Jump to content

Its time lets have safe standing


Barry Sanchez
 Share

Recommended Posts

Trouble is with the blame culture that exists in this country along with the Health & Safety risk aversion rounding off of every sharp corner in the land, no one is going put their name to announcing that standing can return to the terraces while the Spectre of Hillsborough is still lurking in the room.

Even though examples and safety barriers already exist successfully elsewhere, by the time the working party and the various committees set up to assess the safe implementation of standing have rubber stamped it most of those standing in the Northam this Sunday will be of an age where sitting down will be their preferred option when attending games.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Standing is ok when tall people are at the back and the more vertically challenged towards the front, which can never happen. I'm ok Jack, I'm tall, but t'others aren't, and they don't get to see all the key moments of the game. But they do get the 'away' atmosphere.

 

So long as the ground separates standing and sitting sections - and enforces no standing in the sitting areas, I've no objection and everyone is happy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm just under 2m tall eelpie, so I know exactly what you're referring to. Doubt many young'uns (i.e. younger than 14) would go in the safe standing areas anyway were they to be introduced, and as for short people - buy some stilts.

 

I would love to see safe standing implemented at SMS - but only in the Northam end and the Kingsland/Itchen corners connecting to it. Got to have an option for people who still want to sit as they currently do and it would be cheaper for the club to only replace certain areas of seating. Would also mean increased capacity at that end and more scope for expansion too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm just under 2m tall eelpie, so I know exactly what you're referring to. Doubt many young'uns (i.e. younger than 14) would go in the safe standing areas anyway were they to be introduced, and as for short people - buy some stilts.

 

I would love to see safe standing implemented at SMS - but only in the Northam end and the Kingsland/Itchen corners connecting to it. Got to have an option for people who still want to sit as they currently do and it would be cheaper for the club to only replace certain areas of seating. Would also mean increased capacity at that end and more scope for expansion too.

 

It would not mean more scope for expansion because standing seats are worth jack all to the club. They would have at least the same income from the standing areas as they would from seated area that was there before it. All you may achieve is to get a few thousand more in the ground... eating into what an expansion could deliver. So far less likely to get an expansion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Standing per se was never 'unsafe'. Hillsborough was a disaster created by poor policing and subsequently covered up by corrupt policing. Laws made in knee-jerk reactions are almost invariably bad laws, and the requirement for all seated stadia was one of the classics, and is widely accepted as such.

 

To suggest that standing areas returning will also lead to casual violence and racist chanting is patently absurd. I never met anyone who became more violent or racist when stood as opposed to adopting the seated position!

Edited by adrian lord
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Standing per se was never 'unsafe'. Hillsborough was a disaster created by poor policing and subsequently covered up by corrupt policing. Laws made in knee-jerk reactions are almost invariably bad laws, and the requirement for all seated stadia was one of the classics, and is widely accepted as such.

 

To suggest that standing areas returning will also lead to casual violence and racist chanting is patently absurd. I never met anyone who became more violent or racist when stood as opposed to adopting the prone position!

 

This^^^ exactly

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Standing per se was never 'unsafe'. Hillsborough was a disaster created by poor policing and subsequently covered up by corrupt policing. Laws made in knee-jerk reactions are almost invariably bad laws, and the requirement for all seated stadia was one of the classics, and is widely accepted as such.

 

To suggest that standing areas returning will also lead to casual violence and racist chanting is patently absurd. I never met anyone who became more violent or racist when stood as opposed to adopting the prone position!

 

A sensible solution would be to make say a third of the stadium safe standing and the rest seating or a proportion like that. clearly the whole stadium standing would be problematic (e.g. kids, elderly, those who like their own personal space) but I agree. Racist chanting has fallen dramatically since the 80s. Crowd behaviour, on the whole, is much better, safer and open to more people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Standing per se was never 'unsafe'. Hillsborough was a disaster created by poor policing and subsequently covered up by corrupt policing. Laws made in knee-jerk reactions are almost invariably bad laws, and the requirement for all seated stadia was one of the classics, and is widely accepted as such.

 

To suggest that standing areas returning will also lead to casual violence and racist chanting is patently absurd. I never met anyone who became more violent or racist when stood as opposed to adopting the seated position!

 

 

Most sensible post I've read on here for a while.

 

Don't see us getting standing, if it were allowed again, at St Marys until after expansion so we could still get as much money from seating so we would re-coup ticket money from lower prices in standing areas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All people are asking for is standing areas behind the goal ends again. Of course the rest can keep their seats. Anfield would get the Kop proper back, Arsenal the North Bank and so forth.

 

There is NO way Anfield would get the Kop back. As a club they are 100% behind keeping seating. If Safe Standing is allowed many clubs will go for a small section as a test, but Liverpool will not. They have already stated such.

