The Stewards at Stockport!!!!

[Shrimper_Apes]

Right, not long back from the game, well a weekend in Manchester actually, so this is the first opportunity to comment on yesterdays actions.

I am as loyal as they come when it comes to Southend, and everything related to it, but I have to say, IMO and from where I was sitting, along with a few others who I was not actually with, the only people to have any cause to doubt their actions were some of our fans.

It was absolutely no surprise to see people being ejected when they were blatently not behaving as they should do. Everyone knows the rules when it comes to standing up, and some of the language, aggression, and damn right rudeness of some of our supporters means I am only amazed more were not thrown out. Unsurprisingly, some of the fans asked to leave, or in some cases escorted, were fans I have seen removed at other away games this season on at least 2 occasions.

Perhaps the idea of going to a game, supporting your team, and not looking for any angle to wind stewards and other people up is beyond some of our fans, but I have to say how many times do some people need to be told to sit down before it sinks in those are the rules at football grounds now??? The juvenile chant of 'stand up if you love Southend' which ensues at every away game as soon as the stewards ask people to sit down is just a bit tedious.

There was one instance, when a Southend 'fan' deemed it necessary to stand right in a stewards face and telling him to 'fk off' 5 times, and then wonders why he is asked to leave???

The most amusing thing was one fan shouting insisting a steward had assaulted him, despite only putting his hands on his chest, and at the same time, flailing his arms around so much that on at least 3 occassions, whacking me in the back of the head - I did point out to him that the irony of what he was saying was incredible, but it was lost on him.

As for the overcrowding, there were enough seats, but people did not seem to want to sit where there were spaces - well if you got in the ground a littler earlier, then perhaps you would have more of a choice as to where you sit, and who you sit with.

For the MAJORITY who wanted to go to the game, support the team, enjoy the afternoon (unfortunately, both the team and fans let us down on that one) there were absolutely no problems - in fact, speaking to stewards before, during and after the game, I found them all extremely helpful, pleasant and almost in disbelief at the behaviour of some of our fans.

There may well have been incidents of some heavy handedness, but in all honesty, I didn't see any, and I had a pretty good vantage point, but you tend to get treated by people the way you treat them, and on quite a few occassions, what I saw were people acting like complete neanderthols, and then throwing their toys out of the pram because someone had the gall to tell them it was unacceptable to behave like that.

As I said, I didn't see all of it, and I'm sure I will now be confronted with a barrage of abuse and vitriol about how unfairly some were treated - and there may well be some genuine bad treatment - but it's funny how those who only want to go and watch a game of football and enjoy themselves seem to tbe ones who manage to achieve exactly that.

You honestly have no idea about yesterday mate.

 

[Shrimper_Apes]

i would also like to comment about the way in particular i was treated by a specific member of the staff at stockport.
i was handled in appropriately, and it spoilt the day for everyone.

for those of you that know me, and most of you do. i dont go to ANY away game to cause any trouble. and i go to 50+ games a season. I go to watch the football, and 'support' the team and just have a good day out.

If anybody has any questions about what happened yesterday feel free to pm me, however i will be contacting both SUFC and STCFC about the incident yesterday,

 

[DTS]

Right, not long back from the game, well a weekend in Manchester actually, so this is the first opportunity to comment on yesterdays actions.

I am as loyal as they come when it comes to Southend, and everything related to it, but I have to say, IMO and from where I was sitting, along with a few others who I was not actually with, the only people to have any cause to doubt their actions were some of our fans.

It was absolutely no surprise to see people being ejected when they were blatently not behaving as they should do. Everyone knows the rules when it comes to standing up, and some of the language, aggression, and damn right rudeness of some of our supporters means I am only amazed more were not thrown out. Unsurprisingly, some of the fans asked to leave, or in some cases escorted, were fans I have seen removed at other away games this season on at least 2 occasions.

Perhaps the idea of going to a game, supporting your team, and not looking for any angle to wind stewards and other people up is beyond some of our fans, but I have to say how many times do some people need to be told to sit down before it sinks in those are the rules at football grounds now??? The juvenile chant of 'stand up if you love Southend' which ensues at every away game as soon as the stewards ask people to sit down is just a bit tedious.

