[Albion] Abuse in Football: How Brighton are tackling fan behaviour [BBC Sport]

[Wozza]

*Grabs popcorn*

Paul. Barber, pompous arrogant and dictatorial I don't think he ever attended a man management course. Not only does he deride anyone who does not agree with him but makes dictatorial decisions time after time. From banning flasks which us older supporters have always taken its now bottle tops, could someone tell me how many times have home supporters been charged with throwing any of these ? It's just a plot to sell his over priced sub standard food. As for initially opening only part of the ground for Saturdays game the stadium cleaner would have told the halfwit that it would probably be a big gate

 

[Bold Seagull]

Would hope that neither of them is daft enough to embark on a crusade to stamp out a return to the dark days of 70s/80s hooliganism at the Amex that frankly doesn't exist. IMHO you'd have a far more annoying/threatening day out at your local Odeon.

I agree, but can also see the PR genius behind it. BECAUSE we have very little trouble, that should tell you what the majority of our fans are like - rule abiding decent people watching the football. PB isn't really risking alienating anyone by this, because he's not really having a go at anyone in our actual fan base. In the meantime, he's getting frontpage free PR advertising the club to the kind of demographic that would react to this around Sussex and be even more inclined to visit the club and take a look.

We are basically putting out a huge advert saying look how safe and inclusive we are. As well as appealing to potential new fans, it is obviously massive for sponsors wanting to be associated with Brand Brighton.

The hardship for us, we have no flasks or bottle tops when there was no real risk anyway. The benefit for the club, continual growth in the fanbase and potential global sponsorship.

 

[Wozza]

*grabs popcorn*

blimey!!!

mr barber, what a disgusting reply. Rude and ignorant to say the least. You're a disgrace to the football club.
What qualifies roger lewis, the fact he spends his money at the club, a customer, a point to remember. We spend our money and when we are not happy express our opinions, we may not understand the full financial reasoning behind the clubs decisions but mr lewis raised points about the clubs decision not individuals.

A professional approach putting albion's case would have been better than the drivel you wrote and might have won you some respect.

Instead of jumping on your high horse and responding like a spoilt child and making personal attacks on the poster perhaps reading the article properly might have helped. It is my opinion your article was well out of order and lacked respect in itself and shows the contempt you have for supporters.

As supporters, one has to make decisions of our own. While you have indeed explained the reasoning behind the clubs decision, your personal attack on a fellow supporter shows how little you really care and is really worrying. You are happy to take our money but don't dare question the club when decisions affecting us are made.

This along with a couple of issues i've had with the club and shop that received poor and inadequate replies has left a bitter taste in the mouth. Now factor in the increase in price, the high refreshment charges and a few other things mr barber, i won't be renewing my season ticket.

Not that your bothered, i'm sure another mug will take my seats.

 

[Miserable Les]

Bottle tops: https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/news/2019/january/supporters-reminded-on-prohibited-items/

I can't find any mention of terrorism in relation to flasks, it was mentioned on the flask megathread but I can't find a direct quote from the club:https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?366302-Flasks-banned-from-the-Amex

Thank you. Maybe a case of two birds with one stone? The PR could certainly have been handled a bit better in hindsight. Personally I think it overly cynical to accuse either dictates as being purely commercially driven, but I accept that fits some fan's world view when it comes to PB. Similarly, with regards to the return of some forms of hooliganism (did they ever really go away?), the quotes might read a bit OTT to some, but for me it's better to be seen to be doing something rather than sitting on collective hands.

 

[portlock seagull]

Barber is on a crusade about nothing. I’d even accuse him of publicity seeking...perhaps to enhance his CV. Oh, how cynical of me. Quite like him but really he needs to just shut the **** up about all this, really is mountain making.

 

[CAPTAIN GREALISH]

Barber is on a crusade about nothing. I’d even accuse him of publicity seeking...perhaps to enhance his CV. Oh, how cynical of me. Quite like him but really he needs to just shut the **** up about all this, really is mountain making.

100%

 

[LamieRobertson]

Would hope that neither of them is daft enough to embark on a crusade to stamp out a return to the dark days of 70s/80s hooliganism at the Amex that frankly doesn't exist. IMHO you'd have a far more annoying/threatening day out at your local Odeon.

Those packets of crisps have a lot to answer for during those quiet moments

 

[Easy 10]

No more bobbins than it is at half the other grounds in the country, any major gig venue etc etc. Been the case for years.

Regardless of that, I still think the lid removal is utter bobbins and total overkill with regard to the perceived "threat" of a small plastic bottle of pop with a lid on it. Has anyone in the history of humankind ever been seriously injured by one of these being luzzed ? Even if there was the odd rare incident, why not just deal with the individual cretinous miscreant with a lifetime ban, rather than inconveniencing half a million fans a season at the Amex. They've got CCTV all over the shop, it wouldn't be hard would it.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Thank you. Maybe a case of two birds with one stone? The PR could certainly have been handled a bit better in hindsight. Personally I think it overly cynical to accuse either dictates as being purely commercially driven, but I accept that fits some fan's world view when it comes to PB. Similarly, with regards to the return of some forms of hooliganism (did they ever really go away?), the quotes might read a bit OTT to some, but for me it's better to be seen to be doing something rather than sitting on collective hands.