 

Personally I think it could and should be brought in and could, if managed correctly, provide both an atmospheric and financial boast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

It's time; let's have apostrophes. Please?

 

On topic, I'm too young to have ever been to a game with standing and don't really see a problem with seating, although the stature of some football fans would suggest that less sitting would be a good thing!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's time; let's have apostrophes. Please?

 

On topic, I'm too young to have ever been to a game with standing and don't really see a problem with seating, although the stature of some football fans would suggest that less sitting would be a good thing!

 

plenty of standing in league 1

 

With the automatic turnstiles we'd never get overcrowding in a section which was the biggest issue at Hillsborough, crowd control is the issue.

 

If you return to standing areas, properly designed , then you need to control access, unlike at Hillsborough where they just opened the gates and the fans poured in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All people are asking for is standing areas behind the goal ends again. Of course the rest can keep their seats. Anfield would get the Kop proper back, Arsenal the North Bank and so forth.
and what do you do at st marys at the northam end has its the away end,do you give the section behind the goal to the aay supporters has you clearly can,t have both supporters mingle in the away end.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only way i can see a small element of it happening is with the rail seating idea. That would keep a lot of the safety of the all seater notion(allocated seat per person) whilst actually being safer providing the rail to stand against.

 

Still don't see it happening anytime soon because Hillsborough groups will likely oppose even if evidence shows it'll be safer in reality.

Edited by Baird of the land
Link to comment
Share on other sites

my worry about standing is will we be packed in like cattle like the old days ,i for one don,t see the need to bring it back when you can get a great view of st marys and i think its much safer.

 

It would be nothing like the 'old days', safe standing is not a stand-where-you-like situation, as Baird says, it's an allocated space, exactly as it is with a seat (which would also include a seat for games where no standing (Europe) is allowed).

 

 

and what do you do at st marys at the northam end has its the away end,do you give the section behind the goal to the aay supporters has you clearly can,t have both supporters mingle in the away end.

 

Why can't it be segregated? It would be no different to now.

 

 

but i love a good sit down.

 

That's fine but you'd just have a choice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't see how anyone can campaign against safe standing, if you don’t like it stay in the seats but don’t stop others having what they want.

Wanting to stand is counter intuitive, but it just feels right; raising your body up slightly on your toes as we attack, arching your neck as the team progresses down the other wing, a little further stretch as the ball is crossed in and a sigh and body deflation as the ball to smashed into row z. IMO football as it’s meant to be watched bouncing on your toes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would be nothing like the 'old days', safe standing is not a stand-where-you-like situation, as Baird says, it's an allocated space, exactly as it is with a seat (which would also include a seat for games where no standing (Europe) is allowed).

 

 

It makes sense to provide an allocated space but this then denies supporters to move position to meet up with their mates as used to be the situation on the terraces.

 

Notwithstanding this, am I right to assume that providing a standing area will not actually increase capacity?

 

In my recollection step depth for the old terraces was possibly half that of the current arrangement for seats which have to provide for suitable site lines

 

I often find myself wondering what the capacity of St Marys would have been if both ends had been built with terracing to the standard of the 1940's/1950's

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/25136422

 

Completely agree, we need this as the atmosphere is sterile and dying a death in most Premiership stadiums, the tail wagging to dog I feel.

I agree too. It also gets the all ****ers - who don't give a sod about the poor old buggers with arthritic hips or knees and who can't stand up for 90 minutes - off to another part of the stadium so the rest of us can actually watch the game in comfort
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree too. It also gets the all ****ers - who don't give a sod about the poor old buggers with arthritic hips or knees and who can't stand up for 90 minutes - off to another part of the stadium so the rest of us can actually watch the game in comfort

 

I think that post is so true and the atmosphere will never go back to the old days has those who go to football nowdays are a different breed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I loved Peterborough away when we got promoted and it was brilliant to introduce my lad to a terrace. Surely to have a standing area in the stadium for those that choose to stand is sensible? Mind you it would remove the entertainment value of watching the stewards trying to make people sit down in the Northam all game!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree too. It also gets the all ****ers - who don't give a sod about the poor old buggers with arthritic hips or knees and who can't stand up for 90 minutes - off to another part of the stadium so the rest of us can actually watch the game in comfort

 

I think there should be a part of the stadium where you can bring your own seats. I'd bring my wing-backed leather armchair and velveteen pouffe.

 

Or maybe a trampoline.

 

Or maybe a jacuzzi.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the point about persistent standing currently raises a good point. Imo, it's far far more dangerous having a barrier that is up to your knee (the seat in front) than one that is up to your chest. And if you have safe standing than no-one will complain. You have half the stadium standing and half sitting and you book your seat accordingly. It's the choice factor for me that is why it should return. It will take one hell of a lobby to go through though. A tory government approaching an election won't want to upset anyone anytime soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...