Thetownend.com

Popped down to the ground yesterday to take a look at the new turf growing nicely and straight away noticed some subtle changes.

It's clear to me that F&Co are making a clear effort to make the ground somewhere to be proud of and should be very pleasing to the eye for next season.

There are of course the big changes in replacing the seats and changing STFC to Swindon but theres also the little things like neat edging on the turf, removal of unsightly advertising boards and general cleaning the place up - I'm not going to tell you all the changes because some are yet to be confirmed but suffice to say i was impressed with what I saw today and apparently we're even getting decent forks to do the pitch with!!!

Oh and another thing I noticed whcich I haven't done for all the years I've been doing the pitch was that all the staff were smiling and the CG actually felt vibrant.

So are there changes that we don't know about that the board are keeping from us as a "suprise"?

some players to whet the appetite i hope.

Are the tatty Arkells seats being replaced? Could swear I saw the blue ones still there at the Town End side of the stand?

I think it's more about the little things that are too many to mention - it just adds to an overall pleasing effect on the eye.

I also don't want to piss on their parade of their unvailling

The Arkells is a bigger priority I think, their are only about 10 blue seats in the TE and I'm sure they will be replaced - if they're not then Fitton out!

They'd better be...mine broke in the Arkells during the Millwall match...

I meant Arkells stand seats that are nearest the Town End, not the seats in the Town End itself.

Anyway the best bit about your post is saying people are seemingly enjoying working at the club again. We're on a roll as a club and while things won't happen overnight, they will happen.

Yep they're being replaced... it'll be a sea of red...

The feel good factor is back, this is good staff at the CG are enjoying their jobs again which will have knock on effect with the players and of course fan's are happy as well...now all we need is a couple of decent wins start of the season and the optimism will be through the roof.

Credit where it is due to AF, Watkins & Co.

I don't think I can remember a time supporting Swindon that there has always been something there..even down to selling our best players !

I wonder how the stewards will behave next season.

I hope theyve got rid of that fat heffer.

Which one is that ?

the one in the kingswood.

The one that broke his seat in the game against Millwall last season  :D

:Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

the stewarding deffo needs addressing.grossly obese men and women.some so fat they are incapable of walking properly or fastening their coats should be removed from their jobs.same as the wannabe bouncer tossers.and immigrants who have no idea what they should be doing.it seemed to me that there has to be a certain amount of stewards at the games.and in desperation to fill the numbers the agencys give anybody a job.

i think the club should go back to where the stewards worked for stfc,not some dodgy agency.

I agree - It was so obvious those stewards were being paid tuppence and if you pay peanuts you get monkeys - horrid monkeys at that!

That women was not just fat she was morbidly obese and could barely walk and as for the man that confiscated my flask  :evil:

What an interview. 41 minutes of intelligent, reasoned, articulate conversation designed to inform the supporters of the hopes, wishes and real opportunities for STFC as far as the Board see things.

Is this really STFC i'm listening to!

Getting my ST on Saturday.....

I don't trust all this positivity. It'll go wrong I tell thee. We might be flying high in the lights of hope, but so was the Hindenburg. Beware!

Some of the Stewards do work directly for the Club.. I think the ones in the Exec area are club employees...

AS for the others, i believe that the club decided to out source the Stewarding for two reasons.

1: in order to comply with FL regs you have to have a certain no of stewards... If they don't have these in place by 1.30 for a 3.00 kick off they can't open the turnstiles, the game can still go ahead but behind closed doors.  

2: As they couldn't attract enough local people to do the job they had to employ agency staff to meet their legal requirements.  The added attraction of agency staff also meant the cutting down of local admin to manage the wages etc.

i thought alot lost their jobs due to cuts a few years ago.some were remployed through the agency but alot didn't remain.
i might have it wrong mind?

I must have missed the thread.

Why on earth was your flask confiscated?

Not my fault...I leaned back and it broke.

The seats probably been there for for over 30 years and it's obviously got enough of the weight it was carrying !!! :D

Must also have known they were being replaced anyway.

