A Steward's viewpoint

[Sharpy]

LOL...fair play yellow (bar)steward...

i know you only doing what youve been told to do...and if not the big guys will fire you etc etc...in the respect i think our issue is with the club itself.

the FA as far as im aware havent banned utd from old trafford or chelsea from stamford bridge for persistant standing have they? abit more liniency on the clubs part is whats needed. if the club had a big hooligan problem with running battles with ob and rival gangs after the game i would acknowledge the club for acting on the standings in that 'supporters league', but when its a few people stood for 5mins or so and then sitting down when the action calms down...be serious!!

[working class hero]

Seeing people slung out for standing is likely to discourage you from doing the same.

The writer was referring to away fans - but it must also be true for home fans so where is the problem????

PErhaps thae answer is for stewards to record seat numbers and the club could then rescind access for the next 5 home games and also prevent culprits from buying away tickets? Even fine persistent offenders 100 loyalty points per offence...

Frankly I get miffed at the antics of some of our so-called hard core fans. They only think of their own fun - and sod everyone else. LEt the reasonable fans take the upper hand.

[Winchester Royal]

Seeing people slung out for standing is likely to discourage you from doing the same.

The writer was referring to away fans - but it must also be true for home fans so where is the problem????

PErhaps thae answer is for stewards to record seat numbers and the club could then rescind access for the next 5 home games and also prevent culprits from buying away tickets? Even fine persistent offenders 100 loyalty points per offence...

Frankly I get miffed at the antics of some of our so-called hard core fans. They only think of their own fun - and sod everyone else. LEt the reasonable fans take the upper hand.

What difference does it make to you if people in the back few rows are standing up?
Fining Royalty points is ludicrous. Why should a fan lose the rewards they've earned from spending shitloads of money on the club, just for standing up and supporting thier team?

What 'antics' are you referring to?

[Yellow Jackets]

The club can't have one rule for people at the back and one for another. It has to either be all standing or all seated in the home ends and the club is told by the FA that it has to be all seated.

Persistant standers are not chucked out at the time, but are indeed banned from the stadium afterwards for a certain period of time.

Oh and don't think it's just the stewards recording cases either, persistant standing areas are always being watched by camera.

As for the abuse at the steward on saturday, he has a job to do and when the offender verbally refused to sit down after being asked, that is when the action was taken. But there is no way you can surely condone the reaction.

[Winchester Royal]

The club can't have one rule for people at the back and one for another. It has to either be all standing or all seated in the home ends and the club is told by the FA that it has to be all seated.

Persistant standers are not chucked out at the time, but are indeed banned from the stadium afterwards for a certain period of time.

Oh and don't think it's just the stewards recording cases either, persistant standing areas are always being watched by camera.

As for the abuse at the steward on saturday, he has a job to do and when the offender verbally refused to sit down after being asked, that is when the action was taken. But there is no way you can surely condone the reaction.

I can't condone the reaction, but the reaction could have been avoided if the steward in question had been a little more sensible.

Do you think standing at football is dangerous?

[LimpBiscuit]

Look, i'm not here to try and change your views, i'd lose that battle straight away, I only wanted to make you aware and possibly understand that the abuse stewards get is out of order.

The issues you have with standing should be taken up with the FA or the club, not the men and women who turn up on a saturday to do they job they are told to

Does that job include obstructing exits and sitting on the steps between rows of seats?

Has the FA told the club to do that, and have they told the stewards in turn to do that?

[Sharpy]

its all banter. not punches was exchanged...if it was aggressive it would of got alot tastier!! i know some stewards who would have loved that banter and played up to it. not this miserable bastard. however i did feel sorry for him thus i didnt partake in said "oxf*rd oxf*rd" chant

[Winchester Royal]

Look, i'm not here to try and change your views, i'd lose that battle straight away, I only wanted to make you aware and possibly understand that the abuse stewards get is out of order.

The issues you have with standing should be taken up with the FA or the club, not the men and women who turn up on a saturday to do they job they are told to

Does that job include obstructing exits and sitting on the steps between rows of seats?

Has the FA told the club to do that, and have they told the stewards in turn to do that?

Good point.
One steward was sitting on the steps during the Sheffield United game. Old guy with grey hair, looks about 5 foot 8, face like he's sucking lemons.
Is he allowed to do that? I thought they had to stand at the front or the back of the stand, not sit down and watch the match?

[Sharpy]

Good point.
One steward was sitting on the steps during the Sheffield United game. Old guy with grey hair, looks about 5 foot 8, face like he's sucking lemons.
Is he allowed to do that?

its his life, keep out of it

[RoyalBlue]

The club can't have one rule for people at the back and one for another. It has to either be all standing or all seated in the home ends and the club is told by the FA that it has to be all seated.

Do the club pay you extra for the right to brainwash you?! 'Cos you have just come out with another of their standard shyte lines.

