Never going to your ground again.

[Guest]

No sour grapes about the result. You could have won by six or seven and we were lucky to get nil.

 

No sour grapes about the supporters of GNFC or the officials.

 

But christ almighty your Stewards are a disgrace and do your club no credit whatsoever.

 

I am writing a letter to your chairman in the morning, firstly to congratulate his teams performance and the decent people who support you.

 

Secondly to get rid of the those who act as your stewards (and I know they will not be anything to do with supporters of your club)who showed no concern to my elderly relative who suffered greatly with the inclement weather and was offered only sarcastic remarks when shelter was pleaded for.

 

That is not good enough.

 

I wish the very best to Gravesend and Northfleet Football Club for the rest of the season.

[Guest]

I have already e-mailed the club with my thoughts on the treatment of the Scarborough fans - others may want to do the same via the Contact Club link on the www.gnfc.co.uk homepage.

[Hempstead Gaz]

I fully sympathise, have said so on your forum aleady, have a good director freind and will make my feelings known to him.

It was a disgrace and brought shame to the Fleet.

[Graham S]

Completely agree. Know what it's like taking elderly relatives to away games & I'd have hated to endure the treatment the 'Boro fans received yesterday. Worse than ours at Burton in the FA Cup a few years back.

 

Now, we always hide any obvious give aways to identity & sit in the main stand at away games.

 

Graham S

[EUFC superb]

it was bad enough the game being segregated. but the stewards were very very out of order some elderly people could catch flu drom that

[Vera]

It is always a very long journey home after losing an away match. Yours was a very long journey anyway and to have to do that when you are absolutely soaked (and which could have been avoided) is unforgiveable and there was I comfortably seated in the stand wondering why the Scarborough Supporters were standing out in such dreadful weather. I now know and wish we could remedy the situation, but the best we can do is to just say how sorry we are. I tried to get through to you via the link on our Forum but unfortunately my computer won't respond. Just had to make my feelings known somewhere.

[Harry J Allstars]

I would like to offer my appologies. I feel guillty, first of all because it was my club and secondly because I was asking for all you signatures yesterday for our petition and not one of you turned us down.

[FleetFanatic]

C'mon everybody.....

 

.....we all know that the stewards normally spend more time watching the match than anything else.

 

This is what happens when you employ freeloaders.

[redowl]

I can only say sorry to you all from one loyal supporter to another,if its any consolation to you some of our supporters were treated in the same roughshod way and was quite inexcusable once again sorry.

[Riverview Supporter]

Are the club addressing this issue.

 

It was obviousley going to rain. The weather man said it , the papers said it and was on the internet (so must be true)

 

With the small number of loyal support coming from Scarboro , the end block of seating coul quite easily have been givne to them . Ot alternatively the wnd portion of covered terrace could have been given top them from the start.

 

I travel away occasionaly and would have been well narked to be treated like that. OK the northfleet end is shut , but some reorganisation would help things.

 

1) Sort the tannoy out. EIther I am deaf or its distorted. An announcement to inform people to move further down the terrace would have helpe d a little to release the large volume sof people at the tea bar end.

 

2) Sort this queue issue at the tea bar. I can t think of any alternative queuing meithods apart from an aexpensive rebuild to have an all in one unit. However , a couple of stewards in this area at halftime to help move on those who get there tea and stand and wait for friends etc.

 

At the start of the season , I was optomistic of the future. But I do not honestly think we are any better off with reagrds thes ground and tannoy issues then two years ago.

[Bill Kent]

I have to agree with you. The way you were treated by our so called stewards was an utter disgrace. I'm sure it won't happen again. As an ardent Gravesend supporter I offer an apology to your fans.

[Guest]

Why is it that we are so quick to condemn and never to praise on this forum. Of course it was extremely unfortunate that the Scarborough supporters had to endure the rain yesterday and I if our stewards acted unproffesionally then I don't condone that.

The real fact of the matter is that the closure of the Northfleet is what is really causing the problem. 'The Northfleet End' may indeed need money spending on it but it is in no worse state now than it has been in the past ten years.

I have heard that it has been inspected on numerous occasions with no apparent problem or hint of a problem until one individual comes along and shuts it without warning. Until now there has always been space made at the far end of the Stonebridge Road stand for our visitors. It would seem to me that the closure of one end of the ground has only brought about another problem by having to squeeze more bodies into another part of the ground - do the auhorities not consider this?

