Home Match Day Thread +++ 25/9/18 OUFC v Manchester City Match day thread+++

[Randomox]

in this particulur instance billy big bollox driving the city team coach pushed his luck and sparked off the cause of the problem...IF hed waited (or been told to come back in half an hour , park facing the other way, and (much) closer to the Quadrangle, the dangerous pedestrian gridlock there on tues after the game simply wouldnt have happened.... actually @Randomox it was the city team coach driver, playing billy big bollox, and taking the P**s who was the catalyst and cause in the first place

Completely agree with that Sarge - he was the catalyst - but was allowed to do it. If I am driving along a street and see a parking space with no double yellow lines and park there I might cause an obstruction by doing so but have broken no law. Clearly he could have acted a lot more sensibly but in the eyes of the law (I believe) he did not have to. However other parties involved do have legal obligations.

 

[Sarge]

Completely agree with that Sarge - he was the catalyst - but was allowed to do it. If I am driving along a street and see a parking space with no double yellow lines and park there I might cause an obstruction by doing so but have broken no law. Clearly he could have acted a lot more sensibly but in the eyes of the law (I believe) he did not have to. However other parties involved do have legal obligations.

100% @Randomox .... he shouldve been moved on

 

[bazzer9461]

100% @Randomox .... he shouldve been moved on

He the Man City coach driver was being a plain old w****r

 

[Sarge]

Better (2 days) late than never ....https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/16905276.united-to-investigate-crush-outside-kassam/?ref=mrb&lp=17







nice to know the club take fans safety seriously ( albeit 2 days on!)

 

[NottsYellow]

Completely agree with that Sarge - he was the catalyst - but was allowed to do it. If I am driving along a street and see a parking space with no double yellow lines and park there I might cause an obstruction by doing so but have broken no law. Clearly he could have acted a lot more sensibly but in the eyes of the law (I believe) he did not have to. However other parties involved do have legal obligations.

Looking at the above drawing the further contributory factor were the barriers between the coach and the building. Who agreed to that?
The two police persons standing between East & North stand before the game did NOT know where the away end was and indicated the route behind the North Stand would not be blocked off after the game unless there was trouble. It appeared the pre-match briefing was totally inadequate.
Serious questions need to be asked of whoever was in overall control of the safety proceedings and agreed to the barrier going up behind the North Stand, the City bus parking where it did and agreeing to the barriers being placed between bus and building. These 3 factors which effectively blocked the free flow of people around the ground. Surely the person in overall control should be held accountable for such . This person is very lucky there was not a serious incident otherwise surely he could be held personally responsible.

 

[Sarge]

Looking at the above drawing the further contributory factor were the barriers between the coach and the building. Who agreed to that?
The two police persons standing between East & North stand before the game did NOT know where the away end was and indicated the route behind the North Stand would not be blocked off after the game unless there was trouble. It appeared the pre-match briefing was totally inadequate.
Serious questions need to be asked of whoever was in overall control of the safety proceedings and agreed to the barrier going up behind the North Stand, the City bus parking where it did and agreeing to the barriers being placed between bus and building. These 3 factors which effectively blocked the free flow of people around the ground. Surely the person in overall control should be held accountable for such . This person is very lucky there was not a serious incident otherwise surely he could be held personally responsible.

Absolutely @NottsYellow .... absolutely right!

 

[PC956S]

PC956 it is hard to tell from your posts when you or TVP are accountable for your actions, and at when you are simply more hired hands in high viz jackets working for OUFC.
For us mere mortals could you spell out who is ultimately accountable at public sporting events such as football matches at Grenoble Road? Is it OUFC? Is it TVP? Is it the local licencing authority for granting a licence to hold these events in the first place? I am certainly not clear, and suspect others aren't also. To me it definitely isn't the Man City coach driver who was simply doing his job.

OUFC’s event with support from TVP. Always has been.

 

[Essexyellows]

@PC956S so its Mr Mixters multiple mistakes then as he would be the individual in charge of the event supported by TVP for the "heavy stuff"?
A simple Yes or No will do.

 

[outsidethebox]

The coach driver should have been given precise instructions on arrival to cover the rest of the evening. If this wasn't done, or the instruction was to move to the front of the South Stand at the time he did, then somebody screwed up and that needs investigating. If the driver moved the coach on his own volition then he should have been prevented from doing so. Again, investigate why he wasn't stopped.

The fact that there were no injuries (well, maybe minor ones) resulted in a combination of luck and (much maligned) fans acting in as sensible a manner as the situation allowed.

Please don't relay in luck next time. It notoriously unreliable.

 

[PC956S]

@PC956S so its Mr Mixters multiple mistakes then as he would be the individual in charge of the event supported by TVP for the "heavy stuff"?
A simple Yes or No will do.

I struggle to see what a lot of people have against the safety team at Oxford . A fast moving incident occurred at the ground which all parties reacted to in an attempt to rectify it.

