Standing at football article - QPR fan writing in the Guardian

[southwalesR]

Buy your season ticket in row a mate and when you go away just go to front lol!

[jimjowers]

Why can't seats in some areas be for standing only? Then everyone has a ticket, a space, and no over crowding?

[twranger]

Why can't seats in some areas be for standing only? Then everyone has a ticket, a space, and no over crowding?

dont see that would solve anything - people would still sit if there were seats in a standing only area - as people still stand in a sitting only area.

[loftboy]

I'd wrap the paper round his head and say, why do they call them stands then?

If you can't stand for 45 minutes at a time, then unless you're in a wheelchair, you're a lazy *******. Bet he complains about all the noise at football matches too.

But what about people in wheelchairs, quite often they are put at the back of a lower tier and cant see if people stand? Or the elderly, are they not allowed to follow the R' s oncee they reach a certain age because they can't see, you buy a seat so bloody sit in it.

[qpr4eva89]

without standing there would b no atmosphere at football grounds FACT!

[southwalesR]

without standing there would b no atmosphere at football grounds FACT!

Agree

[fisnik]

The journo writing that is spot on. He wants safe standing areas to be introduced so that he gets to sit on his seat without being obstructed by people that want to stand. Makes sense!

[westsussexranger]

standing will benefit the team. the diaphragm wont be squashed like when sitting so the fans can make more noise to cheer the team on. theres my argument

[Will M]

But what about people in wheelchairs, quite often they are put at the back of a lower tier and cant see if people stand? Or the elderly, are they not allowed to follow the R' s oncee they reach a certain age because they can't see, you buy a seat so bloody sit in it.

Well, when I go I go to watch the games to be fair. I do like to stand, and sing and dance. But I'm always as considerate of people trying to watch as I can be. Just hate dour folk that just like to sit in silence like the opera! If someone is bothering you at the game, a polite word at half time might do wonders. Most people just really don't realise they're ruining the game for others.

I know full well that not everyone can sit, got a good friend that has really crippling arthritis and can be in pain for days just walking to their seat. I'm not ambivalent to peoples needs, just feel that there could be seating sections for people that need em. Whilst catering for the we want to sing even when we're 5-0 down crowd lol.

My position is clubs need to cater to all, but providing a good atmosphere that gets behind the team should always take priority.

[loftboy]

I know full well that not everyone can sit, got a good friend that has really crippling arthritis and can be in pain for days just walking to their seat. I'm not ambivalent to peoples needs, just feel that there could be seating sections for people that need em. Whilst catering for the we want to sing even when we're 5-0 down crowd lol.

My position is clubs need to cater to all, but providing a good atmosphere that gets behind the team should always take priority.[/QUOTE]

I couldn't agree more, unfortunately current legislation coupled with new stadiums being designed as all seaters it's not going to happen, and until it does I will continue to **** the bloke off in the west paddock who stands at all the wrong times, by telling the farker to sit down, if we are on the attack or about to score, or someone chops down one of our players then obviously people ( me included) are naturally going jump out of our seats, but to do it for 90 minutes is wrong.

[Connell10]

i sit in the last row in the upper loft for the very reason i can stand all through the game without pissing anyone off !

[Essexsteve]

Standing definitely Improves the Atmos at a game FACT! With the German model the seats are ether locked up or locked down depending wether that particular section has been designated sitting or standing.Making the lower loft safe standing for example would put a few thou on or capacity and probably dramaticaly improve our grounds atmosphere!check out the vid below..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXwXV...eature=related

[Del]

The PC brigade need to wake up and see what's obvious. Hillsborough was obviously the driving factor for all seater stadiums but the fact is it wasn't because it was a standing area that led to 96 deaths. It was the fact the authorities opened the gates and let an endless amount of people into an area that couldn't accommodate that many people. The fences then compunded this and we all know the rest.

It was tragic of course, but the fact is, if there was a seated area and the same influx of fans bundled in there would be the same outcome, only added to by the fact people would get trapped by every row of seats. It's a simple logic of space and what mass you can allow witihin it.

Firstly as there's no fences, it would never happen again anyway... But more relevant, now there are proper control of turnstiles it would be impossible for too many people to enter that section. All they need to do is identify the safe maximum number within a section and sell tickets accordingly.

for peopel to say "it's unsafe" to have standing areas is ridiculous and they should actually open their eyes to how football stadiums have changed in the last 15 years.

[stainrodisalegend]

Not sure its got much to do with political correctness Del. If memory serves me right all seater stadia were introduced by the Thatcher government in response to the Hillsborough disaster.

It wd be good to be able to stand, and think our stewards are far too touchy about it compared to certain away grounds where they don't seem to care. That said making stadiums all seater did roughly coincide with the end of football violence, which has been the greatest boost to football in my lifetime. Its easy to romanticise seventies football - particularly for Rs fans - but the reality was far more mixed. Whether crowd behaviour/ stewarding has now improved sufficiently to experiment with a small return to terracing, that's a fair question.

[Essexsteve]

Not sure its got much to do with political correctness Del. If memory serves me right all seater stadia were introduced by the Thatcher government in response to the Hillsborough disaster.

It wd be good to be able to stand, and think our stewards are far too touchy about it compared to certain away grounds where they don't seem to care. That said making stadiums all seater did roughly coincide with the end of football violence, which has been the greatest boost to football in my lifetime. Its easy to romanticise seventies football - particularly for Rs fans - but the reality was far more mixed. Whether crowd behaviour/ stewarding has now improved sufficiently to experiment with a small return to terracing, that's a fair question.

more chance of FV occurring outside a ground these days,perhaps allseater stadia did play a small part in the downturn in FV from a crowd control point of veiw (banning orders, cctv,prison sentences,jack n jill's all helped)I think that terracing does lead to a more Exuberant matchday atmosphere but I think seating has definitley made the crowd control situation easier,its easy to film/spot trouble makers but with the new style safe standing you wouldn't have the density of an old style terrece you'd still be able to identify trouble makers or dangerous life threatening situations occurring ie Hillsborough type overcrowding and throw in the latest cctv to boot and I dont think we'd be catarpulted back into a 1970's taking of ends scenario!!