The Albion Roar - 11 Sep - WITH GUESTS RICHARD HEBBERD & PC DARREN BALKHAM

[Dandyman]

Just listened to the download version. As expected Darren came over as the reasonable feet on the ground individual that most of us have found him to be.


Richard Hebbard sadly said little that is new. The most worrying aspect was his inability to distinguish between safety and control in his comments about safe standing. Racism and hooliganism have declined for reasons IMO that have far more to do with how society and fan culture have evolved than by action by the authorities and the implication that both would raise their ugly heads if safe standing were allowed is total horseshit.

The one glimmer of light might be that the greater size of Falmer will allow a proper home end to develop while those who want to sit and mutter into their rugs and thermos flasks can find another part of the ground to do so in.

 

[Sheebo]

The one glimmer of light might be that the greater size of Falmer will allow a proper home end to develop while those who want to sit and mutter into their rugs and thermos flasks can find another part of the ground to do so in.

Take it you'll be in the North at Falmer then mate?

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I believe they said 4 people at Withdean had been ejected. Hardly a big number is it? And wasn;t there a fair few Spurs fans done last season for the Sol Campbell abuse therefore making Hebbards stat wrong?

Just ejected? Isn't homophobia a criminal offence?

 

[Sheebo]

Just ejected? Isn't homophobia a criminal offence?

I was only half listening cos there was so much nazi style bullshit being spoken

Think he said Albion had more ejections than all the other football grounds put together and the figure we had was 4 Poor stat I know. I may have got it wrong though he may have said the rest of the league put together. Either way it's a crap stat.

 

[Dandyman]

Take it you'll be in the North at Falmer then mate?

 

[Brightonfan1983]

Swearing is and SHOULD BE a part of football (except in the family stand). People go to footy to let off steam after a hard week at work.

Hmmm. Should be? Depends on the person I think. I think I'd get rather cheesed off if someone is bellowing obscenities at the pitch for 90 minutes, but then again maybe I don't have hard weeks at work.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Don't patronise me you fucktard.

The game I grew up with and fell in love as a child is a different game to the game that is about today. Why? Because it's full of cuntiods such as yourself moaning about people swearing.

You get some f***ing perspective, else we'll become as sanistised as yank sports and it'll be more about Pepsi Cola than a nuclear bovril and pissing through a rolled up programme!

****!

You didn't have spell check on , the correct spelling is cuntoid

 

[portslade seagull]

What is? Swearing? Personally, I don't agree. You don't need to start ranting and raving to get an atmosphere going, belting out Sussex by the Sea (and other such songs) is.



Yes it's a laugh and it's entertainment, but maybe certain people should remember there's a game to watch and get on with that rather than fighting with the stewards all the time. Just a suggestion. Ultimately, everyone pays their money to go and they can do what they want, but personally, I would rather watch the game than get all stressed about the stewards and being made to sit down.

Your a barrel of laughs at the footy then ... Did you ever go to the Goldstone.. oh those rufty tufty men singing all those nasty swearing songs ...if you don't like it go to the opera instead

 

[Sheebo]

If you notice Ninja Elephant somewhat changed his stance midway through the thread by throwing in something like 'unless a tiraid at the ref / opposition player'. Not going into detail as to whether he backed down there or has come accross wrong but one point is that people aren't saying you should continuesly stand and swear for the whole game - it is only at certain high emotion points such as a ref's decision...

 

[Sheebo]

Completely disagree. Swearing is NOT a part of football, why should it be? Why should football be a place for people to go and let off steam? Why should the players, and the other fans around them, have to put up with that sort of rubbish? I've paid my £25 to go and watch the game this afternoon, I'm going for the football. I don't want to hear about somebody's hard week at work, I've not had an easy week either but I'm not going to try and take it out on the match today. It's a football match.

Get some perspective. When did going to a football match stop being about your team and stop being football. Seriously, I'm asking. Because it's still about supporting my team for me, and amazingly, I get through it without feeling the need to start ranting and raving. Why? Because it's inappropriate. Unless you're having a hissy fit at a referee or opponent!

This is what I meant...

