St Andrews (2 Viewers)

[speedie87]

The Ricoh is exactly the same with a large crowd. Big queues for toilets & bar

They made the toilets at ricoh ten times worse when they put the doors way in / out.

 

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[Jukeblue]

Hearing some horror stories today from people at work who were behind the goal getting crushed on way in - blokes in ladies toilets etc

That was down to poor planning and organisation rather than the ground itself. The ground will perfectly accommodate 29'000 if Blues ever reach the play offs or a League Cup semi final again. Questions do need asking of Blues and CCFC over how spectacularly they eff'd this up between them. 8'000 empty seats for segregation and yet people have spoken of being allocated Row 2 seats in the Tilton that were covered up & haven't been sold for three seasons? Major balls up I'd say.

 

[clint van damme]

They made the toilets at ricoh ten times worse when they put the doors way in / out.

it's actually a good idea if people stuck to using them properly.

 

[Nick]

it's actually a good idea if people stuck to using them properly.

Elbows in ribs work.

 

[pusbccfc]

The Ricoh is exactly the same with a large crowd. Big queues for toilets & bar

Nowhere near as bad as it was Saturday. Not even close even when we played Chelsea or the return game.

 

[Nick]

Nowhere near as bad as it was Saturday. Not even close even when we played Chelsea or the return game.

The toilets and bars have been worse.

The concourse is bigger so has never been anywhere as close as packed as then.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

That was down to poor planning and organisation rather than the ground itself. The ground will perfectly accommodate 29'000 if Blues ever reach the play offs or a League Cup semi final again. Questions do need asking of Blues and CCFC over how spectacularly they eff'd this up between them. 8'000 empty seats for segregation and yet people have spoken of being allocated Row 2 seats in the Tilton that were covered up & haven't been sold for three seasons? Major balls up I'd say.

Tell them to email the safety officer it’s really important. It could have been very nasty

 

[pusbccfc]

The toilets and bars have been worse.

The concourse is bigger so has never been anywhere as close as packed as then.

I've personally not waited 25 minutes for the toilet and the best part of 40 for a drink before the game.

The queue was in to the seats 10 minutes into the second half on Saturday.

 

[Jukeblue]

Tell them to email the safety officer it’s really important. It could have been very nasty

Don't think they're particularly dangerous. Maybe blues fans are just more used to the layout/facilities and therefore stagger trips to the loo and so forth. I sit the other side anyway but at away games up and down the country the loos are always heaving at half time so I generally go 5 mins before half time or wait till half times nearly finished. I get the impression lots of people do this all over the country not just at Stans. I recall when I used to sit over in the Tilton 15 years or so ago I used to walk all the way round to exit through the Kop rather than walk up to the back to get out, mainly cos I was heading towards town after each game. Essentially Cov fans won't be all that familiar with the stadium yet but give it two/three years

How was the stewarding? Were they useful/helpful? Did they look experienced with St Andrews (was it a mix of Blues and Cov?) Or did they not have a clue?

 

[Nick]

I've personally not waited 25 minutes for the toilet and the best part of 40 for a drink before the game.

The queue was in to the seats 10 minutes into the second half on Saturday.

I have seen people wait that long for a drink but wouldn't do it myself, no patience.

I got in for the toilet within about 5 minutes before the match, no messing.

It was the width of the concourses and the sheer amount of people that was the issue.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

I have seen people wait that long for a drink but wouldn't do it myself, no patience.

I got in for the toilet within about 5 minutes before the match, no messing.

It was the width of the concourses and the sheer amount of people that was the issue.

Yep completely unsafe accident waiting to happen

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Don't think they're particularly dangerous. Maybe blues fans are just more used to the layout/facilities and therefore stagger trips to the loo and so forth. I sit the other side anyway but at away games up and down the country the loos are always heaving at half time so I generally go 5 mins before half time or wait till half times nearly finished. I get the impression lots of people do this all over the country not just at Stans. I recall when I used to sit over in the Tilton 15 years or so ago I used to walk all the way round to exit through the Kop rather than walk up to the back to get out, mainly cos I was heading towards town after each game. Essentially Cov fans won't be all that familiar with the stadium yet but give it two/three years

How was the stewarding? Were they useful/helpful? Did they look experienced with St Andrews (was it a mix of Blues and Cov?) Or did they not have a clue?

