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Post by oufcyellows on Apr 12, 2017 7:01:44 GMT
Trouble being I don't think these confrontations happened behind the goal ! So maybe you should be asking why the singers decided to not stand behind the goal I'm assuming you were not at the match then? I'll watch the match from where I like I've got no problem with either way, I'm more than happy with my nice seat at home, but fully enjoy standing and singing at away matches. And I can see both sides, football would be dull with no atmosphere, but why should I be made to move or sit in not as good a seat just because you don't wanna stand.
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Post by oldham on Apr 12, 2017 7:07:05 GMT
I only asked if you were not at the match because you said the incident didn't occur behind the goal? It very clearly did.
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Post by manorlounger on Apr 12, 2017 7:11:16 GMT
I can never understand why those that are particular eager to remain seated choose seats in prime 'singing' positions directly behind the goal. For as long as I've been going to football, behind the goal is the standing/singing section. If remaining seated is that important to you, it's probably better to place yourself either side of the goal. Read a few posts on here and you might begin to understand. If my ticket, bought blind from the ticket office, states seat number so and so and the stewards indicate that it is ALLOCATED SEATING then logic dictates that I should sit in my designated seat.
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Post by oufcyellows on Apr 12, 2017 7:16:56 GMT
I only asked if you were not at the match because you said the incident didn't occur behind the goal? It very clearly did. I don't mean the fight with the steward, but a couple of people on here have said they choose seats off to the side and at the front to avoid the issue , but still get people standing in front of them. Just needs a bit of give and take, either singers accept that if they can't get to the middle block behind the goal then they are going to have to sit down and not p*ss people off, or like I said before choose a block near the end, allowing people who get there early the better seats to sit down, and they can come in later and all be together without moving anyone. I'm sure atmosphere isn't any less loud at the ends of a stand, and believe the ultras would even prefer it if they could be at the front of a. Lock leading the singing fans behind them
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Post by manorlounger on Apr 12, 2017 7:21:54 GMT
And there was me worrying that Sky, the police, the EPL, and the local council H&S would sanitize our game. Turns out our own fans want to do it all on their own. Then you'll wonder why no youngsters are coming to games or why the atmosphere is stale or why our away form starts to match our home form. 😔😫 No-one is talking about sanitizing the game. All some of us would like is to enjoy the game and sit down in a seat that we have paid for. We are not advocating anything radical or detrimental to others. Your view point appears to be that we should accept that the "youngsters" hold sway and that we should accept having our enjoyment dictated by their behaviour. (fact is not all the singers/standers are youngsters) And, what about all those who cannot stand? Stop going? Accept that they will not be able to see the game? You don't want sanitization? Let's go back to leather footballs with laces, good old fashioned tackles from boots with real studs screwed in, all standing wooden stands with smoking allowed anywhere, rattles being waved, overcrowding on the terraces, police baton crowd control with dogs barely on a leash, open air toilets (none for the ladies) football special trains, etc etc ...
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Post by Gary Baldi on Apr 12, 2017 7:29:14 GMT
Surely those that come in late should have fit where they can go, rather than wedging in wherever they feel, out of respect for other OUFC fans.
If an area is important, then ensure someone gets there early and politely sets the turf out so people are dealt with on a personal basis, rather than a group taking over. Might help a bit
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Post by oldham on Apr 12, 2017 7:29:51 GMT
I only asked if you were not at the match because you said the incident didn't occur behind the goal? It very clearly did. I don't mean the fight with the steward, but a couple of people on here have said they choose seats off to the side and at the front to avoid the issue , but still get people standing in front of them. Just needs a bit of give and take, either singers accept that if they can't get to the middle block behind the goal then they are going to have to sit down and not p*ss people off, or like I said before choose a block near the end, allowing people who get there early the better seats to sit down, and they can come in later and all be together without moving anyone. I'm sure atmosphere isn't any less loud at the ends of a stand, and believe the ultras would even prefer it if they could be at the front of a. Lock leading the singing fans behind them 👍
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Post by essexyellows on Apr 12, 2017 7:30:39 GMT
Think some folk are missing the point. It was allocated seating....... you should sit where the ticket says.
Problem: You don`t get to choose said seat when purchasing. Hence you get "sitters" mixed with "tanked up boisterous teenagers".
