Ground Issues Last Night

Fortune 82nd Minute

AFKABartram said:

J BLOCK said:

The fact there were no stewards on hand to help when tickets weren't scanning was mind blowing. 

There seemed to be a real lack of stewards anywhere 

All sporting (and other) venues are struggling to get stewards at the moment.

Doesn't excuse the club of course but in fairness it is not a problem limited to this club.

swords_alive

AFKABartram said:

Does leave me questioning at times whether The Valley is still fully fit for purpose for big crowds since the automated turnstiles were put in.

At 7.30 the queue for the East Stand was 10-15 mins, managed to get in just before KO. From what others have said we were lucky, and they had to open gates in the end to get people in. For a full house I can understand it, but from looking at the seat plans in the afternoon I knew the stand was around a fifth full at best

All other stands had I assume similar problems?. Reading the Brighton site it seems they had queues for tickets etc for over 2hrs And a nightmare outside the ground. 

At the end of the game, many in the East climbed the steps to the Bartram Gate as usual only to find the gate was locked and with no stewarding. It’s open every game so no logical reason it wasn’t other than the organisation behind the scenes is a shambles. At the minimum there should have been an announcement given. Really felt for some old people who’d got to the top and we’re now having to walk all the way back down to the Harvey Gardens exit to then turn right to walk all the way back up the hill to effectively where they were.

When we get anything approaching a half full stand then the East and West Lower concourses are practically immovable due to the blockage for the refreshment outlets and not big enough areas etc 

I honestly don’t know how the ground used to function with 27k every week when it copes so difficulty at less than two thirds that 

This shouldn't happen and needs am explanation from the person responsible methinks. I would be seething. Could have got complicated and dangerous apart from inconvenient and painful for older fans.

Also that incursion by youngsters towards Brighton fans in the  NW corner could have got nasty if there had been a reception for them. Not nice for those there anyway I expect. Basic risk management of a football crowd surely?!

Stig

killerandflash said:

AFKABartram said:

Does leave me questioning at times whether The Valley is still fully fit for purpose for big crowds since the automated turnstiles were put in.

At 7.30 the queue for the East Stand was 10-15 mins, managed to get in just before KO. From what others have said we were lucky, and they had to open gates in the end to get people in. For a full house I can understand it, but from looking at the seat plans in the afternoon I knew the stand was around a fifth full at best

All other stands had I assume similar problems?. Reading the Brighton site it seems they had queues for tickets etc for over 2hrs And a nightmare outside the ground. 

At the end of the game, many in the East climbed the steps to the Bartram Gate as usual only to find the gate was locked and with no stewarding. It’s open every game so no logical reason it wasn’t other than the organisation behind the scenes is a shambles. At the minimum there should have been an announcement given. Really felt for some old people who’d got to the top and we’re now having to walk all the way back down to the Harvey Gardens exit to then turn right to walk all the way back up the hill to effectively where they were.

When we get anything approaching a half full stand then the East and West Lower concourses are practically immovable due to the blockage for the refreshment outlets and not big enough areas etc 

I honestly don’t know how the ground used to function with 27k every week when it copes so difficulty at less than two thirds that 

The Curbs was more than a fifth full! The centre blocks were nearly full for a start 

Cup games are always an issue

Mobile tickets do slow things down, especially when one person has several tickets on their phone, and has to let people through one at a time, each with a separate QR code. And then you have people not sitting where they usually do, which then slows down getting everyone sat down.

With flat pricing, people tend (as per the photo) to bunch in the centre blocks, meaning that the centre refreshment areas are extra busy, thus blocking up the concourse. 

Not opening the Curbs Stand as soon as tickets went on sale was crazy. Indeed with the number of parents and young children there, they maybe should have opened the family stand as well.

I think you raise some important points. I wonder if one solution might be to offer season ticket holders a discount for cup games if they buy a ticket for their usual seat. Might help sow a bit of goodwill too.

BrentfordAddick

I think it worked when we had 27,111 every game because many of us/them were coming every week, knew exactly where to go, and when, and so everything worked itself out. But when people are going to unfamiliar bits of the ground or whatever, the flow of people jams up. My bar code on the ST gets me in every time, the QR code on the phone last night took multiple goes. The Bartram Gate thing is really really shit. 

Lots of people coming in for the first ten minutes to the AC stand last night, feel sorry for them, but to be honest I don't think it's fair to assume that everyone is going to get in easy with 10 minutes to go. 

Full credit by the way to the club colleague who sorts out the disabled parking, got me in at short notice yesterday when circumstances changed, did really well. 

