last nights youth experience

[essexblue]

I to was at the game last night, a very enjoyable game on the pitch, but not so enjoyable watching....!
I took along my son and daughter both under 16, i had to pay £1 each for them, this was advertised that they would be admitted FREE.
But they and most of the other children sat through a barage of foul language coming from a small group of youths, the F & C word was constantly being used, it didn't stop until a chap found a steward very late on. If this is what supporting your team is i'll have second thoughts about the next game. Thanks.....:mad:

 

[Bielzibubz]

Unfortunately the yoofs home games are seen by some of the non Southend United supporting grubby little oiks from around the Southend area as a gathering point, much like you see on your average street corner on a Friday night. Don't let these prats put you or your kids off Essex, it's been a long time since we've had such a good bunch of young lads to cheer on to success.

As per my reply in the other thread :)

 

[Tilly hates yellow boots]

I also found this, hense the reaosn i didn't go to the last night. I think it's also to do with the players mates and stuff abusing the other players and opponents. As i guess they (as i am) are at that sort of age.

 

[Southminster_Shrimper]

The club should be made aware of this unacceptable behaviour regardless of the game being attended. If the club are to encourage people to go along they should be as in control as they are at normal games.

If these muppets want to behave like that then chuck em out and they can go and do it elsewhere.

 

[Fiftyone]

Where were the stewards when this swearing was going on?.

Drinking tea or helping themselves to the Chairman's drinks cabinet in the boardroom?.
:D

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

I took along my son and daughter both under 16, i had to pay £1 each for them, this was advertised that they would be admitted FREE.

Kids should have been free according to this on the official site:- http://www.southendunited.premiumtv.co.uk/page/YouthNewsDetail/0,,10444~1173636,00.html

The turnstile operator/steward was probably pocketing all the extra £1's taken from kids!!!!

 

[Bielzibubz]

I to thought that kids went free. I believe they did in the last round before Derby. This time around the stewards at the turn styles were ushering kids to one side and adults to the other. I queued up to go through and was told "kids this side, adults that side", I said "your havin a laugh ain't ya mate, what bloody difference does it make which side I go through?" to which this spotty teenager said "don't ask me, I'm just doing as he told me" and then pointed to another adult steward standing next to him with a totally confused look on his face as if he didn't have a scooby what was going on either.

I suggest to those that actually got charged £1 for their kids to get in contact with the club as it does seem as though they've have been guilty of some blatant misadvertising.

 

[Fiftyone]

I blame Geoff King - another of his money making scams!!.:eek:

 

[Exiled Shrimper]

I to was at the game last night, a very enjoyable game on the pitch, but not so enjoyable watching....!
I took along my son and daughter both under 16, i had to pay £1 each for them, this was advertised that they would be admitted FREE.
But they and most of the other children sat through a barage of foul language coming from a small group of youths, the F & C word was constantly being used, it didn't stop until a chap found a steward very late on. If this is what supporting your team is i'll have second thoughts about the next game. Thanks.....:mad:

Whilst I would say that £3 for adults and £1 concessions was excellent value for Friday night's fixture, the club did advertise in Tuesday's F.A. Cup replay programme with Oxford on page 37:

"Entrance is £3 for adults, £1 for the seniors and free for under 16s."

I believe that Under-14s should have been accompanied by an adult as well. The problem with this is that no tickets were issued, so it would be very hard to prove that you had to part with £1 at the turnstile. It would be a case of trying to find the steward who operated the turnstile at the next home game and finding out his number, then trying to arrange a meeting between you and the steward with the club, because it will be your word against his.

On to the second point: personally, I didn't hear any of this foul language (probably because I was standing behind the aforementioned drummer!), and the youngsters in that area were pretty well behaved, but if this is true, then this is unacceptable. There were at least 3 stewards present at the match, so the course of action should have been to alert them to the situation at the game. Once they neglect to take action, then the responsibility lies with them.

However, I think as a general term, for the Fourth Round, we should be looking at encouraging more youngsters to attend the game. We should be promoting the Stoke fixture to local schools, where the onus would be on a teacher to join them and help stop them using any such language. If a significant number were attending, then these could be situated in another part of the ground, thus moving them away from any other older teenagers using this language (and then being reported, etc....)

There is no way that our Under-18s should be 'punished' by people choosing not to attend the Stoke City match, because those lads have put in a tremendous effort to get through to this stage for only the second time in the club's history.

I know that Ricky and the squad were looking forward to a massive crowd (and by that I mean well in excess of 500 and pushing up to 1000). 374, in my opinion, is pretty disappointing, especially after thrashing Barnet 7-3 in the previous round and considering we were playing Premier League Academy opposition. There was nothing else on the TV, and since the away contingent at the Liberty Stadium was 379 (many of whom I saw at both games), the expense of travelling to south Wales can't be levied as an excuse either.

This is the most talented batch of young players that this club has produced in a very long while (note to the poster on another thread that mentioned that they were all from Arsenal, of last night's starting line-up, only Peggy Lokando had come from the Gunners, and Davis Abbey, who was on the bench, was another. Jack Morris, a third youngster, was not in Friday's squad).

The majority of the lads are working towards the end of a two-year scholarship here, and a number stand on the cusp of getting a professional contract. Some will miss out, but they deserve everyone's support for the Fourth Round fixture against Stoke. So please, please, please, come down to Roots Hall and watch the future of Southend United F.C.

 

[Westcliff Shrimper]

When is the fourth round game going to be played?

 

[CC51DAS]

Date not decided yet as far as i know . Has to be played by the 19th of January . Exiled Shrimper will put the date on soon .

Sorry to hear of other's unpleasant experience . Lets not let that put people off 'cos without doubt it was a fantastic evening's entertainment and a much better experience than yesterday's offering .

These lads give 100% .