Kids
Crushing
No stewards
Just checking in the entrance to the stand
Someone falls it could easily have gone very badly

 

[PVA]

I don't understand why it was so busy in the concourse?

The ground was far from a sell out so how could it possibly be so busy in there. Did they not have all concourses and food/drink outlets open?

We queued for a drink for 15 minutes before the game and gave up. Came down at half time to try again, took one look at the queue and turned straight back, and still only just made it back in time for the 2nd half!

 

[OffenhamSkyBlue]

From my previous experiences in the Kop, the concourse is divided up into very small sections, so can easily get filled if everyone decides to go down at once. The Ricoh having an open concourse means that you can get lateral movement if there is any crush in a hotspot.

 

[Londonccfcfan]

Kinda expect it away the small venues like FGR/Burton/Barnet etc when we pack out away end , but never seen those sorts of queues at Bigger capacity grounds.

 

[pusbccfc]

From my previous experiences in the Kop, the concourse is divided up into very small sections, so can easily get filled if everyone decides to go down at once. The Ricoh having an open concourse means that you can get lateral movement if there is any crush in a hotspot.

Yep. That's the issue. At modern grounds, the concourse tends to be continuous around the ground.

 

[Monners]

It was unsafe on Saturday. Nobody took responsibility. Doesn’t excuse some of our moronic fans though. Pushing people out of the way and laughing about it. Wasn’t as bad a Donnington 88 when Guns’n Roses played for dangerous, but poor organisation.

 

[Stan_Drews]

Feckin cokeheads who can’t go 90 minutes without taking some of their shit. Once saw a grandad, dad and son doing a line together at half time at one of our games.

Pitiful

 

[SKYBLUES90]

Feckin cokeheads who can’t go 90 minutes without taking some of their shit. Once saw a grandad, dad and son doing a line together at half time at one of our games.

Pitiful

Apologies on behalf of my dad, it’s the only way he can take his medication...

 

[ccfcway]

I don't understand why it was so busy in the concourse

It’s not set up for how we treated it. We treated it like an away game, as such more people wanted drinks etc than would have done if it was a standard home game for us or Birmingham.

At tranmere they only served plastic bottles of beer. You were standing queuing for no longer than 30 seconds, both before the game and at half time. Serving pints slows down the speed they can serve.

If we had this many fans every Birmingham game treating it like a day out, it would be an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Nick]

Much easier to just hand a bottle and be done with it.

 

[pusbccfc]

Much easier to just hand a bottle and be done with it.

Or pour loads ready. It's not too difficult to predict what supporters will drink when the vast majority are ordering a lager.

 

[clint van damme]

Or pour loads ready. It's not too difficult to predict what supporters will drink when the vast majority are ordering a lager.

they used to do that at St.Andrews.
Remember going there some years ago, they weren't allowed to serve drink while the game was on. As soon as the first half ended the shutter went up and there were dozens of poured pints ready to sell.

 

[Nick]

they used to do that at St.Andrews.
Remember going there some years ago, they weren't allowed to serve drink while the game was on. As soon as the first half ended the shutter went up and there were dozens of poured pints ready to sell.

Bet they tasted amazing.

 

[clint van damme]

Bet they tasted amazing.

that's the thing, it's shite anyway, five minutes extra sat on the counter isn't going to make a difference.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

They should have just shut the bar

 

[Jukeblue]

Yep. That's the issue. At modern grounds, the concourse tends to be continuous around the ground.

It is a modern ground (apart from the 1954 relic main stand). The site of the ground is the main issue. It's ace in many ways, a throwback surrounded by inner city urban grime. I'd not want it gone. Also when they first built the Kop and Tilton in season 1994-95, unlike other clubs whose ground lost their atmosphere a bit when they went all seater, St Andrews retained a decent hostile atmosphere. However it is built into a slope so as a result the concourses for the Tilton are right up at the back whereas there are no real concourses for the Kop, just some service hatches and toilet space tucked under the stand in between offices and that exterior bar Happy Abode, plus there are only two of those. If they didn't have the facilities at the back of the Tilton End open last Saturday, I can sort of see why there was an issue as too many would've been using too few facilities - an organisational cock up.

