On the pitch

[Baboo]

There were some more &quoton the pitch&quot episodes yesterday, including some I believe happened before the games concerned were over. Bury? Presumably the FA will hold enquiries into these too.

[Snake]

There were some more &quoton the pitch&quot episodes yesterday, including some I believe happened before the games concerned were over. Bury? Presumably the FA will hold enquiries into these too.

Indeed, so especially for you Baboo (given that you have no TiU access) here is what I posted on a popular thread on the Oxford Mail site yesterday, which I note no one has replied to yet.

“Half the problem with these kind of situations is that a significant minority are so thick they can’t do the basic maths to work out if they’re really winning in the quest for a play-off position/automatic promotion/avoiding relegation or not at any one given point in time during the game.

When the chips are down and things get complicated at the end of the season you need at least half a brain and a pocket radio to try to work out what’s going on, and the morons who ran on our pitch obviously had neither.

In essence, I don’t think we should chastise them - it’s not their fault they are that way, and that’s the sort of people who follow our club, so we have to live with it.

The other half of the problem is the stewarding, but Tony Ashley is now with Brentford and as of today they are a League I club, so I can’t see him coming back to sort it all out. But there you go, that’s another issue in Kelvin’s in-tray to deal with.

[slappy]

&quotTrouble makers&quot are generally on the phone to each other, and they almost certainly knew the scores were Burton 1-2 at Torquay and us 1-1, and Cambridge 0-0 at Alty leaving a last 10 minutes of highly unlikely turn arounds.

Not that that is an excuse for running on the pitch, but I think it is perhaps the majority of the crowd who didn't understand the true situation and our chances of making the play-offs. Liverpool were I think 50-1 at half time to win the Champions League when 3-0 down - what price for us to score 1 goal and Burton to score 2 goals in 7 minutes (when Burton only needed Cambridge not to score 3 or 4?)

[Mally]

&quotTrouble makers&quot are generally on the phone to each other, and they almost certainly knew the scores were Burton 1-2 at Torquay and us 1-1, and Cambridge 0-0 at Alty leaving a last 10 minutes of highly unlikely turn arounds.

Not that that is an excuse for running on the pitch, but I think it is perhaps the majority of the crowd who didn't understand the true situation and our chances of making the play-offs. Liverpool were I think 50-1 at half time to win the Champions League when 3-0 down - what price for us to score 1 goal and Burton to score 2 goals in 7 minutes (when Burton only needed Cambridge not to score 3 or 4?)

I don't think the people who ran on the pitch in Oxford last week or Bury this week gave a flying f**k for the chances of promotion or play-offs. It was probably the only game they'd been to this season.

[Baboo]

&quotTrouble makers&quot are generally on the phone to each other, and they almost certainly knew the scores were Burton 1-2 at Torquay and us 1-1, and Cambridge 0-0 at Alty leaving a last 10 minutes of highly unlikely turn arounds.

Not that that is an excuse for running on the pitch, but I think it is perhaps the majority of the crowd who didn't understand the true situation and our chances of making the play-offs. Liverpool were I think 50-1 at half time to win the Champions League when 3-0 down - what price for us to score 1 goal and Burton to score 2 goals in 7 minutes (when Burton only needed Cambridge not to score 3 or 4?)

I don't think the people who ran on the pitch in Oxford last week or Bury this week gave a flying f**k for the chances of promotion or play-offs. It was probably the only game they'd been to this season.

Agree with Mally's comments.

I doubt very much that the &quoton the phone&quot types where the &quoton the pitch&quot types.

[GodalmingYellow]

&quotTrouble makers&quot are generally on the phone to each other, and they almost certainly knew the scores were Burton 1-2 at Torquay and us 1-1, and Cambridge 0-0 at Alty leaving a last 10 minutes of highly unlikely turn arounds.

Not that that is an excuse for running on the pitch, but I think it is perhaps the majority of the crowd who didn't understand the true situation and our chances of making the play-offs. Liverpool were I think 50-1 at half time to win the Champions League when 3-0 down - what price for us to score 1 goal and Burton to score 2 goals in 7 minutes (when Burton only needed Cambridge not to score 3 or 4?)

