[Albion] Safe Standing Survey...

[GT49er]

They are, as are every club in the EPL when they allow away fans and home fans to stand. I can't recall one case of a club being prosecuted. So, the fact remains, how does sticking a bar in front of people that already stand improve their contribution to the atmosphere.

To the atmosphere? Not a lot - but to safety, 100%. Because of age and a crumbling spine I am a sitter now, but if it is necessary at some point to stand because everybidy in front of me has jumped to their feet. I'm accutely aware that if there is some kind of surge, or pressure from behind, the only 'barrier' protecting me is the back of the seat in front, coming maybe half way up my shins!
Even on the old terraces, there weren't foot high barriers in place for you to fall over!

 

[GT49er]

We need this at the amex. Time to give fans what they want. Even if its just one stand behind the goal to allow the "sitters" to still have seated areas and the "standers" to finally stand

Of course. No valid excuse for doing anything less!

 

[drew]

To th ealmosphere? Not a lot - but to safety, 100%. Because of age and a crumbling spine I am a sitter now, but if it is necessary at some point to stand because everybidy in front of me has jumped to their feet. I'm accutely aware that if there is some kind of surge, or pressure from behind, the only 'barrier' protecting me is the back of the seat in front, coming maybe half way up my shins!
Even on the old terraces, there weren't foot high barriers in place for you to fall over!

Yet miraculously there seems to be no record of all these accidents. Equally there could be a spate of head injuries as people celebrate a goal, fall over and hit their head on a waist high steel bar!!!

 

[Questions]

It won’t make the North Stand louder.

 

[GT49er]

Yet miraculously there seems to be no record of all these accidents. Equally there could be a spate of head injuries as people celebrate a goal, fall over and hit their head on a waist high steel bar!!!

Rubbish - pure whataboutery! It is indeed fortunate that there are apparantly no recorded casualties caused by people tripping over the back of the seat in front of them - though that in itself is a minor miracle. In the days of terracing, it was very common to latch on to one of the crash barriers, except there wasn't room for everyone. Safe standing would be just like leaning, nice and perfectly safe. on a crash barrier - except that everyone would have that protection.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Rubbish - pure whataboutery! It is indeed fortunate that there are apparantly no recorded casualties caused by people tripping over the back of the seat in front of them - though that in itself is a minor miracle. In the days of terracing, it was very common to latch on to one of the crash barriers, exxcept there wasn't room for everyone. Safe seating would be just like leaning, nice and perfectly safe. on a crash barrier - except that everyone would have that protection.

Happy to pay a few extra £££ to sit in comfort among the languid cognoscenti. If I want to stand, I'll have a wander to the toilet. Truth be told I'd rather sit there, too. So much less hazardous in the trouser front department. But I prefer a clean seat, so Prussian* roulette it is. *That's Russian with the added hazard of P.

 

[GT49er]

Happy to pay a few extra £££ to sit in comfort among the languid cognoscenti. If I want to stand, I'll have a wander to the toilet. Truth be told I'd rather sit there, too. So much less hazardous in the trouser front department. But I prefer a clean seat, so Prussian* roulette it is. *That's Russian with the added hazard of P.

Oh the memories of happy days of youth - days when I only went to the bogs at the Goldstone because my feet were freezing!

 

[matski_98]

Yet miraculously there seems to be no record of all these accidents. Equally there could be a spate of head injuries as people celebrate a goal, fall over and hit their head on a waist high steel bar!!!

Have you checked that there were no recorded accidents? Thought not.

Also how would it be possible to fall over a safe standing bar (unless you were climbing on it)? The whole point of them is to stop crowd surges from behind

 

[GT49er]

Yet miraculously there seems to be no record of all these accidents. Equally there could be a spate of head injuries as people celebrate a goal, fall over and hit their head on a waist high steel bar!!!

There was no significant record of cages being at all dangerous before Hillsborough. There were no concerns about wooden stands being dangerous until Valley Parade.
The idea of people accidentally banging their head on the barrier they're standing behind is, frankly, just silly.

 

[drew]

There was no significant record of cages being at all dangerous before Hillsborough. There were no concerns about wooden stands being dangerous until Valley Parade.
The idea of people accidentally banging their head on the barrier they're standing behind is, frankly, just silly.

Rubbish. Regarding cages, we had our own experience in 1980 against Arsenal in the league cup and at the semi final the year before Hillsborough there was trouble at the same end. As for fires, I seem to recall we had a problem with our wooden south stand.

