Reg didn't you receive a letter for standing?

[Sippo]

Is this you?

http://www.thisisstfc.co.uk/News_Headlines_Story.asp?NewsID=4641

A BUSINESSMAN, who has supported Swindon Town all his life, has been banned from the County Ground for standing up during a game.

Last Tuesday’s 3-2 defeat by Oldham was a bad evening for the home team, but it was especially embarrassing for Andy Ings.

After returning from a visit to the toilet, the 49-year-old, from Stratton, says he stopped to talk to a friend before sitting down.

But moments later he says he was thrown out of the ground and given a lifetime ban.

The club said Mr Ings had been warned about standing up during games and that a ban could follow if he did not stay in his seat.

But he feels he has been unfairly treated by his beloved club and says there were lots of people standing up at the same time who weren’t dealt with.

After challenging the ban, the club has now reduced it to a three-match ban but he says he has been made to feel like a thug.

“I’m bemused, embarrassed and disgruntled,” he said.

“When I came back from the loo I was just speaking to a friend, when I was asked to speak to the head of security.

“Then I was being handed a lifetime ban for standing up.

“I know the rule, but it’s been going on for years.

“I’m just short of turning 50 and I’m being branded a thug.”

Mr Ings, the former owner of a Swindon tyre company, who now runs a guesthouse in Stratton, is especially indignant after having helped the club in different capacities of many years.

“I joined the peaceful protest around the town when the club was demoted, and collected money to help pay wages for loan players in the 80s,” he said.

He said that in the past he had helped collect money to award an engraved silver plate to club legend John Trollope, helped out as a steward on football ‘away specials’, as well as clearing snow at the County Ground so that matches could go ahead.

He said: “Not at any time have I given police or ground staff any problem. I have no criminal record, and not even any points on my licence.

“I’m no hero or saint but I don’t deserve to be treated like this.”

Persistent standing up at matches is not allowed on safety grounds and the club can get into trouble if it does not enforce the regulation.

Sandy Gray, chief executive of the club, said: “He had already received, from a previous game, a letter of notification concerning persistent standing, and that he could be banned.

“He had been warned and, at a meeting at the club, he acknowledged receiving the warning for persistent standing.”

Nigel Bennett, spokesman for the supporters’ association, said: “Everybody must understand what the regulations are, and that anybody who transgresses them potentially risks sanctions.

“It’s clear people should be sitting down because that’s what the regulations say.

“But there are also times when a little common sense should prevail, otherwise you’d get people who were being banned all the time.”

Dave Andrew

[Nils]

Never says when this letter was. It was probably 2 or 3 years ago and since he got the letter and since then he has probably sat down and now this incident with talking to a friend when coming back to the loo. On the otherhand he could be just breaking the rules. Not that I agree with banning him.

[Johno]

yep, swindon are so stupid, ban the town end people for standing up and lose fans when barely anyone turns up anyway!

it won't close, we have been threaten 5/6 times in 2 seasons. 'its gunna close' we've been told but oh look it is still there!

In the town end, to make myself look alright to the stewards, whenever the guy who stands infront of me sits down, i do. but that never happens, happened for the first time on tuesday night, i sat down for about 5 minutes.

then on saturday, the ole letters came round, but of cours eswindon again make a mistake and hand them out like teachers to pupils. also, it talks about the people at the front of the stand so people nearer the back don't care.

[Reg Smeeton]

Its not me, but I could be the next......if the club are looking to lose the gooodwill of their most loyal support then they're going about it in the right manner.

  Its a legal requirement to produce regular accounts, but the club hierarchy don't take any notice of that rule....then they expect us to accede to crap legislation....hypocritical or what.

[Asher]

totally agree.

[walrus]

Why is it that it is seemingly only Swindon Town who care so much about standing, to the point of being pedantic?  At away matches there never seems to be a problem with standing up, such as at Ashton Gate or Kenilworth Road.  In Division One I've been to Vicarage Road and Selhurst Park and whilst I've been sat down myself, being positioned in the equivalent of the Arkells Stand, there have been stands left freely to stand and chant.

Is terracing illegal in the higher divisions?  Or would this be an ideal solution?  It does seem daft to try and get the Town End to sit, as the ground would become a graveyard and doubtless many fans just wouldn't bother.  At the end of the day, the club are desperate for our money, and many adults are paying over-the-odds, so surely they should just turn a blind eye, or be a little less militant?

[janaage]

It's stupid, there have been high profile matches at Anfield and Old Trafford where most of the fans are stood up through out the matches and yet it doesn't even get commented on.

[unclemark]

Totally agree with you Walrus.

[pauld]

I'd 100% agree that this instance sounds like they're just being a bunch of josbworths. But the reason the club take the standing issue so seriously is because they're still under massive pressure from the SAG who came within a gnat's fart of shutting the Town End last December - it was only seen off (temporarily) by the Trust intervening to hand out the "Don't stand in the aisles" leaflets. The club were then able to say to the SAG "Look, the fans are taking it upon themselves to do something about this issue - at least give them a chance to see if it works".

Apparently the SAG were sufficiently impressed with that and the fact that people did stop standing in the aisles to lift the threat for then. But it doesn't mean they're not still breathing down the club's neck on it and that the threat has gone away. That said, there's got to be a better way of going about it than this which is just hacking off loyal supporters who've formed the bedrock of the support for years.

[Asher]

pAULD DO YOU EVER POST WITHOUT SAYING WHAT A GREAT JOB THE TRUST DOES? Excuse the caps lock was on

[Nils]

I can understand why they don't want people standing in the bits with the yellow stripes cos if people consistently do that then the SAG will shut the townend but I don't see the problem with standing in your seat.

[pauld]

pAULD DO YOU EVER POST WITHOUT SAYING WHAT A GREAT JOB THE TRUST DOES?

Ahh, come on. 90% of what I've posted on here has nothing to do with the Trust. But on this issue, we did make a (small) difference that's relevant to the topic being discussed and that quite a few people are unaware of. If we're not getting slagged off for not doing enough, we get slagged off for saying what we have done that's helped. Would you rather we did nowt and just sat round and grumbled a bit?

[Asher]

pAULD DO YOU EVER POST WITHOUT SAYING WHAT A GREAT JOB THE TRUST DOES?

Ahh, come on. 90% of what I've posted on here has nothing to do with the Trust. But on this issue, we did make a (small) difference that's relevant to the topic being discussed and that quite a few people are unaware of. If we're not getting slagged off for not doing enough, we get slagged off for saying what we have done that's helped. Would you rather we did nowt and just sat round and grumbled a bit?

Might get you further.....

[Ben Wah Balls]

Not quite true about Ashton Gate notn caring about standing though.

http://www.bcfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10327~697555,00.html

[Spud]

Lets ban fans that we badly need, well done Swindon what a great job you're doing!. :evil: