Trouble in the East Stand??

Re: Ejections in 109

I haven't posted on here before, although I've been an active and interested BM reader for a long time (and a City fan for a lot longer than that !). I sit in the East Stand, therefore the issue with 109 doesn't directly affect me, although I do feel strongly about the situation re: standing & sitting. One of the things that I enjoy about away games is that invariably I am permitted to stand throughout the entire match.

It seems to me that City are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Earlier posters have quite rightly pointed out that standing at football matches is against the law. The Club is therefore correct in enforcing this (although it appears that some of the methods are less than acceptable). Unfortunately the reverse is the case if they turn a blind eye to certain sections and permit standing.

This particular law is however outdated. Football has moved on since the days of Hillsborough & Heysel and the Bundesliga has proved that safe standing areas are perfectly acceptable (and indeed desirable) to many supporters. The fact that the great majority of away fans of PL Clubs seem to prefer to stand would appear to underline the obvious fact that standing is preferable to sitting for many fans nowadays. The other fact that so many are allowed to do so simply emphasises that this particular law has become an ass. I would cite our national stadium as a prime example of this, as we Blues have been allowed to stand unchallenged throughout all 3 games at Wembley this year. Not once did any of the stewards near me try to make any of us sit down.

The only answer therefore in my opinion is for a groundswell of lobbying by Supporters Clubs and the Clubs themselves for the introduction of safe standing areas. We are 'the customers' and I was always taught that the customer is invariably right. Those who wish to stand could opt for that section and the rest can carry on sitting down. It's hardly rocket science and we don't need to go back to the days of cramming as many people as possible on to the terraces. The capacity numbers could be kept pretty much as they are now without adding to the risk of crowd trouble or injury.

Until something like this is done, and presented to the Government via the proper channels, then nothing is likely to change.
 
Re: Re: Ejections in 109

danburge82 said:
mossley_blue said:
Manchestercitychorlton said:
Fletcher is coming to one of citycentreblues' meetings for questions.

when is this meeting?
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk
Next months meeting is on 11th September I think. Maybe people could post on here things they'd like us to bring up..

Can any blue just not turn up?
 
Re: Ejections in 109

I have just sent the following email to Peter Fletcher. We all together need to say we want to be able to stand up all game and not be forced to sit down. I have emailed so has my dad and the gf. Let’s all STAND together on this one!

I will get my coat!

P.s my spelling is very bad/ grammar

Dear Peter Fletcher

I am writing to you today about an issue as a lifelong Man City support (23 years) and customer to the club I feel very strongly about. The topic I wish to raise with you is the issue of standing and atmosphere.

As you’re well aware members of your staff have been ejecting parts of the crowd for standing in block 109. Now while I fully understand under current policy requirements following the Taylor report regarding standing and that as the stadium safety manger that you required make supporters sit down throughout the entire match. I also realise that you are being pushed on both sides one by the loyal supports of the club who come and pay £50 each week to bring atmosphere and vocal support to the team, and on the side other GMP who don’t want standing to spread about all of the lower tier.
But I do think there are solutions to these issues which as one of the richest/ best clubs in the world I think Man City could utilise.

Safe standing which has been shown in Germany to be a design solution which allows both the supporters and the police to get what they want. If say block 109 to 118/19 were made safe standing then as a club you could state that standing would only be permitted in these standing blocks. This would give us “the vocal supporters” a home where we could get behind the team without the fear being dragged out Showspec. It would solve the fears/ concerns of the police. In that standing would only be limited to a certain part of the stadium, thus making their job and your job of controlling the crowd a lot easier. It would also address the issue of fans who wish to sit and watch the match not having their view blocked by people standing, as they could make a choice not to locate to the standing blocks.

I do realise currently that standing is illegal in this country and so is safe standing. That is why what would be great if a club with such power and reputation like City got behind the FSF safe standing campaign; <a class="postlink" href="http://www.fsf.org.uk/campaigns/safestanding.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.fsf.org.uk/campaigns/safestanding.php</a>. The huge boost Man City would give to this campaign couldn’t be understated especially as the club is investing close to billion pounds into the local area and economy. You may be thinking what benefit to the club would this bring well when you think of football don’t just think about the players and the match, you think about the atmosphere. When you look at the world’s great clubs they have the silverware, they have the players, and they also have the great atmosphere. Now our club is slowly getting all three (, FA cup, Tevez, Poznan) but the atmosphere is in danger of being killed off again by not providing enough space to stand.

