Queues outside M1 turnstiles and over the top security

[blue44]

It's the inconsistency and randomness of it all. I could go to 18 home games and be wanded, and then on the 19th home game and be told to unzip my coat and my fleece by one over zealous steward, not to mention asking me to take off my beanie hat. What am I going to hide under a beanie hat?

Apart from being insane and brainwashed, obviously they don't think they are, there isn't anything that can perfectly describe what a suicide bomber looks like.

But I'm white. 56 years old. I'm a FOC. I've had a season ticket for as long as I can remember. I've got a Mancunian accent. I've got my phone ready to scan at the turnstile. I've got no criminal record. I've been using the same entrance for years since moving to SSL1, block 115, etc. I'm sure the stewards must recognize me by now, unless they are rotated every home match, which I doubt. What exactly am I going to conceal under my coat that would warrant a steward to ask me to open it? Drink? Food? The funny thing is, I've never been asked to empty my coat pockets once, where I could have drugs, a knife, or something else, like a metal camera(see below), that has never been picked up by a wand.

Just to add. When I get wanded I do it 2nd nature by now. Arms out, face forward, turn around, go. I don't ever kick up a fuss.

and dont forget,kids !

my lad has been going since he was 3 and is now 16 just,he is small.and for years when we go in at N1, they have not searched him,even on saturday they asked him " how old are you, 16 ? ".he' s honest and said 16 so they wanded him.

I reckon i could of smuggled anything in ( via my son ) within reason going back to when all the searches started a few years ago.

 

[jrb]

I wish people would stop comparing airport security to match day security. It's totally different. At the airport you have to take off your coat , jacket, belt, etc, and put your items in trays, otherwise you don't get through security, risk arrest, and risk missing your £2000 family holiday. At a match you don't have to take you coat off. You get wanded and go into the ground. If you refuse to take you coat off, and you are told unless you do you won't get into the ground, you can walk away on principle, albeit you will miss the match.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

I don't mind all the extra security at all if it means I am safe and will go home after a game but what does annoy me is that a few years ago ( 4 to be honest ) Mrs. Biggie treated me for my 60th birthday and got tickets for the Tunnel Club ( Southampton ).
We turned up and were just waved through after showing our tickets, no security checks at all.
Maybe if you have money you are not a threat.

Was just thinking about the security at tunnel club etc the other night
I imagined it would be nothing like the accounts detailed on here by some Blues at other parts of the ground. That can't be right..

I was talking to another teams supporter a couple of weeks back and his story revolted me. He said his missus was basically sexually assaulted,by a male steward,using pat down .. on the way into a premiership ground. He went ballistic ...but when drawing attention to the issue was immediately blamed by the club for unfairly singling out a steward who ,by his own words could not speak a word of English...thereby placing him in an extremely difficult position after a problem not of his own making ....

Bully boy stewards issues have already made their way onto these boards by man handling City fanzine sellers recently...this issue seems to be one that is growing... it won't go away .

And it's a real problem.

 

[One Fan Clapping]

It's the inconsistency and randomness of it all. I could go to 18 home games and be wanded, and then on the 19th home game be told to unzip my coat and my fleece by one over zealous steward, not to mention asking me to take off my beanie hat. What am I going to hide under a beanie hat?

Apart from being insane and brainwashed, obviously they don't think they are, there isn't anything that can perfectly describe what a suicide bomber looks like.

But I'm white. 56 years old. I'm a FOC. I've had a season ticket for as long as I can remember. I've got a Mancunian accent. I've got my phone ready to scan at the turnstile. I've got no criminal record. I've been using the same entrance for years since moving to SSL1, block 115, etc. I'm sure the stewards must recognize me by now, unless they are rotated every home match, which I doubt. What exactly am I going to conceal under my coat that would warrant a steward to ask me to open it? Drink? Food? The funny thing is, I've never been asked to empty my coat pockets once where I could have drugs, a knife, or something else, like a metal camera, that has never been picked up by a wand.

Just to add. When I get wanded I do it 2nd nature. Arms out, face forward, turn around, go. I don't ever kick up a fuss.

You’re younger than me and I’m still a mere youngster!!

Perhaps they are told to only ask a percentage to speed up the queues? Sometimes it’s the perception that a terrorist could be intercepted that may put them off? It’s not perfect but the world isn’t.

The thing with the queues is that when I get through security there’s still a queue for the turnstile so we’re not really being delayed.

