Bloke in the Reporter who had his car broken into...

[Stu M]

Chelsea fan. Visited Stonebridge Road for Charlton v Chelsea. Had his car broken into. "Never coming back to Stonebridge Road... if club wants more fans they should do something about it.... never happened me following Chelsea all round the country"

 

Now, while I sympathise with his car being broken into, and there may be some weight in improving safety around the ground to attract more fans, isn't his attitude absolutely typical of the comfortable Premiership fan. One setback and he's never coming again (not that it was a Fleet game anyway, he only came cos it was Chelsea)... this sort of thing never happens in the Premiership (never parked his car near Upton Park then...) and obviously fails to realise that if the club did do something about it, it would have to pay numerous stewards/security people which it can't afford because of the attitude of stay-at-home-or-watch-Chelsea people like him.

 

And the irony was he lives on Kings Farm... never got your car broken into there?!

[eufckev]

Don't think the club holds no responsibility for cars been broken into, so he parked his car at his own risk. His fault.

[Hempstead Gaz]

If he lived on Kings Farm, there is always the chance that the car was untaxed/not MOT'ed/uninsured/stolen anyway

[Stu M]

He also said he had his radio nicked. Isn't it a good idea to remove the fascia these days as most units have that function?

[Hempstead Gaz]

Put it this way, Stu. I have parked at Fleet for over 30 years, never even had a wing mirror pushed back. Now, I may be just lucky, but I wouldn't mind betting that 99.9% of Fleet fans would never dream of damaging a car parked near the ground, and the area is too far from The Hill to make a walk there to do some damage to cars.

I would suggest then the damage was caused by a Chelsea or Charlton fan.

[Slartibartfast]

I didn't see the article in the reporter but the number of cars that get broken into close to the ground should be a concern to the club.

It happened quite a few times last year and I believe a couple of cars lost their radios on during the Grays game as well as on Monday night.

The scumbags who do it no that the cars will be left for a couple of hours and it is easy pickings for them, since it happens so regularly and in the same place you would think that the local police ought to be able to catch them in the act.

[Harry J Allstars]

How can this twat blame the club? He parks his car there at his own risk, it has nothing to do with us. He should be happy that he doesn't have to pay the £6 they charge on the meter down the Lots Road. Typical Chelsea fan moan moan moan, I notice he wrote the letter to the reporter. I take it then he lives in this area? So local man leaves the town who have got a perfectly good football club to drive to the otherside of London and pay £45 pound for the privilage? He should report Chelsea for mugging him off, providing of course that he actually travels to Chelsea.

 

The responsilbilty lies with the police they know we have trouble around that area when games are on so why don't they send a couple of patrol cars round?

[Hempstead Gaz]

Wouldn't have put it quite as strongly as that Harry, but, I do agree with your sentiments.

Given that he lives in Gravesend, one would have thought that he would have at least given us a look, just to see what is on offer.

Whilst we cannot expect lifelong fans of a Premiership to give up their allegiances, there is no good reason not to share their interest with their local club, especially when their "first" club is away.

[Harry J Allstars]

Sorry to be so strong Gary but this subject really niggles at me.

 

Not the fact that his blaming the club, he can do that all he wants it won't get him anywhere, but that he uses this to attck us. Okay so he says he won't come and watch because the security is poor when parking your car there, I can understand him being apprehensive but to say it's basically our fault that he had his radio nicked is pushing the boat out a bit.

 

I doubt very much that he had any desire to come to the 'Fleet and now that he knows where we are he feels gulity for not coming. His now using this as an excuse not to come. I don't care if he comes or not, I only want people turning up that actually want to turn up. If they're coming out of guilt or pity then theres no point in them coming.

 

I'm surprised he doesn't write to the club with the bill for his replacement radio.

 

Edit: Upon reading this post again I realise it's a bit contradictory in the first paragraph but I think I'm just trying to get over the shock of him a) blaming us and using this as a reason not to come. What will he do next blame us for his stress due to the time he spent quing to get through the turnstiles?

[Hempstead Gaz]

Of course, he could be one of the inarticulate knuckle draggers that can be found hanging around at King's Farm, wondering which car to steal next.

[Sth_London_Fleet]

If he followed Chelski all over the country, he would have encountered at Villa, Everton & especially Liverpool he would have encountered little urchins asking for a couple of quid to look after his car (obviously non payment and something does happen to your motor). Has the Gravesend Reporter got nothing better to print than this negative dribble.