Solution: If the purchasing system doesn`t let you choose your seat (like Wembley) then seating should be "unreserved" and first come first served for location.
"Sitters" would then apply common sense and not sit in the block directly behind the goal & the tanked up teenagers can be arses in their own block. Easier to steward & everyone ends up happy......
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Post by Colin B on Apr 12, 2017 12:48:28 GMT
Think some folk are missing the point. It was allocated seating....... you should sit where the ticket says. Problem: You don`t get to choose said seat when purchasing. Hence you get "sitters" mixed with "tanked up boisterous teenagers". Solution: If the purchasing system doesn`t let you choose your seat (like Wembley) then seating should be "unreserved" and first come first served for location. "Sitters" would then apply common sense and not sit in the block directly behind the goal & the tanked up teenagers can be arses in their own block. Easier to steward & everyone ends up happy...... This.
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Post by rickyotto on Apr 12, 2017 12:55:20 GMT
And there was me worrying that Sky, the police, the EPL, and the local council H&S would sanitize our game. Turns out our own fans want to do it all on their own. Then you'll wonder why no youngsters are coming to games or why the atmosphere is stale or why our away form starts to match our home form. 😔😫 No-one is talking about sanitizing the game. All some of us would like is to enjoy the game and sit down in a seat that we have paid for. We are not advocating anything radical or detrimental to others. Your view point appears to be that we should accept that the "youngsters" hold sway and that we should accept having our enjoyment dictated by their behaviour. (fact is not all the singers/standers are youngsters) And, what about all those who cannot stand? Stop going? Accept that they will not be able to see the game? You don't want sanitization? Let's go back to leather footballs with laces, good old fashioned tackles from boots with real studs screwed in, all standing wooden stands with smoking allowed anywhere, rattles being waved, overcrowding on the terraces, police baton crowd control with dogs barely on a leash, open air toilets (none for the ladies) football special trains, etc etc ... Your intent may not be to sanitize the game but it's an unintended outcome perhaps. I'd echo the point that this game was nowhere close to a sell out, and that individuals were allocated seats at random so it's not a case that you had specifically got online early to choose your favorite seat like might occur at a home game. Furthermore we all know from years of experience that the area right behind the goal is the rowdy area where singers congregate. It's part of football culture. It's what makes it great in my opinion. It happened on the London Road and the more fragile located themselves in the beech road or the periphery of the LR. I understand that you deserve a good matchday experience too, but I really don't see what prevents that with the current set up of youngsters congregating and singing behind the goal. (Sorry if my opening post looked a little confrontational - not my intent just some frustration coming out sideways)
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Post by Mark on Apr 12, 2017 13:58:49 GMT
It's probably more noticable at an away game where all the away fans are in one all seater stand, particularly if there's a decent away crowd. If there is a choice between seats and terrace like at Bristol Rovers, the sitters usually pick the seats. If it's just a terrace, people can go where they like anyway.
I like the idea of allocating a singing block and our ticket office puts those seats in a separate pile, but that then perhaps needs stewarding to prevent overcrowding if it sells out. Also could be issues if the club is seen to be condoning unsafe standing.
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Post by grenobleroad on Apr 12, 2017 15:27:50 GMT
Think some folk are missing the point. It was allocated seating....... you should sit where the ticket says. Problem: You don`t get to choose said seat when purchasing. Hence you get "sitters" mixed with "tanked up boisterous teenagers". Solution: If the purchasing system doesn`t let you choose your seat (like Wembley) then seating should be "unreserved" and first come first served for location. "Sitters" would then apply common sense and not sit in the block directly behind the goal & the tanked up teenagers can be arses in their own block. Easier to steward & everyone ends up happy...... To throw a curveball to that suggestion, what about when it's somewhere like Peterborough away? We were on the side, I stood because I like too but would have had no choice as due to the large section in front of me I had to stand and the majority of the stand did aswel. No easy answer to this, I have sympathy for both sitters & standers.
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Post by ZeroTheHero on Apr 12, 2017 15:35:07 GMT
To throw a curveball to that suggestion, what about when it's somewhere like Peterborough away? We were on the side, I stood because I like too but would have had no choice as due to the large section in front of me I had to stand and the majority of the stand did aswel. To be fair, there was such a ridiculously small amount of leg-room at Peterborough you almost had no choice other than to stand up anyway!!!
