Police and Steward 'Kettling'

[Royal & Ancient]

Can anyone tell me what idiot decided to hold back thousands of Reading supporters, including children and disabled, behind two lines of police vehicles, horses, police and stewards so that the 2000 Cardiff supporters could leave. Only at Reading could someone take a decision of such stupidity. At nearly every other stadium, where there is the potential for clashes the away supporters are held back, usually inside the stadium, so that home fans can get away.
Many would have missed their connections after this fiasco.
Explanations and apologies should be forthcoming.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Slightly pissed off that there was such poor communication of it, just that Hurst Way was closed immediately after the game, so asked a steward where the Park and Ride buses would leave from, and he said normal place, so where the Cardiff fans on foot would be, bad planning all round. Thanks to the closure everyone was delayed, and buses had trouble leaving even when full, as so many on foot.

[Royal Lady]

We went the "long way" round and at one point there were thousands of us all squeezed into a tiny space and I got pushed into a traffic sign thingy and it hurt my chest.

As has been said, at every other ground, it's the AWAY fans who are kept back. What's the betting WE'LL be kept back at Cardiff on Tuesday night?

And it's bollox to say it's because there's a lot of coaches - we've had loads of coaches here before and I don't remember them closing off Hurst Way.

Plus, we still met a load of Cardiff supporters even walking the long way round and I didn't see ONE policeman.

[Tutti Frutti]

Cardiff have a reputation, so TVP in their wisdom wanted them off their patch quickly. What's inconveniencing several thousand of the people who pay your wages to do that? Far better to reward the thugs than the law abiding. Quite aside from the idiocy - every other club would have held Cardiff back - they ended up in a situation, when there some pushing and shoving, where people could have got more seriously hurt and, frankly, unnecessarily endangered their own officers.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Would this be the right place to saythat I was back in the pub less than 20 minutes after the final whistle?

[zummerset]

This is utterly crazy - write to your MP's and give a bollocking to TVP

[rabidbee]

We were in the south stand so had to walk around the stadium. To be honest I was more irritated by all the mong Reading fans just standing in the way. Make some oxf*rd room if people are trying to walk in the opposite direction.

Was on the Upside Down within 20 minutes, and then got a bus back into town easy.

[prostak]

Christ, we all love a moan but that wasn't kettling. They closed off one road to Reading fans as it was presumed chucking them all in together would be a bad plan. Seems perfectly reasonable to me.

[jonboy29red]

i heard one copper in the line say to some one who asked why this was being done that dont blame them if u wanted to blame any one blame the club for selling tickets to the 15 fans who have Bans on em

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

IMHO all Cardiff fans should have had to come by coach, and that should have been a policy of buying a ticket for the game. Then all the coaches could have been parked double on the hill, loaded and gone. Same as you RL there were Cardiff fans walking back into the home fans outside the retail park, a group of at least 20 singing and being loud, not a crime but often apossible flash point, so we crossed over and then back again. Having walkied all the way round we were able to join the P&R queue at a few secs after the last couple of Cardiff coaches left, so should have just waited and saved my old legs.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

We went the "long way" round and at one point there were thousands of us all squeezed into a tiny space and I got pushed into a traffic sign thingy and it hurt my chest.

was it this one?

[starbug]

as above, why are we treated like 2nd rate citizens over the away fans - its OUR ground ffs. It was such a dull game it wasn't going to kick off anyway. But oh no, let just let 2000 away fans stand up all game then make the home fans suffer. thanks

[Huntley & Palmer]

There were way more than the expected 2000 fans in the away end I would say. Pretty much every single seat had some one in front of it and then they also managed to block two of the three staircases all the way up the stand

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

as above, why are we treated like 2nd rate citizens over the away fans - its OUR ground ffs. It was such a dull game it wasn't going to kick off anyway. But oh no, let just let 2000 away fans stand up all game then make the home fans suffer. thanks

The home fans stood up all game too.

Is it really that much of a hardship to walk the other way for once? Yeah, it takes an extra 5 minutes, but I'd prefer that to crowd trouble.

Yes, I appreciate it wasn't a great game, so trouble was less likely, but those deciding to take the precaution didn't have a crystal ball to know how the game would turn out before making the decision.

