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Singing section asked to sit in allocated seats for Man City game


Vincent Vega

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5 minutes ago, Matt Parsons BCFCSLO said:

Hi @AshtonPark, feedback from season ticket holders in the the singing section to me personally was a long the lines that there was friction between fans and between fans and stewards as things weren’t clear regards what the rule were given the removal of the 10% reduction and they had asked for that to be clarified ahead of Tuesday. 

@Jacki I don’t have the answer to that question for you right now so will need to speak to people at the club.

I am starting to understand  the make up of the singing section and how tickets have been allocated to season tickets in the past so please bear with me on this, as I may not know all of the answers.

Matt 

 

Matt. Don’t you understand that the feedback from the fans you mentioned, the clubs manner of this now will make the situation even worse.

I fully expect if you go that fan, and now say what is going on they will say that isn’t what they meant. 

There was friction as fans wanted to stand in their normal spots , with stewards trying to stop them. So instead of trying to help the situation in regards to your fans feedback, you have gone and made the situation a hell of a lot worse. If you don’t think there is going to be friction on Tuesday than the club are mad, stark raving mad. 

Do you genuinely think, that people being away from mates and family members is suitable?  

I predict absolute chaos on Tuesday night, all of which is the clubs doing. 

(Sorry by you, I mean you as Bristol Sport, not you personally)

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1 minute ago, Matt Parsons BCFCSLO said:

Hi @AshtonPark, feedback from season ticket holders in the the singing section to me personally was a long the lines that there was friction between fans and between fans and stewards as things weren’t clear regards what the rule were given the removal of the 10% reduction and they had asked for that to be clarified ahead of Tuesday. 

@Jacki I don’t have the answer to that question for you right now so will need to speak to people at the club.

I am starting to understand  the make up of the singing section and how tickets have been allocated to season tickets in the past so please bear with me on this, as I may not know all of the answers.

Matt 

 

Hi Matt

Thanks for the reply. Tickets were allocated randomly and nobody thought it was an issue because of the fact that it’s unreserved in there. I don’t know anyone who sits in their allocated seat, I don’t even know where mine are. It’s something that has be be sorted out before Tuesday because it’s not safe. 

As for the feedback from the United game, I didn’t see any issues with seat allocation. It ran as normal in there as far as I could see and there were no problems . I’d be really interested to see what the majority view would be on this. 

 

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41 minutes ago, BigAlToby&Liam said:

3 pages of bickering again.....

Anyway what I really don’t get is why 8000 of us were allowed to stand in a stand that was almost vertical and that for the return fixture they can’t.

Or have to sit or stand in their allocated seat. That wasn’t the complete case at the Etihad.

Might not matter to us because we’ll be sitting at the front but it’s odd how different clubs/SAGS/police forces interrupt things.

Brilliant wasn’t it . Just aloud to watch the game. Without stewards and police. Stood in amongst us . Treating us like normal people. I’m sure the powers to be at our club. Could take some advice. 

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3 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

Too late for this season, but surely the learning point here is to issue season tickets with a specific seats at the start of the season, not randomly allocated, ensuring families and groups stay together, for rare situations like this where unreserved doesn’t apply.

Exactly this.

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4 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

Too late for this season, but surely the learning point here is to issue season tickets with a specific seats at the start of the season, not randomly allocated, ensuring families and groups stay together, for rare situations like this where unreserved doesn’t apply.

An obvious and very sensible suggestion. 

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6 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

Too late for this season, but surely the learning point here is to issue season tickets with a specific seats at the start of the season, not randomly allocated, ensuring families and groups stay together, for rare situations like this where unreserved doesn’t apply.

Or, if the club want to make sure they make the extra £3000. Split that cost between all tickets sold in that area, and keep the 10% spare.

Surely that makes sense? 

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1 hour ago, AshtonPark said:

I fully expect if you go that fan, and now say what is going on they will say that isn’t what they meant. 

There was friction as fans wanted to stand in their normal spots , with stewards trying to stop them. So instead of trying to help the situation in regards to your fans feedback, you have gone and made the situation a hell of a lot worse. 

@Matt Parsons BCFCSLO this post has hit the nail on the head. Seemingly most people didn't have an issue at Man Utd game in terms of standing where they normally do on a match day. 

Unfortunately by virtue of the fact I'm one of the first into our section on a match day I had to deal with stewards that wanted to escort me and friends to those allocated seats on our season tickets, causing a sizeable argument in the process. We stood where we normally do as in the end the stewards gave up as the reinforcements arrived. 

