McAnuff's red card

[BobKnows]

Well being told to fcuk off is the nicest thing to read isn't it especially when trying to give a balanced view on what happened.

Welcome to Hob Nob!

[Mr. Reading]

Well being told to fcuk off is the nicest thing to read isn't it especially when trying to give a balanced view on what happened.

I'm pretty certain the guy was joking... which is pretty much proven by his second comment.

As for a balanced view, that's debatable - I was at the game and saw it in a completely different light. A lot of Baggies fans agree with me judging by the thread on your board and I really hope the FA dish out harsh punishment to your club (because I know Reading will be punished for "failing to control their players" anyway), if only for the appalling behaiviour of your fans.

[Dickie's Spear]

Seemed the Baggies fans were quite split over it, and some weren't happy
http://www.westbrom.com/forum/index.php?topic=57976.0

[rob the royal]

Well being told to fcuk off is the nicest thing to read isn't it especially when trying to give a balanced view on what happened.

Welcome to Hob Nob!

'fcuk off baggie' doesn't really have quite the same obvious jokeyness to it as 'fcuk off newbie' i must admit....

[ZacNaloen]

Seems to me that there are two seperate incidents that happened on the pitch that are being conflated into one incident.


The Mcanuff sending off and the usual complaints from the team at the recieving end, which the Stewards decided to get themselves involved in.

And then the Stewards preventing the Reading players from celebrating with their fans.


Seperate these incidents out and it becomes much easier to follow what happened.

[Kingsley Junior]

Couple of irate Baggies in the comments section at the bottom of this article http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/defau ... ticle=1639 Bit I don't get it why the stewards are on the pitch at all, regardless of how the Reading staff and players may or may not have been acting

[westongeezer]

I dont think Baggie should have got that response, his input was balanced to, but theres no mention of us being pelted by some of the Baggies fans, it was getting heated towrds the end with both sets, although, if you cant take it dont dish it, but aint that what away days are all abouta bit of banter?

[TFF]

Well being told to fcuk off is the nicest thing to read isn't it especially when trying to give a balanced view on what happened.

It's the hobnob way mate.

[RoyalBlue]

Well being told to fcuk off is the nicest thing to read isn't it especially when trying to give a balanced view on what happened.

Clearly the you folk from the midlands don't enjoy the same sense of humour as down south. Perhaps a bit too subtle for you? I read the whole thing as a bit of a p*ss take out of the situation rather than an attack on you. And, funny or not, all newbies get the same f off greeting on here!

Incidentally no one on our bench has the ability to run particularly fast and certainly not Nigel Gibbs!

[T.R.O.L.I.]

There's a post on one of the WBA forums shown above where some WBA fan thinks that calling Reading fans "middle class" is some sort of horrifc insult

[Jimmy the Tree]

Fcuk of Baggie.

We all know WBA won't release the footage as it clearly links them to the Kennedy Assanination....

Nice reply there, well done. School let you use the internet at lunch time then ?

It's the traditional greeting for your first post, more a badge of honour. Sad but true.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

No. Seriously, I do think West Brom were involved in the Kenendy assisnation.

[RoyalBlue]

There's a post on one of the WBA forums shown above where some WBA fan thinks that calling Reading fans "middle class" is some sort of horrifc insult

They'll be calling us civilised next!

[Hoop Blah]

Bit I don't get it why the stewards are on the pitch at all, regardless of how the Reading staff and players may or may not have been acting

At the end of pretty every game the stewards come onto the pitch to escort the ref and his linesmen off the pitch. That's standard practice, especially if there have been controversy or a few flashpoints.

If players start confronting each other I'm pretty sure they should be stepping in, in the right manner, to calm the situation as anything like that could spill over into the crowd.

I don't see any problem with that. It does seem the stewards might have inflamed the situation with the way they steamed in though. That's nothing new though, it's just usually it's with fans and not the players so they were probably taken by surprise a bit...and over-reacted back.

The stopping the players going to the crowd was handled even worse though, probably as a consequence of the agro over the red card incident.

Neither side come out of it very well to be honest.

At least we're in the next round though and that's all that counts really!

[Kingsley Junior]

At the end of pretty every game the stewards come onto the pitch to escort the ref and his linesmen off the pitch. That's standard practice, especially if there have been controversy or a few flashpoints.