I don't think the people who ran on the pitch in Oxford last week or Bury this week gave a flying f**k for the chances of promotion or play-offs. It was probably the only game they'd been to this season.

Agreed. They were attracted by the large crowd and attention it would bring them. They turned up to cause trouble. They were only interested in causing trouble. And they succeeded.

I suspect they all paid in cash so they are only traceable using CCTV, and then only if already known to the Police (which is why the allocated seating system doesn't work as a security measure). So a few will probably be banned, but most of the 50 or so who got onto the pitch will get away with it to literally fight another day.

The lack of police for a 10,000 crowd was shameful.

[Snake]

Even if you do ban these morons, then how exactly do you enforce it?

I don’t see mug shots inside the bit where the part-time turnstile operator works, and these people could easily get someone else to buy a ticket for them.

Got to live with them I’m afraid..

Also disagree with Slappy - these guys may have phones but you need a normal brain to work out the effect of a combination of two or more football results on the final league table.

[Swissbloke]

Have to say I've seen alot of the on the pitch lot at away games and a couple of them have been at matches for years. They weren't all turning up for one game.

[Myles Francis]

Have to say I've seen alot of the on the pitch lot at away games and a couple of them have been at matches for years. They weren't all turning up for one game.

Agreed. It's far too easy to dismiss them as irregular fans and as only being there for a scrap.

Certainly there were a number of known unsavoury faces in that group, but I'd wager that there were also a number of more reasonable supporters who got swept along by it all. That in no way condones what they did, but to try and paint them all as one homogenous trouble-seeking mob is simplistic in the extreme.

[A-Ro]

Have to say I've seen alot of the on the pitch lot at away games and a couple of them have been at matches for years. They weren't all turning up for one game.

Agreed. It's far too easy to dismiss them as irregular fans and as only being there for a scrap.

Certainly there were a number of known unsavoury faces in that group, but I'd wager that there were also a number of more reasonable supporters who got swept along by it all. That in no way condones what they did, but to try and paint them all as one homogenous trouble-seeking mob is simplistic in the extreme.

Its a bit like the Ben Elton joke

Q &quotHow can you tell if someone is a fit person to own a gun?&quot

A &quotI someone wants to own a gun they're not a fit person&quot

All that lot that were stood in the corner are a trouble seeking mob.

[Snake]

Have to say I've seen alot of the on the pitch lot at away games and a couple of them have been at matches for years. They weren't all turning up for one game.

Agreed. It's far too easy to dismiss them as irregular fans and as only being there for a scrap.

Certainly there were a number of known unsavoury faces in that group, but I'd wager that there were also a number of more reasonable supporters who got swept along by it all. That in no way condones what they did, but to try and paint them all as one homogenous trouble-seeking mob is simplistic in the extreme.

Sorry, but that’s not my definition of a &quotmore reasonable supporter&quot.

Moron still fits better.

[Myles Francis]

Have to say I've seen alot of the on the pitch lot at away games and a couple of them have been at matches for years. They weren't all turning up for one game.

Agreed. It's far too easy to dismiss them as irregular fans and as only being there for a scrap.

Certainly there were a number of known unsavoury faces in that group, but I'd wager that there were also a number of more reasonable supporters who got swept along by it all. That in no way condones what they did, but to try and paint them all as one homogenous trouble-seeking mob is simplistic in the extreme.

Sorry, but that’s not my definition of a &quotmore reasonable supporter&quot.

Moron still fits better.

The two are not mutually exclusive - particularly when the &quotmore reasonable&quot is in comparison to the &quotknown unsavoury faces&quot rather than the fan base as a whole.

[GodalmingYellow]

Even if you do ban these morons, then how exactly do you enforce it?

I don’t see mug shots inside the bit where the part-time turnstile operator works, and these people could easily get someone else to buy a ticket for them.

Got to live with them I’m afraid..

Also disagree with Slappy - these guys may have phones but you need a normal brain to work out the effect of a combination of two or more football results on the final league table.

You're right that it is virtually impossible to prevent them getting into matches.

However, enforcement is possible to the extent that anyone with a banning order, would not be allowed within x distance of the ground on a matchday, and may have to sign in at the local nick at kick off time.

Then if they are caught being involved in trouble at a later match whilt banned, they can receive a much heavier penalty.

So banning orders are worthwhile.