Atmosphere, standing, showsec & lack of action

[Stretford Born Blue]

I've been watching City home and away since the mid 1960's and in all that time I've come to the conclusion that supporters who have problems with stewards and the police bring it on themselves.

I have never, ever, had a problem in all those years, but I've seen plenty of knobs making dicks of themselves over the years.

I don't know why some people have to get so irate about nothing in particular, but attending a game of football brings out a mentality in some that is hard to fathom at times.

Maybe they are boozed up and lose their sense of reason, but I've seen behaviour that just defies belief.

This exactly...

 

[squirtyflower]

This exactly...

Really?
Perhaps you'd like to explain to my then 10 year old daughter why she was sent flying and knocked to the ground by two of GMP's finest for having the temerity to be walking on the pavement to the car.
Or maybe she's a knob and a dick and boozed up too?

 

[SteWadda]

Safe Standing isn't going to make any difference to our atmosphere. South Stand Level 1 are allowed to stand now.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

Did you attend the last two home games? Certainly no where near 50k there despite what the 'official' attendance was. And id go with a figure of 6k who want to stand.

Did you mate? There were still 50k in the ground 15 minutes after the final whistle for Zabba's leaving celebration

 

[nmc]

If we are going to have standing again then there needs to be a proper process and debate. The German rail type standing looks good and should be introduced in parts of the ground if that's what people want. I do get annoyed however, by some of the 'I want to stand' minority - some of whom are no more than 16 who think they can ride roughshod over everyone else. A few years ago I sadly witnessed an elderly couple - who'd supported City for over 30 years have their match ruined at Wembley by some selfish 'dicks' on the front row who insisted - despite pleas from stewards and fellow fans and insisted on standing for the entire game - and the elderly couple unable to stand must have paid £60 to look at the back of these guys shirts - selfish, self important and ignorant in the extreme. That's not to say I'm against safe standing - personally I'd re do the North Stand with a huge railed standing section (5,000 plus) but the present configuration of the stadium doesn't lend itself to loads of people standing. As for Showsec I've had a few of their stewards try to wind me up - bigging up the away team, saying City are shite etc - clearly Rags.

 

[M18CTID]

Really?
Perhaps you'd like to explain to my then 10 year old daughter why she was sent flying and knocked to the ground by two of GMP's finest for having the temerity to be walking on the pavement to the car.
Or maybe she's a knob and a dick and boozed up too?

For all my issues with modern-day football and the ever-increasing sanitisation of the game, few things in football boil my piss more than fellow fans casting disgraceful aspersions that everyone that has ever been nicked/chucked out/treated like shit deserves it. The issues with Showsec are well documented at City, plus anyone who attends gigs on just an occasional basis will know how crap a reputation they have amongst concert-goers too. That's not to say all Showsec stewards are wankers but by the same token, not all City fans (and football fans in general) that have found themselves on the wrong side of over-zealous policing and stewarding are wankers either.

 

[squirtyflower]

For all my issues with modern-day football and the ever-increasing sanitisation of the game, few things in football boil my piss more than fellow fans casting disgraceful aspersions that everyone that has ever been nicked/chucked out/treated like shit deserves it. The issues with Showsec are well documented at City, plus anyone who attends gigs on just an occasional basis will know how crap a reputation they have amongst concert-goers too. That's not to say all Showsec stewards are wankers but by the same token, not all City fans (and football fans in general) that have found themselves on the wrong side of over-zealous policing and stewarding are wankers either.

me too
I was at the James gig last month with my wife.
We were right near the front with a 'large group' who were together stood next to us.
Then a few of their mates turned up late and tried to push us out of the way. Not being the shy retiring type I stood my ground. So one of the women complained to a Showsec lump and her boyfriend joined in, then their other mates joined in saying we were trying to push in, even though we had been there the whole time.
Needless to say Showsec blamed us and told us to move and that if I didn't I would be ejected, but again I stood my ground.
When the gig started these mates then tried everything they could to intimidate us and Showsec stood and did fuck all and tried to explain what was going on.

As we left the gig the whole group dispersed including the boyfriend who wasn't with the girl at all.

 

[trevorriley]

Safe Standing isn't going to make any difference to our atmosphere. South Stand Level 1 are allowed to stand now.

To a certain degree there is truth in what you say. Fans stand in lower SS and still don't sing.

But if the area is then officially standing and more bunched up because a block capacity is increased by about 25% with standing rails, then like minded singers will congregate in this section, a lot of the problems are still the same in the fact that 1894 have put work in to singers being together but still a lot of fans don't move in to the area.

Safestand will bring more singers in to the area, being bunched up creates a better singing environment. Also people who like to watch a game more reserved are likely to move out so creating an area not diluted by non singers.

But still to a degree it is down to fans to sing not just say crap atmosphere today.

 

[117 M34]

Don't see how the rail seating will.impeovw anything.
It would only be put in certain areas in the ground - the 'singing' sections where people stand up already. So how would having a rail to lean on hp the atmosphere?

 

[willipp]

Safe Standing isn't going to make any difference to our atmosphere. South Stand Level 1 are allowed to stand now.

I think there is a difference though between being forced to stand because otherwise you won't see anything and making a conscious decision to stand in a given area. If safe standing did get introduced for say 3/4K people behind a goal I think it would group like minded people to that area. The SS is currently a mix of pockets of people like 1894, but also right around 1894 its full of day trippers and tourists who add very little to the atmosphere. In order for it to work for me it needs to be a specific group of people who fill that 3/4 k area, not a mixture of everyone. If we got that I think it would make a huge difference.