Fair enough - I hadn't really noticed this before but probably because I'm either clapping anyone who comes to the North East corner or moving along towards the stairs with my back away from the pitch.

Doesn't excuse some of their behaviour though.

[bcubed]

Well being told to fcuk off is the nicest thing to read isn't it especially when trying to give a balanced view on what happened.

I'm pretty certain the guy was joking... which is pretty much proven by his second comment.

As for a balanced view, that's debatable - I was at the game and saw it in a completely different light. A lot of Baggies fans agree with me judging by the thread on your board and I really hope the FA dish out harsh punishment to your club (because I know Reading will be punished for "failing to control their players" anyway), if only for the appalling behaiviour of your fans.

I presume by balanced view he meant a different (WBA) view

[bcubed]

Baggies fan in peace here

From what I saw Mulumbu kicked the ball, it hit McAnuff, whether deliberate or not only Mulumbu can say. To me if kicking it he should have booted it in the air. McAnuff reacted they had a pushing match and MAnuff lashed out. A steward ran on the pitch to seperate them and got surrounded by your players and someone from your bench who ran their faster then Usain Bolt would have done and they started having a go at him. Other stewards came on to try to get the steward away and were subjected to pushing and shoving from your players. Someone tried to get to the linesman (I think McAnuff, not 100% sure) and a steward got in between him and was again surrounded by your players.

Perhaps the steward should have just stood there and let McAnuff carry on and get a longer ban ?

It seemed to calm down and your players went to your fans to celebrate. From the Youtube clip posted it looks like a couple of jobsworths stopped them, that is pathetic to be fair but some of your players and officials need to look at themselves over the whole incident and hold their hands up and admit they were in the wrong. For what happened outside it seems a couple of your players came out to the coach mouthing off at stewards who are always there guarding the coach after games and it got a bit verbal.

The stewards in the main did a good job despite heavy provocation. One or two may have got a bit heated as people do. Interesting someone has mentioned the black steward well known to many of us, a Sunday League referee who is the same on a Sunday morning. That bloke is a 100% knobhead.

From my earlier post

I thought they (the stewards) were fine during the game too, so don't know what caused the scenes at the end.
But it was wild - I found myself running down to the front without really knowing what I was going to do

Having shouted at a steward and feeling marginally better, I found myself next to a Reading fan going purple in indignation or something similar, screaming at a steward from a distance of two inches. I felt a bit sorry for the steward and after the purple faced one had ranted and left, I spoke to the steward.
"I thought you guys had done a good job all night but that was a disgrace"

He was pleased to hear something other than ranting and shook my hands in thanks. He said he knew the steward who was involved in the Macanuff incident (and who was the guy being led away by other stewards at the end). He said he was very surprised at his behaviour particularly because he was a referee! Nuff said

[Baggies69]

I dont think Baggie should have got that response, his input was balanced to, but theres no mention of us being pelted by some of the Baggies fans, it was getting heated towrds the end with both sets, although, if you cant take it dont dish it, but aint that what away days are all abouta bit of banter?

Can't comment on your fans getting pelted as I was at the other end. But we do have idiots same as all clubs.

[Dorset-Knob]

Having read all the available pros and cons the thing that I find the most disturbing is the use of the term 'our stewards' it's being used by fans from either side as though they should be supported in their actions.

Hello! they are supposed to be independent, like a properly trained and fully functional police officer ought to be, but on numpty an hour, you tend to get, well numpties!

Personally I want nothing to do with stewards home or away thanks and I don't mean this disrespectfully, they should be seen and not heard, many have over-stepped their brief in the past and I suspect they will again in the future.

Dictionary definition of Steward could easily be, 'petty minded jobsworth, who fails in lots of things, but is permitted to take unfair advantage of minor authority within the role. A certain amount of pro thuggery bullying, without responsibility or accountability is also acceptable by extremely cost aware employers for this role'

The stewards who get involved specifically to get paid to see their team could well be in it for the wrong reasons and as always it's about clubs spending as little as possible to meet the requirements of the law and rules.

[SpaceCruiser]

No. Seriously, I do think West Brom were involved in the Kenendy assisnation.

Assassination.