: Sat Mar 14, 2009 5:55 pm
Bolton_Warrior wrote:
What I have noticed over the last two seasons at Headlingley is that we take a lot of shockingly bad fans, at Hull there was nothing like that, and at other grounds there seems to be no major issues, so why does this happen when we play at Leeds?
There were quite a lot of drunk Wigan fans last night who seemed to be there to drink the place dry and insult every single player on the pitch, ours included
It is not always young chavs either as last night a female steward was given a mouthful by bloke in his late 50's just for doing her job. Last year there were a group of blokes around 50 years who were very drunk, very loud and very aggressive towards Leeds fans.
Its not limited to Wigan fans.
Thinking this one through you have at Headingley a ground that is quite difficult to get to and prone to motorway delays etc, but on the upside you have a ground that is bang in the centre of studentsville where in excess of a dozen pubs and bars (we listed them all on ss.com last year, there are lots within walking distance) are open all afternoon/evening and eager to take business from anyone with money to spend.
So your average away supporter arrives in Headingley, at least one, often several hours before k/o to find eager landlords welcoming them and their money in the knowledge that they will be out of the place by 7.30pm and not likely to be causing trouble on their patch when the ale kicks in, by that time they'll be in the ground.
We also don't help ourselves inside the ground, unlike (for instance) the JJB where once inside the "away" stand you are captive and easily controlled, at Headingley an "away" supporter has the freedom to roam around the cricket ground and buy beer in large quantities from at least three bars with quick-pour pumps, its not a problem finding beer at Headingley and no problem at all in getting served as long as you have the cash ready.
And finally, we've always had a problem at Headingley with under-age drinking, it used to be that the bar staff would serve anyone without checking but after deluging the club with emails I'd like to think that it wouldn't be possible now, I'd like to think that but I wouldn't be surprised if 15/16 year olds have no problems at all in getting served inside the ground.
So there you have it - very easy access to alcohol in the district around the ground before the game, a requirement to arrive early anyway, and a club who are delighted to keep serving you at premium prices - if all of that sounds far fetched then an alcohol ban within a five mile radius of Headingley on a matchnight would cause a collapse in the local economy so huge that questions would be asked in parliament.
Wish i'd of seen that!
I too must say that of all the away fans I have come into contact with the pies have usually been the most accommodating, and the most fun. We too have our dickheads, it's becoming the whole rl familys problem and needs addressing before it becomes the norm.
