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.

 

[XH536]

At Anfield the Kop stands the whole game, no rail seating no ones dares say a word about it or even suggests what they are doing is unsafe

'The chosen ones'
Nobdies gonna say owt wrong a'bart Liverpool F.C. and their supporters, that's been demonstrated, by the civic and football authorities, on a previous occasion.
If, God forbid, owt went wrong on the Anfield Kop, all standing in a seated area, with simular results as at Hillsborough.
Who would take the responsibility?
Probably easier to say who wouldn't.

 

[Inter_blade83]

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

Tourists have

 

[Rodley]

What if you were unable to stand for any length of time? What if you bought the seat in good faith, thinking it was reasonable to be able to sit on it. People don't want to be relocated, they are sat with friends, acquaintances, familiar faces. Its part of the ritual. Your place on our Kop. Why should they have to give that up?

If you’re at the back of the Kop, you’re up and down like a fiddlers elbow during the game anyway. I’m not sure if there is anyone who sits there who can’t stand up or sit down repeatedly.

 

[Valley Blade]

If you’re at the back of the Kop, you’re up and down like a fiddlers elbow during the game anyway. I’m not sure if there is anyone who sits there who can’t stand up or sit down repeatedly.

You are right with your first point. On the second point- i suspect nobody knows the answer. Thats why the club should have consulted all 3,000 and found out the answer.

 

[jt64]

We've got maybe a thousand fans who want to stand all game and that's absolutely fine and should be accommodated.
Don't think it's likely we've got a third of the kop who want it.

Have you ever been to an away game?

 

[jt64]

Anywhere is an upgrade on the kop. Maybe offer any seat they want, plus one game in hospitality as compensation

As things are right now the seats by the panda near Panenka are an upgrade on the Kop

 

[KMC-1889]

What if you were unable to stand for any length of time? What if you bought the seat in good faith, thinking it was reasonable to be able to sit on it. People don't want to be relocated, they are sat with friends, acquaintances, familiar faces. Its part of the ritual. Your place on our Kop. Why should they have to give that up?

Who are these people that can’t stand for 90 minutes but are capable of slogging up the stairs for every match?

Honestly we’ve turned into a such a fanbase of complete fannies. There’ll be loads of seats halfway down the Kop free cause anyone under the age of 65 and over 6ft will want to move to standing.

Got my email today and already put my request in for mine and my dad’s tickets. Really annoying excuse the standing area starts the row behind me.

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

Have you ever been to an away game?

You don't get much choice regardless of if you want to sit or stand at an away game. I'm sure some would rather sit for parts of the game if the person in front wasn't stood up throughout.

 

[Jon Bon II]

Fair play to the Blades hierarchy. They've actually found something else for Blades fans to argue and feyt amongst themselves about. Which, on top of Wilder and Selles, is no mean achievement.

 

[Proper Blade]

Yes, fans who want to sit and are now located in the safe standing area should be offered the chance to move.

Yes, fans who have a seat in the back 10 rows of the Kop should expect to stand for long periods of the match.

 

[Spot the Vas]

Is it automatically mandatory for people to stand in that area just because rails have been put in? Say you are in the first row where the rails are, what is stopping you from sitting down as you would normally? (Although I wouldn't put it past them to install the rails directly at eyeball level when you are sat down.)

 

[Stand United]

Just on the club emails, I know KMC-1889 mentioned he’s heard from the club on this – the club is aware that only a fraction that should have got them have received them, some IT issues that are being resolved. Anyone with a season ticket in the Kop should receive an email on this hopefully by end of today.

 

[KMC-1889]

This is what I received the other day, response has already gone in.

 

[Skabone]

 

[Skabone]

Looks like the option of sitting down at half time on has gone for me cant get my knees in and now gonna bang the back of my my bonce on the rail behind

 

[Spot the Vas]

Seems to be a bit of a trip hazard. What else can we moan about? They haven't painted them red?

 

[Harry's Game]

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It’s always amusing how quickly the Kop was converted to seating that the leg room varies wildly depending on what row you sit on,

.. I am sadly old enough to remember our then owner Reg Brearley telling us it was a temporary solution and the aim was to knock it down and build a proper Kop stand within the following 5 years. That was in 1991

 

[Bladeloyal]

Next job lick of paint needed to the roof steels

 

[Harry's Game]

I don’t think we will ever have the funds to build a proper kop stand but I would not be against this old McCabe idea

 

[reedy63]

If you go to the SUFC.CO.UK ticketing website, the tickets for the Southampton Home game are on sale. If you look at the Kop, you can see available tickets.
Where the safe standing area is. Obviously, season ticket holders have their seats. The available seats are -safe standing marked in red. Quite a lot are available. Go have a look, pick your seat phone or print out. Phone 0114 253 7200 option one for the ticket office. Or go down to the ticket office. UTB.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Just thought I’d pop in to see if anyone had moaned yet about the very reasonable comms around this?
If you’re a ST holder and want to stand you can move to the new area.
Everyone should be happy right?

 

[Edgar Allan Poo]

Just thought I’d pop in to see if anyone had moaned yet about the very reasonable comms around this?
If you’re a ST holder and want to stand you can move to the new area.
Everyone should be happy right?

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