A story which reflects this point is when I converted by girlfriend from support Liverpool to Man City and brought her to the Man City Vs Reading game last reason in the FA cup. We were seated in the Family Stand because I couldn’t get tickets in the South Stand. Now while she enjoyed the game she said to me that she wished she was down in the South stand. The reason she gave was that the south stand had all the atmosphere, and that half the “match day experience” for her was the buzz of the crowd singing and standing together. Now we couldn’t get tickets there because that is the first part of the ground that sells out, and the reason why is because most of our fans want to stand and sing. By making block 109 all seating you are making it the space for vocal supports smaller, which will decrease atmosphere and cause more issues for your stewards. There is clearly a demand for more standing space as the clear majority of fans in block 109 want stand. So would it not better to make the cut off point clear now and say 108 is the end point and not two weeks before the start of the season once people have bought season cards in block 109 so they can stand and sing. O and by the way I have taken my girlfriend to the South Stand now and she loved it and wants to go every week, which is costing me a bomb.

I have one last suggestion for you to consider which is that the club could use before/ if safe standing is made legal. Safe standing can be done in a way which compiles with the law as shown below. If as shown in the pictures below seating is still provided for one and bars are just added in front to ensure people don’t fall forwards (which is often the case at COMS when celebrating). You could create a sing/ standing section which complies with the law, as it is still technically an all seated stadium. These bars could be added to the South stand making it clear to all fans where standing/ singing is allowed, thus stopping the expansion of standing other blocks in the lower tier, but also giving us vocal supporters a clear and safe home which is easy to control for you. The doing this small and legal change could also provide a number of other benefits.
1.It would be a cheap and quick way of solving the standing issue through clearly defining the “singing” sections

2.If safe standing did become legal the seats could easily be removed creating a true (not semi) safe standing section

3.The club could promote itself as the club who cares and listens to all its fans e.g. family stand, vocal South stand and people who want to sit in the rest of the ground

4.Give Etihad stadium the best atmosphere in the country and set a benchmark model for other clubs to follow, thus building on the idea of the Man City being the best club in the world e.g. best players, most Cups, best atmosphere

You probably get emails like this all the time from Bluemoon moaners about different things, but the point I would like to finish on is that Man City has never been a club about the players wages or the number of Cups we have won. But it has been about the fans, the supporters, the people that come each week and get behind our great team even all we did was lose. I what I implore you to do is to listen to the fans, and what they want is to stand up and get behind the team. So don’t push us to one side get behind us and support safe standing, make 108 the cut off point and enable us to be the best fans in the world.

Thank you for your time
 
Re: Ejections in 109

Completely agree. Something needs to change in our game.
The life of a football supporter doesn't come cheap nowadays and it seems to me that this has been completely disregarded by those who think they know best. Good luck with your e-mail - I wonder if you will get a reply ?
 
Re: Ejections in 109

Can I once again raise the point that Swansea fans stood unchallenged throughout the match on Monday?
 
Re: Ejections in 109

whosonthebench said:
steve peel said:
Dont stand at spuds as i was bounced last season

I was stood up on the back row at WHL last season as kept getting told to sit down.

I'll stand at Tottenham if the people in front of me are stood.
 
Re: Ejections in 109

Everytime my eye skips pass this thread title I read it as "Ejaculations in 109"...
 
Re: Ejections in 109

GStar said:
5 pages of, on the hole, complete arseholery.

Fletcher isn't being a prick, the stewards are doing their jobs and it's all come from the Footballing authorities; the ones that allow sections of each ground to stand week in week out, without publicising it, without glamourising it but allowing fans to consistently break the rules in the name, i'd hope, of common sense.

What's happening at City now, is that fans are deciding to make larger standing areas... City have been told to reign it back in, tonight you saw that. I'd be thankful we're allowed to stand at every PL game in the country with relative ease before you all start throwing misinformed shit at people.

So what happened to the stewards doing there job with the swansea fan?
its double standards and sooner or later its going to go off big time.you will never stop fans standing at matches you might deter it you might even reduce it for a few games but you wont stop it, what happens when the unmentionable come all them stood up all us sat down,its wont happen, its time to get real and the club approach this with a sensible head and maybe even talk to the fans about it,so if anybody has influence put a word,before it goes off big time with the stewards.
 

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