A bad day at the office...

[andyetfc]

In my opinion ETFC didn't have a good day at the office on Saturday and never really got going. I can't really remember an instance in the first half when we attacked with some purpose. However, putting the game aside, I do feel the need to comment on a couple of side issues.

 

Saturday was a glorious day with probably one of our biggest crowds we are likely to have all season. All supporters were well mannered and got on with each other, as it is hoped most supporters do.

 

What do we then end up with? An anonymous phone call from one local resident to BRSCC telling them to tell ETFC to stop the fans from making a noise! Let's put this into perspective here. A Saturday afternoon. Big crowd. Sunny day. Bank holiday weekend and noise every now and again.

 

I know we have to live with the neighbours but one anonymous phone call! If this person was truly worried about the noise, then why did they not contact the local Council and complain to the environmental services? Mind you, they would have had to give

their name before the matter would have been looked into.

 

ETFC acted upon this which lead to arguments, mainly directed against the safety officer and a steward. Where was the test of reasonableness? Where were the other hundreds of phone calls? As Sudbury Royal said on Saturday, 'What are you going to do if AFC Wimbledon or Aldershot have to come here?'

 

The second matter concerned the scenes at the end of the game. People have mentioned the name of Dave Allen on another thread. Dave was just one of a number of players who got involved and I believe the club is very lucky that it is not looking at having to explain itself for 'failing to control its players'. It really was a poor advert for our club and some people will need to take a good hard look at themselves before they next pull on a shirt.

 

No doubt there will be some people who will say that it was 'handbags at six paces', etc, but I can assure you it wasn't.

 

 

 

 

[The Invisible Man]

Would the complaint have had anything to do with the drum?

 

You are quite right Andy, the phone call should have simply been dealt with politely and if no action was really needed, as was no doubt the case, then none should have been taken. It's one thing to be considerate good neighbours but we have to fight our own corner as well. We have a legal football stadium with full planning permission etc. and therefore have every right to enjoy its full use. What next, all singing and chanting banned? Will suppoprters have to hold up cards with the words of songs printed, or perhaps learn to sign?

 

In any case, as I suspect is your point, the 'complainant' may well have been a mischief-maker purely out to antaganise ETFC.

 

Incidentally, my spies tell me there was no PA on Tuesday. Was that for the same reason?

[lovely stuff]

I personally think our safty officer was wrong to ask people to stop making a noise.I know it was done for the right reasons,but we have every right to enjoy 90 minutes of unhindered football during a 7 day period.We have agreed that drums are not to be used at night games out of respect for residents.There is no need to stop general crowd noise and enjoyment on a saturaday.It would be different if we were there all day,but it is 90 minutes ,for christ sake!

[Hawkeye Pierce]

I know our safety officer and the steward concerned were trying to do their ARP warden best to keep the peace.

 

I think maybe the AFC Sudbury fans air raid siren may have sent many an old dear locally scurrying to their air raid shelter only to find it had been removed long since. Brimsdown suffered a lot during WWII from V2's so the air raid siren was a little insensitive to local history albeit 60 years ago and not too many locals survive to remember it.

[The Invisible Man]

Fer chrissake Donkey, this is political correctness gone mad! Insensitive because it might remind someone of the war?????

 

In any event, there would be no siren warning of a V2 as they were undetectable until they impacted. I suspect you are thinking of the V1.

 

Honestly though this sort of thing will turn us into a laughing stock. Get real!

[The Invisible Man]

It seems that very few V weapons actually fell on Brimsdown. On 20 July 1944 a V1 landed on Marryline Avenue (is that in Brimsdown or Enfield Lock?) fortunately causing no casualties. On 22 July a V1 destroyed both tracks of the railway near Brimsdown station and damaged houses and factories. 500 houses were damaged when a V1 fell on the grid enclosure near the power station (24 July).

 

No V2 rockets fell on Brimsdown. Mapleton Road seems to be the nearest.

 

(Gillam G. 1985 'Enfield at war 1939-45)

[townerboy]

the locals don't want a football club. maybe they would prefer a massive new housing development instead?

[andyetfc]

Originally Posted By: DonkeyHotTea

I know our safety officer and the steward concerned were trying to do their ARP warden best to keep the peace.

I think maybe the AFC Sudbury fans air raid siren may have sent many an old dear locally scurrying to their air raid shelter only to find it had been removed long since. Brimsdown suffered a lot during WWII from V2's so the air raid siren was a little insensitive to local history albeit 60 years ago and not too many locals survive to remember it.

It's a shame but the ETFC stewards are being blamed for the affair on the Sudbury forum. It certainly is a good way of losing volunteers.

[Squadron Leader]

Originally Posted By: andyetfc

Originally Posted By: DonkeyHotTea

I know our safety officer and the steward concerned were trying to do their ARP warden best to keep the peace.