[M Brook]

as above, why are we treated like 2nd rate citizens over the away fans - its OUR ground ffs. It was such a dull game it wasn't going to kick off anyway. But oh no, let just let 2000 away fans stand up all game then make the home fans suffer. thanks

The home fans stood up all game too.

Is it really that much of a hardship to walk the other way for once? Yeah, it takes an extra 5 minutes, but I'd prefer that to crowd trouble.

Yes, I appreciate it wasn't a great game, so trouble was less likely, but those deciding to take the precaution didn't have a crystal ball to know how the game would turn out before making the decision.

Was an extra 10 mins rather than 5 but, in any case, you've missed the point(s).
1. Why should we - the innocent party - be penalised because of Cardiff's reputation and poor behaviour? and
2. By the time we had walked the long way round and got to KFC/MacDs we were confronted by hordes of Cardiff fans without the police protection that TVP obviously thought was vital outside the South Stand.

It was a logistical mistake. Simple as. The Cardiff fans should have been held in for 15/20 minutes whilst the Reading fans dispersed.

[No Fixed Abode]

Can anyone tell me what idiot decided to hold back thousands of Reading supporters, including children and disabled, behind two lines of police vehicles, horses, police and stewards so that the 2000 Cardiff supporters could leave. Only at Reading could someone take a decision of such stupidity. At nearly every other stadium, where there is the potential for clashes the away supporters are held back, usually inside the stadium, so that home fans can get away.
Many would have missed their connections after this fiasco.
Explanations and apologies should be forthcoming.

So it would have been alright to hold the Cardiff fans back so they missed their connection? ME ME ME ME ME ME.

[M Brook]

Can anyone tell me what idiot decided to hold back thousands of Reading supporters, including children and disabled, behind two lines of police vehicles, horses, police and stewards so that the 2000 Cardiff supporters could leave. Only at Reading could someone take a decision of such stupidity. At nearly every other stadium, where there is the potential for clashes the away supporters are held back, usually inside the stadium, so that home fans can get away.
Many would have missed their connections after this fiasco.
Explanations and apologies should be forthcoming.

So it would have been alright to hold the Cardiff fans back so they missed their connection? ME ME ME ME ME ME.

What connection? The vast majority were on coaches and those that we encountered outside MacDs were clearly in no hurry. The last train back to South Wales is not until about 11 15!

[brendywendy]

i heard one copper in the line say to some one who asked why this was being done that dont blame them if u wanted to blame any one blame the club for selling tickets to the 15 fans who have Bans on em

whats that got to do with owt?




every other game between us, they are kept back, and have to wait for the home fans to go before they are allowed out, and as teh away team, who have the reputation for trouble, thats exactly how it should be.


police just wanted to get home earlier imo

[brendywendy]

as above, why are we treated like 2nd rate citizens over the away fans - its OUR ground ffs. It was such a dull game it wasn't going to kick off anyway. But oh no, let just let 2000 away fans stand up all game then make the home fans suffer. thanks

The home fans stood up all game too.

Is it really that much of a hardship to walk the other way for once? Yeah, it takes an extra 5 minutes, but I'd prefer that to crowd trouble.

Yes, I appreciate it wasn't a great game, so trouble was less likely, but those deciding to take the precaution didn't have a crystal ball to know how the game would turn out before making the decision.

the decision should have been, and usually to keep cardiff inside while we all go home.

oxf*rd walking all the way around just cos of some cardiff twats its about a tweny minute walk.-inconvenience them not us.

[brendywendy]

Can anyone tell me what idiot decided to hold back thousands of Reading supporters, including children and disabled, behind two lines of police vehicles, horses, police and stewards so that the 2000 Cardiff supporters could leave. Only at Reading could someone take a decision of such stupidity. At nearly every other stadium, where there is the potential for clashes the away supporters are held back, usually inside the stadium, so that home fans can get away.
Many would have missed their connections after this fiasco.
Explanations and apologies should be forthcoming.

So it would have been alright to hold the Cardiff fans back so they missed their connection? ME ME ME ME ME ME.

shutyafaceinternetkes