Maybe its because when the amex was opened we were told that one of the ways they wanted to treat fans was as people not just ''football supporters''...and when you get things like flasks and then bottle tops banned it does seem as though 'he' is tarring us all with the same brush ...it will be interesting to look back in a few more years and see what other 'privileges' have been eroded after paying a hefty wad of cash on a ST

 

[dazzer6666]

Regardless of that, I still think the lid removal is utter bobbins and total overkill with regard to the perceived "threat" of a small plastic bottle of pop with a lid on it. Has anyone in the history of humankind ever been seriously injured by one of these being luzzed ? Even if there was the odd rare incident, why not just deal with the individual cretinous miscreant with a lifetime ban, rather than inconveniencing half a million fans a season at the Amex. They've got CCTV all over the shop, it wouldn't be hard would it.

Nope...I agree but I just can't get worked up about it.....if bottle tops and flasks are all we've got moan about then things must be pretty good.

 

[Lower West Stander]

Barber overreaction for me.

Leaving aside flasks and bottle tops, to say we are in danger of returning to the bad old days is utter nonsense. There have always been isolated incidents at football games and there are idiots at every club. To even imply there are risks of going back to the 70s and 80s is ridiculous.

I remember running battles outside grounds, fans jumping barriers to fight opposition fans, police piling in with truncheons, pitch invasions, racism, sexism, you name it.

We live in a very different society when none of the above would now in any way be tolerated at any club.

We aren’t the leaders here......


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[portlock seagull]

The biggest theat to Albion fans at the moment seems to be Mr Barber.

Dare I say if we weren’t in the PL, this constant can’t do this, can’t do that would be affecting attendances.

It’s wearing, inconsistent and burns goodwill.

So please Paul, put a sock in it, things are nowhere near 70s/80s matches and you’re now more than sounding like a demented conspiracist

 

[Easy 10]

Nope...I agree but I just can't get worked up about it.....if bottle tops and flasks are all we've got moan about then things must be pretty good.

Its not something that angers me. I've never taken a flask to football in my life, so that new little law doesn't affect me anyway. The bottle lid thing IS a nonsense though. I often walk to games when the weathers decent and take a drink along,saving some for during the game and half time. Now I'm not allowed, because apparently I can't be trusted not to weaponise my plastic bottle of Sprite.

Yes in the great scheme of things its a minor gripe. But modern football really does has some wearily tiresome hoops for us mug punters to jump through.

 

[Easy 10]

The biggest theat to Albion fans at the moment seems to be Mr Barber.

Dare I say if we weren’t in the PL, this constant can’t do this, can’t do that would be affecting attendances.

It’s wearing, inconsistent and burns goodwill.

So please Paul, put a sock in it now!

Agreed.

The club is riding on the crest of a wave at the moment. In terms of where we are, most of us can genuinely say we've never had it so good. But these things go in cycles, we're not always going to be on an upward curve. At some point there'll be a downturn, at some point we'll get relegated and maybe spend some time back in the doldrums again. To a large extent you can get away with pissing fans off in the good times. But start doing that during the bad, and people will eventually start voting with their feet.

 

[Bozza]

Its not something that angers me. I've never taken a flask to football in my life, so that new little law doesn't affect me anyway. The bottle lid thing IS a nonsense though. I often walk to games when the weathers decent and take a drink along,saving some for during the game and half time. Now I'm not allowed, because apparently I can't be trusted not to weaponise my plastic bottle of Sprite.

Yes in the great scheme of things its a minor gripe. But modern football really does has some wearily tiresome hoops for us mug punters to jump through.

Agreed. And if you have kids who will nurse a bottle of drink throughout the game it’s an utter pain in the arse.

And, beyond all that, is it the case that the only person who has been hit by a capped bottle at the Amex is an Albion fan when it was kicked by Emery?

 

[CAPTAIN GREALISH]

The biggest theat to Albion fans at the moment seems to be Mr Barber.

Dare I say if we weren’t in the PL, this constant can’t do this, can’t do that would be affecting attendances.

It’s wearing, inconsistent and burns goodwill.

So please Paul, put a sock in it, things are nowhere near 70s/80s matches and you’re now more than sounding like a demented conspiracist

his comments are not going down to well with a lot of supporters making the club into a joke

 

[dazzer6666]

Agreed. And if you have kids who will nurse a bottle of drink throughout the game it’s an utter pain in the arse.

And, beyond all that, is it the case that the only person who has been hit by a capped bottle at the Amex is an Albion fan when it was kicked by Emery?

Ban players and management from having bottle tops and let us have them - simple risk management.

his comments are not going down to well with a lot of supporters making the club into a joke

I think this is an over-reaction - 'making the club into a joke' . Come on.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Ah yes, the bad old days of the 70s, 80s and early 90s. Lines of DM boots up the North East corner, stone throwing fights on the beach and West Street, wrecked trains, Spurs going mad, Chelsea going madder. Then standing behing fences, fences with plastic spike balls on top, fences that made up cages. Walking past people selling the NF magazine pre match. Getting chased round Birmingham, ambushed in Chesterfield, fights all over Selhurst, inside and out. Millwall nearly burning down their own ground after the playoff semi.

They're just round the corner when old people are taking in their own soup and some donut luzzes a pie at little Willy Zaha.

 

[darkwolf666]

Would hope that neither of them is daft enough to embark on a crusade to stamp out a return to the dark days of 70s/80s hooliganism at the Amex that frankly doesn't exist. IMHO you'd have a far more annoying/threatening day out at your local Odeon.

Who strangely enough don’t allow me to take my flask or bottle in to their cinema!

 

[BN9 BHA]

I wish i could still take a flask and stood in a puddle of something or other on Saturday due to a bottle with no top being kicked over

I'm going to start wearing wellies to the Amex, I have spent the last 4 Saturday's watching the match and paddling around in spilt drink.