Travelling fans should read this -

[BensGrandad]

I find this a load of old bollocks.

I would dearly love to see the hard irrefutable evidence which states that standing in a seating area is dangerous. I am certain that there is none. If there was, we would have heard it by now, and we would comply on issues of common sense. Derby are trying to use the law to beat us round the head with. And that is pathetic. All that will happen is that 90% of 500 instead of 90% of 2,000 people will be standing at an away match.

On a wider note, the mere fact that the vast majority of us standing indicates that sitting at a match is not our preferred method of watching games. And when the 'safety issues' that the authorities keep banging on about is successfully challenged, we could (and should) see the return of our beloved terraces.

That may be so but uintil the rules are changed we have no option but to abide by them. The biggest problem is that 9 times out of 10 the stewards say sit where you like rather than the seat that you purchased.

I do not like it but as they say stick to the rules and if you dont like the rules as they are get them changed.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Bunch of pricks Derby.

Nobody has claimed that Derby County FC are to blame for this.

They have to manage their stadium in line with conditions set by Derby City Council, the licensing authority - who are following national guidelines.

 

[m20gull]

To give a different slant to this problem, I quite often take my daughter to away games, as I'm sure many parents do, and sometimes she doesn't get a decent view of the game because people are standing. This means that to be able to see she has to stand on the seat.

At Rotherham there were a lot of people standing near the back just behind the goal, and when we scored, some of the lads, understandably, were jumping around, which resulted in a couple of youngish (12-14 year old) girls being sent flying.

They would have jumped around after a goal even if they had been seated before it. This is just a stronger case for having separate, well managed seating areas AND terraces.

I stand if I can, will sit down if I'm asked (and can still see) and am getting totally fed up with being bullied around in this fascist state. What happened to freedom and choice?

 

[m20gull]

Nobody has claimed that Derby County FC are to blame for this.

They have to manage their stadium in line with conditions set by Derby City Council, the licensing authority - who are following national guidelines.

Then why didn't their stewards enforce the rules? They seemed quite happy with enforcing the ambiguous no-smoking policy at half-time.

 

[London Irish]

They would have jumped around after a goal even if they had been seated before it. This is just a stronger case for having separate, well managed seating areas AND terraces.

The problem is with standing, you are more likely to get surges and people losing their balance, so it is far more dangerous. At that Rotherham game, it wasn't just the two little girls who got injured, I was also close by a surge that ended with a boy of about nine getting crushed and having to receive first-aid treatment.

There is simply no way I'm bringing my young daughter to away games while I see these incidents happening, even if she could see over the heads of gangs of blokes standing.

That's a shame, because she can't come to Withdean because of the near impossibility of getting a seat alongside my season ticket. Result - makes it harder than it need be to get a new generation of young fans involved in the Albion.

 

[Dandyman]

I have been away for a few weeks but got this on my e-mail today, seems pertinant to what is going on here. i can forward the jist of this thread or copy the offical sites statement to them , but as i have not been to a game yet due to sunning myself in the south of france someone who was a derby may wish to give a first hand account

Dear Members

The FLA continue to insist that their measures to force people to sit are
in fact working and that stadiums full of seated supporters will soon
become a reality be it through education, persuasion under the guise of
customer care, ejections with persistant standers being banned or stands
closed down.

We feel that an element of supporters will continue to stand and that
their standing should be managed appropriately with those wanting to stand
being able to do so in lower tiers among like minded supporters.

With this in mind, it would be extremely helpful if you could let us know
what is happening in your grounds on a weekly basis. We will comply the
information you provide us with and use for a proposed report for
presentation to the FLA and DCMS.

1. How many people stand, for how long and in which part of the ground?
This is particularly important

2. How do the stewards deal with those who stand?

3. Are the away supporters able to stand or are they made to sit?

4. As an away supporter, what are your experiences?

5. Have you witnessed any trouble between supporters and stewards and/or
police as a direct result of standing?

You letting us know as what is happening on a regular basis would be of
huge help.

For further news on our progress, please go to the news section at
www.standupsitdown.co.uk

I had that as well. Emailed them to say we had all stood at Derby with no problems...

 

[Spearritt of the Albion]

There are some grounds where standing in the seated areas is clearly unsafe. Don't get me wrong, I hate sitting as much as anyone, but I have almost come a cropper at one or two grounds because of the height of the steps.

One game at QPR I saw several people almost go over the top of the seat in front of them as the backs of those seats were only shin high - I was one of hundreds that stood laughing but I almost went over as well!. I seem to remember that Port Vale didn't seem too safe and neither did Sarfend (I wouldn't want to go back there in a hurry anyway as it must be the worst seated ground in Europe - ten times worse than Withdean - it may have a roof but, if the ball goes more than 20 feet off the ground, the ball disappears from view. They also had a policy of first come, sit at the back and get the worst seats, the following year everyone turned up late so that they got the best seats!

There has to be a case for bringing back safer terracing - grounds where crush barriers are placed in front of every step, not just dotted around to contain the surges. If they give every person that stands the same room as those that sit it should be safe. There could be no moaning by supporters about clubs charging the same to stand as to sit as ticket prices should be based upon space allocated but at least we would be able to stand again.

I believe that most of the major grounds in Europe have terraces behind the goals - the only place worth standing!. Perhaps, after we are granted permission for Withdean, we should start up a new campaign!

