A Steward's viewpoint

[From Despair To Where?]

Your example of the COMS sort of destroys the argument that standing produces a better atmosphere. With cheap ticket prices and 10,000 spare seats, do Man City really want to start banning home fans? I suspect if we had a quarter of the seats empty a blind eye might be turned more frequently as this issue seems to have reared it's head more often this season.

Yesterday, from what I could see, home and away fans were kept apart with the use of safety fences until off site, a minor inconvenience but no big issue. It's a bit more difficult with our ground on top of a hill and only two points of access. It's not that many years ago that people moaned about away fans being kept in at the end of games to allow home fans to disperse. With regard to that issue, I would argue that RFC's current policy is the best compromise in the circumstances.

[Millsy]

I used to be a steward.

I wasn't arsey. I asked people to sit down but half heartedly, being a Reading Fan myself. But I *had* to do my job. It's unfair calling a steward names who's only doing his job. I eventually quit though as it was increasingly difficult to be able to defend my stance on getting home fans to sit when away fans were allowed to stand.

And that's the way I see it now.

I'm sorry YJ et al... there is NO EXCUSE for away fans standing. That they may not be coming back is total bollox and a very weak excuse. They can and should be kicked out. You just can't defend being anal with home fans whilst in front of you a thousand away fans are standing and chanting out loudly. It's pathetic.

As an ex steward I can tell you the reason we don't do enough to control the away fans is because it's difficult. That's all. And we control home fans because it's easier.

There's no justice. Until the club can have a strict policy and are ABLE TO ENFORCE IT FAIRLY it should not go to the extremes of kicking someone out the ground simply for standing.

[PieEater]

FAO STAR and Stewards at RFC - I'm presuming that the City of Manchester Stadium is due to be shut down soon by the FA due to the persistent standing by HOME fans - the ones to my left, behind the goal, stood ALL game and on NO occasion did a steward ask any of them to sit down. Add to this the fact that we were fenced in outside the ground when trying to leave and I'd be very interested to hear who is in the right here, Man City for allowing their fans to stand PERSISTENTLY and keeping AWAY fans behind for a short time at the end of the game, or RFC who make HOME fans sit down all game and make HOME fans circumnavigate the stadium in order to get home. Seems to me, RFC make up some of these "safety rules" themselves.

I agree RL, there were a couple of people near me that were chucked out for pointing out the persistant standing of home fans. It's probably because the army of stewards were on our side of the netting so were unable to get in home section.

I didn't have a problem getting out, I just walked out of the gate behind the Horseman coaches, I did notice you and Schards walking up the hill to the Velodrome as I was leaving the car park though

[Royal Lady]

FAO STAR and Stewards at RFC - I'm presuming that the City of Manchester Stadium is due to be shut down soon by the FA due to the persistent standing by HOME fans - the ones to my left, behind the goal, stood ALL game and on NO occasion did a steward ask any of them to sit down. Add to this the fact that we were fenced in outside the ground when trying to leave and I'd be very interested to hear who is in the right here, Man City for allowing their fans to stand PERSISTENTLY and keeping AWAY fans behind for a short time at the end of the game, or RFC who make HOME fans sit down all game and make HOME fans circumnavigate the stadium in order to get home. Seems to me, RFC make up some of these "safety rules" themselves.

I agree RL, there were a couple of people near me that were chucked out for pointing out the persistant standing of home fans. It's probably because the army of stewards were on our side of the netting so were unable to get in home section.

I didn't have a problem getting out, I just walked out of the gate behind the Horseman coaches, I did notice you and Schards walking up the hill to the Velodrome as I was leaving the car park though

They must have put the fencing up when they saw us coming then. We stayed in Manc last night - so was no problem being delayed as it turned out.