I apologise in advance if this already has a thread of its own - however, I feel as if it deserves one. This is a rant and do tell me if I've gone OTT.
One of the biggest news stories in the last fortnight has been regarding an incident in football 27 years ago whereby 96 football fans lost their lives and many more were injured. Some of the most horrifying pictures are the ones of people climbing over others and over the fences in order to try and get from the stands onto the pitch.
This massive incident changed the way football grounds were planned and this involves removing all barriers between supporters and the pitch in order to prevent incidents such as the Hillsborough disaster occurring again.
The fact a fence was erected across the whole of the north stand on Saturday is outrageous and must've broken health and safety regulations. It blocked escape routes from the stands onto the pitch and I think it's quite distasteful. Especially after the results of the inquest a couple of weeks ago.
Yes - fans shouldn't be going anywhere near the pitch unless in an emergency.
Yes - things shouldn't be thrown onto the pitch.
Yes - they were expecting both to happen.
They should never have put netting up. There are other ways of preventing these things from occurring.
I think questions need to be asked regarding the matter.
13
Comments
Are you the type of person who would report a player, who has received a torrent of abuse, giving the away fans a rude hand gesture?
I want to know if there was a plan in place if an evacuation onto the pitch was necessary? If so who knew what to do if such circumstances arose? The same stewards who were told 'expect trouble'?
Yes there was a threat and you'd expect them to counter it but if we've learnt anything in the past few weeks and in fact 30 years. That is not the right way to go about it.
Yes, if needed, maybe it would have toppled, or maybe some of the inept stewards would have managed to rush on and remove it before people got caught up behind it, if say there had been a fire, but to me, that's not the point (or at least, not the only point).
In a post-Hillsborough world, you just don't give the appearance that you are caging in your fans.
And assuming in a panic caused by eg a fire that people will look and have time to ponder whether to move to the side or back, no, that's not what happens, people get as quickly away as possible.
I was under the impression that since Hillsborough, it was paramount to know exactly how many people were within the football ground at the time of the match.
I believe that the published figures are of tickets sold.
This must be wrong.
Anyone throw any light on the matter?
Any way the club are a bunch of cocks. I would want to sue them if a football landed within 5 feet of me at the moment. Which with our strikers is pretty likely
The entire thing, fittingly with a crappy bit by the goal, stood as a monument drawing further attention to the regime's tenure. With the club now joining in with symbolic gestures I think CARD needs to raise it's game!
Although I don't believe the netting per se created an H&S risk, there are still procedures that the Club is required to follow to satisfy the Licensing Authority.
The comparisons to Hillsborough are ignorant and boarder line offensive.
By submitting a public question you will generate a bit of publicity, perhaps a lot of interest if a number of questions were submitted by local residents... The Annual meeting of the Council is on Wednesday 18 May - I don't know whether public questions would be included on this agenda but there are contact details for Democratic Services on this webpage: http://committees.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=265&MId=4061 Robert Sutton will be able to advise you.
It would be interesting to find out the process by which Greenwich agreed to the erection of the netting (and indeed if any such approvals were necessary).
Unfortunately I am not a Greenwich resident...
Think again.
In the case of the North Lower if there had been a fire or security incident with the netting in place it could have caused a problem - the fact that there wasn't is irrelevant as is the fact it wasn't packed.
It needs to be highlighted just to show what the club priorities are.
Act first, think later/never.
What a load of fuss over a piece of netting.
http://www.football-league.co.uk/news/article/2016/football-league-statement-sky-bet-championship-trophy-presentation-3101039.aspx#bVeWA6drC2OtcV96.01
Burnley had thousands of supporters on the pitch descending onto the North. If they had surged forward on mass, they too would have been crushed, the iron poles may well have collapsed falling onto penned in fans. Whilst the majority of Police were trying to retain my small NW section, they had no idea what was going on behind them. Aside from all this, what if there had been a fire? Complete shambles in my opinion but what else to expect from this lot.
They have made some stupid decisions over the course of the season but not even they are that thick!!
It was a net, put up to stop objects getting lobbed on the pitch that were causing weekly disruption; that's it!! Can you really blame them??
Some of you wish RD dead, think KM'S parents are 'legitimate targets'. Some of you talk of 'civil war' being 'raped' - no, really - of families being 'torn apart' and the Charlton knight mascot being a pederast.
A bit of netting goes up and you wet yourselves.
Get a fucking grip.
And if a fire broke out behind you and the only way out was to wait for an usherette to come along and cut the netting down you'd be the one telling everybody to get a fucking grip