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Post by toonarmy on Mar 17, 2014 21:19:47 GMT
Can't argue with that logic
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Post by bushstone on Mar 17, 2014 22:10:33 GMT
We have a handful of idiots who seem hell bent on causing trouble at some of our games, these people must be known to somebody, if they are known they should be reported, it simply isn't fair to tarnish everybody in the Townend due to the actions of a few idiots who in all honesty aren't Maidstone supporters, I know quite a few people who stand in the Townend and they are first class and people who I am happy to have a pint with.....COYS If nobody knows who they are then how do you know they aren't Maidstone fans? Aha...Toonster...caught out by Inspector NWS I've got to say Toon said Maidstone 'supporters' you've changed it to 'fans' This may seem like semantics but I think that no true supporter would throw beer or indeed do anything to tarnish the club whereas a fan might. Equally a Fan might berate the players and get on their back for poor performances whereas a supporter will commiserate and encourage the same player, following the same performance. This changes the point being made. The idiots Toon refers to are not supporters regardless of whether they are fans or long term followers of MUFC. Their behaviour excludes them from being classed as supporters. Again I don't want this to get lost in message board politics, and get the humour, but do feel there is a distinction.
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Post by jdl on Mar 17, 2014 22:29:12 GMT
I'm not a fan of segregation. One of the joys of non-league football is that you can talk to away fans as football fan to football fan, not as sworn enemies.
Also, it's difficult to have 'a bit' of segregation - how do you ensure only away fans end up in the segregated area, for instance? You end up with what we had at Dartford (separate turnstiles, physically separated areas of the ground - which are dead for many games where the away team doesn't have many travelling fans) - or worse. I haven't been to Priestfields in years, but the old away terrace, with it's high fence, was far from the most pleasant way of watching a game. And anyone who was at the Cambridge play-off game will shudder at the memory of those cages they had us in.
And, once a segregated area is established it gives the home idiots an easy target for abuse (and worse). In many ways, segregation actually creates the situation it is supposed to be preventing. In most cases, fans from opposing teams don't act like wild animals if they find themselves standing near supporters of the other side, but segregate them and then see what happens - men shouting the most vicious obscenities and threats at other men over the heads of a line of policemen guarding the empty seats separating them. And mostly only able to behave like that because they know the police won't let them actually have to back up their words and threats.
No, segregation is not the answer, certainly not at the low level of problems we experience. The answer is vigilance by the decent fans, and effective stewarding. We shouldn't ignore or tolerate abusive, threatening or aggressive behaviour, and the stewards should move to eject anyone who behaves like that as soon as they start.
If beer was thrown at away supporters on Saturday, plenty of our own fans must have seen it, some maybe even knew the people doing it. So why did not of them call the stewards, or, at least, come forward afterwards?
Zero tolerance is the only solution.
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Post by jdl on Mar 17, 2014 22:31:03 GMT
If nobody knows who they are then how do you know they aren't Maidstone fans? Aha...Toonster...caught out by Inspector NWS I've got to say Toon said Maidstone 'supporters' you've changed it to 'fans' This may seem like semantics but I think that no true supporter would throw beer or indeed do anything to tarnish the club whereas a fan might. Equally a Fan might berate the players and get on their back for poor performances whereas a supporter will commiserate and encourage the same player, following the same performance. This changes the point being made. The idiots Toon refers to are not supporters regardless of whether they are fans or long term followers of MUFC. Their behaviour excludes them from being classed as supporters. Again I don't want this to get lost in message board politics, and get the humour, but do feel there is a distinction. Bugger me. Now I don't know if I'm a supporter or a fan!
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Post by bushstone on Mar 17, 2014 22:46:26 GMT
I've got to say Toon said Maidstone 'supporters' you've changed it to 'fans' This may seem like semantics but I think that no true supporter would throw beer or indeed do anything to tarnish the club whereas a fan might. Equally a Fan might berate the players and get on their back for poor performances whereas a supporter will commiserate and encourage the same player, following the same performance. This changes the point being made. The idiots Toon refers to are not supporters regardless of whether they are fans or long term followers of MUFC. Their behaviour excludes them from being classed as supporters. Again I don't want this to get lost in message board politics, and get the humour, but do feel there is a distinction. Bugger me. Now I don't know if I'm a supporter or a fan! Ha Ha, I'm sure that most people are supporters, how many beers have you thrown at anyone (in life let alone at visiting fans)? I think pretty much all supporters are also fans. The point I was trying to make is that those that misbehave, in various forms, are not really supporting the club/team and can actually start to undermine the hard work put in by everyone.
