The Roland Harris Column

Sunday 13 October, 2002

It's the ticket, stupid

The Police moved into the kop during the Derby game after the trouble between club stewards and fans at the back finally went bad.

I don't go on the Kop, I take a sideways look at things form the Midland Road, but I've been hearing that the stewards have been heavy handed to say the least. To be frank from what I have been told they are the same shaved gorilla's who work the doors downtown on a Saturday night earning an extra buck during the day.

They have the bouncer power trip about them. The only bouncer "I know you get paid more than me and I have the IQ of a standard lamp but watch me ruin your Saturday night" thing has come to the afternoon. Boo hiss.

Hang on a minute.

OK the club pay these rent-a-thugs but I'm never troubled by them. Why not?

Well what you don't hear from the persecuted masses on the kop is why the Monkey's wade in.

Fans stand up, the club can't let you do that or the stand will lose it's safety licence. Standing at football? Nice idea perhaps but I heard some kopite moaning about not being allowed to do it on the way back to town. He must have been all over 14. He was not brought up in a culture of standing, he is just there for the aggro.

He wanted to stand on his seat. "Why shouldn't I?" he asked. Most people ar enot that stupid and just ask why the can't stand up. These people want to think back. Bradford, Brussell, Hillsborough... Poeple dided at these games in a span of around seven years. Since Hillsborough and the change of the culture of football away from the mob atmosphere and the herding of crowds into shed over the seating of spectators noone has died at English grounds.

Besides. You buy the ticket you agree to the terms. It says in black and white on your ticket that you can't stand up. You do and you block someone's view anyway- selfish sods! Wanting to see the game!- it's not like City made the rule up, it's the law.

The fans in question want to look at what they want from football. If they want to stand up then they should get involved in a bring back standing campaign, there are plenty about, but if what they want is to turn up and stand on their seats then they are morons and Gordon Gibb wouldn't miss them anymore than he would miss people sticking their arms out of the side of the ride's at Flamingo Land. They need to grow up, not act up.

City need to look at the stewards and work out how they can get fewer meat heads. I confess I don't know how you do that for the rates on offer but there you go.

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