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Post by grenobleroad on Apr 12, 2017 16:25:23 GMT
To throw a curveball to that suggestion, what about when it's somewhere like Peterborough away? We were on the side, I stood because I like too but would have had no choice as due to the large section in front of me I had to stand and the majority of the stand did aswel. To be fair, there was such a ridiculously small amount of leg-room at Peterborough you almost had no choice other than to stand up anyway!!! Yeah that's true, those seats were made for the Warwick Davies of this world!
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Post by essexyellows on Apr 12, 2017 16:39:31 GMT
To throw a curveball to that suggestion, what about when it's somewhere like Peterborough away? We were on the side, I stood because I like too but would have had no choice as due to the large section in front of me I had to stand and the majority of the stand did aswel. To be fair, there was such a ridiculously small amount of leg-room at Peterborough you almost had no choice other than to stand up anyway!!! Terraces converted into seating need banning IMHO..... bolting seats onto things like the Stratton Bank doesn`t make it "seating" or "safe".
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Post by Denissmithswig on Apr 13, 2017 12:00:02 GMT
I think a bit of common sense needs to come into play with this. I remember stewards at Pompey on the first day of the season making it allocated seating and when they checked my ticket they asked me to move to my seat. I calmly explained to them that I would move seat when they had made everyone in the stand sit in the correct seat. They seemed to understand where I was coming from as they walked off and left me alone.
Football has certain unwritten rules and one of those is that at away games it is first come first served on seating or standing position. If you want to sit all game then you go on the side or down at the front. If you want to sign you are in the centre block and normally at the back but these days it does seem the norm for the ultras to go at the front which they may want to re-think if it is going to upset people.
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Post by manorlounger on Apr 13, 2017 13:45:13 GMT
I think a bit of common sense needs to come into play with this. I remember stewards at Pompey on the first day of the season making it allocated seating and when they checked my ticket they asked me to move to my seat. I calmly explained to them that I would move seat when they had made everyone in the stand sit in the correct seat. They seemed to understand where I was coming from as they walked off and left me alone. Football has certain unwritten rules and one of those is that at away games it is first come first served on seating or standing position. If you want to sit all game then you go on the side or down at the front. If you want to sign you are in the centre block and normally at the back but these days it does seem the norm for the ultras to go at the front which they may want to re-think if it is going to upset people. Very sensible and reasonable. But, as we all know, common sense often seems to evaporate in the minds of some stewards!
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Post by essexyellows on Apr 13, 2017 14:22:15 GMT
I think a bit of common sense needs to come into play with this. I remember stewards at Pompey on the first day of the season making it allocated seating and when they checked my ticket they asked me to move to my seat. I calmly explained to them that I would move seat when they had made everyone in the stand sit in the correct seat. They seemed to understand where I was coming from as they walked off and left me alone. Football has certain unwritten rules and one of those is that at away games it is first come first served on seating or standing position. If you want to sit all game then you go on the side or down at the front. If you want to sing you are in the centre block and normally at the back but these days it does seem the norm for the ultras to go at the front which they may want to re-think if it is going to upset people. Nailed it..... based on "unwritten rules". Maybe some of said "Ultras" could explain their decision to be so awkward..... if they have recovered from sniffing lager !!
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Post by plonker on Apr 13, 2017 17:40:35 GMT
I think a bit of common sense needs to come into play with this. I remember stewards at Pompey on the first day of the season making it allocated seating and when they checked my ticket they asked me to move to my seat. I calmly explained to them that I would move seat when they had made everyone in the stand sit in the correct seat. They seemed to understand where I was coming from as they walked off and left me alone. Football has certain unwritten rules and one of those is that at away games it is first come first served on seating or standing position. If you want to sit all game then you go on the side or down at the front. If you want to sign you are in the centre block and normally at the back but these days it does seem the norm for the ultras to go at the front which they may want to re-think if it is going to upset people. The group were (presumably still are) willing to displace ST holders in the East stand by moving their section to another area. Some of which I'm sure have sat there for a long time. Draw your own conclusions re: upsetting people. I personally enjoy standing. I feel far more comfortable singing and shouting about from a standing position. But that's just me. I would never intentionally stand in front of those wanting to sit though. Surely just selling tickets without seating allocation would be the obvious solution.
