Southampton Stewards

[City Fan]

How is standing at the back of a stand an annoyance to anyone else? Fair enough if you're standing halfway down, that's just common sense.

Standing at the back isn't too bad, although I have seen people standing halfway down.

[Frenzied]

We were at the back, on the right hand side of the away section. There was a load of netting and empty seats separating us from the Southampton fans in the same stand who were a good 30 or 40 seats away to our right. For some unknown reason a bloke and what looked like his disabled son had decided to sit on the back row (effectively as we weren't allowed on the back row itself, as at Watford) and promptly sat down all game, complaining about people being stood in front. If they were their seats then fair enough. Either way, we made an effort not to stand in their line of sight.

Steward 003 (the woman) and Steward 100/110 (not sure which, Lisa will be able to confirm - this one was a prize cunt who delighted in striding around as if he had an important job - get a fucking proper job you fucking appalling excuse for a human being) were asking us to sit down from the kickoff. I wasn't even allowed to sit on the top of my seat with it folded up. We pointed out the Southampton fans stood up to either side of us and were told firstly that it wasn't their section so it was nothing to do with them and secondly that stewards were going up and down the rows asking people to sit down (yeah, bollocks - they did no such thing and certainly never chucked any of them out). Obviously Jamie got chucked out after five or ten minutes of the game. We were trying to continue arguing with them about it but I wasn't going to travel all that way to get chucked out after five minutes.

At half-time I went down to the front and asked to speak to one of the head stewards about it. He repeated this idea that they were asking the Southampton fans to sit down as well which I said was rubbish. I can appreciate they are trying to get people to sit down due to rules and regulations but the key point is this - if you can let around 500 Southampton fans stand then I think it's pretty bad customer service to start ejecting away fans when there are only about 20 of them standing. To travel all that way on a Tuesday night and be more concerned about being thrown out if you stand when your team goes on the attack is appalling. In any other business, you will find the cliché "the customer is always right" - which personally I don't agree with but at least sets up the attitude that the customer should be respected. You couldn't find a bigger difference between that attitude and the one those stewards displayed last night. When I went down to speak to the stewards at the front, one girl stewarding at the bottom of the stand admitted it was "ridiculous" to be thrown out merely for standing.

I could understand if we'd been getting in someone's way or swearing at the stewards or threatening them or goading the Southampton fans in any way. All we wanted to do was stand at the back of an away section and sing about Barry Hayles in a light-hearted way while watching our team slide further towards seemingly inevitable relegation.

Hopefully we won't have to put up with any of these bellend stewards at plastic grounds in League One next season (apart from our own obviously).

Think we were sat right next to you. I had a suit on (went straight from work).

The stewards were utter pillocks. I kept asking them why the Soton fans could stand and not us and the bloke steward kept pointing out to me that they were, and that eventually they would all be sitting down. I bet him a tenner they wouldn't and then he started jabbering on about that he only makes bets of over a grand. I switched off then.

It really was disgraceful behavior from the stewards. It seemed to me that the only reason they were making us sit down was to dampen the atmosphere we were creating when we were standing.

[lcfc_jme]

Standing at the back isn't too bad, although I have seen people standing halfway down.

Create a standing area in the ground where all of these "chavs" who stand up and display passion can go to stand so that they don't inconvenience people like yourself? From what I've read of you in this thread, you're an utter pillock.

Anyways, yeah the Southampton stewards were by far the worst I've encountered in the Championship, I'd say they're worse than the stewards down at Plymouth, and they're meant to be the least tolerant in this league.

Obviously I expect no sympathy for being thrown out because I should have known better and was asked 3 - 4 times to sit down, and left my row voluntarily to be lectured by them, but I'm a stubborn **** and didn't know how they could justify allowing upwards of 700 of their fans to break the ground regulations either side of us, yet expect us to "comply" (note: for "comply", read "forced to accept"). They're the complete opposite of pretty much every set of stewards in the Championship in that they seem to come down a lot stricter and more heavy-handed on the away fans than the home fans. Bizarre.

