I do feel passionately about the club languishing towards the bottom of the league. I also feel passionately about this issue. Not because I prefer to stand personally (and bought a seat that does not interfere with anyone else's vision if I choose to do so).

This issue concerns me because I can see people start to get more and more disillutioned with OUR football club. Less people buying season tickets and matchday tickets = less cash for our club to spend on staying in this division.

Can I just clear something up.

There is no law in force that prohibits standing at a football ground.

Is that correct ?

Trafford Borough Council have threatened to close Old Trafford unless ManU sort out their standing problem.

For your benefit Jim

http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/ac..._en_2.htm#mdiv3

I direct you to section 11 para 1. specifically.

11.—(1) The Secretary of State may, by order, direct the licensing authority to include in any licence to admit spectators to any specified premises a condition imposing requirements as respects the seating of spectators at designated football matches at the premises; and it shall be the duty of the authority to comply with the direction.

Therefore it would not require a change in legislation to allow standing. Just for information.

Can I just clear something up.

There is no law in force that prohibits standing at a football ground.

The Football Spectators Act 1989, which was rushed through Parliament after the tragedy at Hillsborough, makes reference to the Secretary of State having the power to require the Licensing Authority to insist on seating.

As we know this has been included in license requirements for some time, albeit selectively in the top two divisions.

The other main inclusion in the above act is the requirement of every person who wishes to attend a football game in England to be a member of a national membership scheme.

Needless to say the second farcical idea was thrown out.

The biggest issue for me, and the reason I am going to speak to club about it, is the wmanner in which Blackburn Rovers staff choose to attempt to enforce the legislation. I firmly believe their current approach is actually causing more problems and causing more danger (if you beleive that standing is dangerous) than it is resolving.

Stewards/police should remove all those fans who stand up throughout the match without due regard for those sitting behind them. They should be ejected from the ground and banned from Ewood.

your astounding tolerance of others astounds me jim.

Banned from Ewood?

Nowt like a sledgehammer to crack a nut

Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am arranging to go into the club and speak to Stuart Caley about this issue.  I am fairly confident of the reply I will get.  If anyone wants me to raise a specific point I am happy to do so.

Please send me a PM if this is the case.

Stu

OK,

as a follow up to this post I have arranged to see Stuart (and possibly John Newsham) at 1pm next Tuesday 26th October.

Thanks to those who have PM'd info to me.

AS I said I am happy to raise any reasonable issue that I receive before about 6pm on Monday. I will of course post a full synopsis on here sometimeTuesday evening.

Stu

Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am arranging to go into the club and speak to Stuart Caley about this issue. I am fairly confident of the reply I will get. If anyone wants me to raise a specific point I am happy to do so.

Please send me a PM if this is the case.

Stu

Basically the rovers dont want to eject any of their own fans as we need as many as we can get. However, the licensing authority regulations set the rules and if it is seen rovers are not following the guidelines then further action will be taken.

SS,

I posted this on the official message board.

Whilst not all relevant some points are....

Standing up is against the rules set by the Football Licensing Authority. We can debate the pros and cons of this until the coews come home, its likely to stay as it is for the foreseeable future.

The difficulty that Blackburn Rovers currently have is in the way Mr Newsham and Mr Caley (amongst others) choose to try and implement the rules. They appear to be under the (misguided) illusion that alienating the fans will staop them standing up.

Last season I would guess that there was less than 50 persistent standers at the back of the Blackburn End, this season there is a hell of a lot more. Why is this?

- Indiscrimate letters to EVERYONE in this area, regardless of whether they sit or stand. The correct way to get up everyone's noses.

- Heavy handed stewarding, the likes of the young lad on the NO1 stairwell are too young, inexperienced, and quite frankly naive to understand what is happening, "harry potter" is doing what he is told to do by his superiors, I suspect the poor lad has had the minimum in terms of training (which is nothing - seriosuly) and has been put in what must be the most difficult area of the ground to steward.

