Away Fans

[Ludlow Richard]

So I left a couple of minutes before the end on Saturday so unless a Liverpool fan let off a smoke bomb or similar right at the end of the game they obviously didn't manage to smuggle anything in. Having said that, there was an announcement when the turnstiles were being opened at 3pm along the lines of "there will be drug and pyro detecting dogs in use inside the ground today" so perhaps that was a deterrent. Interestingly there were no "drug and pyro detecting dogs" in the HE, so presumably they were used in the Putney End.....

Anyway that's not the point I wanted to make. I sit in the Hammy End, block H6, and so I had a perfect view of the Liverpool fans. In their section there are three stairways. By the start of the game, two (the central one and the one closest to the Riverside) were rammed full of standing Liverpool fans, so much so that you could not see the steps. The one on the left was clear, mainly because there was a line of stewards standing on the far side of that stairway, next to the FFC fans. There did not appear to be any FFC stewards among the Liverpool fans and certainly no attempt was made by any stewards to clear the two stairways at any point during the game.

The seated area looked full, not that anyone was sitting, so were there more fans in that area than seats?

At the Spurs game I went to the toilet half way through the second half. I stopped on the stairway to watch some action as we'd just won a corner. I was briskly asked to move on by a steward. So I am assuming our stewards just ignore the away fans and only take action against easy targets like me, an ageing home supporter?

Finally I'm always baffled by Liverpool fans. They rightly remember Hillsborough and rightly keep it in the forefront of the collective memory. Yet when it comes to their own personal safety (keeping stairways clear, using pyro), they don't seem to care. Or am I being too hard on them?

[BestOfBrede]

Say no more, Richard!
They have always been that way and yet expect sympathy from everyone.

As for the stewards at FFC...
Well, they have always been a waste of time, imo

[EN1 FFC]

I'm sure there's a scam going on with the scanned tickets on phones and q-codes, the amount of people I've seen chancing their arm to sit in seats in the JHS & Hammersmith then having to move on if a season ticket holder turns up.
I thought for the Putney they had police inside the turnstiles waiting to take people aside if there were duplicated tickets flagged.

[Free Elvis Hammond]

There's loads of security as you go in at the Putney End, I'd be very surprised if a meaningful number of people are getting through without a ticket

Some grounds are really relaxed about where you go as an away fan, some are strict - I guess we're the former

To be honest I thought the away end looked the same as every other game

[ffcthereligion]

I understand some will instinctively want to defend Liverpool fans given their history with tragedy, but I would suggest that Ludlow is right and their fan base present a unique challenge

The club pointed out in February to the FST over 1000 counterfeit and non-valid tickets were rejected for the league cup semi final, the aisles were completely blocked on that occasion too

[mrmicawbers]

Always the Victims.Cannot stand them.

[stokesy]

Funny enough against Newcastle 3 people asked if the seats next to me were free I said yes he said they had been in the wrong seats,but convinced they were Newcastle supporters.

[Motspur Park]

The original post is one of the things I hate most about society....i.e. letting the aggressor do things that others are not permitted and targeting of the generally law and rule abiding person because they are such an easy target. My belief and principal in life is that everything should be applied fairly and evenly without discrimination.
This also applies to var. When it was introduced, as soon as the big clubs had a few poor decisions, the rules were reinterpreted accordingly.

[mcbride5912]

There's loads of security as you go in at the Putney End, I'd be very surprised if a meaningful number of people are getting through without a ticket

I imagine the issue with us is the shared concourse in the Putney End. I imagine Liverpool fans with tickets in other parts of the Putney End could easily gain access to the Away End whilst it gets very busy before kick-off and stewards can't check all tickets for people entering the stand from the concourse.

[KentFulham]

People are free to move around the Putney end, I was in the Putney end for the Newcastle Cup game,and tickets were not checked as you went into the stand. I actually quite enjoyed the mixed nature of the Putney end, good banter with the Newcastle fans, almost a Rugby crowd feel to it. Better that H5 full of sniffed up kids pretending to give it large.

[Free Elvis Hammond]

There's loads of security as you go in at the Putney End, I'd be very surprised if a meaningful number of people are getting through without a ticket

I imagine the issue with us is the shared concourse in the Putney End. I imagine Liverpool fans with tickets in other parts of the Putney End could easily gain access to the Away End whilst it gets very busy before kick-off and stewards can't check all tickets for people entering the stand from the concourse.

That's a very good point