Shocking stewarding

[Big Foot]

I noticed @ the game yesterday there was about 30 Reading fans in the home end of the South Stand then in the 2nd half, I saw 4 big bully boy stewards escorting out a young child who, from my seat appeared to be sobbing his heart out.

What's the point in the club opening up these areas of the ground if they're just going to let their staff put customers off of returning? I was shocked and saddened to see these tactics @ use in the South Stand, especially to a young kid. I'd definitely not recommend any young kids going from now on if this is how the club is going to treat 'em.

[Royal Rother]

Kids shouldn't carry knives.

[Big Foot]

No knives were mentioned? Although the only knives amongst the Reading fans seem to be for Jimmy Kebe

[PieEater]

What gets me about stewards is how they think they should stand in the exits to halve the amount of people that can leave as you squeeze past them in the tunnel. Get out of the way!

There were also a line of 3 outside stopping cars, but also clogging up the exit for the thousands of fans leaving, I'm sure they thought they were doing a good job, but they could do with realising they're an obstruction.

[Big Foot]

Sort it out!

[Sun Tzu]

Big Foot could you let us know why the stewards were escorting him out ?

[madreadingfan]

i hate the stewards at reading, i mean get a proper job, reading fans arent the type who like to start trouble but our stewarding is just so strict because they think we are and you see other clubs standing all match and good stewarding, its an absolute joke!!!
i wish they would just oxf*rd off

[Big Foot]

Big Foot could you let us know why the stewards were escorting him out ?

I don't think even they knew what they were doing let alone an innocent civilian 100 yards away m8

[Sun Tzu]

So the kid could have been ill and they were helping him to the first aid post ?

Or he could have been lost and they were taking him to his parents ?

Or he could have had his first half of shandy before the game and been suffering the effects ?

Or he could have been yelling abuse at the Forest fans and being given advice on his behaviour ?

If you have no idea what was going on how do you know it was 'shocking stewarding' ?

Or is it just prejudice ?

[Big Foot]

The kid was crying and being forcedly ejected by 4 big burly stewards - the same stewards who bottled it when Cardiff had a pop on Boxing Day - and he must've been 12/13. He even had on a Reading shirt and was carrying a Reading scarf.

I'm not Sherlock Holmes but the evidence is stacked heavily against them, even you can see that with your blinkered approach.

[Sun Tzu]

The kid was crying and being forcedly ejected by 4 big burly stewards - the same stewards who bottled it when Cardiff had a pop on Boxing Day - and he must've been 12/13. He even had on a Reading shirt and was carrying a Reading scarf.

I'm not Sherlock Holmes but the evidence is stacked heavily against them, even you can see that with your blinkered approach.

But knowing your personal agenda I'm not sure how far to trust your suggestion that a young child (or a rather older child, depending on which post you take as the truth) was being 'forcibly ejected' by 4 stewards. Given that you admit you have no idea what was happening or why I'd suggest any 'evidence' is a bit iffy at this stage. In fact there is no 'evidence'.

[Big Foot]

"Personal agenda" - please clarify

I make an observational post and get this detritus thrown at me

[Rex]

The timing of the goal might be pertinent to this. Possibly asked to quieten down , warned then ejected. Who knows. The pleading and crying was the relase from the pain of watching the match.

[LUX]

I saw two "lads" taunting the 2000 Forest fans after they scored and they were seemingly escorted out. They then came back in and were calm down by the South/West corner flag.

I'd say about 15/16 years old.

[West Stand Man]

The kid was crying and being forcedly ejected by 4 big burly stewards - the same stewards who bottled it when Cardiff had a pop on Boxing Day - and he must've been 12/13. He even had on a Reading shirt and was carrying a Reading scarf.

I'm not Sherlock Holmes but the evidence is stacked heavily against them, even you can see that with your blinkered approach.

I think the point is, and you haven't answered it, how do you KNOW he was being forcibly ejected? Is it possible that he was being helped to go for assistance/first aid? Might he have been doing something wrong enough to warrant being frogmarched to a safer place? Are there any other possible reasons why the stewards were aiding him to leave? Were you actually close enough to KNOW what happened or are you surmising?

