As with most home games, away fans going back to the station go round the fence and mingle with home fans. Even more away fans don't spot that way back to the station and end up having to do almost a complete circuit outside the ground in an anti-clockwise direction against the clockwise flow of home fans to get to the stairs & walkway back to town. Yesterday there was a big lorry/portakabin parked outside the S/E corner after the game. Result? Gridlock, with hundreds walking through carparks or up grass embankments to avoid it. Premier League : you're having a laugh.
If away fans tell the coppers they have come by train they will open the gate and make their walk to the bridge shorter. BTW, did you notice that for a game with a large away following there seemed to be very few coppers about? Nirmally there is overkill for a handful of fans. Maybe they were hoping something would kick off to justify a ridiculous presence at the next gamecwithna smaller away following?
Plenty down Anlaby Road before the game guarding the derelict Carlton cinema, Wenlock Barracks and other notorious 'flashpoints'
Saw 4 outside Parkers and didn't see another until I passed by some at the park and ride bus stop. Obviously that could be a flashpoint area as there were 6 there. Never saw any walking up to the stadium or away from which is unusual and didn't notice any lounging about in the NE tunnel or elsewhere in the ground. Not complaining. It shows how unnecessary their over the top presence around and especially inside the stadium is.
If Pardew tried that in E1 or E2, he would be out and banned. Presumably he will escape banning/prosecution for his threatening and aggressive behaviour.
Saw a few coppers in their vans down Argyll Street afterwards. One of the vans had trouble with it's radiator and they were calling for assistance. Put a smile on my face after the result.
At the end of the game, there must have been a dozen coppers stood around the front of the members car park, you don't normally see it kicking off in the executive car park, maybe they were checking for a Bentley with an out of date tax disc.
None there when I walked by straight after game. Apparently some pubs in Cottingham had been warned by the police to expect trouble. Which makes their low profile compared to games with smaller away followings perplexing. Or maybe not to any of us conspiracy theorists.
Immediately after the game, there were 3/4 stood at the entrance to the first car park and at least 6 at the crossing to get to the flyover.
Well, I didn't see any when I came out of the East Stand. I remarked on the lack of coppers to my lad. Some others remarked about it when some gobby but not aggressive Geordies went by the bus stop after the coppers lounging around near the park and ride had promptly disappeared after the police motor cyclists had stopped blocking all the traffic waiting for the coaches from Newcastle to depart then leaving everyone else to fend for themselves.
Home fans are harassed for having tins of Coke, yet away fans are free to do as they please - including celebrating loudly in home sections. What a ****ing joke club. It's an absolute embarrassment. How hard can it be for the club to tell the stewards to do their job properly?
I was actually asked to sit down by a steward at 19:04 whilst stood singing "city till I die". Apparently I was blocking peoples view, despite being stood in front of a railing! I wonder where that came from?
And,if they had been informed there were two and a half thousand away fans stood up if standing up was an issue, the reply would have been, as it was to me at a previous game, "that isn't my area". Nearlynall the game Sunderland fans were in the aisles. Stewards were ignored as theynwalked up and fown but took no action. But all of a sudden two stewards, one of them that lass who spends the whole time staring up into E1 no matter what is, or rather what isn't happening, suddenly stride up the aisleway to harangue a City fan. This sort of thing, the club's total lack of connection to their own fans, the crap "match day experience" surrounded by people there to spectate rather than support, are the things which will make itbsurprisingly easy forvsome to walk away if Allam gets his way with the name change. Just a thought, isn't the failure to implement stadium regulations the sort of thing the esteemed OSC should be bringing up the club? Probably they have made a note to bring it up on the first available 30th February?
Agreed, it should. Has the OSC ever done anything of note like this? Something genuinely useful for the fans? From the outside, it simply appears to be an organisation of sycophants bearing the modus operandi of a fanclub of some sort of Smash Hits band.
Man City have already sold out, so look out for blue shirts in the North for their game... http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Tickets-and-Travel/2014/March/Hull-v-City-sold-out?
I don't think the OSC has ever pretended to be an organisation which campaigns to the club or even raises issues that affect anyone other than its members. The FLAG group would have been perfect for this but Allam won't allow it any more.
Couldn't believe how v Brighton they not only searched my bag. Containing the junior tigers sweets hats n scarfs they also patted down my bloody pockets after asking did I have anything in my pockets ...that was when going into the bloody south stand for a change..... Must praise the dark haired lady steward in east stand / north stand corner at the bottom who has asked me a couple of times if I need to be let out in the bottom corner or if I need to use the disability loo down there rather them go up the steps to the concourse. She's very friendly and kind . I would like the OSC to campaign the club to give the north stand to home fans , the. Noise level would be great in that stand