If I have stewards chasing me up the steps again Tuesday night then I for one won't be impressed. And no, they can't go telling certain people to go to allocated seats but not everyone, as it doesn't work that way.

I'd strongly suggest the club reconsider their stance before Tuesday night. Supposedly this sort of thing is 'in the interests of fans safety'.... Well I'd be willing to suggest that this stance will actually be even more detrimental.... If that's the game we are playing. 

We had no choice in selecting season ticket seats at start of season and we definitely weren't told we should book with every single one of our friends, just in case the club decided to enforce measures such as these. It was billed as unreserved, you should honour that agreement. 

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The causes of the problem I think are twofold.

Firstly Mr Storr....just not quite suited to this club or perhaps even football generally. This club especially however.

The SAG...All clubs have one but our one, it seems rather overbearing. More than that though, it is secretive, clandestine, no transparency... 

Even if it has to make certain unpopular decisions, there is no excuse for the secrecy, cloak and dagger type style it uses. Arrogance is another possible good adjective. For what it's worth, I think the SAG heard about the Manchester game and will be sending someone down to make observations on it, so there could be problems ahead moving forward I fear.

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1 hour ago, Matt Parsons BCFCSLO said:

Hi @AshtonPark, feedback from season ticket holders in the the singing section to me personally was a long the lines that there was friction between fans and between fans and stewards as things weren’t clear regards what the rule were given the removal of the 10% reduction and they had asked for that to be clarified ahead of Tuesday. 

@Jacki I don’t have the answer to that question for you right now so will need to speak to people at the club.

I am starting to understand  the make up of the singing section and how tickets have been allocated to season tickets in the past so please bear with me on this, as I may not know all of the answers.

Matt 

 

Thanks for the response Matt if this is the case & bristol sport were so worried about it then they should have stuck to the 90% allocation of the singing section & maybe took that into account when issuing the ayteo blocks on general sale. But quite clearly putting st holders noses out of joint is fine as long as the club make an extra few quid. 

For those slagging off s82 super fans etc I have sat in all 3 stands over last 2 seasons & can say Ashton Gate would be a library without them, whether you like them or not they do bring passion & noise to the ground which clearly rubs off on the players - just look where they always run to celebrate (it was the same when they were in the ayteo)

 

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1 hour ago, Matt Parsons BCFCSLO said:

Hi @Harry

Apologies for only responding to your message now, and not when I got in from Derby earlier this morning. 
 
Feedback came into different parts of the football club from fans who were in the singing section at the Man United match. Since being announced in role a number of fans with season tickets in the singing section have also approached me directly, to tell me in person what happened anecdotally. 

I have regular contact with Section 82 and since the 1st leg in Manchester I have had daily conversations with them,  working together, to see how we can create a great atmosphere at Ashton Gate on Tuesday night. 
 
I do hear what you are saying that you bought the ticket as unreserved and didn’t have the option to purchase to sit with mates, and will review this with the right people at the club if the 10% reduction is removed again for future games.
 
Matt 

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the reply.  I don't know if you know, but I am part of the S82 group with whom you have contact.  None of us had any previous knowledge of this decision, aside from your phone call to James yesterday just prior to the email release, to which James said to you "this won't work".

I'll tell you what happened for the Man U game just so you know how that was managed, as it was before your time here.

Dave Storr contacted us and confirmed that the club would have to release a statement saying that fans should sit in their allocated seat, due to the additional 10%.  He did however, confirm that this was just a measure to satisfy the SAG, and advised us, with a wink and a nod, that it would not be enforced.  He asked if we could ensure that we do what we can to make sure as many other fans in the area knew this, but without formally announcing it - i.e. essentially, tell people surreptitiously that it's still unreserved and that the club just "had to say that for SAG".

As many of us as possible, posted on various threads similar to this one, and on other media, to reassure fans that the seat allocation would not be enforced, without actually confirming for sure, as Dave requested.

When it came to the actual game itself, it seems there was disconnect between Dave's instructions to us, and his instructions to the stewards.
Early in the game, a steward asked my friend to move to his seat, to which he refused.  The steward then called 2 police officers to the area in an attempt to eject the fan.  I had to intervene, take the police and steward back downstairs into the concourse and keep the peace, advising them that the instructions to us from Dave Storr were that the area was still unreserved.  They didn't believe me, so I showed them his email which confirmed this.

