What is wrong with our stewards?

[mattbianco1]

See the sky footage of bradford`s second goal. The stewards were just urging the fans to go back into the crowdf, and one little boy needed a female to get hold of him as the clever little boy decided he would gallivant about , ignoring the steward`s instruction to go back. These toerags are breaking the rules and need throwing out. I really do not get this pleading the case for aggressive delinquents from our opponents.

Are there clear signs listed saying that the brown walkway is classed as "encroaching"? Genuine question.

I ask this because grounds are different. Crewe, Blackburn & Stoke for example - you can walk along these walkways to your seats. With this in mind surely the standard rule should be - if you're over the hoardings you're in trouble. These people are getting ragged about and aren't even over the hoardings.

I'm sure the signs on the south stand say "it is a criminal offence to encroach on the playing surface" and is positioned at the actual hoardings at pitch side?! If so the people on the walkway have done nothing wrong surely?

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Agreed. It can differ from place to place.

 

[mattbianco1]

See the sky footage of bradford`s second goal. The stewards were just urging the fans to go back into the crowd

Yeah the stewards in Orange are quite nice and leniant. It's the yellow coated hooligans we're on about

 

[shefflad84]

I understand how it may look sometimes...it's not always pretty when having to eject.

As for yellow jacket stewards being thugs... I do not agree with this. The stewards are very professional, approachable and friendly. Thousands of real fans will agree with that.
At the same time they are also prepared to put themselves in danger for the welfare of other supporters, the players, and match officials.

You say about the stewards rushing from the corners to the fans when then encroach on track side... Let me put this to you...what would you be saying about the stewards if a fan manages to get on the pitch and assaults George Long...like the leeds fan did with the Wendy keeper?

The yellow jackets are switched on, and have prevented something like that happening thus far.

I don't believe any stewards wants to go to work for a scrap. If anything they prefer quiet games so they have a chance of seeing a bit of their team play football.

 

[Linz]

I understand how it may look sometimes...it's not always pretty when having to eject.

I don't think anyone is debating the fact that sometimes it is right and proper to eject people from the stadium. But some are pointing out that occasionally, it appears that the chance to eject someone (which should be the last resort) is pounced upon all too readily.

Why are there gaps in the hoardings in front of the away end? Why aren't they gated as on John Street?

As for your comment about "thousands of proper fans agree", can I also point out that a quick Google of "Sheffield United stewards" shows our stewards (and Police) have somewhat of a reputation, to the extent that some fans have said they'll never come here again. "Act as though they're still on the picket lines at Orgreave" was one comment I read.

No one refutes the need for stewards. And no one is denying that a minority of football fans can be arseholes. But criticism needs to be listened to. If you manage to put all the away fans off from coming, we're not exactly going to need to employ as many stewards are we?

 

[sitwell]

'Why are there gaps in the hoardings in front of the away end? Why aren't they gated as on John Street?'
That is a very good question ,problem could be solved very easily.

 

[vorpal blade]

I do tend to mix up bouncers and stewards and I don't think they are all thuggish.

I DO think that away supporters are generally treated worse than home fans and that is no surprise given that stewards are often supporters of the home team. This is a problem. I don't think that the private police force idea works, I liken it to the pigs-ear that businesses like G4S (motto; 'securing your world' for God's sake) make of things when they start doing the police's job.

I do think that we the fans ought to behave better and less antagonistically to supporters of different teams. Sadly football grounds seem to have a tolerant atmosphere as regards expressly violent and racist behaviour & language compared with the outside world. I think segregation makes otherwise timid supporters feel brave enough to shower abusive language at opposing supporters safe in the knowledge they shan't have to confront them face to face.

I genuinely think that until we can all sit together and enjoy the cut and thrust of a football match seated in and amongst supporters of the other team we shall be to blame indirectly for the boorish behaviour of the police be they legitimate or private.

Should segregation be phased out with the ultimate intention of forcing us to behave ourselves?

Its a radical idea, albeit not unheard of but self-policing may force a lot of people to grow up quickly......

 

[shefflad84]

About the gates like on John Street - that is a very good point to be fair. I'm not actually sure why it is like that. I would like to think it has been thought of, and there's some reason nothing has been done about it.
I will bring this to the attention of the relevant people.

 

[Linz]

About the gates like on John Street - that is a very good point to be fair. I'm not actually sure why it is like that. I would like to think it has been thought of, and there's some reason nothing has been done about it.
I will bring this to the attention of the relevant people.