We can condemn Brian, The Stewards, condemn who you want but I believe that without a bottomless pit of cash,problems like these will always arise within a small club like ours. The club might say that part of the problem is that the local community does not offer enough support.

I believe that we have witnessed a meteoric rise in quality on the pitch in recent years and am prepared to suffer a little inconvenience in order to watch good players week in week out. I believe that the Board of Directors have got the balance about right in spending the majority of available funds on the team budget -long may it continue.

In line with our status as a team,I am afraid that segregation seems to become enforced upon us as a club. Certainly it is a pre requisite the higher up the pyramid we travel.

I believe that the point made elsewhere on this forum is valid. Whilst it would be nice to provide under cover areas for all fans this is not a necessity. In honesty I have a bigger problem with the behaviour our stewards which if proven right should be looked into with all seriousness by the club.

Can anyone answer - is it not the case at Gillingham where away fans have to SIT in the open. If thist is the case I cannot see a situation there where people would be transferred under cover in inclement weather. Give the club some credit they do try to get in right in very often difficult circumstances.

[Hirsty]

Agree with your points raised Anon......

 

I do not think that yesterday's situation is directly aimed at Brian & the board. Regretfully, as in life in general, it takes a situation to occur before it is addressed.

 

Agreed, that closure of the Northfleet terrace does not help the situation and I know that in previous games, when that terrace was open, that we were able to acommodate visiting fans in the end of the

side terrace. However, if it was an April shower or two yesterday, I am sure no one would have minded,but....it was crap weather yesterday not to mention very cold....so I do have sympathy with the Scarborough fans on this one.....if roles were reversed, I wouldn't be happy and I doubt if you would be either Mr Anon.

 

Yes, I know these things cost money...I am not advocating an all seater covered stadium ( although that would be nice !) I just think that, with a bit of common sense, in adverse conditions, we could have treated our guests with a bit more consideration.

 

I stand up....to be shot down !!

 

Regards,

[FleetFanatic]

I disagree entirely - it was the the LACK OF ACTION by the stewards that IS the issue.

 

Why did it take 20 minutes, before allowing what was a small number of persons, to seek shelter from bad weather?

 

It was possible when finally decided, so would have been possible 20 minutes earlier.

 

The Northfleet End being closed is totally irrelevant to what happened yesterday.

[American FLEET FAN No1]

Having a brain is not a criteria for employment as a Fleet Steward, obviously...... A bit like Villa Stewards not having a sense of humour!

[Hirsty]

Maybe FF....but I think the closure of Northfleet end does have a relevance....if it had not been shut, there is no reason why the Scarboro fans couldn't have stood at the side all along, as per previous games. I cannot comment on the Stewarding, but surely all the people that normally stand behind the goal now standing at the side does have it's issues ? I couldn't see **** all, for one !

 

Cheers,

[Wobbly Wayne rides again]

I agree with the anon, our rise on the pitch is not replicated off it. The shambles of the Plough end now being shut and the treatment of the away fans yesterday shows it.

 

Like most others when I travel away tand its an open away terrace and the weasther is bad, I sample the delights of the home terrace. Does it cause problems .. yes ... Buts its bettter than getting wet.

 

 

Up the Fleet -- London Branch

[Mepis]

In reply to anonymous, yes the away fans at Gills do sit in the open at the Priestfield end of the ground, they are in one section and Gills fans who choose to sit in the open, are next to them with a huge gap between them.

I am sure this would not have happened yesterday if the Northfleet end had been open.

As for the tea bar, it should not be there i would move it to opposite the club bar, more space for supporters.

[Bernard]

A further question: what would have happened had the rain arrived in the first half, with about 100 GNFC fanc standing behind the goal? It would have taken a ridiculous amount of upheaval to move us all, followed by the Scarborough fans, to the main stand. It is unfortunate the huge exit gate at the end of the Stonebridge Road side isn't a set of turnstiles, since then we could have the open end and, if it rains, move round to the covered side via the back of the seated stand. Furthermore, the away fans would immediately have a section of the covered terrace for themselves. These, however, are merely ifs and buts and it feels an awful shame that attention has been forced onto shoddy Stewarding and away accommodation ahead of a glorious Fleet performance.

 

Good luck at Stortford, lads! I'll be there singing my heart out on the way to another Fleet victory! Come on you REDS!!!

[behindthegoal]

...did the match have to be segregated in the first place? If it was not then there would not have been a problem . Presumably segregation is an issue to be decided locally? Can we be flexible?