STAR Reaction to Saturday's Stewarding Inadequacies

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RoyalBlue
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by RoyalBlue » 27 Oct 2006 17:19

starliaison
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starliaison However I have been told that the behaviour this season has been significantly worse than the previous few seasons and so it may seem different to the fans.


I'm very surprised by that statement from the club. Has anyone on here seen any evidence to support that claim? Indeed have STAR been shown any video evidence to back that up? Perhaps they ought to ask to see some because it is a very serious claim to be made 'in passing'.

As someone who last season was threatened with a ban for 'shouting too much/too loud' - at no point was I accused of swearing, using racist language etc. - I am very much of the opinion that some of the stewarding is completely OTT.


As you sit in the same seat from what you have said before, how can you know if behaviour is better or worse? Do you spend the whole game watching the crowd? That is what the people in the control room do, and they also make an effort to not escalate things. For instance, everyone on here says that they never do anything to away fans. This is not true they often eject (steward speak for throwing out) away fans but they don't march them down the stand surrounded by stewards do they - they wait until they go to the concourse and then they approach them and eject them, so as far as the home fans are concerned nothing had happened.

As has been said on here before a steward threatening you with a banning order for standing may be the same as a mother saying 'wait until your father gets home'. If they have been instructed to warn you of a banning order they have to give you a written warning, otherwise it is their way of dealing with you, which may or may not be effective.



To answer just a few of your points.

If there is crowd trouble/misbehaviour, it is normally pretty visible to others in the stadium. Yes, I do sit in the same seat, which is why I asked others on here whether they had seen any evidence that behaviour had significantly worsened this season.

And no I don't expect you to give up your time to sit through hours of video, but if the situation has deteriorated to the extent the club claim, they should have no trouble showing you instances in just a couple of minutes - one thing I will acknowledge is that their crowd surveillance equipment is very sophisticated so it shouldn't take them long to pull up the 'highlights'.


As for the point about quietly ejecting away supporters when they go into the concourse. Just how many away supporters are ejected in that manner? How many Man U supporters were ejected this season? In case you were too busy watching the game vast numbers of them stood for most of the game. I would therefore expect ejections to be well into double figures but somehow doubt it happened. Quietly ejecting a handful over the course of the game does sod all to show visiting and, just as importantly, home supporters that the club does take the regulations seriously and doesn't turn a blind eye to abuse by away support whilst quite happily coming down hard on its own.


I strongly object to being taken from my seat and warned for shouting too loud/too much, even if you do just regard that as the equivalent of a mother saying 'wait till your father gets home' (surprised if the PC brigade let you get away with that sexist analogy! :wink:). It annoys me even more to then see away support treated with kid gloves for fear of escalation. Either standing is dangerous, in which case fear of escalation should not be an excuse for failing to deal with it, or it is not. If the latter, lay off the home support a bit.

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by Jerry St Clair » 27 Oct 2006 17:20

RoyalBlue I strongly object to being taken from my seat and warned for shouting too loud/too much, even if you do just regard that as the equivalent of a mother saying 'wait till your father gets home' (surprised if the PC brigade let you get away with that sexist analogy! :wink:). It annoys me even more to then see away support treated with kid gloves for fear of escalation. Either standing is dangerous, in which case fear of escalation should not be an excuse for failing to deal with it, or it is not. If the latter, lay off the home support a bit.


Well said, sir.

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by Riseley » 27 Oct 2006 18:08

STAR appear to be in cahoots with the club to ensure the future will bring a stadium full of mannequins. Perhaps if we had people who used to stand under the south-bank clock rather than former Norfolk roaders running STAR we would get an organisation that sided with the fans rather than club. I would put myself forward but I have a hatred for safety officers and pompous RFC staff.

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by M4 Junction 11 » 27 Oct 2006 18:14

I'm sorry to say it sounds like your right on this one. STAR are kinda good at organising the coaches and the 'kick it out' things but perhaps we need a real forum for the fans.

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by STAR Liaison » 28 Oct 2006 11:03

RoyalBlue
And no I don't expect you to give up your time to sit through hours of video, but if the situation has deteriorated to the extent the club claim, they should have no trouble showing you instances in just a couple of minutes - one thing I will acknowledge is that their crowd surveillance equipment is very sophisticated so it shouldn't take them long to pull up the 'highlights'.


As for the point about quietly ejecting away supporters when they go into the concourse. Just how many away supporters are ejected in that manner? How many Man U supporters were ejected this season? In case you were too busy watching the game vast numbers of them stood for most of the game. I would therefore expect ejections to be well into double figures but somehow doubt it happened. Quietly ejecting a handful over the course of the game does sod all to show visiting and, just as importantly, home supporters that the club does take the regulations seriously and doesn't turn a blind eye to abuse by away support whilst quite happily coming down hard on its own.


I strongly object to being taken from my seat and warned for shouting too loud/too much, even if you do just regard that as the equivalent of a mother saying 'wait till your father gets home' (surprised if the PC brigade let you get away with that sexist analogy! :wink:). It annoys me even more to then see away support treated with kid gloves for fear of escalation. Either standing is dangerous, in which case fear of escalation should not be an excuse for failing to deal with it, or it is not. If the latter, lay off the home support a bit.


As I said they have offered to show me the CCTV but how can you say that I can see the deterioration in a couple of minutes - you could then say that they have only shown the couple of minutes of trouble, unless you watch a longer period and from several cameras how can you make a realistic comparison?

You may prefer a visible show of force when away supporters are ejected but that is not the way the safety officer prefers and as I say he is the one who has to face the consequences and much as you may not like it a lot of Reading fans complaining on HNA? is not much of a consequence compared with some of the other people he has to face such as the Saftey Advisory Group and his employers.

As far as the stewards and their way of dealing with people is concerned - I will repeat this again and again - why not come and put your point across to the people who can change it. I have been to a steward training session and have a better understanding of what they are taught and how difficult they find it to put it into practice, but as I have said above a moan on here does nothing to change it.


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by STAR Liaison » 28 Oct 2006 11:08

Riseley Perhaps if we had people who used to stand under the south-bank clock rather than former Norfolk roaders running STAR we would get an organisation that sided with the fans rather than club. I would put myself forward but I have a hatred for safety officers and pompous RFC staff.


Don't think you would get my vote if you put yourself forward - one in Riseley is enough :wink:

Seriously though, if you think STAR is not run as you want it the best way is to put yourself forward, either helping at the Teams meeting or standing for election. STAR is democratic so every member has the right to put themselves forward.

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