However, what I don't understand is that we took such a small following that there was plenty of space for me to stand in without blocking the views of other fans - which is why I positioned myself where I did. From the outside, I could see Southampton supporters standing in large quantities to our right with no stewards whatsoever near them, and the back row of the away section (all of about 8 fans) standing with 3 stewards in orange jackets supporting them. I found out at the end of the game that they didn't get too much bother from the stewards throughout the second half, and that standing was widely accepted for essentially the last 20 minutes of the game. How is that fair? I'd say it wasn't. But then, by throwing me out, maybe they'd met their target for the day and they could go home feeling good about themselves, as it was a step closer to their season's target?

Being thrown out is obviously a stupid thing to endure, but I'm not going to turn into a hypocrite and sit down on request when I believe so strongly we should be given the choice of sitting or standing, and I voice my displeasure / shock at away supports who sit down en masse, on a regular basis. I suggest that nothing will ever change whilst people remain apathetic and accept everything they're told, so for me to sit down and not stick to my guns when challenged would be hypocrisy of the highest order and strip everything I say of any credibility it may have. Evidently one person getting thrown out isn't going to change anything, and I wouldn't expect it to. But sitting down all the time on request through fear of ejection is just going to lead the stewards to continue to take the piss week-in, week-out. If everyone stood together, everyone refused to sit no matter what was said to them, the stewards would give up. For me, it's no secret why supporters of clubs like Leeds and Yanited get no grief from stewards everywhere they travel - they stand en masse and refuse quite vociferously to bow down and cave in to pressure.

That said though, fair play to those who did sit down when told at So'ton, they paid their hard-earned and travelled all that way to see a game. I can fully understand and appreciate why they sat down.

[The Reverend]

I dont think City Fan is stating his own personal views, just stating the facts. At football grounds now, you are not allowed to stand. If a steward tells you to sit down and you dont, you cant expect not to be thrown out. You are breaking a rule, it doesnt matter if the Southampton fans are all standing, as much as i'd love to see standing come back, whilst it is against the laws of the ground, you cant do it. Its as simple as that.

[lcfc_jme]

I dont think City Fan is stating his own personal views, just stating the facts. At football grounds now, you are not allowed to stand. If a steward tells you to sit down and you dont, you cant expect not to be thrown out. You are breaking a rule, it doesnt matter if the Southampton fans are all standing, as much as i'd love to see standing come back, whilst it is against the laws of the ground, you cant do it. Its as simple as that.

That's what's being spoonfed to you, and that's what your apathy is leading you to accept. Why do Yanited fans, Leeds fans, West Ham fans etc not sit down? Why did the So'ton fans not sit down at their place? It was because they all stand en masse, because they want to and because they refused to be bullied by big-time Charlie jobsworth stewards. I fully believe that if a large quantity of fans just stood together all the time and refused to sit down when asked, and proceeded to ignore stewards and stick to their guns, the stewards would give up and just not bother. They'd get the message. And they wouldn't be able to throw anyone out without dragging them out forcefully - something which may cause them more trouble than it's worth.

[The Reverend]

That's what's being spoonfed to you, and that's what your apathy is leading you to accept. Why do Yanited fans, Leeds fans, West Ham fans etc not sit down? Why did the So'ton fans not sit down at their place? It was because they all stand en masse, because they want to and because they refused to be bullied by big-time Charlie jobsworth stewards. I fully believe that if a large quantity of fans just stood together all the time and refused to sit down when asked, and proceeded to ignore stewards and stick to their guns, the stewards would give up and just not bother. They'd get the message. And they wouldn't be able to throw anyone out without dragging them out forcefully - something which may cause them more trouble than it's worth.

Yes, unfortunately though our fans dont seem to want to stand - same as they dont want to fcuking sing either. So what can you do?