There was one instance, when a Southend 'fan' deemed it necessary to stand right in a stewards face and telling him to 'fk off' 5 times, and then wonders why he is asked to leave???

The most amusing thing was one fan shouting insisting a steward had assaulted him, despite only putting his hands on his chest, and at the same time, flailing his arms around so much that on at least 3 occassions, whacking me in the back of the head - I did point out to him that the irony of what he was saying was incredible, but it was lost on him.

As for the overcrowding, there were enough seats, but people did not seem to want to sit where there were spaces - well if you got in the ground a littler earlier, then perhaps you would have more of a choice as to where you sit, and who you sit with.

For the MAJORITY who wanted to go to the game, support the team, enjoy the afternoon (unfortunately, both the team and fans let us down on that one) there were absolutely no problems - in fact, speaking to stewards before, during and after the game, I found them all extremely helpful, pleasant and almost in disbelief at the behaviour of some of our fans.

There may well have been incidents of some heavy handedness, but in all honesty, I didn't see any, and I had a pretty good vantage point, but you tend to get treated by people the way you treat them, and on quite a few occassions, what I saw were people acting like complete neanderthols, and then throwing their toys out of the pram because someone had the gall to tell them it was unacceptable to behave like that.

As I said, I didn't see all of it, and I'm sure I will now be confronted with a barrage of abuse and vitriol about how unfairly some were treated - and there may well be some genuine bad treatment - but it's funny how those who only want to go and watch a game of football and enjoy themselves seem to tbe ones who manage to achieve exactly that.

As a matter of interest RC did you see the final melee at the end just before the full time whistle?

 

[ian_the_girth]

As a matter of interest RC did you see the final melee at the end just before the full time whistle?

what happened there dave, obviously i wasnt there to witness it.

 

[Richard_Cadette]

As a matter of interest RC did you see the final melee at the end just before the full time whistle?

I did indeed see the final melee DtS (I very nearly got another clout from an errant arm flailing around by a Southenf fan), although by that point, I was more interested in the fact that we had just conceded a 3rd goal and was out of the game.

The most interesting part of that melee was the ONLY person to apologise for me being clouted round the head was a Stockport steward..... and he was not even involved in it!!

 

[Richard_Cadette]

You honestly have no idea about yesterday mate.

Do I not? OK mate, I must have been somewhere else, watching another game between Stockport County and Southend United then.

As I said, I know what I saw, and I know what I heard, and if that differs from your account of things, then so be it, I would not be arrogant enough to tell you you have no idea about what happened yesterday.

 

[DTS]

I did indeed see the final melee DtS (I very nearly got another clout from an errant arm flailing around by a Southenf fan), although by that point, I was more interested in the fact that we had just conceded a 3rd goal and was out of the game.

The most interesting part of that melee was the ONLY person to apologise for me being clouted round the head was a Stockport steward..... and he was not even involved in it!!

I saw a young Southend lad being man handeled by the bald steward with the red jacket and ran to the back to help him as did quite a few others.

I then had a confrontation with said steward as did many others. Just wondering if you saw what happended before the Southend lad got pushed?

 

[DTS]

what happened there dave, obviously i wasnt there to witness it.

Stewards basically ejected a youngish lad with all of one min to go. They had I felt been heavy handed all day but thats another story.

Never nice to see one of your own thrown out but it was the manor in which he was ejected that ****ed me off. Not disimilar to a nightclub bouncer smashing a drunk.

 

[ian_the_girth]

Stewards basically ejected a youngish lad with all of one min to go. They had I felt been heavy handed all day but thats another story.

Never nice to see one of your own thrown out but it was the manor in which he was ejected that ****ed me off. Not disimilar to a nightclub bouncer smashing a drunk.

i assume the lad was O.K. anyone see him after ?

 

[DTS]

i assume the lad was O.K. anyone see him after ?

Disappeared into the Melee as far as I could see.

