.....presumably just because they can. I have been to three-quarters of all the league grounds in England and - congrats RFC - your stewards are basically the worst of the lot.

[FiNeRaIn]

There needs to be some contact with the club over this, I will offer my full details and signature to anything productive voicing our disgust over the consistent harassment from stewards. Its a football match and no a threatre, there is little to no chance of people being injured standing up in an all seater stadium. Its beyond belief how pedantic they are.

On a side note, is there really any need for a security fence with 250 away fans following a club with a reputation of being another family club? Get a grip. Peterborough are a well behaved group of fans. ( which is probably why they were harassing p'boro's fans as well - maybe its better to have a millwall style rep these days?)

[Norfolk Royal]

I agree, pathetic jobsworths.

[Wimb]

As I posted in the other thread....

Whilst I sympathise with the plight of those thrown out whilst supporting the team and by the sounds of it treated rather heavy handidly.....

The fact is it's an all seater stadium. Yes we'd all love it to be like the South Bank at Elm Park but the stadium has a safety licence awarded to it on the basis that persistent standing is not permitted and that fans are required to sit down.

Some fans might not 'make a fuss' about you standing but that family of 4 you talk about is the future of the bloody club because if those kids don't come back because they missed the football because you lot insisted upon standing then congratulations

I'm all for safe standing areas but until that's brought into the game then stop complaining.

At the end of the day you've broken the T+C's of your season ticket and so I don't see what there is to complain about really.

[floyd__streete]

The joy of these boards is that for every complainant about nonsensical club policies along comes some sycophant like Wimb. If the club were that concerned about standing, how come 4,000 Geordies stood unchallenged for 90 minutes on Tuesday night. The family of 4 thing is a crock to be honest; can you rely on these families turning out week in week out if we were to be relegated a division or two? With several thousand empty seats yet again today, the club should really should stop alienating supporters.

[FiNeRaIn]

The joy of these boards is that for every complainant about nonsensical club policies along comes some sycophant like Wimb. If the club were that concerned about standing, how come 4,000 Geordies stood unchallenged for 90 minutes on Tuesday night. The family of 4 thing is a crock to be honest; can you rely on these families turning out week in week out if we were to be relegated a division or two? With several thousand empty seats yet again today, the club should really should stop alienating supporters.

Agreed entirely.

[Wimb]

The joy of these boards is that for every complainant about nonsensical club policies along comes some sycophant like Wimb. If the club were that concerned about standing, how come 4,000 Geordies stood unchallenged for 90 minutes on Tuesday night. The family of 4 thing is a crock to be honest; can you rely on these families turning out week in week out if we were to be relegated a division or two? With several thousand empty seats yet again today, the club should really should stop alienating supporters.

Totally 'greed about the Newcastle fans Floyd and the inconsistent stewarding is something that can't be really justified. But that being said 2 wrongs don't make a right do they?

But honestly this clubs attendance figures have only grown in the Madejski years and it's a fact we were getting as many if not more supporters in the third tier here then we were when we were hitting the top 6 of the 2nd tier at Elm Park. I don't think you can dispute that a lot of that has to do with the more comfortable experience that the Madejski allows for families.

The fact is families are the lifeblood of the club because it's the kids today that go on to be the fans tomorrow. If their experience of the game is ruined because a 30something year old man insists on standing how is that fair on the kid and the family who have paid to come in? Yes you can argue that they should be sat in the West Stand or even the North but the ticket they get sold does not say 'warning obstructed view'. If these fans don't come back because they hate paying to watch the back of some blokes standing then as soon as the Elm Park 'die hards' drop off the club's going to be pretty screwed.

Without these new fans the club can't grow and if we do want to be competing with the best then we need the 'plastics' just as much as the 'die hards' Arguing that 'well they wouldn't show up if we were in League 1+2 is a stupid argument because in my eyes the club shouldn't ever be down at that level again.

The fact is I'm 100% for safe standing area's and some of my fondest memories are of Elm Park with packed crowds singing away. But the simple fact is until the law is changed we have to abide by the safety rules.

[WoodleyRoyal]

+1 death to tango's!!