[Hempstead Gaz]

Is Melody Ryall still editor?

Doesn't know Fleet, doesn't like football, but will jump on any bandwagon that will sell more papers.

Watcht her grovel when we get Man Utd down to Stonebridge Road

[Harry J Allstars]

Quote:

Chatham Gary said:
Is Melody Ryall still editor?

Don't mention that name to me. I'm still heaving over her "Victory" front page headline from this time last year. A year ago tomorrow I believe.

[Hempstead Gaz]

I think it must be love, Harry. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bisou.gif" alt="" />

[REDolent3]

I raised this topic in the bad old days of last season having had my (cheap) wheeltrims nicked but I do know of 6 other people who had their cars "touched" one way or another. As we know its not just what knicked but the damage incurred. Try using your motor for a few winter days without a sun-roof! This is a serious subject & I do know pople who have stopped coming down following break ins. I believe this could be having some effect on our gates. I worry about the football enough as it is without playing the lottery of my car being untouched when I return to it. Obviously this is not the club`s responsability but I believe it is a big enough problem to warrant action.

[Stu M]

I guess it's like the Aldershot gimps who hang round the train station picking fights with people... not really a club problem, but a problem created because the opportunity is there as people are going to football.

 

So it's really something the police need to do unless the club pays for security patrols. The police mighty argue they should bill the club... though don't know the legalities, procedure for that. Dave H...?

[John Pearce]

Quite frankly I feel many of the posts on this subject are way way over the top!!

 

If this is the response to any 'passing' fan visiting Stonebridge Road for the first time, be they local or otherwise and one who has experienced a problem then no wonder the club appears to struggle to attract new support.

 

Whilst I agree that the club cannot be held responsible for incidents outside of the ground, they can be held responsible for the lack of parking space inside the ground. The car park at the Swanscombe end of the ground has been a joke for many years. Pot-holed to such an extent that when it rains its like a lake, space lost to what appears to be a bus graveyard/scrap heap etc. etc. If the car park was fully available for use, as it used to be, then there would be less of a need for supporters or passing fans to have to park along the Northfleet By-pass road. A road that is poorly lit and offers virtually no security to those that risk parking their vehicles along it. Quite frankly I am amazed that more cars have not been vandalised, damaged or stolen before.

 

If I had had my car damaged and a radio stolen I would be pretty hacked off, as would most if not all of the posters on this thread. Especially on my first visit to a ground, shopping centre or wherever. That would apply to most even minded people as well whether they come from Kings Farm, Exeter or Timbuctoo. The writer to the Gravesend Distorter has every right to be annoyed and if he so wishes to put his annoyance in words then that is his right.

[Slartibartfast]

The point that many of the posters on here seem to miss is that this is not an isolated incident, cars are broken into along the bypass at most night games.

It is not Fleet supporters vandalising opposition cars it is thieves stealing radios because they know what time the driver will return.

As someone who parks along that road at every game I can tell you that very few cars turn up with just the driver, if I stop going to matches because my car has been vandalised so do my children and their friends.

This is a serious issue and comments like 'Its his fault' and 'He comes from Kings Farm so the car was probably stolen anyway' are not a huge help. The club struggles enough to attract new supporters without losing existing supporters due to crime in the area.

It may not be the clubs fault but it is the clubs problem and it needs to be resolved.

[Sth_London_Fleet]

I wonder how many cars were broken into all over town on that night, especially the Gravesend Station car park. I have a mate who lives on The Hythe and won't park his own car there, what's got on my tits is that the bloke specifically blames the club. Alright the car parking facilities could be better but with what i'd rather have a decent player than a decent car park. The fella was never going to come back anyway just showing off that he goes to Chelsea, last time i had car broken into i went to the police not The Gravesend Reporter.

[Stu M]

My beef was the same as Sth London's... I sympathised he had his car broken into, I said it was an issue that needed addressing.

 

At the same time, I was a bit hacked off with his attitude. "It doesn't happen in the Premiership." Erm, yes it does. I've been and it's happened. "I'm never going to Stonebridge Road again"... well, I think that's a typical spoon-fed Chelsea fan. Getting my car broken into somewhere wouldn't necessarily stop me going again, I'd just find somewhere a bit more inhabited (as I've done at the Fleet after getting my car keyed) and be a bit more careful about where I leave it.