Stewarding in the North Stand

[NMH]

Incidentally when something DOES kick off, north stand stewards are VERY slow to react. N1A, a guy with a flag behind me had the flagg bit fall off the stick, and land on some ones head infront of me. I asked (i felt politely, i hadn't been drinking so i'm quite safe in saying that) the flag back and said sorry and thought it was a bit of a laugh, no harm done as per everyone around me.

He proceeded to call me a ****, a mole (or some other small animal) threatened to beat me up. At this point the guys behind me tell him to calm down, then he starts making a move to come over the seats to start a fight - which 2 rows behind don't take kindly to because they're the fathers of the guys 1 row behind.

So several people get very shouty, calling each other *****. No one came up once. They were 7 or 8 rows down doing the whole "sit down" bullshit while some middle aged big shot tries to start a fight with some 17 year olds.

Well then, you just made a VERY interesting point; WHILE the stewards were having to mess about DISTRACTED by standers, who are going to add to your problem by hiding everything going on in your area, there was a proper barney going on that COULD have been spotted and dealt with early IF THEY HADN'T BEEN FARTING AROUND WITH THE PEOPLE IN FRONT!!

Do you not GET what the issue is and why it's necessary to have some semblance of order in the stands??

 

[Commander]

it's fair enough that some people want to be able to sit in the north stand.

It is indeed, but I do find it odd that anyone who has a real issue with standing would have bought a season ticket in the North. I'll stand if everyone else is standing and I'll sit when everyone else is sitting, but when I get to the point where I'm too old and decrepit to want to stand up anymore, then I'll migrate over to the West.

 

[Commander]

Well then, you just made a VERY interesting point; WHILE the stewards were having to mess about DISTRACTED by standers, who are going to add to your problem by hiding everything going on in your area, there was a proper barney going on that COULD have been spotted and dealt with early IF THEY HADN'T BEEN FARTING AROUND WITH THE PEOPLE IN FRONT!!

Do you not GET what the issue is and why it's necessary to have some semblance of order in the stands??

Yeah Knee0n, do you not realise that if it wasn't for people like NMH there would be all out WAR in every stand? He's explained this time and time again to us. And he lives in Sweden you know.

 

[Triggaaar]

but when I get to the point where I'm too old and decrepit to want to stand up anymore, then I'll migrate over to the West.

But what if you're too decrepit, but you still want to be part of the North's atmosphere, as you had been for the last 40 years? Bit harsh to have to leave.

It should be a simple vote - ask all northstanders if they want to sit or stand all match. Whatever percentage says stand, make that percentage standing at the back (swap seats around to suit). Everyone's a winner.

 

[NMH]

Yeah Knee0n, do you not realise that if it wasn't for people like NMH there would be all out WAR in every stand? He's explained this time and time again to us. And he lives in Sweden you know.

It doesn't matter if I live on Mars, the point Kneeon made was clear as a very clear thing, as an unmuddied lake indeed.

That the lady steward won't give you the time of day makes TWO things clear.
But then, does ANY female ever acknowledge you exist?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

It seems clear there was a change in approach last night.

I just hope the club come out and make an effort to explain the situation because games at the Amex are a complete joy and the last thing we need is a degradation of the fan/steward relationship to the level experienced at Withdean.

I think you're right. There was a lot of activity over the radios that stewards were using. Our own 'local' steward was brilliant, though. The message from the control room was being cheerily passed on as ... "Sit down please, just for a few minutes!"

It was effective and non-confrontational.

 

[Dave the OAP]

They seemed particularly keen to get people to sit down on the left of us....we are row u n1b at the end by the walkway and they were concentrating on them.

I did hear a couple of weeks ago, someone complained in n1c about 4 rows from the back where their kids couldn't see and the bloke who was trying to get people to sit down was told uncermoniously to f*** off to the family stand.

I suppose we are 6 rows from the back, and people stand in the row in front of us. It is not an issue for us and I am not sure why the stewards chose to antagonise people...especially telling people to sit down when four rows in front of them everyone was standing up. And it's only 5 or so games to go so it seemed a bit petty really during a fantastic evening

 

[Drpepper]

Im n1a fairly close the back of the stand but as close to west stand as u can get really and everyone around me stands never had a steward ask us to sit down at all.only time ive seen a steward nearus was when a lad was drinking a beer in the stands earlier in season.stewards have been good as gold round that area

 

[Superphil]

The CLUB have changed their policy yet a vast majority of the posts on this thread attack the stewards.

Surely the clubs policy was to run an all seater stadium. They said that there would be tolerance to sanding in the back four rows of the north stand, tolerance, not permission, not a right to it, it is an all seater stadium, by law. If during the current planning application process they Realise it would look better if everyone was sat down, do you not think that is the club being judicious? You've all told us about the cameras watching the north stand last week and this week, information gathering perhaps? Just go with it, for now, let's get the extra seats sorted, you'll still be able to stand up when stuff happens,

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I have no idea why anyone wanting to sit down went into the north. Mkaes me happy with the Respect stand - I can do without the games between the standers and the stewards.

The Steward in the East Block D is as cheerful a chap as you could wish to meet.

