Message from the Chairman

[Rob_the_Saint]

Now on news page.

[Webbo MFI]

Lets hope the person in question has a good long think.

The last thing we need after a good start is a bad reputation surrounding the club.

[Colin Zeal EFM]

At the end of the day, and I'm honestly not making any excuses for it, if the steward had not intervened, Thornsy would've been back over the fence and in the stand within about 10 seconds. No harm done.

[Webbo MFI]

Something to do with a bottle in hand maybe?

[Colin Zeal EFM]

Webbo, I have seen you on the terraces many a time with a pint of beer in your hand, so it's advisable not to throw stones.

 

I'm just wondering how many times now we've seen steward over-reaction/power-tripping. There was Canvey and Kingstonian to name but two last season, and now Aylesbury.

[Webbo MFI]

Post deleted by webbo

[Colin Zeal EFM]

There was no bottle, or indeed at that time, any alcohol at all. He was drinking cider from a can, which had been confiscated earlier in the half.

 

Maybe someone with nothing better to do this afternoon could rake through the history books and inform me of the last time a club was deducted points because a fan jumped over the fence and celebrated behind the goal. My bet is, it hasn't happened.

 

And of course the ref saw the incident, that poser of a steward made sure everyone saw it as he frog-marched Thornsy across the pitch!!

[SAINTS64MAD]

Who care's if we hav a bad reputation!!! At least we know what were like! I dont see any harm there! but i do see the chairmans point! But we have to celebrate due to the superb start! oh well lets leace the celebrating after the match now lads.

[trevinho]

I get a distinct feeling of deja vu about all of this... To be honest, I have mixed feelings about all of this. On one hand, yes, it was probably an over-reaction by the steward and the whole "walking him across the pitch thing" was ridiculous, unnecessary and (should the circumstances have been any different) could have provoked something more serious. As Mr Zeal rightly says, a quiet word in the ear might have been the preferred option. The messages on the Aylesbury were downright slanderous, and I'll be contacting them officially about that in due course. They should be more careful before they start posting statements like that.

 

Now, I'll probably get pilloried for this, barred from EFM and so on and so forth, but... I vaguely remember a time after the incident at Hendon last season when, on this board (and under a vague threat of being barred from Clarence Park), there was a moment of something approaching penance from the phantom can thrower. I may be incorrect, but that is how I remember it. Second game of the season, and... here we go again. Now, do City want to be taken seriously or not? Taking the chairman's point of view for a moment - what is going to do him the most good? Complaining about "over-reaction" every time somebody throws something on the pitch, runs on the pitch with a bottle in their hand, hits someone or whatever? Or, try and clamp down on it while it's relatively in hand?

 

Now, I'm EFM. Most of you people already know that. However, so far as I can see, it's the second game of the season and... it's starting already. All things considered, it has been a tremendous week - top of the league for the first time in four years and with a decent chance of winning the league for the first time in a decade, but what's the major topic of discussion? An EFM member running on the pitch during a match and getting the Aylesbury supporters all hot-headed. Over-reaction or not, in feeling that he has to make announcements on the subject, the chairman is wasting his time dealing with something that I daresay he would rather not be doing.

 

Draw your own conclusions, but I will say this: you don't have to be a genius to realise that, like traffic wardens and tax inspectors, there is a specific mentality that drives the sort of person who becomes a football steward. If we are going to get promoted and be successful, we're going to see a whole lot more of them. Now then, Mr Can-Throwing-Pitch-Invader... which do you prefer more - your favourite football team, or being the centre of attention in front of a few hundred people? The decision is yours.

 

 

[Webbo MFI]

tip my hat to you trevinio <img src="/forums/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />

[True Saint]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>

Now then, Mr Can-Throwing-Pitch-Invader... which do you prefer more - your favourite football team, or being the centre of attention in front of a few hundred people? The decision is yours.

 

 

<hr></blockquote>

 

I think you have it one there, trevinho and your post is without doubt, the most sensible of the day, if not the week, bar none.

 

Just going back to the Hendon incident earlier in the year, I was told a while ago that the Club moved heaven and earth to prevent us being fined for said incident. This time, I fear there will be no reprieve, whether it be a fine or a deduction of points. If it is indeed a fine, perhaps Mr Thorns would like make a cheque out, himself, for the full amount of the fine as a donation to the Club, together with an unreserved apology to both John Gibson and the rest of the directors for his totally unacceptable behaviour at both matches concerned. I and several other supporters I have spoken to in the week do not see why the Club should foot the bill for this individual's transgressions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

Whilst pitch invasions, even by a lone wobbly fan, cannot be condoned, the essence of Non-League Football is more and more under threat by Clubs and or people getting beyond their station and the reality of the moment. Last season we had a few problems with 'zealous' stewarding at Buckingham Road. It was OTT in my opnion, but at the end of the game a few of our fans did the 'Duck Walk' on their pitch after a late, late equaliser and another innocent and amusing incident occurred with the match ball that also inflamed the stewards. Agreed the Stewards obviously have a brief to fulfill, but sensible 'policing' is surely the right approach. Hornchurch (from Div 3 to crowd segregation in one season!) are also another 'spoiler' that has lost sight of the game at this level (indeed below this level). Clubs must not shoot themselves in the foot by heavy handed tactics, whilst maintaining a proper and safe environment for all fans to enjoy the match and the occassion. For their part the fans should be savvy enough to know where the line is.

