Today's incident on SportBible

[OldBlueLady]

You've just realised our stewards are inept? Hahahahaha. It's been this way for years. Don't help when you got a snake Jay Page who's more interested in grassing home fans

You do realise that he is there to do a job don't you? I am guessing you or people you know have suffered because of this. Bad mouthing this guy on here and on FB doesn't exactly do you any favours and will make you more of a target for stewards in the future.

 

[Fitz]

How people can slate the stewards I will never know. These men and women, probably getting paid minimum wage do not do the job to get treated in such a way. Both sections of the Col U fans and Southend fans were a disgrace and should get lifetime bans and a criminal record. Don't want this at our football club.

lets all talk about the game and not about a bunch of mindless idiots!

I feel for the people who purchased tickets, some families, in block X. What kind of advert is that for our football club, I am sure some people will have been put off coming again.

agree with other posters police should have stepped in!

 

[AndyT]

Does anyone know what the deal is with policing inside a football ground these days?

It used to be, I believe, that the club had to pay for policing inside the ground, but not outside the ground, so the amount of police within the ground was determined by the cost of the policing, or has that changed?

 

[rararblue]

A steward gets £26.50 for a game.

 

[tottenham541]

The big thing is that these stewards ain't trained to deal with trouble like this and some just won't even be bothered and will just watch it happen, they are paid peanuts so why should they deal with a lot of it, I think stewards should be trained or hired from proper security firms and not just poor folk from the street who wanna earn easy money as that's what it is most of the time, you just get the odd idiot at the so called big games, big shame:sad:

 

[bazzashrimper]

Exactly this. Everyone in that front corner was inciting/encouraging/wanting violence. They got it. Meh

And my 6 year old asked me what was going on and was afraid.

 

[Danshrimper]

This is true however this guy voluntarily assaulted a number of Col U fans - this is NOT the fault of the stewards - why should they throw their bodies in the way, is it their job to receive punches? As far as I'm aware they are not bouncers? I agree with previous comments that the police should have been in the stadium by this point though.

They didn't have to take a punch to stop someone from entering the pitch and then running accross the pitch before punching multiple Col U fans

Whos job is it to control the fans and prevent them from entering the pitch and attacking other fans if not the stewards?

 

[Magnum PI]

I was involved in steward training across the country. I helped design the national qualifications. The failure today was the police who did not support them. There will always be some degree of misbehaviour at football, as anywhere in society where big crowds throng and passions run high. It could have been managed far better though and certainly it's incredible the puncher was able to get back to the West.

Id be surprised if Southend were fined for this bearing in mind the situation and derby game - it's impossible to police a minority of 1 or 2 in 10000, unless the lack of police was a cost saving exercise perhaps...

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

You do realise that he is there to do a job don't you? I am guessing you or people you know have suffered because of this. Bad mouthing this guy on here and on FB doesn't exactly do you any favours and will make you more of a target for stewards in the future.

Blokes a complete knob Kay. His jobs on the line after this today. It was his area

 

[GBJ]

Then they can all f*** off away from Southend United and football in general for good. I'm with Blueronron on this, our club did have a good rep - being dragged down now and I for one won't let it go unchallenged.

Fair play mate & I get your point. But really, what do you expect? The Col U fans at the front of the North incited it from the get go.

Look, its simple, my personal philosophy is this, if you're game, then you accept the consequences. Whatever they may be. Those involved today, were game (brave in their bubble of segregation). Throwing coins, punching stewards & OUR OWN PLAYER, means I've got noooo sympathy at all. There will be innocent Col U fans who will be just as disgusted with their own support right now.