[willz_royal]

I dont understand the "why didnt they make 4000 newcastle fans sit down" argument. There were 100 stubborn reading fans, whereas there were 4000 of them.

Im all for standing, and from the sounds of it, the stewarding is stupidly OTT, but please, get another justification.

[RoyalBlue]

I dont understand the "why didnt they make 4000 newcastle fans sit down" argument. There were 100 stubborn reading fans, whereas there were 4000 of them.
.

But the fact that 4000 Geordies were allowed to stand all game (presumably because it would be dangerous to try to make them sit down) and there wasn't a single accident just proves how stupid the whole situation is. The FLA are clowns and it's a shame RFC can't treat them as such.

Having turned a safety blind eye to the 4,000 Geordies (even if for good reasons) it's a shame the same blind eye couldn't have been turned in the direction of the Peterborough supporters.

[FiNeRaIn]

I dont understand the "why didnt they make 4000 newcastle fans sit down" argument. There were 100 stubborn reading fans, whereas there were 4000 of them.

Im all for standing, and from the sounds of it, the stewarding is stupidly OTT, but please, get another justification.

Apart from p'boro I can hardly remember them getting on the backs of ANY away fans. They most certainly never try and stop cardiff and millwall from turning the mad stand away end into terracing when they come to town. Maybe we should adopt their obnoxious approach and we might be left in peace?

[Jerry St Clair]

Maybe we should adopt their obnoxious approach and we might be left in peace?

You need critical mass.

The stewards didn't even try against Aston Villa because there were, probably, well over 1000 standing in Y25/26

[Southbank Old Boy]

But honestly this clubs attendance figures have only grown in the Madejski years and it's a fact we were getting as many if not more supporters in the third tier here then we were when we were hitting the top 6 of the 2nd tier at Elm Park. I don't think you can dispute that a lot of that has to do with the more comfortable experience that the Madejski allows for families.

The fact is families are the lifeblood of the club because it's the kids today that go on to be the fans tomorrow. If their experience of the game is ruined because a 30something year old man insists on standing how is that fair on the kid and the family who have paid to come in? Yes you can argue that they should be sat in the West Stand or even the North but the ticket they get sold does not say 'warning obstructed view'. If these fans don't come back because they hate paying to watch the back of some blokes standing then as soon as the Elm Park 'die hards' drop off the club's going to be pretty screwed.

Most fans, families, saddos on their own or whoever get bitten by the bug and come back BECAUSE of the atmosphere and the whole experience

Part of that is people standing up and shouting, getting excited. Its not just sitting there with your thermos applauding another Kebe slice into the crowd behind the goal

How many kids have you ever seen at a game that actually pay that much attention to the game? Most of them are more interested in whats going on around them or when dads going to buy them a fizzy pop. On top of that, any family that wants to watch the football will come back and by tickets in a more appropriate part of the ground. If they arent capable or willing to do that then its highly unlikely they will be the life blood of the club in years to come is it?

The bahviour of our stewards is shocking. There isnt a chance in hell of any trouble, and the persistent standing issue will never rear its head here asthe fans just dont get exicted enough to ever make it a real issue, even for the jobsworths taht monitor that kind of thing

[FORSTERS_RIGHT_FOOT]

I ventured in to the East stand on Tuesday night (normally in the North) and 3 stewards came up to tell everybody on the right of me to sit down, by doing so they were blocking my view,so I tapped one on the shoulder and said I couldn't see, his reply was "Well stand up then"!!

He had a big smile on his face when saying this !

[bigshaka'away']

I think its pathetic...me and my mate were told today in the second half that if we didnt sit down we would be thrown out. sat down for 5 mins, then stood up again. All im doing is singing and chanting and supporting my team, and paying 25 quid to do so. How dare they? Its simply because they feel the need to do something, to pick on people. Its not about safety. And when people are standing up around you in an area of the ground where they want to stand up, then you are not interfering with anybodys view.... Furthermore, with the exception of todays game, why do they pick on the home support and expect us to sit down when the away fans are standing. Its not about two wrongs dont make a right, we are doing nothing wrong by standing,just supporting the team. Nobody gets hurt.