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Post by cityboy on Mar 18, 2014 5:59:37 GMT
Bognor fan here. Very disappointed to read these comments, most of which are unfair as normally where ever we go; and we take a fair support to most games we have NO trouble. The match at Dulwich a few weeks ago was unfortunate it that a few people on a stag day in London with Bognor fans were a little OTT. Any damage done and it was broken fixing brackets not hoardings ripped off the walls etc was I believe paid for. The other antics were just high jinks on such a day. Dulwich however with their biggest crowd of the season should look at themselves however as they had insufficient stewards, bar staff and only one food outlet open which caused problems on the day. I anticipate there will be a fair following for this game depending on league standings etc, and yes there are a fair amount having a weekend away. However this has happened many times before with no problems. In the past we have always enjoyed good banter with Maidstone fans and I can never recollect any trouble with the two sets of fans. I think that maybe certain members of your forum are perhaps over reacting without knowing the true facts and have perhaps not come across us before. Anyway all said and done I look forward to seeing your magnificent new ground and an entertaining game in April.
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Post by islandstone on Mar 18, 2014 7:20:07 GMT
I firmly believe we should go back to the days of segregation that way we can steam the away end and chase the opposing fans all over the place. I do miss those days. All of you who agree say huzzah. Bryan your too old (not to your face) and toon your too soft.
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Post by Sennockian69 on Mar 18, 2014 9:55:13 GMT
I firmly believe we should go back to the days of segregation that way we can steam the away end and chase the opposing fans all over the place. I do miss those days. All of you who agree say huzzah. Bryan your too old (not to your face) and toon your too soft. I D I OT!
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Post by islandstone on Mar 18, 2014 9:59:02 GMT
Whoooosh you fat t**t
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Post by stonedlove on Mar 18, 2014 9:59:22 GMT
I would hate to see segregation. One of the highlights on Saturday for me was seeing the Dulwich fans file into the middle of the Town End after obviously enjoying the hospitality of the Spitfire for an extra 15 minutes. Their flag-waving, drum-banging fans/supporters out-sung the Town End in the first half and made me smile a good deal. It was hard to concentrate on the game watching those loons. Fair play and well done to them. OK - some pin-head threw a drink (it wasn't an accident - I saw it - it came from the back - just left of the goal (facing the pitch (standing in the Town End (sorry - old LISP programmer)))). The big games seem to attract a, shall we say, less mature element who seem to think it's OK to drink lager and then realise it's not and so use it as a sort of dirty protest and launch it towards people having a better time than them rather than having to own up to the fact that they are so inebriated from their first pint that they can manage to drink no more. It's unfortunate - but people are not stabbing each other. I think if it happens again and you can clearly identify the culprit (I could not on Saturday) then a quiet word in a steward's ear should suffice. Somebody must have been stood next to the twit, but segregation? Please no.
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Post by headstone on Mar 18, 2014 11:17:46 GMT
I don't recall any trouble from Bognor fans at the last game at Sittingbourne, but there could be good reasons for this, viz 1) they overturned a two goal half time deficit so were very happy 2) their fans didn't go to Sittingbourne (and who could blame them?) 3) Maidstone fans were too chilled to react to any provocation after buying their Brighton tickets or 4) everyone was too soaked to the skin to cause any trouble. Or, because they don't generally cause trouble, of course.