One thing I don’t like, and I don’t mean you, is the demeaning ‘minimum wage’ comments. Whether they are working this because it’s all they can get or because they are earning some beer money to go to a student bar at night nobody deserves to be degraded like that.

And as for the ‘hope one gets filled in comment’ words fail me.

 

[invisibleandalone]

At Wembley a few years back. I was getting patted down and thought, oh shit. I had 2 pockets full of miniature whisky bottles rattling as she searched me. Couldn't believe my luck as she said your ok.

 

[MillsyTheMosher]

Is it me or are the queues at the M1 turnstiles (for South Stand top tier) getting worse?

It’s always been bad here as the huge number of fans on the top tier have to be funnelled through a handful of turnstiles but it seems to have got even worse recently. Partly I think this is down to over officious stewarding - the showsec goons now seem to want to pat everyone down and I’ve been asked to show if I’ve got anything under my hat, anything hidden under my coat etc. It’s ridiculous and is becoming like going through airport security. Even when the games already kicked off and there’s still a huge number of fans waiting there seems to be no urgency.

Now of course, you could say why not get at the ground earlier? We’ll apart from the fact that with kids in tow, finishing work etc - that’s not always possible. But equally, there’s very little incentive to get there earlier. The concourse and facilities can’t cope with the number of fans and it can take 30+ minutes to get a brew or a pint even when you get there in good time.

So what’s the answer? I don’t know. But surely more turnstiles, more staff and more pragmatic security would be a good start.

Get there earlier. Really not that difficult.

 

[Stiff Little Wingers]

Get there earlier. Really not that difficult.

That's hard for many people at a night game. again, this is an issue that ghe club needs to sort out

 

[Invisible Man's Bandage]

Get there earlier. Really not that difficult.

So fuck all to do with how the club chooses to organise (I use the word loosely) how huge numbers of supporters are processed through probably the most overloaded entrance in the stadium then?

If we are talking about security then many hundreds are stuck in the maze of barriers in a very confined area which clearly would be the prime target too.

 

[cleavers]

It's the inconsistency and randomness of it all. I could go to 18 home games and be wanded, and then on the 19th home game be told to unzip my coat and my fleece by one over zealous steward, not to mention asking me to take off my beanie hat. What am I going to hide under a beanie hat?

You shouldn't be wearing a beanie hat in May (hopefully).

 

[cleavers]

Get there earlier. Really not that difficult.

Where do you live, Ancoats ?

If so no excuses I agree, but I live 170 miles away, so road/train delays can have a serious effect on arrival time, and are completely out of my control.

On Saturday I was nearer than I normal am (Lincoln), but even so I had a terrible journey (nearly 3 hours), and ended up in the late queue, so missed kick off.

 

[Sheik Battle and Goal]

Get there earlier. Really not that difficult.

He did try and get there earlier. He can’t park near the ground anymore so he either went in the tram or the bus options.

 

[jrb]

You shouldn't be wearing a beanie hat in May (hopefully).

Good spot.

Who is going to wear a coat, a fleece and a beanie hat on the last home game of the season in May, as you rightly pointed out. But you get me point hopefully?

 

[MillsyTheMosher]

Where do you live, Ancoats ?

If so no excuses I agree, but I live 170 miles away, so road/train delays can have a serious effect on arrival time, and are completely out of my control.

On Saturday I was nearer than I normal am (Lincoln), but even so I had a terrible journey (nearly 3 hours), and ended up in the late queue, so missed kick off.

You are an adult (I assume). If you can’t get somewhere on time don’t blame anyone but yourself. The fact you missed kick off on Saturday is nobody’s fault but your own. If you are travelling a long distance set off earlier.

Yes there are queues at M1. So fucking what. I’d rather security be OTT and it be safe. Get there earlier as it’s been like that since the new tier in the SS opened.

Trouble these days is people always want to blame someone or something else for their own inabilities and failings.

 

[Matty M24blue]

You are an adult (I assume). If you can’t get somewhere on time don’t blame anyone but yourself. The fact you missed kick off on Saturday is nobody’s fault but your own. If you are travelling a long distance set off earlier.

Yes there are queues at M1. So fucking what. I’d rather security be OTT and it be safe. Get there earlier as it’s been like that since the new tier in the SS opened.

Trouble these days is people always want to blame someone or something else for their own inabilities and failings.