I think maybe the AFC Sudbury fans air raid siren may have sent many an old dear locally scurrying to their air raid shelter only to find it had been removed long since. Brimsdown suffered a lot during WWII from V2's so the air raid siren was a little insensitive to local history albeit 60 years ago and not too many locals survive to remember it.

It's a shame but the ETFC stewards are being blamed for the affair on the Sudbury forum. It certainly is a good way of losing volunteers.

You are not wrong Andy. I believe that the resident was complaining about the Air Raid Siren thingy that AFC Sudbury had. Our position is different from them in as much of the Poisition that Goldsdown Road Ground is, smack bang in the middle of a housing estate, so therefore we do have to take the residents into consideration.

The person concerned may well have contacted Enfield Council any way. Maybe I should pop over to the Sudbury Forum and put them straight after all Mr Safety Officer was only doing his job.

[lovely stuff]

What about Tottenham Hotspur,or Everton,Aston Villa or most of the other league teams in England.Most of them are smack bang in the middle of housing estates.I'd like to see Spurs's response if a local resident aked the fans to stop making a noise during a game.

I wouldn't have the nerve to complain baout noise at a fotball match, especially knowing full well that the duration of the noise would be very short and confined to a small 90 minute window.

 

 

.What if we were at an away ground (such as Leyton) and stewards tried to stop us singing because a local resident had complained about the noise?? You would probably laugh in their face.

 

 

[Squadron Leader]

Originally Posted By: lovely stuff

What about Tottenham Hotspur,or Everton,Aston Villa or most of the other league teams in England.Most of them are smack bang in the middle of housing estates.I'd like to see Spurs's response if a local resident aked the fans to stop making a noise during a game.
I wouldn't have the nerve to complain baout noise at a fotball match, especially knowing full well that the duration of the noise would be very short and confined to a small 90 minute window.


.What if we were at an away ground (such as Leyton) and stewards tried to stop us singing because a local resident had complained about the noise?? You would probably laugh in their face.

Premier |League Clubs are a bit different matey, and besides Mr Safety Officer & his Stewards where simply doing their job.

I suppose I could sympathise with the resident especially if he
was trying to sleep off a night shirt.

As I said before it was the Air Raid Siren and not the drums that where the problem. I personally think its pretty stupid to have one of them anyway. I am all for singing and getting behind the team, I have done enough of that in the past, but I do think you have to draw the line somewhere. We are not just being Grumpy Old Men. And yes there were some of the Enfield Town supporters who had an issue with the Air Raid Siren.

[The Invisible Man]

I assume that Guy Fawkes Night is banned in Brimsdown then!

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Originally Posted By: The Invisible Man

Fer chrissake Donkey, this is political correctness gone mad! Insensitive because it might remind someone of the war?????

In any event, there would be no siren warning of a V2 as they were undetectable until they impacted. I suspect you are thinking of the V1.

Honestly though this sort of thing will turn us into a laughing stock. Get real!

It is not political correctness at all read the ******* national newspapers. We are sitting in London awaiting a major disaster or a whatever to hit our capital and the sirens have traditionally been a warning signal throughout London and the home counties. Out in the fields of Sudbury who knows?

Secondly my family were evacuated from the factory area of Ponders End to Cuffley during the war as the V rockets hit North London.

I'd like a ruling from the FA on the suitability of use of Air Raid Sirens at Football matches. Serious. If they say it is acceptable - end story.

[The Invisible Man]

This was not the point you made in your previous post, to which I replied. You did not say that you objected to the siren because it could be mistaken for a warning of a 'major disaster' in the capital. You said:

 

'I think maybe the AFC Sudbury fans air raid siren may have sent many an old dear locally scurrying to their air raid shelter only to find it had been removed long since. Brimsdown suffered a lot during WWII from V2's so the air raid siren was a little insensitive to local history albeit 60 years ago and not too many locals survive to remember it.'

 

I have seen nothing in the ****** newspapers or indeed elsewhere telling the population to listen for sirens warning of an impending disaster. Perhaps I missed it.

 

You clearly stated that Brimsdown, not Ponders End, suffered a lot from V2s which is not correct. A V2 fell in Chingford on 1st February 1945 and damaged Wrights Flour Mill and the London Plywood Company, and several fell in Edmonton. You appreciate of course that a V1 was not a rocket.

 

[The Horse'sMouth]

Me thinks we are going off at a slight tangent!!!

[The Invisible Man]

 

Now you know I don't like to quibble.......

[Duke of York]

Anyone would think we didn't have a game tonight!

[Gazza]

Err.... I go away for a week & I come back to air raid siren stories!

 

Please dont tell me that it was disturbing someone thats just a wind up..........isnt it?

 

The worlds gone mad!