 

[Richard_Cadette]

I saw a young Southend lad being man handeled by the bald steward with the red jacket and ran to the back to help him as did quite a few others.

I then had a confrontation with said steward as did many others. Just wondering if you saw what happended before the Southend lad got pushed?

When you say man handled, what do you mean? When Stockport scored their 3rd goal, I did see a few of our fans stand up, couldn't make our what they were upset about (apart from us conceding again) and could not understand why there seemed to be aggresion aimed at the stewards, so don't know if that was your man or not.

Oh by the way, I forgot to mention earlier in my rant, when I asked a fan who refused to move off of the stairwell as he couldn't find a seat (despite having 3 pointed out to him by two stewards) I was told to, and I quote, 'shut the fk up'.... How can you argue with that level in intelligence? :)

 

[DTS]

When you say man handled, what do you mean? When Stockport scored their 3rd goal, I did see a few of our fans stand up, couldn't make our what they were upset about (apart from us conceding again) and could not understand why there seemed to be aggresion aimed at the stewards, so don't know if that was your man or not.

Oh by the way, I forgot to mention earlier in my rant, when I asked a fan who refused to move off of the stairwell as he couldn't find a seat (despite having 3 pointed out to him by two stewards) I was told to, and I quote, 'shut the fk up'.... How can you argue with that level in intelligence? :)

Sorry should have eloborated a bit more. I turned round to see him being forceablly removed - eg being dragged by whatever the steward could grab which happened to be his arm. The Southend lad seemed to put up now fight at all.

 

[bucket&spade.f.c]

Right, not long back from the game, well a weekend in Manchester actually, so this is the first opportunity to comment on yesterdays actions.

I am as loyal as they come when it comes to Southend, and everything related to it, but I have to say, IMO and from where I was sitting, along with a few others who I was not actually with, the only people to have any cause to doubt their actions were some of our fans.

It was absolutely no surprise to see people being ejected when they were blatently not behaving as they should do. Everyone knows the rules when it comes to standing up, and some of the language, aggression, and damn right rudeness of some of our supporters means I am only amazed more were not thrown out. Unsurprisingly, some of the fans asked to leave, or in some cases escorted, were fans I have seen removed at other away games this season on at least 2 occasions.

Perhaps the idea of going to a game, supporting your team, and not looking for any angle to wind stewards and other people up is beyond some of our fans, but I have to say how many times do some people need to be told to sit down before it sinks in those are the rules at football grounds now??? The juvenile chant of 'stand up if you love Southend' which ensues at every away game as soon as the stewards ask people to sit down is just a bit tedious.

There was one instance, when a Southend 'fan' deemed it necessary to stand right in a stewards face and telling him to 'fk off' 5 times, and then wonders why he is asked to leave???

The most amusing thing was one fan shouting insisting a steward had assaulted him, despite only putting his hands on his chest, and at the same time, flailing his arms around so much that on at least 3 occassions, whacking me in the back of the head - I did point out to him that the irony of what he was saying was incredible, but it was lost on him.

As for the overcrowding, there were enough seats, but people did not seem to want to sit where there were spaces - well if you got in the ground a littler earlier, then perhaps you would have more of a choice as to where you sit, and who you sit with.

For the MAJORITY who wanted to go to the game, support the team, enjoy the afternoon (unfortunately, both the team and fans let us down on that one) there were absolutely no problems - in fact, speaking to stewards before, during and after the game, I found them all extremely helpful, pleasant and almost in disbelief at the behaviour of some of our fans.

There may well have been incidents of some heavy handedness, but in all honesty, I didn't see any, and I had a pretty good vantage point, but you tend to get treated by people the way you treat them, and on quite a few occassions, what I saw were people acting like complete neanderthols, and then throwing their toys out of the pram because someone had the gall to tell them it was unacceptable to behave like that.

As I said, I didn't see all of it, and I'm sure I will now be confronted with a barrage of abuse and vitriol about how unfairly some were treated - and there may well be some genuine bad treatment - but it's funny how those who only want to go and watch a game of football and enjoy themselves seem to tbe ones who manage to achieve exactly that.