Airman Brown

I think you saw last night how much the club relies on Mick. Not saying he would have resolved everything but there is no way he would have allowed the Bartram Gate to remain locked with no announcements. The stewards should also have cleared the Brighton fans out of the press box. 

There’s at least 1,500 in the AC Stand.

BrentfordAddick

I thought there were a lot of press there last night!

cafcsinger

I got into the north upper queue at 7.30, perhaps a bit later than i should but didn't get in to 7.55. Was a bit of shambles to be honest

killerandflash

Airman Brown said:

I think you saw last night how much the club relies on Mick. Not saying he would have resolved everything but there is no way he would have allowed the Bartram Gate to remain locked with no announcements. The stewards should also have cleared the Brighton fans out of the press box. 

There’s at least 1,500 in the AC Stand.

I thought Mick was still around?

Brighton fans in the press box was ridiculous, and potentially dangerous if someone dropped something (whether accidentally or intentionally). Indeed I had assumed beforehand that they'd tape off the first few rows of the Upper West to create a slight barrier, which is usual if you have away fans above home fans or vice versa

Algarveaddick

killerandflash said:

Airman Brown said:

I think you saw last night how much the club relies on Mick. Not saying he would have resolved everything but there is no way he would have allowed the Bartram Gate to remain locked with no announcements. The stewards should also have cleared the Brighton fans out of the press box. 

There’s at least 1,500 in the AC Stand.

I thought Mick was still around?

Brighton fans in the press box was ridiculous, and potentially dangerous if someone dropped something (whether accidentally or intentionally). Indeed I had assumed beforehand that they'd tape off the first few rows of the Upper West to create a slight barrier, which is usual if you have away fans above home fans or vice versa

He is - but he was unwell last night.

T_C_E

BrentfordAddick said:

I thought there were a lot of press there last night!

Charltonlive Christmas party.

AFKABartram

Saw this tweet last night 

Well done to George, a steward in the west lower who acted quickly when alerted to have a Brighton fan ejected after he was spitting phlegm down on to fans in the lower stand. Disgusting behaviour! #cafc

Plaaayer

Absolute carnage yesterday seemed to be no stewards anywhere, not sure if the lack of organisation was down to Mick being off not well? 

The North upper was massively overcrowded with people standing in the stairs and boozing in their seats. 

killerandflash

Algarveaddick said:

killerandflash said:

Airman Brown said:

I think you saw last night how much the club relies on Mick. Not saying he would have resolved everything but there is no way he would have allowed the Bartram Gate to remain locked with no announcements. The stewards should also have cleared the Brighton fans out of the press box. 

There’s at least 1,500 in the AC Stand.

I thought Mick was still around?

Brighton fans in the press box was ridiculous, and potentially dangerous if someone dropped something (whether accidentally or intentionally). Indeed I had assumed beforehand that they'd tape off the first few rows of the Upper West to create a slight barrier, which is usual if you have away fans above home fans or vice versa

He is - but he was unwell last night.

I hope he gets well for Christmas. A ridiculous situation where the absence of someone who should have left a year ago, cause things to go to pot so badly.

Cardinal Sin

The club should have made a much bigger effort to get the Brighton fans in after failure to get the tickets to them on time. I know there were postal strikes but I would have driven them down there in the week. The general malaise elsewhere is symptomatic of a business taking it's eye off the ball. Staff cuts and loss of experienced operators won't have helped and as Airman says, if Mick Everett is not there, you can almost guarantee things will be worse - Sandgaard tried to get shot of him too. 

Hartleypete

The real problem with our club is that ineffective wankers run the show.

Uboat

On the upside, complete absence of stewards meant that me and my kids decided to stroll back to our seats after half time with our half drunk pints. No problems, just some surprised expressions from other fans. 

ForeverAddickted

Uboat said:

On the upside, complete absence of stewards meant that me and my kids decided to stroll back to our seats after half time with our half drunk pints. No problems, just some surprised expressions from other fans. 

Was that because your kids are 5 and 6?

golfaddick

Will the Bartram gate be open today, before & after the game ?  I sit in the AC stand & usually park around that area & wont be happy if, after the game, the gate is shut & I have to walk around the ground  

Uboat

ForeverAddickted said:

Uboat said:

On the upside, complete absence of stewards meant that me and my kids decided to stroll back to our seats after half time with our half drunk pints. No problems, just some surprised expressions from other fans. 

Was that because your kids are 5 and 6?

You have to start them young. 

MuttleyCAFC

No problem getting into East Stand.