- The trouble with the incident on saturday involving the boro fans was that the club (specifically Stuart Caley) failed to prevent the fans in question gesturing, and instead of solving the problem by removing (or calming them down!) the offending fans. What did they do? Kick out some Rovers season tickets holders?

A bizarre approach some might think. I certainly do!

It is a shame that when Mr Williams and the rest of the board are working relatively hard to stabilise season ticket sales when some jumped up jobsworth is managing to alienate the very fans they should be encouraging.

I have been to many football grounds and have never experienced a situation where the home fans are treated in a worse way than the away fans. FRankly who cares if we upset some scousers..... £28 a year - buig deal!

If we upset our own fans that is a hell of a lot more if (WHEN) the dont come back.

Lee - I hope that the relevant people at the club are directed to this (and other) message boards and that the strength of feeling is taken on board. I have tried emailing Mr Newsham and Mr Caley twice in the last fortnigth and neither has had the courtesy to even acknowledge my email, never mind offer a full reply. Whatever happened to the customer charter?

If you want the box for the full season, with sponsorship hoarding I beleive it is £26k +Vat.

http://www.rovers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Cor...,,10303,00.html

As we dont sell all the boxes (we dont have many either - most of the space in the Darwen End and some in the Nuttall Street are suites, not boxes.) we offer them for sale by the match, it costs around £100 per head plus vat, depending on the opposition.

Im sorry I dont buy this safety line. I used to do a lot of work in H&S. Bottom line if something isnt safe dont do it.

If standing is sobloody dangerous then at most home games the match should be stopped and the Darwen End emptied of supporters.

In a way I actually feel sorry for the stewards themselves. ESpecially that lad who mans the stairwell in No1 - he just does what he is told.

What he does do however is bring a lot on himself, he doesnt have the ability to take the banter, he gets all on his high horse. He even gave me dirty looks at half time as I walked up their stairs back to the stand. Poor little lad.

- As a season ticket holder it cost me more last season than if I were to buy tickets for each game and take advantage of the clubs offers. Mind you...bonus of all bonuses .... I get first refusal on away games, sure sell outs..... - don't make me laugh!

Ive done the maths on here numerous times so I shant bother again. Suffice to say that it was around £70 cheaper to buy a season ticket last season than to purchase individual match tickets for every game.

Its obviosuly not much different this season, although we no longer have category C matches.

Can I clarify who you mean?

Do you mean the supervisor - the guy with the short dark hair and orange jacket who wanders around with a short haired women?

Or do you mean the portly gent with dark glasses and a shirt and tie who stands with his hands on his hips and stares at people?

I would be interested to know which box it was that had the boro fans in that were being a nuisance.

Even a general location of the box (boxes?) in question would be appreciated..

i.e. Middle of the bburn end or the one far left / right in the corner etc.

The box was the third one in from the Jack Walker side of the Blackburn End.

Thinking that the first was empty

The second had the kids drawing on the window (and Stuart Caley for part of the second half)

And the third being the muppets.

Thanks for that.

I think I know who's box it is....

Don't know how I am going to broach the subject of our Corporate guests acting like complete tw*ts in our box to the M.D. of our company.

Seen as though I am pretty sure that the MD will have been there whilst they were doing the above.......

My advice, dont bother.

IF our club decide to take action let them do it.

Did anyone else have their Dino-card checked yesterday.

As I entered the Turnstyle G, I was unpolitely asked to show my dino-card to the steward.

Mine was turned inside out in the wallet, as suggested to me by the same steward who DEMANDED to see it yesterday.

After having to wait until 1.45 to be let in.

I would be interested to know which box it was that had the boro fans in that were being a nuisance.

Even a general location of the box (boxes?) in question would be appreciated..

i.e. Middle of the bburn end or the one far left / right in the corner etc.

The box was the third one in from the Jack Walker side of the Blackburn End.

Thinking that the first was empty

The second had the kids drawing on the window (and Stuart Caley for part of the second half)

And the third being the muppets.