Well it seems that you was no where near where it all happened, 1st the stewards even said there was to many of us for the amount of seats, 2nd I think everyone but myself had reason to be upset and kick off when they was kicked out as they didn't do anything, April was asked once to sit down then pointed out there wasn't enough seats so they left us be, then scott got kicked out, next think April was grabed and pulled out from the row she was in and tragged out with her arm behind her back being her boufriend I wasn't gonna stand for that and kicked off I did no different to any other man would do if some guy grabed your bird...correct?so I got kicked out for swearing and manhandling the steward yet its ok for them to do it to a bird

3rd none of our group go to 50+ games a season to get into bother or to get kicked out but sometimes it happends and if it does its doesn't make you or anyone else who didn't get kicked out a better fan, I bet you don't even know the lot who got kicked out? So please don't come on here and say they/we should of been kicked out

 

[Richard_Cadette]

Sorry should have eloborated a bit more. I turned round to see him being forceablly removed - eg being dragged by whatever the steward could grab which happened to be his arm. The Southend lad seemed to put up now fight at all.

Well in all fairness, I didn't see what he had done before, but being removed by his arm, doesn't sound too bad to me - it could have been worse :)

I saw plenty of our fans acting in a way which could have resulted in a much stronger response than they got, and at times, some of the stewards showed extremely good restraint - but hey, I'm not going to win this one as I'm in the extremely small minority with my opinions.

I just wanted to give my take on things yesterday, and I called it as I saw it, as I always do.

 

[The Big Shrimp]

I hear you about us being so called marked men as you said we do make the most noise

But as for being warned the answer is no we wasn't well I know april was asked to sit but like already been said there wasn't enough seats

As for the essex old bill they was in the ground but on the other side from where we was,and Dick was in the little room we was all in and no help at all

I meant that they might have been warned in advance.

 

[Richard_Cadette]

Well it seems that you was no where near where it all happened, 1st the stewards even said there was to many of us for the amount of seats, 2nd I think everyone but myself had reason to be upset and kick off when they was kicked out as they didn't do anything, April was asked once to sit down then pointed out there wasn't enough seats so they left us be, then scott got kicked out, next think April was grabed and pulled out from the row she was in and tragged out with her arm behind her back being her boufriend I wasn't gonna stand for that and kicked off I did no different to any other man would do if some guy grabed your bird...correct?so I got kicked out for swearing and manhandling the steward yet its ok for them to do it to a bird

3rd none of our group go to 50+ games a season to get into bother or to get kicked out but sometimes it happends and if it does its doesn't make you or anyone else who didn't get kicked out a better fan, I bet you don't even know the lot who got kicked out? So please don't come on here and say they/we should of been kicked out

Right, first of all, your other half got removed for standing up after being told to sit down - you say there were no seats, I say that's absolute rubbish - I had 3 in a row next to me, and the other side of the guy sitting 3 away from me were another 2. A steward continually pointed this out to fans, but they didn't want to sit there, so stood up, and then got removed - whose fault it that then?

I actually saw your other half get removed, and whilst I didn't see what happened initially, when she walked past me, the steward did not have hit hands on her, but as I say, I didn't see the initial action. The question is, if you're flouting the rules, which you are well aware of, why would you not expect to be removed? I simply don't understand your logic?

You say you go to 50+ away games a season, but sometimes you get kicked out, it happens - erm, it doesn't just happen mate. I have never been removed in over 20 years of away games, and as I said, it goes back to getting treated in the same manner as you treat others.

As for not knowing you, it's not really relevant whether or not I know you personally, it only matters how you conduct yourself - I have seen you removed before this season, and again yesterday. Is it a coincidence? Maybe, who knows, it just happens I guess.

I'm sorry if you feel mistreated, but I am only telling you how I saw it, and what I saw, there was nothing amiss in the actions of the stewards, but plenty left to be desired in the way our fans conducted themselves.

 

[bucket&spade.f.c]

Right, first of all, your other half got removed for standing up after being told to sit down - you say there were no seats, I say that's absolute rubbish - I had 3 in a row next to me, and the other side of the guy sitting 3 away from me were another 2. A steward continually pointed this out to fans, but they didn't want to sit there, so stood up, and then got removed - whose fault it that then?