 

[Caveman]

Tolerence from stewarding at our new home probably leads some people to start taking liberties, taking the piss. It's a hobby with some people to bait crowd control, no matter how lenient it is within the boundaries of ground regulations and comfort for people who don't necessarily want to stay standing after every corner or etc.
Just play ball, there's no intent to grind everyone down with policing!

Don't buy this, I bet you if everyone is made to sit the atmosphere would not be as good. The North Stand was always going to be a stand where a very large proportion would want to stand.

The Stewards did state they were going to keep this up every home game now. They will put people off.. trust me. The club need to look at this.

 

[Drpepper]

If anything people are just going to stand more.best just leaving everyone alone

 

[Caveman]

Talking to the stewards around me in the North last night and they were under orders to clamp down (and be seen to be clamping down) on anyone standing from Row 5 downwards. With the rationale (they'd been told) that, if we as a club can't enforce all seater stadium with our present capacity, it will put the ability to gain approval for the extra 8,000 seats at risk. Which the club obviously doesn't want to happen, hence the more zealous policing of the policy.

I have to say that I've built up a great relationship with all the stewards around us (including the female steward who was in the family stand at Withdean) and they seemed to be as pissed off with the crackdown as much as the impacted supporters were. It's an earner for them and if they go against their orders, they lose that £.

If that is the case and we are told that then once we have the additional 8000 seats in, we can all go back to being adults and standing at a football match again.

 

[British Grenadier]

I think you're right. There was a lot of activity over the radios that stewards were using. Our own 'local' steward was brilliant, though. The message from the control room was being cheerily passed on as ... "Sit down please, just for a few minutes!"

It was effective and non-confrontational.

I'm in N1A, about halfway down, pretty much where the stewards seemed to be focusing their efforts, however if that was the message that they had been asked to convey, then they did not do that effectively.

They seemed particularly keen to get people to sit down on the left of us....we are row u n1b at the end by the walkway and they were concentrating on them.

This was the weird thing, in the first half, they were only trying to get people on the west side of N1A to sit down but they paid no attention to the people on the east side of the stairs. In the 2nd half, they spent more time with the people on the other side of the stairs and about 3 minutes before the end, after a discussion that had also lasted at least a couple of minutes, they threw out a fella in an orange shirt.

I think there have been about 2 games all season where we have sat down (that dull one against Forest might have been one of them) and we have barely seen a steward all that time and they only decide to enforce it with a handful of home games left?

 

[KneeOn]

Well then, you just made a VERY interesting point; WHILE the stewards were having to mess about DISTRACTED by standers, who are going to add to your problem by hiding everything going on in your area, there was a proper barney going on that COULD have been spotted and dealt with early IF THEY HADN'T BEEN FARTING AROUND WITH THE PEOPLE IN FRONT!!

Do you not GET what the issue is and why it's necessary to have some semblance of order in the stands??

I sit in row X, one of the back 4 rows, with me and my party sitting on the isle where usually a steward is positioned, right under the control box.

Secondly I point to Germany. It's clearly ANARCHY in the stands, with RAPE PILLAGE AND MURDER, because they *GASP* stand. Oh wait.

The issue isn't standing. It's the clubs stance, which is only the stance taken because of the FA, because of the Tylor Report. Which never said that the standing was unsafe, just the way it was managed. Standing was unsafe yesterday potentially because of how it was managed.

Boom.

 

[Rocky Robin]

~I think its all over the ground to be honest.

I am a WSL 1 row right next to the away end and I have noticed at least 1 person in the last few weeks get removed........for standing and goading the away fans......about 2 weeks ago a 10 year old boy got a warning and cried! When asked, the stewards were getting orders from their radio from the security office. Seat 5 row J Yellow card!

But to be fair I have seen a few albion fans report away fans for goading and seen them get kicked out too!

 

[albionman]

Sorry for intruding and I realise it must be a pain for those in the North Stand and I don't want to belittle it, but it looked so funny from the West.

Steward taps man on shoulder.

Man sits down (sometimes)

Steward moves up to next row.

Taps on man's shoulder.

Man in previous row stands up.

(Repeat until all rows exhausted)

Steward returns to first row.

Rinse and repeat.

It was worth the admission money just to watch it.

If you want to stand and nobody else minds, I personally don't see a problem.

 

[trueblue]

I can understand it when people get annoyed about everyone standing away from home - often there are kids and older people who simply can't see if the front rows join in,

But everyone knew the score with the North Stand. There are great seats everywhere else in the ground so anyone that dislikes that aspect of being behind that goal can be accommodated elsewhere - from next season at worst.

It would be a massive shame if over-zealous stewarding spoiled The Amex atmosphere - which can be one of the best in the division. Just leave people alone to enjoy the game!

 

[magoo]

I don't really buy this 'if you let people stand the atmosphere will be better' thing. I have to stand being at the back of the North but it doesn't make me want to sing more.

 

[Commander]

It doesn't matter if I live on Mars, the point Kneeon made was clear as a very clear thing, as an unmuddied lake indeed.

That the lady steward won't give you the time of day makes TWO things clear.
But then, does ANY female ever acknowledge you exist?

I'll leave that up to your imagination, NMH.