FCUM fans considering an official boycott on 27th

[Tooting Gull]

I'm with El Pres all the way on this one. Granted, some the FC Utd fans have reacted like d*ckheads and don't deserve too much sympathy, but we were the ones who provoked them with a poor initial decision and allocation.

Clearly it's the biggest game in their short history, and they deserve a decent allocation EVEN if we were full in the rest of the ground, which we probably won't be.

If they have people locked out and we have hundreds of unsold tickets it will be like at Wembley for the play-off final and all the empty Club Wembley seats with thousands desperate to get in. Just wrong. I'm sure if we were in a play-off final in such circumstances, people would be howling at the FA.

 

[mickthered]

Withdean is worse than most non-league grounds.

Don't knock it at least you have a ground

 

[Stoo82]

So you are cheerfully ignoring the 'no arrests' at Rochdale, where there were four times as many FCUM fans, and a 'local' match where in theory all of the rapists and pillagers would be able to attend easily?

Give FCUM a break, for a club that started five years ago as a vague idea in a curry house, to the second round of the FA Cup in five years is a hell of an achievement. It's a shame the vindictive attitude of some at the Albion, no names (and on NSC) is preventing their fans see them on the day (hopefully losing to us).

On a separate note, an anagram of Richard Hebberd is Charred Bib Herd, do you think that Lord Bracknell would piss on Hebberd's orange steward's bid if it was on fire?

f***ing hell El Pres, all I said was Withdean was worse than most non-league grounds. OK, maybe I should have thought about cutting out the irelivent part of the FCUM supporters post. Crist alive man, why you having a go at me. Seriously man, what the f*** is that for? What a prise TWAT you are making yourself out to be.

Wow.

 

[Stoo82]

Don't knock it at least you have a ground

Your temporary ground is better than our temporary ground!

 

[bhaexpress]

Errr.........because the Albion ultimately made the decision, not the police? Look at how some of our fans had a binfest about not getting a ticket for Charlton. This is the biggest game in FCUM's history, and due to a bunch of neurotic jobsworths many of their fans won't get a chance to see it, whilst in the Albion end there will be thousands of empty seats.

So as far as you're concerned the club should ignore what the Police say ? Well that's fine but whilst it'll be a long time if ever that we play FC United again we deal with the Police week in, week out.

 

[mickthered]

So as far as you're concerned the club should ignore what the Police say ? Well that's fine but whilst it'll be a long time if ever that we play FC United again we deal with the Police week in, week out.

Its far to easy for clubs to hide behind the police advice line
we have already had that one this season at Marine game moved to an early Sunday ko "Apparently on police advice" said the statement from the Marine board until it later emerged that the club had booked a wedding on the Saturday the game should have been played rather then admit to wanting the game moved so they could get two payouts in the same weekend a quick chart with the police and the game was then moved on police advice

Advice is just that advice and the club also do get a say in what happens as well

 

[Old Timér]

Its far to easy for clubs to hide behind the police advice line
we have already had that one this season at Marine game moved to an early Sunday ko "Apparently on police advice" said the statement from the Marine board until it later emerged that the club had booked a wedding on the Saturday the game should have been played rather then admit to wanting the game moved so they could get two payouts in the same weekend a quick chart with the police and the game was then moved on police advice

Advice is just that advice and the club also do get a say in what happens as well

 

[Lord Bracknell]

So as far as you're concerned the club should ignore what the Police say ? Well that's fine but whilst it'll be a long time if ever that we play FC United again we deal with the Police week in, week out.

What have the police actually said? We don't know. Is it based on evidence of a real threat of disorder? Or is it based on the fact that there was a minor pitch invasion at Rochdale (no different from the pitch invasions we have occasionally seen at Withdean)? Or the fact that a small number of flares were lit (the acts of tiny number of individuals)? Or the talk on the FCUM forum of travelling without tickets (no different from a number of NSC threads over the years - and capable of being dealt with in exactly the same way that Aston Villa dealt with it last season, by allocating MORE tickets)? Or do FCUM fans have a real history of being trouble makers (it would seem not)?

The official Club explanation (given in Insider's answer to my ATC question) is that the allocation is based on a recommendation of the Safety Advisory Group. The SAG consists of representatives of the Club, Brighton & Hove City Council, Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust, and the St John Ambulance Association.

It is the City Council’s responsibility to manage safety issues at Withdean and to respond to recommendations of the SAG. The SAG have made NO recommendations to the City Council in the past three years about the management of spectators at Withdean. How come they are being credited with such a rapid intervention this time?

Did the SAG have access to all the facts? Or were they fed a carefully selected story, designed to produce the outcome that this is a Category C game and tickets sales to away fans will be restricted?

With the Albion's history of being a club where fans have shaped our destiny, it is very sad to see the gates being slammed shut in the face of fans of another club who are doing the same.

 

[Razi]

Also seems as though a few Wetherspoons in Manchester are going to be screening the game live - so that'll hopefully reduce the numbers that may have otherwise travelled down without a ticket...