 

[Beach Hut]

A 1st for the Reverb boys - on iTunes on a Sunday - cheers

 

[Superphil]

Just a slight aside, I went to a match last night here in Cyprus, Anorthosis v APOP. Crowd size about the same as we get. Some observations:

1. No stewards visible anywhere in any stand near any fans, at all, none at all in the main stand we were in. There were 2 sitting either side (by the corner flags) far away from the Ultras who congregate in the centre of the north stand.

2. We were sat in the west stand, when anything exciting happened the crowd rose to their feet, cheered, shouted applauded etc, then SAT DOWN without any intervention at all from others around them, and certainly not by any stewards.

3. The Ultras in the centre of the north stand stood on their seats and sang non stop for every single minute of the game, with drums, and with 2 guys facing backwards stood on specially constructed podiums. When the goals [3] went in not once did any of them have a saftey issue and fall off their seat. They created a great atmosphere, only 250-300 of them or so, and they encouraged the rest of the ground to join in on some of the chants/songs.

4. Afterwards the 6000+ crowd filtered out, into a residential area where cars we simply parked anywhere and everywhere, even down the white line in the middle of the road. No dramas, no clampers/tow aways, no complaints from the residents, no stewards and just a couple of police vans. half an hour later the place was back to normal for 9pm on a Sunday.

I had a great time, with superwife, superbrother and his wife, no hassle, except the tickets were all in Greek (could have done with a steward to help us find our seats LOL), plenty of kids/families in there sat in all areas, and the Cypriots do not take kindly to bad behaviour or language around their kids.

Not sure why, but it just seemed like a better way to watch football than what we get, and I think it is part down to the Clubs, Authorities, but it also has a lot to do with the fans showing comon sense and respect.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Part of the problem is you're never going to get an objective stance from Hebberd, it's part of his job, take away the need for stewards and you take away a big part of why he is employed (and them).

This is the same in all walks of life, in everything from national defence to bloody football stewards. People exaggerate the threat even if times have changed to justify their own budgets and positions. It doesn't mean it reflects the reality.

I can see absolutely no need (and I mean none) for a bunch of aggressive tossers eyeballing people and standing around looking for trouble. Preventing pitch invasions? Maybe, except for the sort of one-off joyous thing you get at the end of the season, and against Man City. Enforcing sitting? Arguably, in those areas where there are individuals who can't/won't stand and can't see. To be fair, they are not getting their £25-worth. Segregating fans? Totall unneccesary both at Withdean, and by the look of it, Falmer.

I'm guessing it is just a 'cheap' way of replacing policemen but it's counter-productive, you'd be better off getting rid of virtually all stewards, and having a couple more officers there, who actually know what they are doing.

 

[Barrow Boy]

Part of the problem is you're never going to get an objective stance from Hebberd, it's part of his job, take away the need for stewards and you take away a big part of why he is employed (and them).

This is the same in all walks of life, in everything from national defence to bloody football stewards. People exaggerate the threat even if times have changed to justify their own budgets and positions. It doesn't mean it reflects the reality.
I can see absolutely no need (and I mean none) for a bunch of aggressive tossers eyeballing people and standing around looking for trouble. Preventing pitch invasions? Maybe, except for the sort of one-off joyous thing you get at the end of the season, and against Man City. Enforcing sitting? Arguably, in those areas where there are individuals who can't/won't stand and can't see. To be fair, they are not getting their £25-worth. Segregating fans? Totall unneccesary both at Withdean, and by the look of it, Falmer.

I'm guessing it is just a 'cheap' way of replacing policemen but it's counter-productive, you'd be better off getting rid of virtually all stewards, and having a couple more officers there, who actually know what they are doing.

Best post so far on this thread
The ever growing H & S Industry is the prime example in all this, I had to do a 5 day Hazard Awareness course as part of my 'credentials' for being a Team Leader in my old job. It was run by an outside company and talk about people trying to justify their exsistence, it was 5 days of this guy lecturing us on the everyday evils that are waiting to kill or maim everyone, one section even included 'The Correct Use of Doors' ,you couldn't make it up FFS!
We are turning into a complete Nanny State fuelled by the H & S Industry.
Let's just try and treat people and situations with a bit of common sense.

