Forest v Southampton - Stand Up if you love forest

[theredinbrum]

Given the amount of discussion that goes on about standign at football matches and the regulAr battle between club and fans at forest to sit down I think with a full house in the ground against Southampton, I think supporters should stand firm and make a stand against stewerds.

Simply sing 'Stand Up if you love forest' No matter where you sit just do it, and keep going, if one set of fans die down, then others should continue it. Not only showing defiance against the WWF Security team but also providing billy and the boys with a contant flow of support.

FYI -Heres what the Football Supporters Association say about safe standing at football. In times when football fans get ignored and treated like s**t I advise all of you to take an interest and if possible join this organisation.


http://www.fsf.org.uk/media/uploaded/safe-standing-report-web.pdf

 

[WatnallRed]

Is their new site up and running yet?

 

[trickytrees12]

To hell with standing up to the stewards!

Just make some noise! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[Tutts]

Yeah, lets all stand up and get us shut down for next season....... beause thats what the FA would do.....

 

[cknu]

Have to agree with Tutts at best it would be serious fine for the club, worse we'd be playing behind close doors or even point deductions!

 

[Tutts]

Someone once posted a picture of the 'safe' standing areas used in the Bundesliga.

They're looked great.

 

[Rich]

Yeah, the fences really made me angry that I can see the whole pitch from anywhere in the ground now.

Bring back the fences! Especially those ones that tilt inwards, and leave lovely marks on your face when the 20 stone guy behind you loses his balance.

 

[Rich]

Actually, thinking about it, the people today are a lot quicker to 'have a go' at someone pissing them off. I imagine a lot of fights would break out amongst the people aged 16-21 as soon as they were pushed from behind by someone. The mentality of people is different today. It used to be a bit 'mob mentality', which meant everyone hated the opposition, whereas now people are quick to turn on anyone pissing them off.

It's strange that the most vociferous of supporters for bringing back standing are people who are too young to have experienced it before, and have idealised images in their heads.

I remember being a kid, and feeling like I was going to die in the Trent End. I remember going to Wembley, in seats, but sat behind a fence and being able to see only one of the goals.

In short, yes, the atmosphere was better, but the people were different. Standing areas wouldn't bring that atmosphere back, as people don't react to the 'hardship' of being pushed around so well anymore. However, the views were shit, your legs ached and every now and again you'd get pissed on, elbowed as someone reached for their cigarettes, and burned when they lit up.

Atmospheres were better as people had to get to the game an hour or so before kick off, unless you had a scouse accent.

Standing brings fences, as the people at the front will always spill onto the pitch without them. Fences ruin the game.

 

[Tutts]

 

[Rich]

Ooh, that looks lovely.

It's just a seated area with a fence.

 

[Tutts]

Ooh, that looks lovely.

It's just a seated area with a fence.

A very small fence Richard.

Obviously this kind of safer standing would never get the go ahead here. Shame.

 

[Jmarri]

Good post Rich.

I think people feel a lot safer standing up today as the people aren't creating the wave of people when a chance happening, which i have seen in old videos and been told about by dad.

I will completely agree that it does increase the atmosphere, yet I don't know why. Because I haven't experience the old standing terraces, only bar a few in lower divisions.

I remember when Forest play at Saltergate and Agogo scored his first goal of a 2-1 victory. I must have stumbled down a good 6 rows. Even with half chances during the match I went down a row or 2, and I was right at the back with no one behind me.

I do not want to see fences anywhere, I think that it would decrease the atmosphere and enjoyable experience of being at a football stadium.

However, if there are a lot of away supporters, for forest or even at the city ground. It seems culturally accepted that they can all stand up, because i feel we except it now.

Barnsley stood, Derby stood, Palace stood, Southampton stood and the other away grounds I have been to, I have stood yet I don't know why. The only ground I remember sitting down was at Brighton, only because it probably wasn't safe to with everyone standing at once.

 

[birkin youth]

Given the amount of discussion that goes on about standign at football matches and the regulAr battle between club and fans at forest to sit down I think with a full house in the ground against Southampton, I think supporters should stand firm and make a stand against stewerds.