 

[bhaexpress]

Its far to easy for clubs to hide behind the police advice line
we have already had that one this season at Marine game moved to an early Sunday ko "Apparently on police advice" said the statement from the Marine board until it later emerged that the club had booked a wedding on the Saturday the game should have been played rather then admit to wanting the game moved so they could get two payouts in the same weekend a quick chart with the police and the game was then moved on police advice

Advice is just that advice and the club also do get a say in what happens as well

As I have said twice before now why would Brighton throw away revenue ? There's no way we'll have a full house and had it's a shame but there must be more to this and frankly judging by the way some fans have spoken on here it would seem that there is some substinance in the decision. You should remember that whilst it's the biggest day in FC United's history it's a long way from ours. Brighton fans would be a bit more sympathetic had the approach of FC United fans been a bit more realistic.

At the end of the day it's done and dusted so get over it and move on.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

Don't knock it at least you have a ground

Cheers with that comment i think it will jolt a few of our fans memories to when we were homeless, i think we have been spoiled slightly with The Amex looming, although we deserve it for all the struggles we have endured. I think the powers to be should have allowed a 15% ticket allocation to FC United. I cannot remember a time when we have been refused our full 15% and sometimes our fans can be, shall we say "over exuberent" I wonder how we would have felt it last year at Villa if we were only given 10%.......even with 6200 away tickets i and hundreds of others had to become neutrall/Villa fans for the day! Dont 100% agree with the comments of a lot of their fans (or ours) on here but they are supporting a bonafida (albeit embryonic) football club not MK Dons!!!

 

[kazfcum]

Your temporary ground is better than our temporary ground!

Do you have to pay to play there ?

It costs us around 5 grand a game to play at Bury.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Is it me or has this been deemed a Category C match? I just can't fathom this gross over-reaction by the authorities (& The Albion) for a match that'll probs attract a paltry home turnout. Shirley to goodness we could've organised things so they (FCUM) had their 15% allocation?? I'm beginning to think that the faceless people who made the decision(s) can't tell the difference between the 2 United's in & around Manchester.

 

[The Large One]

Do you have to pay to play there ?

It costs us around 5 grand a game to play at Bury.

Yup.

The City Council owns the 'stadium', and we have to pay to be there.

There is also no music before 2.45pm, no parking within 3/4 miles of the ground (often breached), we have volunteer litter patrols after the game.

We do, however, have free public transport match travel to and from the game within a 10 miles radius.

 

[bhaexpress]

What have the police actually said? We don't know. Is it based on evidence of a real threat of disorder? Or is it based on the fact that there was a minor pitch invasion at Rochdale (no different from the pitch invasions we have occasionally seen at Withdean)? Or the fact that a small number of flares were lit (the acts of tiny number of individuals)? Or the talk on the FCUM forum of travelling without tickets (no different from a number of NSC threads over the years - and capable of being dealt with in exactly the same way that Aston Villa dealt with it last season, by allocating MORE tickets)? Or do FCUM fans have a real history of being trouble makers (it would seem not)?

The official Club explanation (given in Insider's answer to my ATC question) is that the allocation is based on a recommendation of the Safety Advisory Group. The SAG consists of representatives of the Club, Brighton & Hove City Council, Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust, and the St John Ambulance Association.

It is the City Council’s responsibility to manage safety issues at Withdean and to respond to recommendations of the SAG. The SAG have made NO recommendations to the City Council in the past three years about the management of spectators at Withdean. How come they are being credited with such a rapid intervention this time?

Did the SAG have access to all the facts? Or were they fed a carefully selected story, designed to produce the outcome that this is a Category C game and tickets sales to away fans will be restricted?

With the Albion's history of being a club where fans have shaped our destiny, it is very sad to see the gates being slammed shut in the face of fans of another club who are doing the same.

Whoever is making the decision the club are merely following guidelines, we'll lose the money we could have got from the extra travelling support so why would the club turn this money down ? I agree that it's not a good situation but the way so many of these FC United supporters have gone on about it you get the feeling that there must be something to it. I prefer to take the word of Brighton and Hove Albion than that of another club's fans. Their assertions that it's down to BHAFC make no sense as we're throwing money away so how can that be in our interests ?

 

[Bozza]

I tell you what - Rochdale must be complete mentalists.

They willingly allowed c4000 of these neanderthals into their ground, on a Saturday, when they were all lashing it up in the local pubs for many hours beforehand.

Do we have any stats on how many old ladies they mugged, children they executed, pubs they trashed and sweet shops raided for their mint imperials?

It must have been complete and utter DEVASTATION.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I'm beginning to think that the faceless people who made the decision(s) can't tell the difference between the 2 United's in & around Manchester.

If FCUM ever get to play Wilmslow Albion ... it'll be CARNAGE.

 

[Husty]

Also seems as though a few Wetherspoons in Manchester are going to be screening the game live - so that'll hopefully reduce the numbers that may have otherwise travelled down without a ticket...

The games NOT on TV, so I'll be interested to see how that happens.

 

[kazfcum]

Yup.

The City Council owns the 'stadium', and we have to pay to be there.

There is also no music before 2.45pm, no parking within 3/4 miles of the ground (often breached), we have volunteer litter patrols after the game.

We do, however, have free public transport match travel to and from the game within a 10 miles radius.

I've heard about the parking bit, but I can't see how it can be enforced, how do you know who's parked up to go to the game or for some other reason ?

Sounds like a right ball ache its no wonder you can't wait to get out.

 

[Razi]

The games NOT on TV, so I'll be interested to see how that happens.

Indeed. But that doesn't mean that it can't be privately streamed in particular premises.