Running A Business

[Guest Bawno]

I can't go in, under 16. Sounds like a god plan to boycott it though!?

[Guest worle-red]

From the horses mouth,THE CLUBS VIEW FOR NEXT SEASON???????

The EAST END will NOT be open to CITY supporters next season when we are in div1.

The reason being, the club will lose too much money because of segregation, approx £200000 as the top 10 supported teams will fill the whole EAST END.

It probably will be used as an overflow for other games where clubs only bring minimal support.

Makes me wonder if reducing the capacity now is the beginning of the end anyway?????????????????????

[Clevedon Red]

I understand the frustration felt by all those who have been in the eastend. Watching from the Williams makes you realise just what a huge difference the noise makes and you can visibly see the players upping their game by 10%.

But to be practical the club appears to have been placed in a no win situation, and given that I think we need a safety licence to even operate the decision over the EE was outside of the clubs jurisdiction and passed to those who grant our licence.

What about making the EE the home end in future and giving the Atyeo to away fans?

Any thoughts on that?

[fct]

I think the whole issue has revealed just how poor the design of the ground is in relation to the safety standards in place these days.

The ground badly needs to be redesigned so that the away fans can occupy one end of the ground without being in close proximity to home fans.

The obvious remedy in relation to the noise issue is of course to remove the East end roof and replace it with one that allows noise to dissipate into the air similar to the Atyeo end.

Longer term the East end could be enlarged by banking it double-tiered and returning it to the home fans and allowing the away fans to have the Atyeo. That way we could easily fit at least double the number of fans in the East End for home supporters.

As to the comments regarding Health & Safety, the negative moves obviously have come from A&S Police and the rabidly anti-sport Council. The club has done what it can to keep the EE open to some fans, and the only way theycould get these jobsworths to agree was to negotiate the numbers DOWN.

Rather than shooting off at the club, ask yourselves who stands to gain by reducing the numbers of supporters. Certainly not BCFC.

[KingswoodRed]

Can I just add my two penneth worth.

I have read all the way down the threads, and it seems to me that not one has actually pointed the finger at the people (youths or otherwise) that have acted in such a way as to force the local authorities & the police to make the club take such action.

Is this not indictative of todays society that we bury our heads when it comes to blaming the real troublemakers for fear of retrobution, and therefore we pick on the next best thing. The authorities?

Why not next time you guys in the EE see these so called troublemakers climbing on the fences in an aggressive manner, do something about it?

It has surely to be the minority who have spoiled it for the vast majority of people who want to sit in the EE and support the City.

Who's fault is that?

Surely you cannot blame the authorities or the police for this?

Now, I am not aware of all the politics of this situation, nor am I aware of anyone who has said they actually tried to do something about these idiots who have spoiled it for the rest.

If you have, I apologise, but it seems that it must have only been the odd one or two brave souls that have tried, and made no progress in getting shot of the spoilers.

I act as devils advocate, not as an antagonist.

[Guest Southville Red]

I can not believe the decision to ban under 16's on the assumption that they are trouble makers and that 2 people tried to climb the fence after the goal against Plymouth. After continual banter between the two sets of supporters in such an important game surely no-one is surprised that when the goal was scored a couple of people (out of how many?) got a bit over excited. It is not as if it is organised violence. What if the position was reversed and, God forbid, it was not Peacock who scored but Evans. I would again fully expect some Plymouth lads to try to have a go. Then I suppose it would be the fault of the City fans for winding them up. Of course safety has to be taken into consideration. The trouble with these decision makers in my view is that they do not understand the emotion and passion of supporting your team. Sure they may enjoy watching a game on the box but have they ever been there, week after week on the terraces? Listened to the humour etc.

To blame the under 16's is crazy. Surely the club must hope these lads will be supporters for the next 10,20,30,40 years. What a way to treat your customers. As others have said we a becoming a joke.

As a side issue is there a supporters representative on the Board?

[EastEnder]

I've mentioned several times previously that I am not blaming anyone other than the perpetrators for the activities.

What I am concerned about is the imediate effect on our own fans who choose to use this facility and the future implications should events occur in other areas of the stadium given the precedence created here.

I have several friends who take their children to this area in order for them to experience a more lively and animated form of support.

They have been persecuted through no thought of their own.

I have also offered solutions, that I beleive are logical, to answer those who think I am whining and will do nothing about the situation.

Theose same solutions being to turn the away section of the EE over to City fans and vie versa.

The reasons are obvious and logical

1 Logistics of getting both sets of fans in: away supporters will naturally be segregated by the break between the EE and Dolman; home fans will be accomodated next to the Williams negating the requirement for extra security measures

2 The...correction...OUR club will benefit by the increase in revenue and volume from our own supporters

The second point is to remove the fencing entirely (as it was only erected for a match with Cardiff where the potential for trouble had been well documented)

This will also reduce the ghetto mentality - as incorporated by most other football league ground throughout the country.

I'm also willing to put up! I have mailed Steve L on several occaisions regarding this issue and would be willing to act as a spokesman for the individuals I know the decision has affected (I purposely state this group as I could not cedibly act on any other's behalf without knowing their opinions)

Overidingly. The point I am trying to address is that I want to support my club in a passionate manner with like minded people. The EE facilitated this perfectly. The other areas of the ground do not, as there will always be individuals that do not find it necesssary to support their team in the same manner (and without doubt this also must be respected)