I was going to mention it in the SLO meeting with the club too. I'm all for giving away fans as much chance as possible to be good. Then if they overstep the line (both literally and figuratively), they're pretty much asking for it.

 

[mattbianco1]

Here are a couple of websites Linz is talking about:

http://forum.charltonlife.com/discussion/15461/worst-stewards

http://www.pne-online.net/forum/showthread.php?80637-Bad-stewarding-at-Sheffield-United

The Charlton one is worse.

If you click the video of PNE celebrating you may notice a man with a child in his arms walking freely around the walkway. Why is that? If his lad was still in his seat when they scored i'm afraid he'd have lost his dad for a good few hours.

If there are no gates and signs at the bottom of the gangways then they should put them in so people know where they stand on the ground's rules

 

[mattbianco1]

Another thought:

Why don't they stand across the stand all the match like they do for the last couple of minutes? I think fans would think twice about getting onto the walkway with 50 odd stewards there.

But signs are definately required. Thinking back recently, I can only remember Port Vale & Millwall fans being total arseholes over the past few seasons. Everybody else just seem to get chucked out because they're celebrating a goal.

 

[Living In a Fantasy World]

For home matches why don't we just have all the away fans placed on the top tier of the Bramall Lane stand, they won't be able to course much trouble up there.
Big followings like last week can be very intimidating stuff for the stewards and there was a lot of there fans to deal with, if it only takes throwing out one or two people to get the crowd settled then they are going to do it.
I think they should deal with it better when big crowds come to the lane, any other day we should just put away fans in the top tier where they won't make much hassle.

 

[Goodpinchofclough]

With regards to housing away fans in the top tier, how come Tranmere fans were up there a few weeks ago? apart from Bradford I cant remember the last time away fans were in the top

 

[BrianDeanesSon]

I do have some sympathy for stewards, as generally they get no real help from the police when trouble happens inside the ground.

 

[Kenilworth]

I do have some sympathy for stewards, as generally they get no real help from the police when trouble happens inside the ground.

That's been the case for years spawnofdeano. Otherwise they would be charging clubs out of existence.
Plod operates outside of football stadia nowadays.

 

[vorpal blade]

I thought that the Police did monitor the crowd from the office beneath the Scoreboard? If they were to be on foot inside the ground, wouldn't they possibly get dragged into legal issues that they would rather avoid.

For instance the fans in the clip on the PNE forum could be committing a fairly minor offence of 'encroaching on the field of play' or whatever but the stewards actions may be regarded as an assault.

If they mixed, wouldn't the Police end up more likely to arrest the stewards than the fans?

(legal opinion called for here)

I agree with Matt Bianco, there was nothing violent about what the lads from Preston were doing and if there is no sign telling them where they should and shouldn't go, then until you vault the adverts, what have you done wrong?

It looks as if some of the stewards take it personally and may have even been angry because PNE scored?

 

[Aandyday]

They have been trialing putting the away fans in the top, and continuing to do so but that causes a few other issues. You still have to have the bottom open for disabled etc.

Except high-risk games there is now no police presence inside the ground. (costs too much)

The Yellow Jacket 'Response' stewards some of them do enjoy a scrap you hear them talking excitedly about how many they have thrown out ofter the game. This is not all stewards, and a lot of them agree that the response teams sometimes go to far.

 

[ghandi]

I understand how it may look sometimes...it's not always pretty when having to eject.

As for yellow jacket stewards being thugs... I do not agree with this. The stewards are very professional, approachable and friendly. Thousands of real fans will agree with that.
At the same time they are also prepared to put themselves in danger for the welfare of other supporters, the players, and match officials.

You say about the stewards rushing from the corners to the fans when then encroach on track side... Let me put this to you...what would you be saying about the stewards if a fan manages to get on the pitch and assaults George Long...like the leeds fan did with the Wendy keeper?

The yellow jackets are switched on, and have prevented something like that happening thus far.

I don't believe any stewards wants to go to work for a scrap. If anything they prefer quiet games so they have a chance of seeing a bit of their team play football.

I'm obviously not a real fan and wasn't aware of the "code honour" to which you operate has nothing to do with being paid money to act like someone who didn't quite make the grade when applying to join the police.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I'm obviously not a real fan and wasn't aware of the "code honour" to which you operate has nothing to do with being paid money to act like someone who didn't quite make the grade when applying to join the police.

Yer mean some of 'em can read and write?