It wasnt anything major  :oops:
It was at the start of last season He told me you werent allowed flasks and made a big fuss (in broken English) he took my flask and said I could pick it up later - I had to do interviews for ITV after the match and stupid steward lost my flask!! I had to hunt for ages around till I found an English speaking supervisor before it was found - luckily Paul Sturrock was late into the press room that day!  :soapy tit wank:

Since when have flasks been banned from football grounds?  Not that I've ever taken one, but I'm sure I've seen older supporters take flasks in.

Why where flasks not allowed???????? (Lots of ?'s)

I can only think that they may be worried about you throwing boiling hot tea into somebodys face, or that maybe it might contain a small nuclear device of sorts.

Flasks are allowed when I spoke to the chief steward lady to find my flask she said he never should have confiscated it in the first place

That actually makes me think a flask is a good idea, not to get it taken, but it'd be nice to have some scotch broth or something at halftime. I think it will make me feel alot older though.

What annoyed me is when they kept the caps from bottles of drink but were happy enough to hand me my change, which consisted of coins of similar shape and size, which in turn would do more damage as a missile.

I think the idea is it stops you lobbing a whole bottle of Coke at somebody like Nelson or Angerken, but to be honest at those prices it simply isn't worth it.

Save yourself some money and lob a pound coin...............

Or even a 50p coin....all those edges

nicely filed down into a kind of ninja star :mrgreen:

The whole point of keeping bottle caps is nothing to do with using them as a missile, it's so that when people chuck their empty bottles on the floor if someone stands on one it will crush under their weight rather than roll and break somebody's ankle.

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

they do this at wembley - I thought it was more so that people don't fill them up at water fountains for free, rather than queing up for 30 minutes and paying 9 quid for one half the size during the interval.

Honest, when I asked that was the explanation I was given.

It also dissuades you from peeing in the bottle then using it as a missile

No it does not

Note to self *don't shake hands with anyone at a football match*

It's to stop you from pouring very tiny amounts of the drink into the upturned cap, and using that cap as a very small cup.  There were over 276 occurances of people doing this and ending up in hospital A&E after swallowing said tiny cup in the 2007-08 season alone.

I have a little collection of caps in my kitchen and take caps with me now, such is my annoyance. I really, honestly do. I know I'm a twat and i don't care, but who in their right mind will drink a 500ml bottle of coke in just a few minutes at a cold match? Although at least Sam and Jan have now provided a reason for this stupidity.

erm, I may have a [cough] friend who might have done that  :oops:

I think we may have the same friend  :D

Hence the expression "cap in hand"

Jesus wept! So when are they going to stop selling burgers and other "Oooh if you dropped that someone could slip on it and break their neck" foodstuffs then? Who makes these rules? Mr Bump?

i always thought it was due to making the bottle heavier if the lid is on.as the liquid wouldn't come out when chucked, unlike with the top off.

wow I wish Mr Men did make all the rules

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:  Genius.

I'm glad appreciated it. :oops:

I may also know this person  :D

I think the danger of dying onion slippage is far smaller than the risk of dying by eating a CG burger.

Incidentally, besides beer what food delights does the DR serve up that the TE doesn't? Now I'm in the posh seat I demand chicken wings and spicy wedges.

I think I'm going to get to know this person next season  :D

I see a niche market. I'm going to deal in coke from the DR stand. And Pepsi, Fanta, Sprite...

That wasn't funny. But neither are boring Friday afternoons.

everyone should bring there own drinks in flasks

"Bringing Flasks" is the new "buying drinks"

You just want some company when you get thrown out for your dangerous flask-related hooliganism

The probability of that happening in the Town End is almost zero. Of course, the consequence would be very high, therefore putting the risk in the intolerable region. I'm just surprised Sussex hasn't taken the time to point that out.....

You'll be "knitting scarves" instead of buying them next, probably at the game too.

Being a bit of a 'saddo', I popped into The County Ground as i passed on the way to Greenbridge for a spot of retail therapy. Looking through the grid on the doors behind the Town End i was able to view some of The Arkells Stand which is coming along nicely. All lovely red seats apart from the away fans block and the blue block nearest the Town End.

Pitch looks superb too.

would you like me to knit you one luvvie?  :wink:

can I have a bobble hat?

yeah sure

oooh! Do you do gloves?

Can you knit me a Golly?

On second thought I might have arthritis in my hand so maybe setting up a knitting club is not a good idea?

maybw I could get one of those knitting machines like off of the 80's?