[City Fan]

I dont think City Fan is stating his own personal views, just stating the facts. At football grounds now, you are not allowed to stand. If a steward tells you to sit down and you dont, you cant expect not to be thrown out. You are breaking a rule, it doesnt matter if the Southampton fans are all standing, as much as i'd love to see standing come back, whilst it is against the laws of the ground, you cant do it. Its as simple as that.

Exactly. I mean I would love for them to introduce standing at football matches, but whilst there isn't at the moment, everyone just has to put up with it. On the odd occasions when I go to watch the Tigers or Hinckley United play, I stand. But when I go to watch City play at an all seater stadium, I sit because I don't particularly want to pay that much money to be chucked out.

[Simi]

Exactly. I mean I would love for them to introduce standing at football matches, but whilst there isn't at the moment, everyone just has to put up with it. On the odd occasions when I go to watch the Tigers or Hinckley United play, I stand. But when I go to watch City play at an all seater stadium, I sit because I don't particularly want to pay that much money to be chucked out.

Yes, but if you're happy to sit down and be told what to do by the stewards. Nothing will EVER change because not enough people are being pro active about it.

The West Brom stewards were ridiculously heavy handed with a couple of Leicester fans yesterday, it took 4 people to escort one lad down the stairs yesterday. They forced him down the stairs so quick and hard that he fell over on the steps. Surely a Health and Safety hazard? Then he was met by around 3 Policemen all willing to use there force to drag him away.

The Police presence was ridiculous as well, anybody that watched the Championship could see the massive numbers there.

[Maybes]

As Jamie says if you all stand together grouped the stewards will leave you alone. One example of this is L1. There used to be a load of busy body stewards forcing people to sit down, now we dont have any bother at all. One problem though, not everyone wants to stand.

[Guest]

Think we were sat right next to you. I had a suit on (went straight from work).

The stewards were utter pillocks. I kept asking them why the Soton fans could stand and not us and the bloke steward kept pointing out to me that they were, and that eventually they would all be sitting down. I bet him a tenner they wouldn't and then he started jabbering on about that he only makes bets of over a grand. I switched off then.

It really was disgraceful behavior from the stewards. It seemed to me that the only reason they were making us sit down was to dampen the atmosphere we were creating when we were standing.

I think I spotted you, as I funnily enough thought "bet that poor chap has had to come straight from work"!

You should have taken that steward up on the bet, to be fair. Especially if it was no. 110. Tosser.

I dont think City Fan is stating his own personal views, just stating the facts. At football grounds now, you are not allowed to stand. If a steward tells you to sit down and you dont, you cant expect not to be thrown out. You are breaking a rule, it doesnt matter if the Southampton fans are all standing, as much as i'd love to see standing come back, whilst it is against the laws of the ground, you cant do it. Its as simple as that.

I'd like to disagree with you, to an extent. The problem on Tuesday night was that we were far too spread out. All of us who were trying to stand should have stood together, safety in numbers and all that. Because we were spread into little splinter groups, it was easy for the stewards to single out individuals, JME being one. Like everything else at this club, piss ups and breweries spring to mind.

Ground regulations are not "the law". It is clear that they are discretionary, shown by the tolerance that some clubs/stewards show, and the fact that Southampton have never been disciplined over their fans standing, and have never been refused a safety certificate by the authorities.

[Frenzied]

I think I spotted you, as I funnily enough thought "bet that poor chap has had to come straight from work"!

You should have taken that steward up on the bet, to be fair. Especially if it was no. 110. Tosser.

I'd like to disagree with you, to an extent. The problem on Tuesday night was that we were far too spread out. All of us who were trying to stand should have stood together, safety in numbers and all that. Because we were spread into little splinter groups, it was easy for the stewards to single out individuals, JME being one. Like everything else at this club, piss ups and breweries spring to mind.

Ground regulations are not "the law". It is clear that they are discretionary, shown by the tolerance that some clubs/stewards show, and the fact that Southampton have never been disciplined over their fans standing, and have never been refused a safety certificate by the authorities.

Not the greatest of games to rush to after work and a horrible journey home - torn my suit running for the train aswell.

All forgotten now after the WBA result though.