by handbags_harris »
26 Nov 2008 19:01
Seems to me that RFC are talking about and creating a problem that simply isn't there. Quite frankly, the vast majority of people who sit in Y's 24,25 and 26 are STH's, they buy their ST there because they enjoy watching football there. They enjoy the view, they enjoy the atmosphere in that particular part of the stadium, they enjoy the "interaction" with the away contingent, and they are in no way offended by anything that goes on or is said unless it is truly outrageous. These are STH's, and they are all fundamentally likeminded. If they didn't like what they heard or saw, they would move. I have not ever heard anything particularly outrageous, rarely see anything thrown, and I think that swearing and shouting is pretty much accepted by STH's in that area of the ground. I sit at the top of Y25.
It appears to me that the occasional matchday ticket buyer who purchases a ticket in this part of the stadium doesn't like what they see or hear because it is a) particularly extreme in relation to other parts of the stadium, or b) they haven't been to many matches before and have sat in the least family friendly part of the stadium. This person then has a choice - move or complain. Generally, there have been plenty of other seats in the stand to sit, mainly at the North end of the ES, but no, this one idiot complains. Hello?! Football match?! Swearing and gesticulation kind of go with the territory in that part of a ground! What did they expect when sat right next to the away fans?! But the club then act on it totally oblivious and ignorant to the thoughts and feelings of anyone else in that area at the time, going by the say so of ONE person with no conclusive evidence whatsoever, and if that person is pointed out they are kicked out despite there being only ONE person's complaint. The vast majority of regulars I would put money on not being particularly bothered about what was said or done, unless it was particularly out of the ordinary for that section, and all other similar sections elsewhere in the country, of a football ground.
Once again RFC reject the thoughts and opinions of the regular fan who just wants to watch the game, create an atmosphere, and have some banter with away fans unhindered whether that involves a bit of bad language and gesticulation or not - let's face it, that has been a part of football for, what, 5 decades and is ingrained into the average fan who sits in that area of any ground. That is in direct conflict of the once in a while buy on the day football watcher (the small minority) who's bought the ticket in the wrong area of the stadium. It seems that the club doesn't want to have the type of fan that habitually sits in that area of a stadium, instead it wants a soulless bowl of unoriginal face-painted, flag waving, rattle swinging, happy clappers dictated to by a bloody drum shouting blarmy. I, for one, will not comply with that stereotype.