Also important to note that for bigger Blues home games the Tilton is usually fairly full whereas the more expensive seats in the Kop are often only half full especially down the front.

When the Kop was finished being built halfway through season 94-95 they should've had more concourse space but I guess Sullivan and Brady were trying to maximise corporate space upstairs at the back of the Kop and Brady wanted a nice big private office on that side to replace the old offices on the other side

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

It is a modern ground (apart from the 1954 relic main stand). The site of the ground is the main issue. It's ace in many ways, a throwback surrounded by inner city urban grime. I'd not want it gone. Also when they first built the Kop and Tilton in season 1994-95, unlike other clubs whose ground lost their atmosphere a bit when they went all seater, St Andrews retained a decent hostile atmosphere. However it is built into a slope so as a result the concourses for the Tilton are right up at the back whereas there are no real concourses for the Kop, just some service hatches and toilet space tucked under the stand in between offices and that exterior bar Happy Abode, plus there are only two of those. If they didn't have the facilities at the back of the Tilton End open last Saturday, I can sort of see why there was an issue as too many would've been using too few facilities - an organisational cock up.

Also important to note that for bigger Blues home games the Tilton is usually fairly full whereas the more expensive seats in the Kop are often only half full especially down the front.

When the Kop was finished being built halfway through season 94-95 they should've had more concourse space but I guess Sullivan and Brady were trying to maximise corporate space upstairs at the back of the Kop and Brady wanted a nice big private office on that side to replace the old offices on the other side

And id be happy with that from the safety officer if I get nothing I’ll be phoning again and taking it further it was very unsafe

 

[Stan_Drews]

Pete, good luck but from previous experience I’d be (happily) amazed if you even got a reply.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Pete, good luck but from previous experience I’d be (happily) amazed if you even got a reply.

Press it is then thanks

 

[PCH]

Or pour loads ready. It's not too difficult to predict what supporters will drink when the vast majority are ordering a lager.

That’s fine for the missus but I’d still have to wait ages for my strawberry daiquiri

 

[SkyBlueDom26]

Feckin cokeheads who can’t go 90 minutes without taking some of their shit. Once saw a grandad, dad and son doing a line together at half time at one of our games.

Pitiful

Haha absolute sesh heads

 

[Jukeblue]

And id be happy with that from the safety officer if I get nothing I’ll be phoning again and taking it further it was very unsafe

Were they letting people outside for a smoko? They normally do at the back of the Tilton/Kop corner and I think they usually do outside those 2 service areas behind the Kop which it sounds like got packed. I'm wondering if WMP were making things ten times worse than normal?

 

[Joy Division]

It is a modern ground (apart from the 1954 relic main stand). The site of the ground is the main issue. It's ace in many ways, a throwback surrounded by inner city urban grime. I'd not want it gone. Also when they first built the Kop and Tilton in season 1994-95, unlike other clubs whose ground lost their atmosphere a bit when they went all seater, St Andrews retained a decent hostile atmosphere. However it is built into a slope so as a result the concourses for the Tilton are right up at the back whereas there are no real concourses for the Kop, just some service hatches and toilet space tucked under the stand in between offices and that exterior bar Happy Abode, plus there are only two of those. If they didn't have the facilities at the back of the Tilton End open last Saturday, I can sort of see why there was an issue as too many would've been using too few facilities - an organisational cock up.

Also important to note that for bigger Blues home games the Tilton is usually fairly full whereas the more expensive seats in the Kop are often only half full especially down the front.

When the Kop was finished being built halfway through season 94-95 they should've had more concourse space but I guess Sullivan and Brady were trying to maximise corporate space upstairs at the back of the Kop and Brady wanted a nice big private office on that side to replace the old offices on the other side

If they ever manage to replace the main stand it will be a fantastic stadium, modern but unique in its own way. I'd take going here each week having a pint in Digbeth and walking to the ground than having to endure Aston on weeknight.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

No one was doing anything. I’ve forwarded my email to cwr and told bcfc to expect a call from the press. It’s important as it could have been a disaster very easily. May get on them phone in again and ask Stuart how hes got on with the indemnity and kicking it into the long grass.