over the top stewards at gfc - fan moved for nothing

[mrpthegillsfan]

hi all

i have often heard stories about our stewards being over the top, and whilst i have never witnessed it myself have kept an open mind after seeing similar at some away grounds. oh and this is not a dig at stewards in general, some have been excellent

we sit close to the away dugout and with that comes banter with visiting managers and coaches. most are great and know it comes with the job, some however have proven to be prima donna's, who complain as soon as anything is said even after thay have spent half a game making hand gesteures and comments to us, darren ferguson and nigel clough have been the worst so far, clearly acting as if they are better than everyone else

well, steve davis on saturday took the trophy.

he had a fan moved from his seat from block d to block a for saying 'that was justice steve, after that handball that wasn't given' - said by a fan when we scored in reference to their keeper earlier catching the ball a yard outside the area/box

the fact that he himself had been making hand gestures to the supporters was lost on them. i have this on video - i am sure fa rules would forbode it and will look into it

it beggars belief when there were people in the block using expletives towards him - it would seem sitting in the front row you are an easy target

are we really going to bow to the whim of every young, inexperienced, over-sensitive manager?

in making such nonsense decisions, the stewards are setting a precedence. so going by this rule, the whole of the rainham end must be removed too!

at the sheffield game, i brought a couple of friends from work with me, one of whom has a deep, loud voice and was shouting things likes 'first ball gillingham', nothing rude, no use of swear words whatsoever, just loud, vocal support. he was spoken to at half time! as a casual supporter, he won't be coming back. he supports chelsea but also likes to watch local sides, we often go to margate when gills are away and it is never an issue there. is this really what it has come to? are we to sit on our hands in silence and applaud at the end like at the opera?

opinions please

big al

would you know who to speak to at the club about this?

thanks

[Big_Al]

Like you Mr P find it amazing that most managers feel match officials are fair game for vociferous comments during the game but shout foul if a passionate fan directs an opinion towards them. Friendly banter on the terraces and in the stands has been part and parcel at League football matches for donkeys years without causing offence. Can't imagine any over zealous stewards relocating hundreds of home fans from the Rainham End following a chorus of "The referees a banker". !!! (Who said there isn't safety in numbers)

Since the advent of hi-tech CCTV at every League ground in the country the status quo has changed. A visiting manager can now complain to the steward adjacent to the away dugout who contacts the control centre on his walkie-talkie followed by the camera operator zooming in on the unfortunate home fan who is liable for a seat change. I mistakenly believed the installation of CCTV was mainly for safety reasons and to assist crowd control post Hillsborough but certainly not an extension of Big Brother.

Sorry Mr P but unable to suggest anyone at the Club who can be of help over this incident although hope it doesn't spoil your enjoyment of watching our Home games in the future

[muppet]

Not sure if you can, but can you report direct to the fa via their website. With all they preach to us supporters about respect etc Im sure they will want to know and see footage of these types of incidents.

[johnknee]

Mar 24, 2014 8:42:02 GMT 1 mrpthegillsfan said:

the fact that he himself had been making hand gestures to the supporters was lost on them. i have this on video - i am sure fa rules would forbode it and will look into it

it beggars belief when there were people in the block using expletives towards him - it would seem sitting in the front row you are an easy target

are we really going to bow to the whim of every young, inexperienced, over-sensitive manager?

I apologise if I slightly misunderstand some of the above...

If I am reading the above right, then people have been shouting expletives at the opposition manager but then get offended when he responds back or complains to the stewards?

Remember, what one person might consider fun and banter isn't always shared by the person on the other end of it. It is funny that when people shouted abuse at Davis then he should have accepted it as banter, but when he gestures back it is no longer banter.......

And I don't think his reaction is purely limited to young, inexperienced, over-sensitive managers.

In terms of the fan chucked out for shouting what appears to be an inoffensive comment, it is entirely possible others might have shouted out alternative, less polite comments which he did hear and wrongly attributed to the poor fan. Alas, the fans at the very front are probably inherently in additional danger of this.

I wouldn't blame the stewards exactly for throwing fans out - it is their responsibilty to make sure the fans are behaving, while the responsibility for watching the behaviour of the managers falls onto the forth official. While the stewards wouldn't respond to general abuse shouted at any player or manager, if the manager actively complains then the stewards have a duty to react. If they didn't, then the manager would then alternatively complain to the football authorities and the club could then get into trouble.

In terms of your friend with the deep voice, I am afraid you will probably need to blame some of the fans around you. Alas, there are pockets of "please sit down and keep quiet I am trying to snooze" fans who tend to complain if someone stands up to try and generate some noise etc. From general experience, stewards will avoid confrontation unless someone actively complains at which point they need to act - otherwise they don't want the person who complained to write a letter of complaint to the club about his or her failure to act...

[muppet]

As opposed to some away stewards I think ours are pretty reasonable and have never been a problem to me.