 

[Windmill]

Returning to my last point about steward negligence, the only ground where stewards consistently asked us to sit down was at hillsborough.

They weren't aggressive, or rude, but you could see that they weren't about to give up. Consequently everyone was sitting.

I think that unallocated seating may be an answer if the stewards are given the opportunity to exercise common sense when they recognise that 'standers' have gravitated towards a particular area: after all this is where the atmosphere usually is.

An interesting point made my someone was that even where people sit for the majority of the time, they will still stand and jump around when a goal is scored. Imagine the injuries if they all fall over seats.

 

[London Irish]

Returning to my last point about steward negligence, the only ground where stewards consistently asked us to sit down was at hillsborough.

They weren't aggressive, or rude, but you could see that they weren't about to give up. Consequently everyone was sitting.

For me the perfect compromise this past season was across the city at Bramall Lane.

Absolutely massive away end - unallocated seating - so everyone could spread out - the singers stood together and could do their stuff, but plenty of space for those who wanted to sit to do so.

And the pointless aggro example from last season also comes from Yorkshire. A huge away stand at Leeds but us crammed just into the smaller bottom part part of it and the stewards having a running battle with people all game to get them to sit. It just irks me because I want to watch the game and not be distracted by the guerrilla warfare/threats going on between fan and steward.

 

[Yorkie]

What amazes me about the Derby stewards (if it was them that reported us) was that I didn't hear one of them asking us to sit down.
I was in my allocated place (because it was a reasonably good one) and the only time I saw a steward talk to anybody was when a couple of blokes were standing in the aisle.
So why report us for standing when they didn't ask us to sit?
I always sit when asked but don't unless I am asked to

(having said that, at the moment, I am suffering with sciatica so will have to sit tomorrow dosed up with painkillers)

 

[El Presidente]

I would rather stand that sit, but if the choice is

a) Stand but only get to 1 in 3 away games or

b) Sit, but get to every away game I want to see

I would opt for B

 

[Bozza]

Firstly to everyone who has said something like "The Derby stewards did not ask us to sit down" - are you seriously saying you do not know that, really, the rules say you have to sit down. You just do. Was it your first away game or something?

And, more importantly this, which I read today. Still want to stand all the time?

My father went to a few away games last season but in the end gave up going because he was unable to see. He has to sit as he is unable to stand for long periods of time. I found it difficult to say goodbye to him and leave with my mum to go to the away games as we did when we went to Derby last week. Speaking to him at half time about the game he had listened to on the radio, it was obvious to me that he wished he could have been there. He has been a supporter for over 50 years a season ticket holder for many of those including going to Gillingham and now Withdean. I hope that when I get to an age where I am unable to stand that I will still be able to watch my beloved team both home and away.

Some fans have been very considerate and even moved to accommodate us but others have also ignored our pleas even though they could have moved. I agree that there has got to be some sort of solution for those who want to sit and those who stand

 

[dwayne]

Derby stewards were asking people to sit near the front

 

[bhaexpress]

Firstly to everyone who has said something like "The Derby stewards did not ask us to sit down" - are you seriously saying you do not know that, really, the rules say you have to sit down. You just do. Was it your first away game or something?

And, more importantly this, which I read today. Still want to stand all the time?

I have to say that having read all the comments I can't understand this compunction to stand. I know people still hanker after the terraces but those days are pretty much gone now, get over it. It's clear that sitting is now the order of the day and also, bearing in mind that some people can't stand up for long or even at all how many people stop to consider this ?

I can think of several grounds where I wouldn't want to sand for long as I know that if there was a push from behind I would overbalance and that would apply to pretty much anybody.

The upshot of it is - SIT DOWN IF YOU WANT FALMER.

 

[Brighton till i die]

Firstly to everyone who has said something like "The Derby stewards did not ask us to sit down" - are you seriously saying you do not know that, really, the rules say you have to sit down. You just do. Was it your first away game or something?

And, more importantly this, which I read today. Still want to stand all the time?

that is the whole reason why there needs to be an allocated section for either terraces, or safe standing - then EVERY1 can watch and enjoy the game in there own way!

 

[Caveman]

What a sad state of affairs. "You must sit" it stinks.
By cutting our away allocation just temps people into the home enclosures what a load of old bollo*cks, I'm sure that will result in a lot more problems.

How is standing dangerous? Its more dangerous standing on a bus. But maybe we are just so wild.

 

[dougdeep]

It's not just us.

 

[Biscuit]

I can't remember seeing any stewards asking people to sit down at Derby? Maybe if they had...?

If we have to pay over £20 quid a ticket plus travelling expenses then we can damned well stand up if we want to.

So what if they cut our allocation? It just means we wont be giving other clubs our hard earned.

Sod em. Away games can be the best games of the season, manily due to the atmosphere, generated no doubt by the standing!

 

[e77]

I can't remember seeing any stewards asking people to sit down at Derby? Maybe if they had...?

If we have to pay over £20 quid a ticket plus travelling expenses then we can damned well stand up if we want to.

So what if they cut our allocation? It just means we wont be giving other clubs our hard earned.

Sod em. Away games can be the best games of the season, manily due to the atmosphere, generated no doubt by the standing!

It does mean less people may be able to go to places like the St Mary's though.

 

[Brighton till i die]

It does mean less people may be able to go to places like the St Mary's though.

only in the away end!

thats the problem - they will force the hard core fans into the home end...hmm very safe!