Blues match police crowd management

[amfy]

I went to a police meeting to let us know about their arrangements for our home match against Blues and to see whether we could think of any flaws in the plan - which we largely couldn't really.

The arrangements are pretty common sense, but some of it will cause some inconvenience, so they want to ensure that everyone knows about the diversions well in advance and can make arrangements accordingly. Also - they don't want to be wasting time on people arguing about 'having to go all the way round' when they could be dealing with real troublemakers instead.

Basically - allow for the Witton station and the Witton side of the ground to be the side where Blues are coming in. Villa fans are discouraged, but not prevented from being in this area. Although - Only R block (North Stand lower) Villa supporters will be allowed to enter Witton Lane from the Witton end of the ground - there will be a ticket check at the top of Witton Lane. If you have P or T (Witon Lane Upper or North Stand Upper), or anywhere else, block tickets, you will be sent the other way round the ground.

A barrier of police vans will be diagonally across Witton Lane so that R block Villa fans can enter the ground without crossing the fans coming off 18 Blues coaches arriving to the car park. The Blues fans will be straight off the coaches into their section of P block.

Further barriers will prevent P block Villa supporters from crossing the area where Blues fans come in. P block Villa supporters will need to approach from the Holte end of the ground - they will not be able to come in from the Witton end.

The Lion gates on Witton Lane will also be closed - T block Villa supporters will need to enter from Trinity Road side and will not be allowed to enter or exit via Witton Lane. At the end of the game, R block supporters will also be sent out via The North Stand Car Park onto Trinity Road & through a back gate which is little used onto Witton Road.

The blues fans have had transport and route directions with their tickets, so they will know where they are supposed to be. They have 2 specific trains with capacity to bring 1000 (2x 500) of them straight from New Street to Witton Station. These will be directed around the back route via Station Road and Manor Road so that they do not cross the Villa fans coming into R block. Blues fans arriving by car will be encouraged to park on the Brookvale Road side of the ground, and will also be directed down Station Road and Manor Road to their turnstiles in P block.

In the ground there is extra segregation seats between Villa supporters and Blues fans at either end - both in Witton Lane and between them and the North Stand. The lowered allocation allows this. They have found lower allocations reduce trouble because it is the most regular fans who qualify, and they say that they found Villa fans behaviour to be brilliant at the away fixture because the allocation was low and therefore excluded random idiots.

At the end of the game, they cannot keep Blues fans back because there is nowhere safe to do so. St Andrews has a kind of 'yard' type thing they can keep us in, but at Villa Park, they would need to be kept inside the ground, which could cause crushing, or in any case, they are likely to wreck the place if we do that. So - the police will be looking to clear them onto coaches and trains within 20 minutes of the final whistle.

The trains will be police managed so that they are kept on the train, and apart from Villa fans on the route back in to New Street. Police management continues at New Street.

Weirdly - The Witton Arms is open to home fans only. You can go there - but you can't go straight up Witton Lane - you will need to approach from Aston Lane or Witton Road. 20 minutes after the game - it shouldn't be so bad trying to get round there if it's where you want to be.

Generally the advice is DON'T USE WITTON STATION - it's not an order - but just don't, it's daft. Even if you usually do, just this once, go to Aston!
...the other main point is only R block Villa supporters can get into Witton Lane from the Witton end of the ground. Everyone else has to go round. That's how it is. Even R block supporters will be sent out the other way at the end.
Also - if you usually park Brookvale road side, think about varying it, because it's just not going to be convenient - you are going to have a long walk round in most cases.

Also - Villa fans who have disabled parking badges in YewTree car park, will be allowed to park along the (closed) Trinity Road, right alongside the stand where their seats are. They obviously can't be asked to go the long way round, so on this occasion, it actually becomes much easier for them.

They are expecting most of the local pubs to have temporary event licences to open at around 8am - The Social, The Tavern, Witton Arms etc - the police have no problem with this and these applications will be unopposed. However, anyone opening without the relevant licence will be closed down - so that is down to the pubs not the police.

Lions and Other Villa coaches from elsewhere should contact the police about parking at Queens Road for this game. Mini buses have to do their own thing.

I think that is about everything. Please spread the word to others who might not have access to this info. Also - please ask me about anything that doesn't make sense, or I haven't covered and I will try my best to answer it.

