Safe Standing and Atmosphere

[Edgar Allan Poo]

I would have thought our Vegetarians would be a bit more considerate.
It's the Balti pie eaters that will be the problem trust me.

I am a vegetarian. I like to take the piss out of myself sometimes to keep my self humble.

 

[S64 Blade]

Saying to loyal fans "not up to standing all match week in, week out? Where shall we relocate you?" after just seeing their team lose 4 on the bounce isn't ideal timing.

"Nowhere pal, I'll take a refund as I've been mis-sold, my custom is gone forever" is a fairly reasonable answer, especially given our form since COH arrived.

I doubt it was an intentional decision to time the installation with losing 4 games. It’d be a bizarre conspiracy theory of the highest order.

Are you really that detached from the reality of people going in the same seats, sitting with the same people for years and years and think just telling them to go sit elsewhere is ok?

They’re not being told to sit elsewhere. They can stay where they are if they want.

 

[Dkc]

I can also see problems with the people who are seated directly in front of were safe standing ends, with food and drink flying about if we score when someone is tucking into a balti pie.

Does that happen already to people sat directly in front of the unofficial standing area? Does standing mean that you are more likely to throw food and drink around when we score? Almost everyone stands up to celebrate when we score as it is.

People stand there anyway. The idea is to make it safer to do so. The club has gone for 3000 standing seats at the top, only a small percentage of the kop seats. There are plenty of other decent seats available for those who don't want to stand.

Should also be noted that leaning on a rail is far less taxing on your body than standing up freely with nothing to support you.

 

[Pedro's Winger]

Its not a "im alright Jack" attitude. I dont sit/stand in that area.

It is a positive change as the atmosphere has been in decline for years (probably because of the grumpy sods eating balti pies, sitting down at the back of the kop). It also solves the issue with SAG and standing in that area which led to it being closed for a while.

Ok not 28k currently, but they have a choice of 3 upgrades. And as I said, I hope the club see this as an inconvenience for some people and allow them to switch for free, or offering other incentives like a hospitality day etc.

Someone mentioned Liverpool earlier.
Standing has made no difference to the declining atmosphere at Anfield.

 

[Pedro's Winger]

It happens for one reason or another. Blocks get closed. Stands are made family-only. Upgrades to eg press facilities. Over the years BL has seen numerous changes, and not everyone has welcomed them.

For most of its existance the kop has been a fully standing terrace until it was converted to an all-seater following the Taylor report. Despite this, fans have always stood up at the top, and the club has been threatened with the full or partial closure of the kop due to this.

Now safe standing has become accepted, the club was faced with a choice. Allow standing in the areas where many already stand, or continue to prohibit it and face sanctions. It chose to convert 3000 seats to safe standing, a decision that most are happy with.

I get that some are unhappy, as they were when H Block was closed, when the John St was designated the 'family stand' and when some South Stand seats were removed to accomodate new press facilities. There's no way to please everyone when developing the stadium.

If a bunch of people who know each other don't want to stand they can all request a move. If some prefer to stand than be with mates who move, so be it. By and large everyone on the Kop is friendly and will talk with their neighbours.

No problem with a standing area but 3,000 is way over the top.
We currently typically have around 8,000 to 8,500 on the kop and there's no way 3,000 of them are usually standing.

 

[Dkc]

No problem with a standing area but 3,000 is way over the top.
We currently typically have around 8,000 to 8,500 on the kop and there's no way 3,000 of them are usually standing.

Many prefer to obey the rules. They'd stand if it were allowed.

I like to stand on the kop but it's not easy, you can't get tickets for seats in the unofficial standing area so you must stand right at the top of the walkway or push your way into a crowded aisle.

 

[Sean Thornton]

The club could offer 'upgrades' to the SS or JSS at no extra charge for those who are not happy. Would be a nice gesture and may bring in extra cash if they renew next aesaon.

Very little available other than single seats in SS or JS.

You’d have thought there would be people wanting to move from other areas of the Kop into the new standing area. Without thinking about the obvious logistics involved maybe some sort of seat swap initiative could have been looked at. I mean, Snek doesn’t have much to do it appears…….

 

[Sean Thornton]

I would have thought our Vegetarians would be a bit more considerate.
It's the Balti pie eaters that will be the problem trust me.

With no thought to Vegans. This is how Nazi Germany started.