Brigada Corner

[Percy McCarthy]

When you buy a ticket for the council owned LG arena it states 'people may stand in front of you' on the ticket.
I have been to concerts where it has kicked off over this and yet nothing is done.
Football fans being treated like shit by jobsworths again!

Excellent point. Some clown insisted on standing up in front of my Missus last time I saw Weller at the NIA, where the 'rake'  is very steep. I asked him politely to sit down and he said "No chance mate", telling me that the booking office had assured him that he would be allowed to stand in the seated area, even though there was a standing area for five thousand people that the twat could have bought a ticket for. I wonder if the HSE is aware of this policy? I feel they should be told.

Anyway, it all ended amicably enough when I informed him that at some point in the near future I would be pushing him very hard in the back, causing him to hobble around embarrassed and apologising to people who were splattered with his blood.

[Sunny Villa]

who cares .


 they can stick their flares , politics and Ultra bullshit where the sun don't shine as far as I am concerned . 

[eamonn]

I thought the consensus was that the atmosphere they generate far outweighs any dubious populist sloganeering from a small number of their faction.

[Stu]

who cares .


 they can stick their flares , politics and Ultra bullshit where the sun don't shine as far as I am concerned .

Except they weren't ejected for any of that stuff, they were ejected for standing. If this should ever happen to you, I take it you won't complain.

[Holte132]

I stood all night at the back of the Upper Holte and the stewards didn't comment at all. I know there was a bit of bother by us with people trying to sit on the very back row, where nobody is allowed to be, and with a few others who weren't in their allocated seats, but they all moved without too much fuss.

[silhillvilla]

This annoys me, haven't the council, stewards and old bill got better things to do ?? Viva Brigada, don't give up on the villa lads.

[amfy]

They clearly started on this lot within the first 5-10 minutes of the game. During Saturday league games, when the stewards approach them, they will often start a 'stand up if you love Villa' chant, and many around them stand in solidarity, so that the stewards don't know where to start.
They knew from before kick off that they could get them tonight due to the low crowd, and dispersed regulars, and this is clearly what they set out to do.
 They didn't like being filmed by my my husband, and stood in his way. What did they have to hide? They started telling us to sit down too. Whilst all this was going on I missed the first goal! I told them I didn't have to sit down as we had just scored so it was 'a moment of high excitement' and therefore I was allowed to stand (totally deadpan like quoting a rule book which was slightly bizarre) I also advised them that they shouldn't eject anyone else for standing straight after a goal. They left us alone then, but carried on taking out Brigada. I tweeted to WMP, AVFC official &, for a laugh, AVFClive to see if I could get it on the big screen at half time (no). Fsf follows me on twitter, and picked it up for a retweet and asked a bit more about it.
In the cold light of day it is a dilemma for the club. They are in favour of standing, and would like to set up a standing section, but the impetus must come from the fans. Whilst fans stand anyway unopposed, they aren't going to be that interested in an official standing section, therefore there will be no impetus. Also, it was pretty clear that they had an agenda last night so the club may be under some pressure on this. It is always true that they have to be seen to be trying to stop standing, but last night was more than that, last night it was clear that they didn't only have to be seen to stop people standing, they had to stop people standing. They planned it for a game when they could have an impact, and they enacted that plan right from kick off.

[nigel]

Was sat right by them this evening.
They were no problem at all.
I can only think that there's previous history

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

I stood all night at the back of the Upper Holte and the stewards didn't comment at all. I know there was a bit of bother by us with people trying to sit on the very back row, where nobody is allowed to be, and with a few others who weren't in their allocated seats, but they all moved without too much fuss.

And we always stand at away games and away supporters stand at VP.
Surely they are setting something of a dangerous precedent here aren't they?
If they are going to eject the Brigada guys for standing then they should eject everyone who stands!???
Nobody's causing any trouble or harm: leave it alone!

[Brend'Watkins]

The club do an excellent job of trying to get punters through the door and then once in they allow something such as this to happen.  It beggars belief it really does.  This Brigada crowd are not harming anybody.  If they were then you could understand such an approach but to set up this Nazi preplanned style of harassment is nothing short of pathetic. 

If it's a council instruction the club should be talking to the council telling them what a bunch of twats they really are.

I'm absolutely certain that our stewards time and most definitely employees of Birmingham City council's  time could be put to far better use than the standing situation in a small section of our ground.   

[dave.woodhall]

The club do an excellent job of trying to get punters through the door and then once in they allow something such as this to happen.  It beggars belief it really does.  This Brigada crowd are not harming anybody.  If they were then you could understand such an approach but to set up this Nazi preplanned style of harassment is nothing short of pathetic. 

If it's a council instruction the club should be talking to the council telling them what a bunch of twats they really are.

I'm absolutely certain that our stewards time and most definitely employees of Birmingham City council's  time could be put to far better use than the standing situation in a small section of our ground.   

You're absolutely right except for one thing. Tell the council that they're twats and they're likely to tell us the ground, or at least part of it, is closed.

[cheltenhamlion]

I don't know if there has been but some dialogue would be the starting point surely?

If the club are getting it in the neck from the council then perhaps they could organise a meeting with the Brigada folks.

Last night seemed incredibly heavy handed.

[itbrvilla]

Watching football is dangerous if you stand but being pissed watching a gig and dancing in your seats isn't? 

[bertlambshank]

I thought the point of putting them on the wing was that they could stand unofficially.

[johnc]

I was sitting at back of the lower North on Sunday. Everyone stood for 80% of the match. Strange tactics by AVFC