Correct Kiwi,

But as long as the clib continue to treat home fans like animals and throw them around, as long as the continue to put away fans in corporate boxes in the Blackburn End, as long as they continue to take no action about such fans, as long as it is one rule for us and one rule for them, as long as the steward on the staircase continues to try and pick fights with fans..... the situation will only get worse.

Stuart Caley went into the box next to them to really show them who was boss! So not only are we crap on the pitch, but we are crap in the stands as well.

Im furious. Absolutely furious.

I had a great (sic) of the police throwing a Rovers fan down the steps of NO1, disgusting and could have killed him,,,are you happy Newsham?

Preston blue - perhaps it would be an idea to post it? If not - perhaps emailing it to John Newsham might help?

Or you could bang your head into a brick wall? It might be more use

I would be more than happy to take anyone's view/opinions/experiences regarding this matter to the next fans forum.

That's providing there is another fans forum meeting! The club don't seem to be very keen to communicate with us at the minute.

Kiwi,

Having made my views to John Newsham and Stuart Caley via email twice in the last fortnight (and very reasonable I was too!) and neither of them having the courtesy to even reply speaks volumes about the way these individuals operate.

I had a great (sic) of the police throwing a Rovers fan down the steps of NO1, disgusting and could have killed him,,,are you happy Newsham?

Preston blue - perhaps it would be an idea to post it? If not - perhaps emailing it to John Newsham might help?

Or you could bang your head into a brick wall? It might be more use

I am horrified. I seriously wonder where John Newsham, Stuart Caley et al think the fans to replace those who either get banned or start to drift off because of their attitude and that of their staff. WE have Boro fans in a bix behind the Blackburn End gesturing and the like yet when our fans commit the heinous crime of, wait for it, standing up. They get treated like animals and herded out.

Whilst the ruck that seeminghly occured at the bottom of the NO1 steps was unacceptable I absolutely understand people's feelings.

The club demonstrates how highly we think of our own fans by these actions.

Sad to see.

1864 - well said, out of interest where do you sit?

Apart from the decent reasons Colin highlighted , it'll never happen precisely because we live in a nanny state , particularly with this control freak Gov't we have at present . How the hell will our wonderful stewards for example, who seem particularly fascistic about enforcing all petty rules , get to and eject people who smoke or swear or wear burberry etc ... This is a risk free country and this Gov't will never allow its subjects to take risks . Expect more rules and regulations , not less !

Rather than bleating inane empty rhetoric concerning the current government's policies perhaps you could remind us which political party that 'stumpy' nemesis of the football fraternity Colin Moynahan represented.

Sorry , Sparky , but as legislation would have to be brought in if all seaters are to go , then surely it is relevant as to what the policies are of the current Gov't .

Moynahan was a Tory if I remember correctly but what relevance that has to me or this debate is a mystery ....Unless for some stupid reason only you can comprehend you think I'm a Tory....

Im not too sure about this.

The Football Spectators Act sayd something along thelines of that that licensing authority have the power to insist on seats being a condition of a license being issued. (not a direct quote)

OF course the aboce act was illthough out anyway. It also refers to a "NAtional Membership Scheme" all football members would have to join this to attend football games. Vanished almost as quickly as it arrived, unfortunately, the seating part didnt.

and lofty

mob mentality?

oh you mean that everyone is picking holes in your post. Perhaps it is nothing to do with mob mentality and more to do with you posting crap?

im most amused that an alledged fact comes from an unsubstantiated suggestion that other ceo's think rovers are badly run!!!

There have been numberous deaths at concerts and festivals, notably most recently the festival where Foo Fighters were playing and 30 odd peopke (I think) were crushed.

The risks are the same, in these environments as they were on a terrace.

Paul I take all your points, but why just football.

All the scenarios outlined and more can happen at Rugby, can happen at pop concerts, music festivals.......

The two most dangerous points in a football game......

A goal being scored. and everyone trying to leave just after the full time whistle.....

We dont get announcements saying, Rows 1-10 may stand up and leave the ground now do we?