Watched several interesting discussions, arguements etc between our fans today over their desire to stand.
Now I for one enjoy standing at a game but surely it is reasonable in a sold out away stand where seating has been allocated to be respectful of others and take your seat especially if infirm pensioners or children are nearby. Where we do not have a sell out then yes get together and stand if the stewards are OK. Funny thing today though was those who wanted to stand were not the usual people I see at the non sold out away games and yet they were calling those around them who do 'non committed' etc.
A poor example of leading the desire to stand was shown by the fans director.
All it served to provoke was a lot of unpleasant bitterness between our fellow supporters that for me was the saddest outcome
The debate on being able to stand is one that does need to be revisited I for one like to have the option to stand if I so chose to do so in an allocated part of a ground
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It is a shame that the "standers" couldn't congregate at the back where they wouldn't obstruct the view of others.
You cannot stand when you are in a full stand and only a few rows from the front. Why do people have to do it? They don't do it home, unless they are at the back of the North upper. We're not Man Utd.
I'd rather stand on terraces but sometimes you need to show some respect to other supporters and to be honest to our hosts too.
To be honest it doesnt bother me whether I stand or sit, im certainly not a 'siddarn' but at the same time if people sit in front of me so will I. Ive stood a few times this season when those in front of me have, Fulham, Pompey, Arsenal.
As Rothko has campaigned for on several occasions, safe standing areas are the only way that this situation can be solved.
Standing in seated areas has only really become 'trendy' over the last 3 or 4 years once Man Yoo fans started doing it and the aftermath of Football Factory etc and now we have reached the point where its the 'look at me im standing arent I hard' which was what happended at Watford.
I had one gobby little prick in front of me yesterday who just because he had gulped a couple of shandy tops thought he could annoy everyone around us, "Wassa matter, why you not wanna stand and sing you f***in mugs" or equally well chosen words.
The temptation to go down a give him a clump and tell him that I was standing at Carlisle before he was even in nappies was great but then again whats the point eh.
The funny thing was, me and the others around me were singing, I dont think I stopped singing during the second half. But thats the difference. I will sit or stand and show respect to others around me and still watch the game and sing myself hoarse, while others will stand, pretend that they are in the B Mob, wear all the clobber, yet you'll be lucky if you get one chorus of VFR out of them at the game all day.
At the end of the day as Latimer said, there are elderly and kids that go to football, probably a bigger percentage at Charlton than most clubs, and if there was still terracing those people would choose to sit, look how many were in the seats at Chesterfield, probably as many as us on the luxury terrace, unless we get safe standing areas like they have in Germany, you should show respect to people around you.
Can I just add, that if we have to go to Selhurst next season, EVERYONE stands, OK :)
Some guy told me to sit down before the teams had even kicked off and that done my head in so i moved.
Thats what a few did,
As for the two blokes in red caps didnt see them myself. Saw a pocket at the front corner stand and a group at the back. As for the tall lad in the blue cap you were reffering to Southend I would much rather we had more fans like that than the large amount of people who wanted to sit in silence. I think this topic should be sunk as it will cause even more arguments.
Another point Southend, as for the "wannabe bmob" remarks please dont turn this thread into something along the lines of "all true charlton fans wear replica shirts" ;-)
The difference is, United, Everton and Liverpool have a different type of away support, mainly lads, and well up for it, we're still suffering from the Selhurst effect of losing that generation, and the younger lads aren't about in high enough numbers.
But lets not get smartarsed about this, All are welcomed, just the club needs to ticket it properly, with people who are going to stand sold tickets at the back, and those not, sold tickets in front. Self police it.
Otherwise, support a return to Safe Standing for people who want to stand in the long term
Thought the atmosphere was average to be honest. Thought it would've been a lot better for the importance of the game.
I like the idea of the club being honest and saying, OK people will stand so lets ask em at the ticket office and put them together.
