Cold, wet and miserable: Blue Sky Thinking

[notloyalenuffroyal]

New Year's Resolution: Once every couple of months add a topic to Hobnob to be roundly vilified and ripped to shreds... here goes.....

Wednesday...

It was very wet! I was very cold! It got wetter. I got colder.

I know I am coming to an outdoor event and due to my son's penchant for being "close to the action" I had to sit in row J. However - officially row J is "under-cover".

The wind howled - the rain whipped - we got soaked - cold wet and miserable.

I know the club can do nothing about the weather. It's not their fault. I know there was the possibility that I could get wet on match day.

However - I have seen other sporting events leap into action with emergency ponchos, or moving people. Bonus loo rolls to dry seats? Half the south stand was empty - could the club have sent out some people to offer to move cold, wet and miserable people? Maybe the elderly or those with kids?

Should they? Is it their problem?

It probably isn't - but I am of the thought that lots of kiddies would have come to their first ever match, after Father Christmas put a ticket into their stocking. Do they want repeat business? My nephews came to their first game - we managed to sneak them further up the stand to keep dry, but that wasn't possible everywhere, or for us.

I was cold - I was wet - we equalised - I was less miserable - Huzzah!

[paultheroyal]

we managed to sneak them further up the stand to keep dry,

You have answered your own question, and yes, it was possible everywhere.

[Winchester Royal]

Why should the club give people ponchos if they weren't sensible enough to wear a suitable coat on a cold, wet, windy day? Or move people if they're not clever enough to think for themselves and do it without prompting?

[sandman]

Don't worry! Soon Adkins will take us into League 1 and there will be plenty of empty seats higher up.

[notloyalenuffroyal]

Why should the club give people ponchos if they weren't sensible enough to wear a suitable coat on a cold, wet, windy day? Or move people if they're not clever enough to think for themselves and do it without prompting?

I know what you mean. I didn't say they should. BUT it was exceptional, and got worse throughout the day. Half-time period was simply awful. I just think if I was in charge of a large customer based organisation I may have an emergency plan when things go a bit bonkers.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Lots of empathy for that notloyals...those of us with kids have all been there and done that at some time.

However, as a modern day fan you are not a customer anymore...you forfeit any normal consumer rights..the clubs generally dont give a flying f11ck (not always their fault..Health and Safety and the restrictive laws throttle a lot of common sense)......at least the kids have gotten an early lesson to carry forward with them in their later life of football fanaticsism.

In this case, the whole modern-day seating ethos didn't help either

[Cureton's Volley]

The H&S regulations are contradictory and lack common sense. In what world is it healthy or safe for little ones to sit getting soaked and frozen by a biting wind, when there are better alternatives further up the stand?

[tmesis]

The H&S regulations are contradictory and lack common sense. In what world is it healthy or safe for little ones to sit getting soaked and frozen by a biting wind, when there are better alternatives further up the stand?

are you really suggesting kids are being prevented from moving to empty seats due to health and safety regulations?

[CzechRoyal]

The H&S regulations are contradictory and lack common sense. In what world is it healthy or safe for little ones to sit getting soaked and frozen by a biting wind, when there are better alternatives further up the stand?

are you really suggesting kids are being prevented from moving to empty seats due to health and safety regulations?

Obviously. It could easily create a stampede or lead to rioting!!!!! Also moving seats would involve standing up which is a clear breach of health and safety. Incidentally the programmes are now hard backed to prevent them from being used as missiles by the vicious yobbos that support Reading!!!

[Green]

New Year's Resolution: Once every couple of months add a topic to Hobnob to be roundly vilified and ripped to shreds... here goes.....

Good on you champ.

You will have your detractors but as we say over on AE, it's often the people who contribute the least who complain the most.