 

[GT49er]

Rubbish. Regarding cages, we had our own experience in 1980 against Arsenal in the league cup and at the semi final the year before Hillsborough there was trouble at the same end. As for fires, I seem to recall we had a problem with our wooden south stand.

Well, you carry on your own sweet way. If you think a shin high barrier with nothing to grab on to and an uncertain landing place on the next level down is the safest thing to have in place when people are standing that's up to you. Other people are likely to think different.

......................and the idea of people accidentally banging their head on the barrier they're standing behind is still, frankly, just silly.

 

[Nicks]

Rubbish. Regarding cages, we had our own experience in 1980 against Arsenal in the league cup and at the semi final the year before Hillsborough there was trouble at the same end. As for fires, I seem to recall we had a problem with our wooden south stand.

The South Stand burnt down of its own accord allegedly

 

[drew]

Well, you carry on your own sweet way. If you think a shin high barrier with nothing to grab on to and an uncertain landing place on the next level down is the safest thing to have in place when people are standing that's up to you. Other people are likely to think different.

......................and the idea of people accidentally banging their head on the barrier they're standing behind is still, frankly, just silly.

Lol, I just see it as swapping one risk for another. I've been standing at away games for years in all seaters and the only issues have been when pissed up fans start jumping on seats and falling. They will still do that.

 

[GT49er]

Lol, I just see it as swapping one risk for another. I've been standing at away games for years in all seaters and the only issues have been when pissed up fans start jumping on seats and falling. They will still do that.

And they might hurt themselves. Or others. That's why safe standing will introduce a system whereby there is a decent rail that people can hold on to.
The only valid (?) argument clubs might have against it is the cost (which, TBH, in PL finance terms is just a bit of pissing in the wind).
There are tacit standing areas in every ground - stewards are powerless (and know their limitations!) in most cases. Just make those standing fans safer. Rocket science it ain't!

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

The way the whole thing is phrased (essentially opening with arguments against implementing it) leads me to believe that the club have essentially already decided not to pursue this (we know that they've previously been on record as being pretty strongly against it).

IF I was being cynical, I'd suggest it was a convenient opportunity to give the FAB a potentially 'big ticket' item to be seen to involved in and influencing club policy on.

In general, I'm not against the idea of safe standing being installed. However, as others have said, my preference would be for an outside fanzone (if budget-wise it is a straight shoot out between that and safe standing).

Fanzone?

 

[PeterT]

Fanzone?

No, don’t worry, it’s not the one where you have to smile and wave your scarf or you risk getting thrown out.

 

[GT49er]

Fanzone?

What, like a pub with no roof open to the rain, with Sky Sports, but crappier and more expensive beer?

 

[Kuipers Supporters Club]

There was no significant record of cages being at all dangerous before Hillsborough. There were no concerns about wooden stands being dangerous until Valley Parade.
The idea of people accidentally banging their head on the barrier they're standing behind is, frankly, just silly.

The Semi Final at Hillsborough, 8 years earlier which featured Tottenham would suggest differently.

 

[dazzer6666]

Well, you carry on your own sweet way. If you think a shin high barrier with nothing to grab on to and an uncertain landing place on the next level down is the safest thing to have in place when people are standing that's up to you. Other people are likely to think different.

......................and the idea of people accidentally banging their head on the barrier they're standing behind is still, frankly, just silly.

LOL. I got badly bruised at Selhurst when Knockaert scored……bundled over the seats due to the ‘surge’ (which I am very much too old for ). No such issues at Spuds when Trossard poked in the late winner, the waist-high steel bars pretty effectively stop any surging or crushing

 

[faoileán]

To the atmosphere? Not a lot - but to safety, 100%. Because of age and a crumbling spine I am a sitter now, but if it is necessary at some point to stand because everybidy in front of me has jumped to their feet. I'm accutely aware that if there is some kind of surge, or pressure from behind, the only 'barrier' protecting me is the back of the seat in front, coming maybe half way up my shins!
Even on the old terraces, there weren't foot high barriers in place for you to fall over!

Safe standing definitely does contribute to the atmosphere. You have to make a conscious decision to be in a safe standing area and it allows those who want to stand and bellow out songs to congregate. At the moment as we all know the singers in the North Stand are in several different groups interspersed by grandads, grandads and families. This results in uncoordinated singing.