One would therefore deduce, that any issues at the Man U game between fans and stewards, or fans and other fans, would have been due to the clear miscommunication between the head of security and his stewarding team.  I must say, at the time, it almost felt as if it was a purposeful move, I mean how could the head of security not advise his stewards that they would not be enforcing allocated seating, yet he'd told us to let as many people as possible know that is was.  Almost seems like it was intentionally angling for an issue.

So, based on our conversation with Dave prior to the Man U game, I was never worried about the enforced allocation of seating.  However, this time around, there hasn't been any communication from anyone at the club with S82 suggesting that the same policy was being adopted (i.e. don't worry, we're just satisfying SAG regs).  Hence me getting somewhat annoyed by this when the statement was made yesterday, and my subsequent messages of disappointment on this thread.

Whilst you have quoted the usual line of "we'll make sure we look at this in the future", how about looking at it now (i.e. for the Man C game).  I would suggest that the stewards are made aware that there is no strict policy on allocated seating, that any fans attempting to locate their correct seat are advised by stewards that it's an unreserved area and that they can go anywhere, but that the 'official' line to SAG is that with the best will in the world the club would attempt to enforce the required policy.
Perhaps even have the stewards at the vomitories telling the fans on their way in that's it's unreserved, continue to stand where you want.  That might head-off any confusion as people enter.

I honestly believe that if there is any attempt to enforce allocated seating, there will be more problems than if you all just leave it alone.  I think if the club blindly follow the policy they laid out yesterday, that you will upset more people than you can imagine.  In the area I stand in, there are a vast number of small children who attend with their parents.  It's great to see these kids have a great time every game, without enforcement of rules on them.  We are talking in the numbers of 25-30 plus kids just in the area I occupy - most of those will not have allocated seats next to each other.  So what happens if a steward attempts to sit 2 people in the seats they are in, thus having to move the child and parent to their seats and separating them.  I can't see any parent accepting this and will no doubt politely inform the steward what he can do with himself.

So, think again.  Are you REALLY going to enforce this.  Or do you think it might be wise to inform the stewards not to enforce it, and better still, have the stewards tell all fans entering the vomitory that it's business as usual.
 

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1 minute ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

@Harry

Problem with that though is...only an opinion but it might be insisted by SAG. What if someone from SAG, someone senior from SAG is observing the game.

The club wouldn't have a choice then, would they?

 

Surely it’s a SAG decision, or fans feedback etc? Why can’t the club be honest . 

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The club get so much right these days but this is a shambles. Not good enough.

@Matt Parsons BCFCSLO I realise this issue was created before your time, but I hope you will use it in the future as an object lesson in how NOT to engage with the fans that are responsible for the vast majority of vibrancy and passion in AG on matchdays (and no my ST isn't in there, but I value what they do greatly).

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As an ST holder who sits near - but not in - the Singing Section, this thread is interesting because it's made me realise that apart from being a City fan and singing, I don't have much in common with the occupants of it when it comes to the contemporary 'matchday experience'.

I've always considered my ST seat as 'my' seat and have been polite when pointing this out to other fans who haven't read their tickets properly, although that's not as much of an issue now as it was when the SS opened. I haven't had any issues with getting a ticket for both of the home games against United and City. I sit next to my mate because when we moved from the Atyeo we decided we'd get seats together rather than having one between us that was unreserved.

I'd admit that I'd prefer to stand - I started off in the old EE - and didn't have a problem with unreserved seating when it was installed in there even though the atmosphere changed quite a bit, just as it did when the smoking ban came in. I admire the attempts by Section 82 to get some kind of retro atmosphere going again - and the nearer you are to it the more likely you are to join in - but not only has the game itself changed over the last 30 years, how you watch it has. At least the toilets are decent these days.

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18 minutes ago, CyderInACan said:

If the club think kids are going to be forced to sit away from their parents they must be utterly stupid. This absolutely stinks. 

I don’t think they can as I’m sure the club state that under 16’s have to accompanied by an adult (over 18). 

To be fair to @Matt Parsons BCFCSLOas some of you have acknowledged he has arrived in the middle of all this. I have met him and have every confidence he will be a great SLO.

And as others have said it’s one ticket one seat, unreserved, sit where you like first come first served. I stood for years in the Old Eastend, obviously all unreserved and thousands of us jammed in there. Everyone had ‘their place’ and managed to find friends and stand together without seat numbers or mobile phones. You would see the same people nearby week after week, it just worked and was great. I’m really sorry some of you have never experienced Ashton Gate like this and are having unnecessary problems now.