A few points

1) The club do not make the rules. The local authority and the Football Licensing Authority make the rules. Persistant standing is a breach of the regulations. The club must take steps to prevent these breaches, otherwise 'the authorities' could fine the club, or reduce the capacity. Part of the reason Notts County had half its Kop shut down was due to persistant standing. And there, there were only a few hundred persistant standers.

The stewards are acting on Bexon's instructions. In turn, he is only doing what he has to do to ensure City Ground remains open. They don't make the decisions.

2) Persistant standing is a breach of the regulations. You agree to those regulations when you buy your ticket.
Not saying that this is right - I'm just saying how it is.

3) Whenever the City Ground is really full, the stewards do seem to employ common sense, and allow standing.
At both Derby games. Against Barnsley when we had a price offer. Against Yeovil on the last day of the season.
On all of these occasions, I was allowed to stand for 100% of the games. The stewards only spoke to me when I was blocking a stair way or exit routes.

I'm not saying any of this is right, or that I agree with it. But it winds me up when people take this childish, simplistic view of the world and make out the stewards to be some kind of pantomime bad guys who are only asking you to sit down to be petty.

 

[WatnallRed]

Actually, thinking about it, the people today are a lot quicker to 'have a go' at someone p**sing them off. I imagine a lot of fights would break out amongst the people aged 16-21 as soon as they were pushed from behind by someone. The mentality of people is different today. It used to be a bit 'mob mentality', which meant everyone hated the opposition, whereas now people are quick to turn on anyone p**sing them off.

I dont think the point about the 16-21 year olds is quite right. Theres alot of decent folk that go football and most of the angry youth type are out on street corners with their white lightning... I dont how tollerent people were in the past or how often disagreements would occur between own fans but i think its just as likely to be wound up 40 year olds than the young generation.

 

[red_outlaw]

Jack's totally right in saying that it's unfair to suggest only the younger element of our support would start fights for trivial reasons. I've known many forty-somethings to take issue with others supposedly 'pushing' them in the City Ground gangways. It is not an age-based issue. However, I agree completely with Rich's other sentiments. I still can't understand why it is so difficult to sing whilst being seated.

 

[Rich]

The age scenario was based on a couple of things.

Primarily, the age group who never stood on the terraces, and as such don't fully know what to expect.

It's also based on the people who generally 'kick off' at gigs.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

What's the obsession for wanting to stand all the time? When you buy a ticket for a match you enter into a contract where you agree to abide by the rules set in place by the club. If you stand more than the stewards like then you're breaking those rules. If you don't like it go watch non-league football, plenty of terraces at Blue Square Premier grounds if you care that much.

 

[sebs]

Actually, thinking about it, the people today are a lot quicker to 'have a go' at someone p**sing them off. I imagine a lot of fights would break out amongst the people aged 16-21 as soon as they were pushed from behind by someone. The mentality of people is different today. It used to be a bit 'mob mentality', which meant everyone hated the opposition, whereas now people are quick to turn on anyone p**sing them off.

this is because supporters are 'consumers' now, we expect the perfect match experience just as when you go to a cinema you don't want people to be having a conversation around you, you want the conditions to be perfect for you. this extends to the pitch, where we no longer support our team but are expected to be entertained and expect results. we, as the paying consumer, exercise our right to complain - witness the hoards who booed every time we went in at 0-0 last season. we, the new football fans, expect football to be as it is on television.

('we', being the manifesto of the 'new football fan', i wouldn't like to include myself in this bracket)

 

[Rich]

Exactly

 

[WatnallRed]

To be fair i wouldnt moan half as much if the rules were enforced everywhere however its annoying when you want to get behind your team and they make you sit down and kick people out for starting chants.... where at grounds you see on tv eg the kop as im typing everyone stood up and not a steward patrol the stairwells.

 

[Rich]

Scousers would be straight on for the compensation if they were manhandled, though.

Asregards not being allowed to start chants, I'm still yet to see anyone thrown out for starting a chant.

Indeed, on Saturday the stewards seemed more concerned with keeping the back row clear than making people sit. Anyone standing on the back row was, however, called sir and politely asked to find a seat. Good stewarding once again in the A Block, I'd say.

