Open meeting points to be aired

[beaumontfox]

Why do the club feel the need to play music right up til kick off?
I don't think it's doing anything to help make the atmosphere better.

All this stuff about the acoustics etc and the placement of away fans cos they can't hear the Kop(and neither can we in L1) Why didn't the club make it so the Kop was in the north Stand when they knew the away fans would be put into the North/East corner? I know the Club say it's not feasible to swap the South and North Stands now but surely this should've been done BEFORE the ground was opened. after all, most of the atmosphere comes from the banter between both sets of fans.

The Catering Staff....i want to be served by someone who can at the very least understand what i am asking for!
when i ask for a hot dog i want a hot dog.....NOT a cheeseburger!
i don't want to sound as if i'm being xenophobic here but it would help if some of the people behind the counter had a decent grasp of the English Language, the times i've been given the wrong thing or even twice before the wrong change.

 

[Cate Fox]

it would also help if they had some kind of queuing system at the counters, as it just seems to be a free-for-all and if you are smaller in the height department (like myself) you just get elbowed out of the way by some big bloke after a pint... I also agree that they need to turn the music down a bit, you cant even hold a conversation with the person next to you.

The stewards need to go on customer service training, so that they arent so rude and officious towards the fans... I am sure if the stewards were to ask in a different way for people to return to their seats they would have more effect than the "you, sit down - NOW" route.

 

[Durham Fox]

it would also help if they had some kind of queuing system at the counters, as it just seems to be a free-for-all and if you are smaller in the height department (like myself) you just get elbowed out of the way by some big bloke after a pint... I also agree that they need to turn the music down a bit, you cant even hold a conversation with the person next to you.

The stewards need to go on customer service training, so that they arent so rude and officious towards the fans... I am sure if the stewards were to ask in a different way for people to return to their seats they would have more effect than the "you, sit down - NOW" route.

Has Lazzer been bothering you again???

 

[Bobby Smith]

Durham, I hope to attend the meeting but if not would you try to forward this point to them for me?


Why do you have the same concession prices in the bmi family stand as in the kop?

Families rightly have a dedicated stand, which they should be encouraged to use.

Surely our adult fans should have a dedicated stand with no concessions as the Filbert Street Kop was. This way they can attend matches and give the team much needed vocal support without running the risk of upsetting children, their parents and ultimately the authorities.

Under 16's & O.A.Ps would still have the choice to sit in the non-concessions area but would pay full price, and in doing so understand that things might be a little different from other areas of the ground.

Dave Plimmer

 

[lazzer]

Has Lazzer been bothering you again???

sorry cate :icon_lol:

 

[Joe_Fox]

Why not make a stand £10 in for any one and no allocated seat - just first come first served.

 

[bocadillo]

Why are people having so much trouble understanding what this meeting has been set up for? Why are people so intent on bringing up irrelevances?

I suggest that people read this. There is real concern about the way the stewards are operating. Tim Davies says that he is "fully supportive" of the actions of stewards; surely he wouldn't be if he really knew what is going on. This is the fans opportunity to discuss the problems with him and to suggest to him where the line should be drawn on 'tolerance-levels'.

It is not about smoking, music, ticket-prices and most of the other things that are being discussed here.

FFS get your minds organised!!

 

[Joe_Fox]

Why are people having so much trouble understanding what this meeting has been set up for? Why are people so intent on bringing up irrelevances?

I suggest that people read this. There is real concern about the way the stewards are operating. Tim Davies says that he is "fully supportive" of the actions of stewards; surely he wouldn't be if he really knew what is going on. This is the fans opportunity to discuss the problems with him and to suggest to him where the line should be drawn on 'tolerance-levels'.

It is not about smoking, music, ticket-prices and most of the other things that are being discussed here.

FFS get your minds organised!!

Ok, here's a question, why not make stewards mere spotters and not allow them any actual power of ejection, etc.

 

[lazzer]

because then the police would have to do it and we would need more coppers on duty.... thus higher costs :icon_roll

 

[bocadillo]

Ok, here's a question, why not make stewards mere spotters and not allow them any actual power of ejection, etc.

OK, but the idea needs developing. What are you going to do once the spotting has been done?

The system now seems to be that one class of stewards does indeed do the spotting - and then another class comes to do the ejecting.