 

[Chairman Trigg]

Poor policing from start ,a couple of officers at the corner spotting and filming the usual idiots giving the throat slitting and other gestures,would have sent a message.A few of the stewards took a beating today,and again a couple of ewes fans should have been arrested after the first incident but because of numbers game were left alone which again encouraged the rabble.What I can't believe is that all these bright people seem to forget they are clearly on the grounds cctv and being monitored and recorded.Will no doubt be a few visits to addresses in Colchester and Southend as a result.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Blokes a complete knob Kay. His jobs on the line after this today. It was his area

I don't know him personally so can't comment, just think you're going the right way to get yourself in trouble. The level of stewarding has worried me for some time, having a steward in the west this season who had his 18th birthday celebrated over the tannoy was a concern - don't you have to be over 18? Then one or two others, you wonder how they passed whatever requirements are necessary.

 

[Magnum PI]

They didn't have to take a punch to stop someone from entering the pitch and then running accross the pitch before punching multiple Col U fans

Whos job is it to control the fans and prevent them from entering the pitch and attacking other fans if not the stewards?

Stewards are not security... If you want to see security at football then be prepared for ugliness. Anyone who has been to away games and seen how security handle trouble know this just makes things worse. Stewards responsibilities are to try to manage crowds by peaceful methods and call for help if needed. Didn't see any help today. Likely Jobbo felt it wasn't warranted as police costs are high.

 

[DTS]

Some of the comments here are laughable.

Firstly the Colchester fans in the corner by the West Stand were not family's or old men. Everyone one of them was a lad giving ite to the home fans from the second they came into the ground. The second that they went down to ten they were pushing and shoving stewards. ****** signs, cut throat signs etc. Standard Millwall type behaviour. Most didnt watch a second of the game and all we in lads clothing.

As we scored about ten of them broke into the corner section and then got into the no mans lads and made a break for the west before turning back. I would say four or five were on the pitch making a move towards the West. At this point no SUFC fans had been on the pitch.

Yes a couple of people whacked the Col U fans and it looks bad as its on social media everywhere but he is hardly whacking families. Look at the video from their end and they are the same blokes giving it all game. Whilst we cannot condone it if you spend 90 mins offering someone out then don't be surprised if they come for you. It looks bad on the club sadly.

The stewards did a decent job. I personally wouldnt want to be whacked for £10 an hour. Trouble was in reality pretty minimal. What were the police doing while all this went on. Four of them stood there and watched. The stewards mean nothing really and lets be honest a decent hooligan is not going to give a monkeys what a stewards says but the police could have stopped that in seconds but did nothing. A couple of arrests early on and it stops 90% of the trouble.


Col U came to Southend looking for trouble and they found it. Luton ironed out a load of kids, Cambridge came for trouble and found it, Port Vale the same. And the police did.....nothing.....But of course its not the polices fault.

 

[Depor_Shrimper]

Could I suggest that if you are an easily incited supporter (in other words you have a woefully short fuse) that you don't sit near the away fans - that way you won't have to contend with it.

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

Sounds to me like it all boils down to lack of funds yet again. Even the safety of our own supporters can't be guaranteed now. I re-iterate, i'm not condoning the violence, but it's a derby game. We should be much better prepared for these type of situations.

 

[Ricey]

Sounds to me like it all boils down to lack of funds yet again. Even the safety of our own supporters can't be guaranteed now. I re-iterate, i'm not condoning the violence, but it's a derby game. We should be much better prepared for these type of situations.

We will have even less funds now after we get hit with a huge fine!

 

[GBJ]

And my 6 year old asked me what was going on and was afraid.

I can sympathise. I really can. But In fairness, sure you & your child would have been even more frightened if you'd had to dodge coins, like me & my family had to. The situation was bad, it was a powder keg from the get-go.

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

We will have even less funds now after we get hit with a huge fine!

Without a doubt. Plus an added bill for the pyro !

 

[DTS]

Sounds to me like it all boils down to lack of funds yet again. Even the safety of our own supporters can't be guaranteed now. I re-iterate, i'm not condoning the violence, but it's a derby game. We should be much better prepared for these type of situations.

10,000 crowd and four police inside the ground. A third of the stewards are women.