I have been involved in crash investigation where good witnesses have been able to tell me precisely what happened (from their perspective) and were totally wrong because they assumed things from the way that events appeared to them to have unfolded. Until you have asked the stewards and/or that lad what was going on I think you are sticking your neck out to pass judgement.

Alternatively you have asked them, in which case you should come clean and say so. If not then let's all be sure that you are guessing what went on and making a leap into the dark to pass sentence on those specific stewards.

[Sun Tzu]

"Personal agenda" - please clarify

I make an observational post and get this detritus thrown at me

I think you've provided enough 'clarification' !!

Point proven....

[Harry Carry]

I've seen far worse stewarding at other grounds to be fair. Yes some of the Reading stewards are annoying and on a power trip. But when you've been to the likes of Sunderland and West Brom they're steward are sh1te.

[Schards#2]

Given that he was crying, are you sure he wasn't forcibly being made to stay?

[RoyalBlue]

So the kid could have been ill and they were helping him to the first aid post ?

Or he could have been lost and they were taking him to his parents ?

Or he could have had his first half of shandy before the game and been suffering the effects ?

Or he could have been yelling abuse at the Forest fans and being given advice on his behaviour ?

If you have no idea what was going on how do you know it was 'shocking stewarding' ?

Or is it just prejudice ?

Seems pretty strange that it would be deemed necessary to use four stewards in any of those scenarios!

Prejudice it may be, but personally I do feel that some of the stewarding at the Mad Stad is over zealous/bordering on the oppressive.

They plead for loud and passionate support but then you get things happening like people being admonished for ‘shouting too loudly’ or being hoiked out and warned for using a swear word (frequently heard on tv) just once!

I am not saying that repeated/frequent use of bad language should be allowed/condoned but people do care passionately about their team and many, on occasions, will issue the odd expletive at times of high frustration. Listen during quiet spells of the game or read lips (and you don’t have to be an expert lip reader to work out what words are being used) and you will see players and management doing exactly the same!!

Incidentally on Saturday I got the evil eye from one steward for shouting out to the East Stand Linesman that he was ‘crap’. Does that count as a banned swear word at the Mad Stad now?! I was very careful not to use any stronger form of language!

[Sun Tzu]

Seems pretty strange that it would be deemed necessary to use four stewards in any of those scenarios!

Let's be fair, there is no evidence 4 stewards were used for anything....

Prejudice it may be, but personally I do feel that some of the stewarding at the Mad Stad is over zealous/bordering on the oppressive.

I guess it can seem like that sometimes, you should try experiencing it from the other side though ! I did work as a steward for a while a couple of seasons ago and can tell you some of the stuff that gets hurled at you is unbelieveable. What can happen is that stweards go from one confrontation to another and if you've just been physically attacked or had a couple of people screaming in your face you may just be a little bit sharp with the next person who has a go at you. none of the stewards (AFAIK) and not all of the tangoes are 'professional' bouncers or law enforcers and it's a tough job at times.

They plead for loud and passionate support but then you get things happening like people being admonished for ‘shouting too loudly’ or being hoiked out and warned for using a swear word (frequently heard on tv) just once!

To be honest I have never heard any stewards being told to warn people for 'shouting a bit' and even swearing isn't something that there is time to make a big thing of. The number of stewards at a game is pretty tiny and there is a huge amount to do that you would never pick up on anyone 'shouting'. You might have to deal with foul language but generally that would be after complaints from other fans or rascist type abuse. It's really rare to take someone out and usually it would be done to diffuse a problem and if the person was warned about 'language' chances are they were doing a lot more than shouting the odd swear word !

Incidentally on Saturday I got the evil eye from one steward for shouting out to the East Stand Linesman that he was ‘crap’. Does that count as a banned swear word at the Mad Stad now?! I was very careful not to use any stronger form of language!

Doubt it. If it was just a steward (ie yellow jacket, looking after a gangway) he's not really there for that sort of thing.