Standing up at away games

[Gaz06 0]

At the match yesterday we were constantly being told to sit down at the front, killing the atmosphere. This was mainly because of some old gits behind us who insisted on sitting down for the whole game (despite standing up at half time and before kicking off). Should people be allowed to stand up at away games? And people who dont be seated elsewhere, preferably at the front? As the majority of fans wanted to stand yesterday. Brings back the debate about safe standing areas ....

[Trubshaw 0]

Personally as a father with a 9 year old son I have given up on taking him to away games because as soon as everybody stands up he cant see anything! - there seems to be a mentality that if you dont stand up you aren''t a passionate fan, the last away game i went to was Arsenal last season and i had a guy next to me who was in his late 60''s and was really struggling to stand through 90 minutes because he wasn''t in the best of health, stay at home you may say but he had paid for a seating ticket and had as much right to see the game as everbody else. 

At thome games you have a choice where to go and i wouldnt go in the lower barclay as i know that people will stand up - though at an away game you have no choice - if you bought a ticket to go to the cinema and the chap in front of you stood up, you wouldn''t be impressed though it''s fine at a footy match! (yes i know the cinema is not quite a football match!!)

Though in saying that for people who enjoy standing I think there should be a separate place for them - I know we always go back to Hillsborough, but with no more fences anymore if a crush did start to develop you could simply spill out onto the pitch.

Anyway that''s my 2 penneth!

[nutty nigel 7,536]

What I find strange is that a lot of the people who insist on standing up at away games sit down at home games. Can''t get my head round it. I had my ticket in the Lower Barclay for years because I enjoy standing to watch the game. I find that difficult now as I''m on crutches and I find it impossible to continually be up and down so I''ve moved my seat in with the blanket dodgers at the front of the Jarrold. In both cases that was my choice. At away games that choice is denied me. We had all this on here last season and the result was the Carrow Road pussycats insisted on their right to be away ground lions whatever the cost to others[;)]

 

 

[kingsway 94]

The simple solution to this is to bring in safe standing areas which would give the fans a choice!

 

Personnally I''d rather stand as thats how I spent my early years at Carrow Road on the old terraces and in the snakepit we still do!

 

[crabbycanary 2]

Did you ask them to swap seats with yourselves?

[nutty nigel 7,536]

Top man Kingsway. Choice. My seat until recently was Lower Barclay Block E Row W. Always stood and inconvenienced nobody else. But I don''t expect them to fit in with me now so I moved. The solution is, as you say, safe standing areas but that''s not going to happen. So somehow there has to be a solution in the current set up for away games. That will take an effort from us supporters. At the moment we all expect to be able to do whatever we please with no regard for anyone else..

 

 

[Aggy 755]

Surely if it was that much of a frustration, and/or you couldn''t stand up and/or you didn''t want to stand up at away games, you''d just choose to get there an extra 15 minutes early and sit near the front? At the majority of away games I go to, I would say there are usually three or four rows that sit at the front for the majority of the time (not including chances etc.)

I know that''s not necessarily the right answer, but it is one that will presumably work more often than not.

[nutty nigel 7,536]

You are allocated seats Aggy. You try sitting in someone elses seat...

 

 

 

 

[TIL 1010 4,748]

We were in Row F near the front yesterday and as everybody else in front was standing there was no choice but to stand.However a steward appeared and get everybody to sit as the problem was the disabled area at the back of the lower tier. The ramp for wheelchair users was the same level as the seats and not raised so those standing prevented those wheelchair users from seeing anything. Now i don''t mind sitting if asked and on the other hand if everybody is standing i stand as well so no problem either way but what is it about some people who regard standing as some sort of badge of honour and cop a deaf ''en when a steward asks them to sit when it is obvious they have heard what was asked ?

[lake district canary 4,531]

[quote user="TIL 1010"]We were in Row F near the front yesterday and as everybody else in front was standing there was no choice but to stand.However a steward appeared and get everybody to sit as the problem was the disabled area at the back of the lower tier. The ramp for wheelchair users was the same level as the seats and not raised so those standing prevented those wheelchair users from seeing anything. Now i don''t mind sitting if asked and on the other hand if everybody is standing i stand as well so no problem either way but what is it about some people who regard standing as some sort of badge of honour and cop a deaf ''en when a steward asks them to sit when it is obvious they have heard what was asked ?[/quote]

Us Bumpkins stand at away matches   Stewards are there to be ignored.   

[Highland Canary 76]

I travel with a 11 year old and believe in the 21st century he has a right having bought a ticket to watch a game. I can''t imagine the away stewards being very accommodating if we were to say ''excuse me but can we bring our box in to stand on?'' - those days are long gone. At the Carra you can choose where to sit, not at away games. Good for the stewards at Spurs, Chelsea and Reading who got people sitting down.