I'm sure the FA tell all clubs all sorts of things about standing. Difference is most other clubs take it with a pinch of salt, apply a sensible degree of interpretation or just plain ignore it, without any come back from the FA.

RFC seem one of the few clubs to take everything literally and then add some, just to make life as difficult/irritating/unpleasant for their own fans as they can!

Message for the safety officer: Stop playing with your cameras and picking on standing for a while - sort those sodding buses out! I think you'll find that one bloke yelling through a megaphone will not be regarded as taking all reasonably practicable steps to ensure safety when some poor supporter gets run over!

[readingbedding]

The club can't have one rule for people at the back and one for another. It has to either be all standing or all seated in the home ends and the club is told by the FA that it has to be all seated.

Do the club pay you extra for the right to brainwash you?! 'Cos you have just come out with another of their standard shyte lines.

I'm sure the FA tell all clubs all sorts of things about standing. Difference is most other clubs take it with a pinch of salt, apply a sensible degree of interpretation or just plain ignore it, without any come back from the FA.

RFC seem one of the few clubs to take everything literally and then add some, just to make life as difficult/irritating/unpleasant for their own fans as they can!

Message for the safety officer: Stop playing with your cameras and picking on standing for a while - sort those sodding buses out! I think you'll find that one bloke yelling through a megaphone will not be regarded as taking all reasonably practicable steps to ensure safety when some poor supporter gets run over!

What rubbish.

Fans have got to take responsibility too, there's always a rush to leave the ground and some people are too impatient so they barge through the crowd, and (check this) cross the road without looking.

Wow, imagine that...
Fail to see a bus coming and splat!

Poor supporter, must be the Safety officers fault for not taking reasonable practical steps.

Take some responsibility, stay on the paths and I guarantee you will not be run over on the roads.

[Yellow Jackets]

Some people are never happy. Standing, sitting on steps, standing in the concourses (which we have to do), bus queue. The stewards could be saints and it wouldn't be enough.

If only Reading FC was as 100% perfect as the rest of all our lives, it's such a letdown that it's not.

[Yellow Jackets]

Oh and i'm not brainwashed, im explaining to you the reason why RFC will ban people for standing.

Moan to the FA, not the messenger

[Sharpy]

Oh and i'm not brainwashed, im explaining to you the reason why RFC will ban people for standing.

Moan to the FA, not the messenger

if you were a football fan mate, especially of Reading you would understand. the FA and big boys of RFC are not football fans

[Winchester Royal]

Oh and i'm not brainwashed, im explaining to you the reason why RFC will ban people for standing.

Moan to the FA, not the messenger

Are you going to answer my question about whether you think standing is safe?
If the stewards and club are on our side, perhaps the club would be willing to lobby the FLA to change its regs.
It would make your job easier if you didn't have to tell people to sit down...

[readingbedding]

Oh and i'm not brainwashed, im explaining to you the reason why RFC will ban people for standing.

Moan to the FA, not the messenger

Are you going to answer my question about whether you think standing is safe?
If the stewards and club are on our side, perhaps the club would be willing to lobby the FLA to change its regs.
It would make your job easier if you didn't have to tell people to sit down...

If the club did allow whatever area at the ground you sit at to stand?
Where would it start and where would it end?

[Winchester Royal]

Oh and i'm not brainwashed, im explaining to you the reason why RFC will ban people for standing.

Moan to the FA, not the messenger

Are you going to answer my question about whether you think standing is safe?
If the stewards and club are on our side, perhaps the club would be willing to lobby the FLA to change its regs.
It would make your job easier if you didn't have to tell people to sit down...

If the club did allow whatever area at the ground you sit at to stand?
Where would it start and where would it end?

I don't know...
Ideally, the last 10 rows or so of the East Stand, although in practice it would have to be a shallower part of the stand.
Even if the regulations did get changed, I doubt the club would want to alter the stadium to accomodate those who want to stand..

[Platypuss]

Thre is a lot of LOLable posturing on this thread, and at the end of the day we KNOW the rules - sit down unless it's a moment of high excitement. Acting like a twat in Y26 isn't going to make anything happen where it really matters.

However, if the club truly want fans to comply then they MUST be seen to be acting equally towards the away fans.

It might be "harder", but tough - do it or be seen to be hypocrites unworthy of the respect that is needed to really make change happen.

[Sharpy]

predictable mods post

[readingbedding]

Are you going to answer my question about whether you think standing is safe?
If the stewards and club are on our side, perhaps the club would be willing to lobby the FLA to change its regs.
It would make your job easier if you didn't have to tell people to sit down...

If the club did allow whatever area at the ground you sit at to stand?
Where would it start and where would it end?

I don't know...
Ideally, the last 10 rows or so of the East Stand, although in practice it would have to be a shallower part of the stand.
Even if the regulations did get changed, I doubt the club would want to alter the stadium to accomodate those who want to stand..

Wouldn't that cause resentment with other fans who want to stand but can't because they don't sit there?

It's unworkable, either everyone can or can't.