 

[The Large One]

I know we didn't cover every aspect of what we wanted to cover, and because we had so many topics to cover, what we did talk about, we didn't really do so in any great depth.

However, now that this debate is ongoing, and those who have listened to the show have formed their opinions, and many are still unhappy with RH's and DB's replies (or perhaps you're not unhappy and see perfectly well what they were saying), what would you want to happen next?

Aside from some who may wish to demand RH's removal from his role (I genuinely can't see the club doing that), what do you think is the best way forward from here?

 

[Tesco in Disguise]

different people want different things from football. ninja's paid his money, same as everyone esle, and is entitled to watch the game without interference.

personally, i want to be able to go BANANAS at the football, shout, swear, and stand for 90 minutes. hopefully, with falmer, there will be enough room for all the different people with differing demands from a matchday experience to be able to watch it with like-minded people nearby. and then we'll all be happy.

 

[Barrow Boy]

I know we didn't cover every aspect of what we wanted to cover, and because we had so many topics to cover, what we did talk about, we didn't really do so in any great depth.

However, now that this debate is ongoing, and those who have listened to the show have formed their opinions, and many are still unhappy with RH's and DB's replies (or perhaps you're not unhappy and see perfectly well what they were saying), what would you want to happen next?

Aside from some who may wish to demand RH's removal from his role (I genuinely can't see the club doing that), what do you think is the best way forward from here?

Alan, I thought Saturdays program went as well as could be expected and all the points raised on this forum were put to the guests in a fair way. The trouble is you are never going to get someone like Hebberd to change his line of approach, he will always fall back on "Those are the rules", "It's the law" and "If people stuck to the rules there wouldn't be a problem". PC Balkham on the other hand came over very well as an intelligent guy with some common sense. I really don't think a question and answer session with Hebberd involved will change anything and would probably end up in an almighty Binfest. He can never openly state that he has told the stewards to turn a blind eye to people standing up or the occassional volley of swear words, it doesn't stop him actually allowing this to happen, a quiet word in the stewards ears is all that's required to change things, the trouble is he doesn't want to change things. So apart from the club employing someone else to do his job I can't see anything changing.

 

[Richy_Seagull]

I know we didn't cover every aspect of what we wanted to cover, and because we had so many topics to cover, what we did talk about, we didn't really do so in any great depth.

However, now that this debate is ongoing, and those who have listened to the show have formed their opinions, and many are still unhappy with RH's and DB's replies (or perhaps you're not unhappy and see perfectly well what they were saying), what would you want to happen next?

Aside from some who may wish to demand RH's removal from his role (I genuinely can't see the club doing that), what do you think is the best way forward from here?

I have given up hope with Withdean, and the rest of this season. Hebbard has his pathetic attitudes, and they are not going to change.

What do I want next? Some sort of assurance that things will NOT be the same once we move to Falmer. People will have choices where to buy their season tickets and the club should make it abundantly clear which parts of the stadium are designed for whom.

It will be then be up to the stewards who are there, to use their common sense and not stop those who are trying to create an atmosphere from doing so. FFS, it's not rocket science; if someone is in the family section f'ing and blinding, sure get rid, if someone is making racist remarks, again take action. But for the rest in these sections don't start forcing people who have been standing for a few seconds to sit down, by getting 18 of those idiotic 'response meatloafs' to surround them. Let us swear and insult the ref when he fucks up, let us stand and sing and try to create an atmosphere without being filmed and glared at for 90 minutes. Let us enjoy being in an actual football stadium after 10 years of paying over the odds in a bloody athletics stadium.

It would be nice for the club to at least comment on the situation, but I have no hope that this will happen.

 

[portlock seagull]

I have given up hope with Withdean, and the rest of this season. Hebbard has his pathetic attitudes, and they are not going to change.

It would be nice for the club to at least comment on the situation, but I have no hope that this will happen.

Agree. Sadly.

 

[The Albion Roar]

A 1st for the Reverb boys - on iTunes on a Sunday - cheers

Think you will find that they are mostly up on Saturdays and that you have problems accessing them for some reason until a day or two later