[trevinho]

Like I say, I'll be non-judgmental about it all. I wasn't there on Tuesday night, so my place in terms of commenting on it is relatively on the sidelines. Regarding last season, I was kind of semi-aware that more had happened regarding the Hendon incident in so far as the league or the FA was concerned than met the eye. Every time that any of us do anything whatsoever related to the football club (whether good or bad), it'll be being seen by someone, whether it's supporters of other clubs, the management, the chairman or the officials from the league. Ultimately, the chairman will be held responsible. In some ways, he's fortunate - there are precious few City supporters enough to start with. Unlike bigger clubs, he knows exactly what's going on all the time (to the extent that he knows our names!). That said, he can't risk alienating the "regulars". Those who've stuck with the club through thick and thin. They've shown more loyalty than most - myself included. I don't want to see anybody getting banned and I don't want to see anybody getting fined.

 

As usual, this is a storm in a teacup. That's not to say that it doesn't matter. What really matters is the rest of the season - and (whether rightly or wrongly - wrongly, in my opinion) the Phantom Can Flinger has to start understanding that if there are too many more storms in a teacup, he might not be seeing every match this season. After all, on the off chance that he did end up getting barred from Clarence Park, he could hardly say he hadn't been warned, could he?

[trevinho]

Crowd segregation? At Hornchurch???? Blimey.

[Guest]

Possibly the big deal about this EFM thing gives you advanced publicity and unwelcome attention and scrutiny.

[trevinho]

I'm not even quite sure how to respond to that. I mean... we all turned up half-cut at Canvey in December for our FA Trophy, sang & shouted through a 5-1 defeat and went home. No punches thrown, no-one on the pitch (so far as I can remember). Two months later, down there for a league match and when The Firm turned up (6 of them - 1 of them female), there were six police wagons outside the ground. I suppose that is an over-reaction.

 

Unwelcome attention? You'd have to ask the others. I'm happy enough to drink as much beer as the night before will allow me and eat food prepared in a van or shed. Some people enjoy the spotlight more than others.

 

As for advanced publicity... not sure. I can't see ithe local "massive" in places like Heybridge or Sutton turning up to see the "infamous" EFM.

 

As I've said before on this board, you either get the joke or you don't.

[Nos]

It's not a joke for anybody when we start getting fined or having points deducted.

[trevinho]

Your comment, Nostradamus, only leads me to believe that you haven't read everything I've said. Like I say, I've been taking a non-judgmental view on the matter because I didn't seen with my own eyes what happened on Tuesday night. Also, I know the aforementioned Pitch Invader (and the people that you may choose to call his "cohorts") considerably better than the vast majority of people on here, and I know that he can be reasonable. The current course of action that the chairman is taking is, in my opinion (for what it's worth), correct. No jumping to ludicrous conclusions, no blanket bans. A quiet ear in the word of the perpetrator, and the expectation of an apology (which I think most of us are agreed he's entitled to). Beyond that point, the chairman has done his job. I can't see people ever standing on the turnstiles with breathalysers, so I don't think that being in the ground drunk is the issue. If there is an issue, it's behaviour that could cost the club money and/or points. Now then, maybe it's time to draw a line under this and discus something else instead.

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

Hello everyone!

Unfortunately I have been at the Reading festival thus missing this debate which has started.

I would actually like to point something out when the third goal was scored I was sitting on the fence (without any alcohol, I may add) when I was pushed onto the pitch by said steward and then frogmarched across the pitch, I did try and tell the steward to get back onto the terrace but he seemed determined to gain a huge impact, I was then threatened with spanners and a shotgun in the back room, my main point is that the interrogators were not bothered about the pitch invasions but were determined to get answers out of me for a number of other incidents, who was banging the back of the fence, who was pissing around with some rope, who was bringing drink into the ground and so forth.

The police were called they were not happy about being subjected to such a petty incident and wouldn't take any further action after my explanation as mentioned above, I'm basically saying I was used as a scapegoat for a number of tother incidents that took place. I'm also sure that CCTV footage would back my story up if you'd care to look at it!

 

A couple of other points, I wasn't drinking a can of cider in the ground, I was drinking a bottle which was brought from the Aylesbury clubhouse and taken in with their permission and I stopped drinking it straight away when asked to.

 

St.Albans fans have been pitch invading for as long as I can remember (Telford, anyone?) and i don't recall any fuss being made like this one before or any comeback from the authorites, and yes if the club ever gets fined as a result of my individial behaviher I shall pay any fine.

I hope this has cleared things up and I look forward to an amazing season which i certainly hope will jow pass without incident!

[Guest]

Which game did you see at Hornchurch this season ?