Okay and what about midweek games do you think people’s bosses are all understanding and willing to let employees leave early? have you tried to travel around Manchester at rush hour?

I can accept your point regarding weekend games but what do you propose for midweek games? the issue still exists. As others and myself have pointed out these checks do not offer anymore security but purely a facade, to be seen to be doing something rather than it actually finding objects or not even properly doing it!

It’s always M1 with the largest queues so is every single person late ? Or can we attribute some blame to an inefficient process?

 

[mancityvstoke]

You are an adult (I assume). If you can’t get somewhere on time don’t blame anyone but yourself. The fact you missed kick off on Saturday is nobody’s fault but your own. If you are travelling a long distance set off earlier.

Yes there are queues at M1. So fucking what. I’d rather security be OTT and it be safe. Get there earlier as it’s been like that since the new tier in the SS opened.

Trouble these days is people always want to blame someone or something else for their own inabilities and failings.

What a guy .............

 

[cleavers]

You are an adult (I assume). If you can’t get somewhere on time don’t blame anyone but yourself. The fact you missed kick off on Saturday is nobody’s fault but your own. If you are travelling a long distance set off earlier.

With respect fuck off !

I didn't complain about the queue either, as I expected it at that time, I normally get inside about 45 minutes before kick off, despite how far I travel.

For the record I set off in plenty of time, but a serious accident prevented me getting there.

 

[Eccles Blue]

With respect fuck off !

I didn't complain about the queue either, as I expected it at that time, I normally get inside about 45 minutes before kick off, despite how far I travel.

For the record I set off in plenty of time, but a serious accident prevented me getting there.

Well said Cleavers. There can be many mitigating factors for not getting to the ground on time.
I left home 2 hours early to get to the Burnley game as I wanted to be there to see VK and welcome him (quietly) home. 1 hour 45 minutes later I was just over 1mile and a half from my home and when I could manage to I turned and went home just in time to catch it on TV.
Incidents happen, life happens we can't always have what we want, we can't always get to places on time.

The queues will be what they are, as I said life happens. We have to live with it as best we can. :-) :-)






*whispers* but I did see John Boy on Saturday against Everton!!! ;-)

 

[Yankunian]

I find it is so inconsistent every game against Burnley when it was non stop raining at entrance C the steward for the 1st time ever wanted me to empty my pockets but on Saturday at same entrance just give me a quick scan with his wand, kids have to be asked age as they cannot check under 16's which is if you wanted to smuggle something in , then this is how you would, been to the US to watch New York City at Yankee Stadium, ice hockey at Madison Square Garden and Capital One Arena in Washington DC and more recently a NFL game in Vegas and for every one of them it was airport style with emptying pockets into a tray and walking through metal detectors and find this doesn't take as long as it does sometimes to get into Etihad

 

[jrb]

Perhaps I’m wrong, but surely people would only need to empty their pockets, bags, and open their coats, take their hats off, etc, if the wands actually beeped and picked something up. (which the wand has never done when I’ve been scanned) If the wand did beep and the steward asked me to empty my pockets, to take my coat off, to take my hat off, I would. Whereas, if I’ve been wanded and the wand hasn’t beeped, why would the steward ask me to open my coat or to take my hat off? All that is doing is holding up the queue behind me, wasting other peoples time, wasting my time, and wasting the stewards time for no reason at all, bar, I would assume, the steward deciding I was the person who will have to open their coat.

I honestly don’t recall ever being told to open my coat going into a concert, a night club, a bar, a restaurant, or at any other leisure venue. But for some strange reason City are making it a policy for the stewards they pay via a security company to ask City fans to open their coats and to take their hats off as a security check.

 

[jrb]

I find it is so inconsistent every game against Burnley when it was non stop raining at entrance C the steward for the 1st time ever wanted me to empty my pockets but on Saturday at same entrance just give me a quick scan with his wand, kids have to be asked age as they cannot check under 16's which is if you wanted to smuggle something in , then this is how you would, been to the US to watch New York City at Yankee Stadium, ice hockey at Madison Square Garden and Capital One Arena in Washington DC and more recently a NFL game in Vegas and for every one of them it was airport style with emptying pockets into a tray and walking through metal detectors and find this doesn't take as long as it does sometimes to get into Etihad

Exactly. It’s a random policy, that doesn’t work, wastes time, holds the queues up, and doesn’t make sense. Either check everyone, as you’ve explained, or stop this lottery of picking certain people out to be checked for no apparent reason.