Last season at Elland Road the stewards in the away section took a hardline approach on us standing as we were in the side stand. All around the rest of the ground especially the two ends behind the goal they were all standing. These were the same stewards who claimed that they couldn't hear any homophobic chanting from Leeds fans in their South Stand. One bloke became so incensed at their attitude that he disappeared for 20 minutes to have a conflab with the head steward and local constabulary.So are Spurs and Leeds but they have the common sense to look into the distance whistling instead of causing a problem by throwing people out for singing at a football match. If it was say West Stand Lower or the family stand then sure, but anyone with an ounce of common sense at the club would let the kids be kids as they are the future. Also Poyet will moan if the atmosphere takes a dive and the club really cant have it both ways. I just think someone has left their common sense behind.
I send Richard Hebberd an email a few months back about the stewarding issues in the North and he replied saying that there were no issues, it was all the fans fault and that I was so far wrong that I was lucky he was even bothering to reply. The guy is an utter prick. And an utter prick who may well be out of a job at the end of the season as well. I hope so.
I know its very odd behaviour down at the Albion. Maybe Brighton as a club could learn something from Spurs both on and off the pitch.
Genuinely, I know someone very senior at the club (Withdean and Amex era, and more senior than Hebberd), who indicated that Hebberd is a nasty piece of work with a brutal attitude towards fans.
I was told that his background was either ex-military or police ... I cannot remember which.
I hope Bloom and Barber listen to fans, and are not railroaded by Hebberd's assertions.
Beginning to doubt after yesterday's mass exodus from the North Stand on 85 minutes that there are many "proper supporters" there. Proper supporters stay until the end of a game.
Genuinely, I know someone very senior at the club (Withdean and Amex era, and more senior than Hebberd), who indicated that Hebberd is a nasty piece of work with a brutal attitude towards fans.
I was told that his background was either ex-military or police ... I cannot remember which.
I hope Bloom and Barber listen to fans, and are not railroaded by Hebberd's assertions.
He's ex-OB, he used to be something to do with policing football in North London. The bloke is clearly stuck in the 70/80s, he views football fans with utter contempt and only understands how to do things by imposing some sort of authoritarian bullshit.
In interviews he's done he actually talks a pretty good game and comes across as fairly balanced, but his actions tell a very different story and that makes him all the more dangerous, his ego is too big for him to listen to anyone else's opinion. Remember, this is the man that didn't want us to have any kind of supporters bar and anything we have now is despite him. The sooner this dinosaur hangs up his truncheon the better for all of us.
Genuinely, I know someone very senior at the club (Withdean and Amex era, and more senior than Hebberd), who indicated that Hebberd is a nasty piece of work with a brutal attitude towards fans.
I was told that his background was either ex-military or police ... I cannot remember which.
I hope Bloom and Barber listen to fans, and are not railroaded by Hebberd's assertions.
Can't let that go to be honest, although normally I would. I've met Richard on a number of occasions and I like him. There are things you and I would possibly disagree with him about, but he has the club and the fans interest at heart.
I've no doubt that he's probably a nice enough bloke, my criticisms are purely from a professional perspective.
Which I respect, whilst others are overtly personal based it appears on hear say.
I send Richard Hebberd an email a few months back about the stewarding issues in the North and he replied saying that there were no issues, it was all the fans fault and that I was so far wrong that I was lucky he was even bothering to reply. The guy is an utter prick. And an utter prick who may well be out of a job at the end of the season as well. I hope so.
I noticed him too, it was hardly difficult.From where I was in the East, the guy in the beige duffel coat who appeared to be winding up the stewards and encouraging fans to get up out of their seats needs to wear less identifiable clothing
wierd how humans think it ok to obey a rule....just because it is a rule.........even tho it is stupid and holds no common sense.
wierd how humans think it ok to obey a rule....just because it is a rule.
What people in the North Stand have to realise, is that the ground regulations do not permit persistent standing. This is the rule, everyone knows this is the rule even if they do not like it. The stewards are therefore well within their rights to enforce this rule, especially when they may have been given specific instructions to enforce it. Sadly the persistent standers are in breach of those regulations and do risk ejection if they do not comply. Those are the facts, plain and bloody simple.
Of course most of us will agree that the rule is bullshit and there is no serious safety reason for it. We can also agree that the enforcement can seem arbitrary and unfair. This however does not change the FACT, that you quite literally do not have a leg to stand on when it comes breaching the rule.
The fault lies with the taylor report and the act of parliament which followed it, not the stewards or the club. Inviting confrontation with the stewards is just asking for trouble. That people feel the treatment meted out is unfair, is neither hear nor there, if you do not comply with a request to sit down then you are risking potential ejection, and you know it, so don't do it.
What is required is a change in the law, which lifts these ridiculous restrictions. it is possible to get behind the team whilst seat, the WSU seems to do a good job. For me there just seems too much eagerness for confrontation (on both sides) which detracts from supporting the team. The problems in the North Stand are totally avoidable if people just sit down when asked. You do not have to like it, I agree it is ludicrous, but is it really worth getting kicked out because of it? I think not.