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2 hours ago, JamesBCFC said:

I don't think saying I can enjoy a game without being by my mates the entire game makes me a "sad act"

I take issue with someone saying I have labelled someone as weird, when that itself is a lie.

I had had my say on the topic, I do have some sympathy towards those affected, particularly parents and children as they shouldn't be split, but I wasn't going to let someone lie about me and not challenge it.

"If you physically cannot enjoy a football match unless with mates, then thats an altogether different issue."

I didn't say you directly said that, I said you implied it, as that's how it came across to me.

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25 minutes ago, matalan12 said:

Sent this reply to the club. I don't expect to hear back. Posting it on here hopefully @Matt Parsons BCFCSLO might see it.

I was nervous building up to the United game because I knew that reserving seats in a normally unreserved area would lead to confusion and arguments. This inevitably happened.

I did not stand in my allocated seat. I went towards the back near where I always go every week. Luckily, had no problems, but witnessed quite a few who did. People I'd never seen before, match tickets in hand, trying to make people move out of their seat, who stand there every single week.

It is in my view unacceptable to make an area unreserved throughout a season, only to then reserve this area for the biggest games just to maximise revenue, without considering what is best for the fans who are there every game first.

A very simple solution would be to continue to allow people to stand unreserved for this season even with the biggest games. I understand it is a H&S issue, but I am sure it is more of a risk telling someone they cannot go where they always go.

From next season, ask the fans to reserve their seats once again, to where they normally stand, to allow more people to go in. Everyone tends to go in the same areas now that we are all familiar with that corner, so this could be relatively easy.

We cannot have this situation every time we have big games.

Spot on. What I don’t get - again - is who to believe. @Matt Parsons BCFCSLO Told us about daily contact with members of S82 yet @Harry suggests something different. 

Similar to red and white cards being held up at Cardiff?

How can it be so difficult to clearly explain what’s what and take accountability for it?

What this boils down to is this. Squeezing more in - not so more can watch the game - but to generate more revenue.

Pure and simple. Bristol Sport don’t give a flying ****. As long as there’s demand for tickets or whatever else they’re going to peddle they’ll be happy and treats fans with contempt.

Makes my blood boil.

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24 minutes ago, BigAlToby&Liam said:

Spot on. What I don’t get - again - is who to believe. @Matt Parsons BCFCSLO Told us about daily contact with members of S82 yet @Harry suggests something different. 

Similar to red and white cards being held up at Cardiff?

How can it be so difficult to clearly explain what’s what and take accountability for it?

What this boils down to is this. Squeezing more in - not so more can watch the game - but to generate more revenue.

Pure and simple. Bristol Sport don’t give a flying ****. As long as there’s demand for tickets or whatever else they’re going to peddle they’ll be happy and treats fans with contempt.

Makes my blood boil.

Big Al. In fairness to Matt, he has been in regular contact with us, so he is right there. Just no mention of this, which is a rather significant issue. 

Matt’s been good so far, but he’s having to pick up the messy pieces from others (ie our head of security!) 

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I've bought 3 kids tickets, youngest being 7. Will check the emails tomorrow, but I can assure you we won't be stood apart on Tuesday.

What was the problem against utd? It seemed to work fine for me.

I can detail my positive experience to the club if they would like to ask for it.

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19 minutes ago, Harry said:

Big Al. In fairness to Matt, he has been in regular contact with us, so he is right there. Just no mention of this, which is a rather significant issue. 

Matt’s been good so far, but he’s having to pick up the messy pieces from others (ie our head of security!) 

Thanks for that clarity @Harry. Thing is though anyone can be in daily contact and deliver good news.

Wonder if he knew this one was coming up, chose not to mention it and hoped it would go away?

Thing for me is understanding the rationale behind what seems like another unnecessary **** up.

Fans who ultimately pay the wages....

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1 hour ago, Harry said:

Big Al. In fairness to Matt, he has been in regular contact with us, so he is right there. Just no mention of this, which is a rather significant issue. 

Matt’s been good so far, but he’s having to pick up the messy pieces from others (ie our head of security!) 

Harry - agree Matt has been left to pick up the pieces. The confusion and communication issues at the Man Utd game was not helped with the additional 100 ticket-holders expecting to be allocated their "seat". However I have had an email from Matt who says that he has asked key people at the club to review the decision and see what can they can do. So we'll see!

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