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Post by captainox on Apr 13, 2017 17:57:24 GMT
Football is one of the only "entertainments" (couldn't think of a better word) where there are examples of venue where you pay your money and just get allocated a seat without any choice whatsoever. When this occurs, there shouldn't be any enforcement of sit in your "allocated seat" because it just causes chaos.
The problem at Walsall was that the main group of singers who prefer to stick as one group came in at about 14:50 when the majority of fans had already arrived - therefore they had all been told to sit in allocated seat and were already in it. And they chose to go as far forwards as they could at Walsall. No problem with that but you could see a number of people who were one or two rows back immediately move elsewhere.
Safe standing doesn't necessarily solve the problem as my understanding of those already in place is that you are allocated a standing space similar to how seated stands work now. i.e. Row J, Space 12. So the potential for exactly the same problem still exists as people go to their allocated spot.
The wonder of an open terrace was that you could move about if you ended up stood near people who were drunk/racist/abusive/too tall/any other issue. Safe standing doesn't allow that as easily or not when it is allocated spaces. Obviously, if it was unreserved, stand where you want, it would be fine. But then again, so would unreserved, sit where you want.
The solution must already exist to enable an option when booking to select different areas. For Middlesbrough, there was an option on the online booking system to select the 'no standing' section because this area of seats was in front of the disabled area. Surely something similar could be done for away allocations where we are expected to shift a large amount of tickets. At Walsall last week, it would have needed a maximum 0f 100-150 tickets just to be grouped together and specifically asked for.
Perhaps the ultras/singers could have a chat with the club in pre-season and indicate where they might want to position themselves in the stands at each away game as obviously it isn't in the same place at every ground because of the design of the stands. Front few rows at Walsall, halfway up at Peterborough, halfway up at Middlesbrough, front of the upper tier at MK Dons, back right at Birmingham, front right in the corner at Gillingham.
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Post by plonker on Apr 13, 2017 18:12:32 GMT
I think it would have benefited the singers being further back at Walsall. When they sung Eastwood's song for example, several where I was standing said "what are they singing?", "no idea", etc. Which is why it sounded like they only had about 10 people singing. If they had been towards the back, that sound would have traveled passed Oxford fans and more may have been inclined to join in, rather than the sound being lost by traveling straight out of the stand. I think they sang it twice, no idea how it goes though.
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Post by Mark on Apr 15, 2017 12:45:01 GMT
Yesterday saw some fans with crutches hiking right to the top of the top tier of the TL Dallas stand at Bradford. Haven't our fans got any common sense that it would have been easier to sit on the lower tier.
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Post by aaronoxf on Apr 16, 2017 11:53:01 GMT
My allocated seat at Bradford was right behind a pillar, i paid the same, if not more than others (£25) so does that mean i should have stayed in my seat and had an unpleasant experience or do you think i took the right option in moving?
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Post by oldman159 on Apr 16, 2017 19:02:45 GMT
went to Walsall and like many that day only got into the ground just before K.O. My "allocated" seat was about 5 rows up, dead centre. (Slap bang in the middle of the ultras ) Now, I think they do a great job and I am happy that they are singing and chanting throughout...but I cannot (nor want to) stand for 90 plus min at my age so I chose to move out to the side where there were several empty rows. Great view but after half time a foul mouthed and totally unpleasant character (who I think had been 'moved' from somewhere else on the other end of the stand) came and sat behind me mouthing off at the top of his voice. Seems every one of our players was a lazy F n C...totally useless in all respects...etc etc.. I moved again. Why do these people bother?
So for me - Allocated seating at away games? No thank you.
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Post by kidintheriot on Apr 17, 2017 16:31:37 GMT
Just read this thread and noted people talking about the front, the middle and back behind the goal, why should sitters be forced down to the front rows for a poor view etc.
Wouldn't it be simpler to (informally I suppose) divide each away stand in half (left side and right side) and standers and sitters stick to this demarcation (regardless of what you're allocated seat says? THis way each group still has the option of the front, middle and back. Only issue I suppose is if there is less than half a stand of "standers".
You can tell the season is going well and the club is being run seasonably!
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