I think it all sounds sensible to be fair, but I might not have explained it that well because it was explained to us with talk and maps, rather than having to write it down. So - yes - anything unclear - just ask me!

[amfy]

Also - anyone assembling outside without tickets will be dispersed. Random blues fans in Villa areas will be ejected, not re-located to the away section. It is not expected that blues have any groups of fans in, Villa areas of the ground, but inevitably, there will be the odd one or two who have managed to get a ticket off someone, and then fail to 'pass' as a regular person.

[Dave]

They are expecting most of the local pubs to have temporary event licences to open at around 8am - The Social, The Tavern, Witton Arms etc - the police have no problem with this and these applications will be unopposed. However, anyone opening without the relevant licence will be closed down - so that is down to the pubs not the police.

Phew, thank goodness. Imagine not being able to have four hours of solid drinking time before a midday kick-off.

[oldtimernow]

Also - anyone assembling outside without tickets will be dispersed. Random blues fans in Villa mare as will be ejected, not re-located to the away section. It is not expected that blues have any groups of fans in Villa areas of the ground, but inevitably, there will be the odd one or two who have managed to get a ticket off someone, and then fail to 'pass' as a regular person.

Surely impossible for Bluenoses to pass as regular persons?

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

They are expecting most of the local pubs to have temporary event licences to open at around 8am - The Social, The Tavern, Witton Arms etc - the police have no problem with this and these applications will be unopposed. However, anyone opening without the relevant licence will be closed down - so that is down to the pubs not the police.

Phew, thank goodness. Imagine not being able to have four hours of solid drinking time before a midday kick-off.

8am. Sausage, Bacon, Fried Eggs, Black Pudding, Baked Beans, Fried Tomato, Fried Bread. All washed down with Eight cans of Stella.

[PGW]

Any idea what time Holte Suite opening.

[shirley_villan]

So either side can kiss goodbye to ever getting more than 2k away tickets again.....great.

[Ads]

It doesn't make a great deal of sense.

Ridiculous and over the top measures like this and at the Sty when they acknowledge there's little risk support present.

Meanwhile real police forces manage more high profile games, with larger risk elements and significantly higher home and away followings.

WMP have always been shit houses when it comes to football.

[Clampy]

It doesn't make a great deal of sense.

Ridiculous and over the top measures like this and at the Sty when they acknowledge there's little risk support present.

Meanwhile real police forces manage more high profile games, with larger risk elements and significantly higher home and away followings.

WMP have always been shit houses when it comes to football.

I haven't got a problem with any of it, although i'm surprised the Witton Arms is open to Villa fans. What have you got a problem with in particular?

[Ads]

Being kept in for an hour and taken on a guided tour of Bordesley Green for a start. Piss pot allocations and the general think of the children attitude they've suddenly adopted.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

What are the police going to do to prevent groups of sulus or zolas or whatever they call themselves walking in from the direction of Aston Cross along Lichfield Road and causing problems like they did at The Vine previously and more recently The Manor Tavern?

[Ads]

What are the police going to do to prevent groups of sulus or zolas or whatever they call themselves walking in from the direction of Aston Cross along Lichfield Road and causing problems like they did at The Vine previously and more recently The Manor Tavern?

Not patrol the canals which is the route their 50 man firm has come in every year since 2003.

[Clampy]

Being kept in for an hour and taken on a guided tour of Bordesley Green for a start. Piss pot allocations and the general think of the children attitude they've suddenly adopted.

I wasn't there for the away game, that wait must have been frustrating  but in this instance, i don't see too much of a problem with any of it.

[Flamingo Lane]

They are expecting most of the local pubs to have temporary event licences to open at around 8am - The Social, The Tavern, Witton Arms etc - the police have no problem with this and these applications will be unopposed. However, anyone opening without the relevant licence will be closed down - so that is down to the pubs not the police.

Phew, thank goodness. Imagine not being able to have four hours of solid drinking time before a midday kick-off.

8am. Sausage, Bacon, Fried Eggs, Black Pudding, Baked Beans, Fried Tomato, Fried Bread. All washed down with Eight cans of Stella.

I'm sorry, but baked beans should have no place in a breakfast.

[Lambert and Payne]

So Villa fans are inconvenienced at the expense of blues and their 18 coaches. Just like every time we play them, home and away. Locked into their shitpit for 45 minutes after the game at their place and now can't walk conveniently to our end of the ground from the social. Really pisses me off