The club should be grateful for our vocal support and money, not treat us like criminals for standing and singing. Im sick of it.

[Dirk Gently]

I dont understand the "why didnt they make 4000 newcastle fans sit down" argument. There were 100 stubborn reading fans, whereas there were 4000 of them.
.

But the fact that 4000 Geordies were allowed to stand all game (presumably because it would be dangerous to try to make them sit down) and there wasn't a single accident just proves how stupid the whole situation is. The FLA are clowns and it's a shame RFC can't treat them as such.

Having turned a safety blind eye to the 4,000 Geordies (even if for good reasons) it's a shame the same blind eye couldn't have been turned in the direction of the Peterborough supporters.

Strength in numbers. If enough people decided to stand then nothing can be done to stop them - that's been proved at grounds everywhere.

It's when just small numbers stand that they can easily be targeted.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

I hope everyone that posts on here writes and complains to the club, and cc a copy to JM, NH as well, it is amazing what CAN happen if you actually get involved. Always add that the club call for atmosphere, then kill efforts to actually make any, may not have been your thing, but the club basically banned balloons and paper throwing as the teams came out, tho we do now get kids waving flags!!!!

One point re critical mass, this is spot on, when you have the big crowds in the tangoes cannot control everyone, they are basically short on numbers to do so, creating a flashpoint in one area often will encourage another to stand/ go off on one, the families thing is def a red herring, folk soon learn how a crowd works, and where to sit, or not.

Without atmosphere from fans, home or and away games can be dull and lifeless.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

The club should make the Lower West the family stand and designate maybe half of the East Stand for a standing only section.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

The joy of these boards is that for every complainant about nonsensical club policies along comes some sycophant like Wimb. If the club were that concerned about standing, how come 4,000 Geordies stood unchallenged for 90 minutes on Tuesday night. The family of 4 thing is a crock to be honest; can you rely on these families turning out week in week out if we were to be relegated a division or two? With several thousand empty seats yet again today, the club should really should stop alienating supporters.

Totally 'greed about the Newcastle fans Floyd and the inconsistent stewarding is something that can't be really justified. But that being said 2 wrongs don't make a right do they?

But honestly this clubs attendance figures have only grown in the Madejski years and it's a fact we were getting as many if not more supporters in the third tier here then we were when we were hitting the top 6 of the 2nd tier at Elm Park. I don't think you can dispute that a lot of that has to do with the more comfortable experience that the Madejski allows for families.

The fact is families are the lifeblood of the club because it's the kids today that go on to be the fans tomorrow. If their experience of the game is ruined because a 30something year old man insists on standing how is that fair on the kid and the family who have paid to come in? Yes you can argue that they should be sat in the West Stand or even the North but the ticket they get sold does not say 'warning obstructed view'. If these fans don't come back because they hate paying to watch the back of some blokes standing then as soon as the Elm Park 'die hards' drop off the club's going to be pretty screwed.

Without these new fans the club can't grow and if we do want to be competing with the best then we need the 'plastics' just as much as the 'die hards' Arguing that 'well they wouldn't show up if we were in League 1+2 is a stupid argument because in my eyes the club shouldn't ever be down at that level again.

The fact is I'm 100% for safe standing area's and some of my fondest memories are of Elm Park with packed crowds singing away. But the simple fact is until the law is changed we have to abide by the safety rules.

^ ALOL at this. I took my 11 year old (STH) and one of my 5 year olds to yesterday's game - so that will be the "fans tomorrow" you speak off - and the 5 year old preferred it when we were stood up rather than having to sit down.

And as for "the club shouldn't ever be down at that level again" - another abysmal point TBH. I refer you to Leeds / Man City / Nottm Forest / Southampton.....

[Sonic]

I think the Y25/26 argument is frankly a bit boring, nothing will change until the rules on all seater stadia change. However I thought the treatment of the Peterborough fans today was pathetic and something the club should be ashamed of. A dozen kids doing a conga !!!

I also agree with Finerain - what's the point of the safety gate for games like this, is the really a credible risk to safety?