I actually saw your other half get removed, and whilst I didn't see what happened initially, when she walked past me, the steward did not have hit hands on her, but as I say, I didn't see the initial action. The question is, if you're flouting the rules, which you are well aware of, why would you not expect to be removed? I simply don't understand your logic?

You say you go to 50+ away games a season, but sometimes you get kicked out, it happens - erm, it doesn't just happen mate. I have never been removed in over 20 years of away games, and as I said, it goes back to getting treated in the same manner as you treat others.

As for not knowing you, it's not really relevant whether or not I know you personally, it only matters how you conduct yourself - I have seen you removed before this season, and again yesterday. Is it a coincidence? Maybe, who knows, it just happens I guess.

I'm sorry if you feel mistreated, but I am only telling you how I saw it, and what I saw, there was nothing amiss in the actions of the stewards, but plenty left to be desired in the way our fans conducted themselves.

Well as already been said by us she was told once then said no seats they left and did not once point to any spare seats for us to sit,and she ain't gonna lie about being so called man handled and I know what I saw at 1st that's why I lost it like anyother would of done, and yes I have been kicked out this season (what game tho????) but am not defending myself I was kicked out for a reason and I accept that and havnt said different am more pi55ed off with the fact how others where treated,and this you get treated how you treat them what rubbish I asked where to put my flag and got a mouth full I even said please

 

[Richard_Cadette]

Well as already been said by us she was told once then said no seats they left and did not once point to any spare seats for us to sit,and she ain't gonna lie about being so called man handled and I know what I saw at 1st that's why I lost it like anyother would of done, and yes I have been kicked out this season (what game tho????) but am not defending myself I was kicked out for a reason and I accept that and havnt said different am more pi55ed off with the fact how others where treated,and this you get treated how you treat them what rubbish I asked where to put my flag and got a mouth full I even said please

Well it must be the aftershave you're wearing then mate, as I found ALL of the staff to be courteous, friendly, and helfpul - and even up for a bit of banter.

I may be wrong, so please don't quote me on it, but I believe you had problems at the Scunny game, but as I said, I can't be sure.

My point is, you other half was told to sit, she did not, and so got removed. I've already told you there were other seats available, and all you had to do was find them - no, you may not have ended up sitting with your mates, but if you wanted to ensure that happened, then perhaps get to the game earlier.

I don't want to go round in circles with you, nor do I feel the need for an argument, but from what I saw, a lot of the stewards actions were brought on by our fans.

 

[bucket&spade.f.c]

Well it must be the aftershave you're wearing then mate, as I found ALL of the staff to be courteous, friendly, and helfpul - and even up for a bit of banter.

I may be wrong, so please don't quote me on it, but I believe you had problems at the Scunny game, but as I said, I can't be sure.

My point is, you other half was told to sit, she did not, and so got removed. I've already told you there were other seats available, and all you had to do was find them - no, you may not have ended up sitting with your mates, but if you wanted to ensure that happened, then perhaps get to the game earlier.

I don't want to go round in circles with you, nor do I feel the need for an argument, but from what I saw, a lot of the stewards actions were brought on by our fans.

Ok cool,

But we wanna watch the match so why should we go hunting for a seat? Is that not the job of a steward?

And yes I was kicked out at scunny tho all I did was got up to get a drink, I was sitting on my own at the front and wasn't being any bother but hey ho such is life,

Idea maybe I could come sit with you at one game that way ill be good ;)

 

[Richard_Cadette]

Ok cool,

But we wanna watch the match so why should we go hunting for a seat? Is that not the job of a steward?

And yes I was kicked out at scunny tho all I did was got up to get a drink, I was sitting on my own at the front and wasn't being any bother but hey ho such is life,

Idea maybe I could come sit with you at one game that way ill be good ;)

:) You're more than welcome - I can even bring my 1 year old to keep you company if you like... Let the stewards dare try and throw you out then :)