Watford was the second game in a row with arguments about standing/sitting and tbh if the people behind me wanted me to sit down yesterday i would have answered much like the fella that southend mentioned. Maybe its unreasonable etc but for the importance of the game i wanted to stand and after a few drinks there are many, like me, who wont listen to those around them, say what you like but im just being honest.
RE southends comments about the people you were talking about, do you really beleive they hardly sing? ..... or where you just getting carried away with youre frustration?....you will find most of them in the H&J blocks and not many in there dont sing.
A woman near me asked a kid in front of her to sit down, and she got the predictable volley of abuse. That's why people don't "have a word" with the offender....
I think its a sad state of affairs in football that for such a big game the CAFC away support still didnt get behind the team as much as they should of.
Then people should stay seated.
You (and I to some extent) may not agree with it but the law says grounds are all seated.
In those circumstances the "sitters" have priority.
Sorry, cant do quotes.
Believe me, I am neither a replica shirt wearer or a siddarn. I am quite happy to stand.
Maybe the kid I was referring to is bad example. But he spent more time looking up the back/on his phone etc etc than actually singing songs.
We have to face facts that teams like West Ham, Man Utd, Spurs have an away support that are generally male 18-35 year olds.
We dont have that sort of support.
There was bloke behind me who is probably 85-90, goes with his son who has an orange beard, these two have been going for donkeys years, and call it manners or whatever, if they ask me to sit down, then I will.
Have some respect for others.
There is literally nothing we can do which is within the law that will see us standing on a sell out day, such as the the one at Watford.
Therefore i think it is up to the club to cater for the younger ones such as myself, who want to stand, and support there team more vocally than the croonies. As Boatie stated, perhaps the club should put a section for the 'standers' but then isn't that going against the all-seater stadium rule. And also a minority of people who stand get ejected for one reason or another, so that's another reason why they may say they do not want to go down that route.
But the key is to have respect, the old croonie who sit's behind you is no more or less of a fan than you, so if he ask's you kindly and in a respectful manner to sit down, (ie not grabbing on to your coat which happened to me a number of times last season) then you bloody well sit down. Although what does get on my nerves is the older ones, who feel it is satisfactory just to say 'siddddarrrrn' without being reasonable to the lad/lass who want's to shout his/her heart out. Like yesterday i had a what looked like 'valley older' sitting behind me, i hastily sat down and he appreciated it, and we had a good bit of banter, over ZZ lol.
So i just think that when it is a potential sell-out either, group up with the usual standers and buy your tickets together ( i know that's nigh on impossible but hey ho), or put up with sitting if the person behind you either does not want to or is not able to. Or be sneaky and try and stand with mates, then if it leads to stewards being involved, well that is totally up to you.
But lastly i do think the older generation can be a bit more helpful , when standers are in front of them, ie swap places, but it seems there is not too much unity when it comes to that sort of thing.
Bring on the City , where touch wood i/we will stand !
I am quite prepared to accept that we jump up and cheer/clap when the team comes out, when we score or at the end. Rothko and others are quite right to campaign for safe standing areas. The rest of the time people should sit down or be prepared to be ejected from the ground. It really is not acceptable to stand up in front of people who have paid their money for a seat.
What happens is the Middlesbrough scenario where people at the front stood the whole game so that those behind had to stand to see, and so on and so forth until almost everybody was standing. My son aged seven, could not see the game properly because adults in front were blocking his view. The whole point of seating is that it makes it possible for everybody to see the play. It was no point me complaining to them because they couldn't see over the people in front of them because they were standing as well.
It's rude, inconsiderate and anarchic and it should be stopped.
Get behind the campaign for safe standing please but don't ruin it for people who quite legitimately wish to sit.
But it's clear something does need to be sorted.
I can see why people want to stand but not at the expense of those who have bought tickets to sit in a seated area. If safe standing areas is what people want fine, I'll get involved in the campaign but not this way, which is the Manure way of "we're on your patch so f*ck you Jack, we're going to stand because we can"