Does anybody else think, as I do, that this actually brings a problem into the situation. On Sunday this second class of stewards could be seen by everybody, walking around the pitch, tightening their gloves, and getting themsleves ready for whatever they might find in the Kop. Did this not act to raise the tension at the very time that just the opposite was required?

 

[lazzer]

OK, but the idea needs developing. What are you going to do once the spotting has been done?

The system now seems to be that one class of stewards does indeed do the spotting - and then another class comes to do the ejecting.

Does anybody else think, as I do, that this actually brings a problem into the situation. On Sunday this second class of stewards could be seen by everybody, walking around the pitch, tightening their gloves, and getting themsleves ready for whatever they might find in the Kop. Did this not act to raise the tension at the very time that just the opposite was required?

yes boc i agree it did

 

[bocadillo]

because then the police would have to do it and we would need more coppers on duty.... thus higher costs :icon_roll

Joe might have a point. If the situation with the stewarding is reaching, or likely to reach, melt-down point it might be worth paying a few 'extra costs' to get the situation under control.

It seems to me that certain people are likely to believe that they can take on the 'snatch squad stewards' where they might think twice about trying to take on plod. I do believe that the macho-attitude of the snatch squad might be part of the problem and that to avoid using them might be part of the answer.

The other question is what should actually be tolerated. Some things are actually against the law and can not be tolerated. But should some other things be allowed at football grounds that might not be allowed elsewhere. This debate is much more what this meeting is about IMHO.

What are the stewards spotting? And what then needs to be done about it? These are the questions that need an answer.

 

[lazzer]

the whole point of stewards being introduced into football stadia is to reduce the amount of coppers on duty and save money (the copper is on 10 times the money the steward is) so although point is valid it would never be adopted by clubs with whom cash is in short supply

 

[bocadillo]

the whole point of stewards being introduced into football stadia is to reduce the amount of coppers on duty and save money (the copper is on 10 times the money the steward is) so although point is valid it would never be adopted by clubs with whom cash is in short supply

The Club, any club, might not have a choice on the matter. If the level of disorder inside the ground reaches such a level that the police decide that they need to be there in numbers, they will attend and simply charge the club - whether the club had invited them or not (Google on the row between the Greater Manchester Police and Wigan if you don't believe me).

After the scene in the Kop on Sunday I think TD and the Club have decided that they did not like what they saw, that matters are getting out of hand - and that they want to do something about it. When the stewards can not get almost-unanimous support in areas of the ground like the present Kop, I think he is right to be concerned.

At the moment he supports the stewards; I think he is wrong if he means that he supports *everything* that the stewards do. It is important that we try to change his mind in a well-reasoned way and not by being loud-mouthed. Somebody said in another thread something really positive about the stewards at Cardiff - what a pity it is that we can't say it about our own stewards!

There is no way that I can do a 360-mile round trip for this meeting, so I have written to TD c/o Peter Jones at the Club. I think others who can't attend should consider doing the same.

 

[Joe_Fox]

Who trains the Stewards? Some twat with a rule book, that's who.

Would it not be better to have a copper in each section who has authority over a team of stewards?

This way, the stewards can spot problems and the copper will ultiimately have to make the decision as to whether action should be taken or not.

It seems to me that the current situation falls well short of sense and sensibility in that stewards are just gun-ho morons who have been given the precious gift of power.

Get a policeman in to police the stewards. Problem solved?

Also, I feel that the key would is "tolerate". As someone pointed out, some things like racist chanting cannot be allowed, but standing up and shouting at one of the players - let it go, it's football afterall.

 

[lazzer]

a lot of stewards who .....lets not beat about the bush..... are bordering on educationally subnormal are blindly following instructions given by the club they are not acting as individuals or some underground collective.yes the police would be a better alternative but the club wont do it.
if your honest at the moment it doesnt warrant it.... that incident in the kop is fairly isolated.

 

[bocadillo]

.... that incident in the kop is fairly isolated.

And in its isolation it has made the powers-that-be aware that there is a problem. Let's take this opportunity to try to help them put it right.

 

[Cate Fox]

Perhaps if stewards had training on how to diffuse situations rather than winding them up there wouldnt be such a problem ?

 

[highland fox]

Perhaps if stewards had training on how to diffuse situations rather than winding them up there wouldnt be such a problem ?

As Lazzer said though Cate some of them aren't the sharpest knives in the cutlery draw.Be quicker to train a Monkey in some cases.

 

[Cate Fox]

well then they should train monkeys, as during quiet times they could de-louse the freaks and wierdos...