 

[theredinbrum]

A few points

1) The club do not make the rules. The local authority and the Football Licensing Authority make the rules. Persistant standing is a breach of the regulations. The club must take steps to prevent these breaches, otherwise 'the authorities' could fine the club, or reduce the capacity. Part of the reason Notts County had half its Kop shut down was due to persistant standing. And there, there were only a few hundred persistant standers.

The stewards are acting on Bexon's instructions. In turn, he is only doing what he has to do to ensure City Ground remains open. They don't make the decisions.

2) Persistant standing is a breach of the regulations. You agree to those regulations when you buy your ticket.
Not saying that this is right - I'm just saying how it is.

3) Whenever the City Ground is really full, the stewards do seem to employ common sense, and allow standing.
At both Derby games. Against Barnsley when we had a price offer. Against Yeovil on the last day of the season.
On all of these occasions, I was allowed to stand for 100% of the games. The stewards only spoke to me when I was blocking a stair way or exit routes.

I'm not saying any of this is right, or that I agree with it. But it winds me up when people take this childish, simplistic view of the world and make out the stewards to be some kind of pantomime bad guys who are only asking you to sit down to be petty.

Thanks for that I will cut down on my childish views!!!

There is a difference between Stewards and Security at Forest

I sat in T Block against Derby in the League and there was a small number of people standing as and where was a need (not constant standing) all 90 mins there was a number of people who were targetted for the slightest amount of standing up by the stewards (When I made comments they were very much of the opinion that it was instructions from above and that they found the whole thing a little petty)

My experience of the security guys at Forest was that on Saturday, two guys who throughout the first have had tried to start an atmostphere in the lower bridgeford end were pretty much told to tone their actions down because of the kids and family surrounding them -To my knowledge no one sat in close proximity to these two guys made any complaints and many sat around them were quite bewildered by it. The security guy in charge of that area was trying to pcik out people to have words with when in all honesty the atmosthphere in that part fo the ground was one of the most laid back of the season.

I think the big thing with Forest is that they are being very very petty about who they target which only riles people like myself into making so called childish remarks. I don't believe that there are many people in the city ground on matchday who do persistently stand because for one they are jumped upon straight away.

The only section of the forest ground where a large group f supporters constantly stand up is the away end, everywhere else is in small patches, therefore if Forest authorities make getting away fans to sit down first and foremost then they may not get as much grief with forest supporters as they often do.

Also there appears to be an opinion that fences would automatically come back if terraces returned but I am pretty sure that one legacy of hillsborough is that such fences would never ever come back

 

[Rich]

The 'legacy' of Hillsborough was that standing would never come back.

I don't think you can pick and choose the parts of the 'legacy' that you quite fancy.

I'd quite like it if tickets were £8 again, but chances are they won't be.

Fences are synonymous with standing. They have to be, otherwise you get spillage onto the pitch when you get a big crowd. If there is nothing at the front to stop the spillage, it will happen. I'm not sure I'd like to be stood at the front of the current Trent End, with its 2 ft wall, with a couple of thousand people pushing me from behind.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

To be fair i wouldnt moan half as much if the rules were enforced everywhere however its annoying when you want to get behind your team and they make you sit down and kick people out for starting chants.... where at grounds you see on tv eg the kop as im typing everyone stood up and not a steward patrol the stairwells.

I still don't believe this one bit.

Unless it's a stand up if you... chant when you've just been told to sit down.

 

[king_congo_red]

Fences are synonymous with standing. They have to be, otherwise you get spillage onto the pitch when you get a big crowd.

Not necessarily...Whilst they've not made a big thing out of it, the football league have quietly been using a number of clubs that still have terraces - such as Peterborough United - to test out alternative methods for keeping crowds off the pitch.

As an example, again using Peterborough United, the terraces at London Road have a 'rope moat' in the front row - that is a number of tightly stretched horizontal ropes, which make it impossible for fans to climb over and get to the pitch.

Not saying that we'll ever see 'safe standing' in the UK, but at least there are efforts being made to study alternatives to fencing...