[Jacko 0]

I would happily sit or stand at away games. I genuinely have no preference. But rightly or wrongly it just seems to be the done thing that you stand at away games. You pretty much have to factor that in now if you want to attend an away match. If a steward told me to sit down I would have absolutely no objection to this. My only caveat being as long as I can still see the game adequately and it is not obstructed by other fans standing.

[BroadstairsR 2,168]

The Taliban (armed) walked around the stadium in Kabul with sticks to beat anybody who even cheered, let alone stood,  at an Afgan game.

 

Perhaps our stewards should be armed in a similar way?

 

Having said that, there were public stonings of miscreants buried to their waists as the half-time entertainment.

 

Thoughts! Who of our fellow posters on the Pink would we nominate for execution in this way?  City 1st has  biggish head.[:D] and would make a good target, whilst Banana is a masochist and would probably enjoy it. Any adulterers amongst us though?   Lambert''s gone unfortunately.

[Jacko 0]

The bloke who sits 3 rows behind me who is still adamant Grant Holt is ****. How much more convincing do you need lad?!

[standupsitdown 0]

No one should be unable to see the game because they prefer / have to sit, or are of short stature. But fans should have the choice to stand.

There is a simple solution - separate those who want to sit from those who want to stand. Ideally safe standing / terrace areas, but if not simply sell seats at front for sitting and back for standing. (or even better, lower tier stand, upper tier sit). This would manage the uncontrolled standing that happens across the country and prevent the ongoing conflict between fans & stewards.

[TheRock 171]

Same thing happened at White Hart Lane last season. [N]Everyone was constantly told to sit down. No one did hardly.

[Robert Parsons 0]

It is a big problem at away games now. Anyone who is short or infirm faces a real problem because it has got into the collective consciousness that standing is what "real" fans do.

I am 6'' 4" so have no problems seeing but I know many people who are no longer so keen to travel because of this issue.

By all means lets have safe standing areas but until we do thiroblem seems likely to get worse. I''ve already seen a number of incidents where fans turn against one another over the sitting/standing argument. I saw two,people near me almost come to blows yesterday - not good.

RP

[mel0 0]

away matches are dull is youre sitting down. theres zero atmosphere with the away end sat.

people moaning about their 10yr old not being able to see is a weak excuse. stand on the seat.

[mel0 0]

reading was on general sale too, so if youre that bothered just request a ticket at the front? it can be done.

[Waveney Canary 0]

I was at the game and near the front. I personally like standing at away games but because of the design of the mad stadium and where our disabled supporters sit it means we all had to sit for them to see.

Personally I had no issue with this as it is a common courtesy but 2 idiot canaries supporters in yellow wigs decided to ignore this and carry on standing. They got taken away in the end.

The point is that everyone complied with the request to sit as it was for the benefit of OUR fans and not for some job worth reason.

[......and Smith must score. 1,343]

[quote user="Mike hunt"]I was at the game and near the front. I personally like standing at away games but because of the design of the mad stadium and where our disabled supporters sit it means we all had to sit for them to see.

Personally I had no issue with this as it is a common courtesy but 2 idiot canaries supporters in yellow wigs decided to ignore this and carry on standing. They got taken away in the end.

The point is that everyone complied with the request to sit as it was for the benefit of OUR fans and not for some job worth reason.[/quote]Aren''t they one and the same thing ?The stewards ask people to sit down to comply with ground regulations but at the same time it means all our fans get to see the game. Where it goes wrong is in the inconsistency of it all. The away fan stewards at Carrow Rd win gold medals for this by insisting that small away followings do sit down but conveniently looking the other way when the '' big boys '' are in town.

[TIL 1010 4,748]

[quote user="iwansnorwich"]reading was on general sale too, so if youre that bothered just request a ticket at the front? it can be done.[/quote]

Reading tickets were in a ballot.

[Webbo118 0]

[quote user="TIL 1010"]We were in Row F near the front yesterday and as everybody else in front was standing there was no choice but to stand.However a steward appeared and get everybody to sit as the problem was the disabled area at the back of the lower tier. The ramp for wheelchair users was the same level as the seats and not raised so those standing prevented those wheelchair users from seeing anything. Now i don''t mind sitting if asked and on the other hand if everybody is standing i stand as well so no problem either way but what is it about some people who regard standing as some sort of badge of honour and cop a deaf ''en when a steward asks them to sit when it is obvious they have heard what was asked ?[/quote]

 

You''re big, strong and tough if you stand. A real supporter.