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Post by ontheup on Mar 18, 2014 11:23:59 GMT
Bognor fan here. Very disappointed to read these comments, most of which are unfair as normally where ever we go; and we take a fair support to most games we have NO trouble. The match at Dulwich a few weeks ago was unfortunate it that a few people on a stag day in London with Bognor fans were a little OTT. Any damage done and it was broken fixing brackets not hoardings ripped off the walls etc was I believe paid for. The other antics were just high jinks on such a day. Dulwich however with their biggest crowd of the season should look at themselves however as they had insufficient stewards, bar staff and only one food outlet open which caused problems on the day. I anticipate there will be a fair following for this game depending on league standings etc, and yes there are a fair amount having a weekend away. However this has happened many times before with no problems. In the past we have always enjoyed good banter with Maidstone fans and I can never recollect any trouble with the two sets of fans. I think that maybe certain members of your forum are perhaps over reacting without knowing the true facts and have perhaps not come across us before. Anyway all said and done I look forward to seeing your magnificent new ground and an entertaining game in April. Relax cityboy, relax, I suspect that once again certain "issues" have been blown out of all context and Bognor fans are being tarred with the same brush. And is with your situation at Dulwich it only takes a tiny minority to become the focus of attention, and this diverts away from what is/was a quite brilliant game. It's easy for fans from other clubs to read each others forums and put opposition clubs in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, and thus make other clubs look "bad" whilst hiding issues within their own ranks. I've read Dulwich's forum, and I'm quite disappointed to hear the things they are writing about us (as you are by what you are reading on here) I was stood with the Dulwich fans in the 2nd half and I thought they were a credit to their club, however the knee jerk reaction is to now point out the 1 or 2 fans who weren't a credit to their club.....purely in defence of my own club. I appreciate there have been issues at our place, but considering the crowds we get, the matches we've played, in the main we don't have a problem. However, the issues we do have can't be ignored. And obviously when it comes to it, each set of fans blames the other and it just becomes a pointless exercise in tit for tat. ie Dulwich highlight a couple of your fans who misbehave on your forum, and you moan about the lack of stewarding at Dulwich on your forum. The basic problem is our ground is too small for the crowds we get and so the "non league" tradition of changing ends can't really be adhered to, but when we have larger numbers of away fans, they expect to be able to change ends in the traditional way (which I don't have an issue with)....I personally wouldn't want to steam into a packed end of home fans and expect to be welcomed with open arms by all, at present the choice is there for visiting fans to mix on a packed terrace. Beer is also allowed on this terrace (in the traditonal non league way) and whilst the banter between fans can be a little on the edge, the flashpoint often comes when there is a "big moment" on the pitch...ie a goal being scored......you have rival sets of fans stood side by side, going through different "football" emotions at the same time....fans celebrating a goal are elated, fans conceding a goal are annoyed......fans with drinks in hand, throw pints into the air (probably because it's easier than holding them) with their arms and already annoyed away fans get soaked.....hey presto. So who's to blame? home fans, away fans, stewards, bar staff, upbringing, social skills......well this would obviously depend on what club you followed (we blame Wealdstone, they blame us, Dulwich blame Bognor, Bognor blame Dulwich) but ultimately it's a mixture of all these things.....which is why the subject of segregation has come up. Personally I'd prefer you left our place talking about the football, and when I left on Saturday, the vast majority of Dulwich fans were doing just that......but negative news seems to travel a lot faster than positive news
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Post by Sennockian69 on Mar 18, 2014 12:05:38 GMT
Maybe 800 additional places at the Gallagher will resolve this.
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Post by ontheup on Mar 18, 2014 12:31:23 GMT
And this from Pink Panther (where are you PP?) makes much better reading:
"And not once did anyone comment that the pitch had made much difference."
Actually I thought the pitch made a huge difference. It's the first match I've seen for about three months that hasn't been influenced by the ball sticking on a sodden surface or players slipping over in the mud; or by skilful players being made to look poor by the ball bobbling around unpredictably on a dry bumpy surface. Unsurprisingly it was also the best match I've seen in the last three months.
(I take exception to that caption reading "A solitary Dulwich flag amongst the Maidstone massive" I recognise just about everyone in that crowd shot as a Hamlet fan!)
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Post by islandstone on Mar 18, 2014 12:54:48 GMT
Maybe 800 additional places at the Gallagher will resolve this. Maybe you should get a haircut.
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