If fans believe that safety is breached at regular fixtures then you can contact the council who issue the safety certificate.

Things have changed at the stadium and I firmly believe they’ve got better, that’s my opinion for which I expect to be chastised about as I’m not supposed to have an opinion, I’m supposed to lie down and take the flak without answering back.

Just want to say thank you to the people that have private messaged me supporting what I’m trying to do by being on here. ie be more visible and a point of contact to build a better relationship between the fans and police.

I’m on here mostly when I’m off duty on my own time and am a little tired of a small minority who only create negativity and twist everything that I say or do.

If anyone wants to private message with a question or query I’ll answer you as it pings up on my work email and I’ll get back to you.
And no I’m not running away or hiding or accepting liability for anything etc etc

I’m a positive person and am in the role in an attempt to build bridges and be more visible but the negativity towards me and the job is draining.
I’ll still be here. Message me with any questions.
COYY

 

[Essexyellows]

I`m a positive person and am in the role in an attempt to build bridges and be more visible but the negativity towards me and the job is draining.
I’ll still be here. Message me with any questions.
COYY

Try being a football fan for the last 40+ years , that has been very draining.

Take me, 54 year old normal bloke on the street............................

I can happily attend Leicester Tigers, stand on a terrace, drink a pint and never even see the Police.

I attend OUFC and I am potentially on Mr Mixters "App" before I have walked through the door and many other liberties are "removed" as soon as I do enter the stadium......................... football fans aren`t criminals yet they are judged based on the minority by those in authority.

Then, when those with whom the buck stops are rightly questioned, the system/authority protects them.............. my question wasn`t answered.

You might be dressing it up as caring about us & building bridges but your opinions are pre-conceived and stuck in the 1980`s.

Over & out.

 

[Randomox]

Fast Moving! Hostile atmosphere! we are all lucky we got out alive!!!
This is a forum. Come on here and give your side of events if you like PC956S - but like everyone else on here be prepared to be shot down in flames if someone believes you are talking b*ll*cks, especially when you then hide behind the "I cant say anymore" banner...

 

[Sarge]

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/16905276.united-to-investigate-crush-outside-kassam/?ref=mrb&lp=17

 

[Notaswindonfan]

It’ll be a white wash, we’ll learn from this , all working together......blah blah blah

 

[bicesterox]

Didn't see the incident, but for every game the away team bus moves to that space with about 20 minutes to go, only difference I can see are a] The barriers between the bus and entrance, b] the size of the crowd.

The trouble is the stewards seem to think the job is finished when the final whistle goes, me , I'd have some of them out in the car park to help funnel the cars out and others outside to help in other areas.

as I say, I wasn't in that area but you'd think it was simple enough to sort out

 

[Horse]

Didn't see the incident, but for every game the away team bus moves to that space with about 20 minutes to go, only difference I can see are a] The barriers between the bus and entrance, b] the size of the crowd.

The trouble is the stewards seem to think the job is finished when the final whistle goes, me , I'd have some of them out in the car park to help funnel the cars out and others outside to help in other areas.

as I say, I wasn't in that area but you'd think it was simple enough to sort out

To be honest where the coach was parked wouldn't have been an issue without the barriers. The barriers caused the funnelling towards the small passage and these have never been used before, presumably it's just because of the premier stars. My question is who arranged the barriers and when? They had to be carried from somewhere and there were dozens of them so it must have been pre-planned. So, it wasn't a situation that just arose from a late "fluid" action. Anyone with any sense would have looked at it and thought this would be dangerous. More worrying was the reaction of the stewards to the situation as they held the barriers firm against the crush instead of pulling them away towards the coach or opening them up - they said they were doing as they were told.
I hope some fans caught in the crush are asked to participate in the enquiry.

 

[MarkG]

Normally there is no problem with away coaches being parked up, i guess that Man City perhaps didn't want any possibility of "fans" banging on the side of the coach etc.

 

[Paul Cannell]

If fans believe that safety is breached at regular fixtures then you can contact the council who issue the safety certificate.

Things have changed at the stadium and I firmly believe they’ve got better, that’s my opinion for which I expect to be chastised about as I’m not supposed to have an opinion, I’m supposed to lie down and take the flak without answering back.

Just want to say thank you to the people that have private messaged me supporting what I’m trying to do by being on here. ie be more visible and a point of contact to build a better relationship between the fans and police.

I'n trying to be constructive, PCxxx. The posters here (vast majority of, etc) are concerned that a dangerous situation was allowed to develop and are concerned that measures are taken to avoid the same thing happening in a similar future circumstance.

Your remark about regular fixtures is disingenuous - it's this occasion on Tuesday where people were scared and close to injury that needs to be remedied. You can either take it upon yourself to change process - after all the club you're a fan of is going on a journey and this sort of crowd may soon be a regular event - or shrug your shoulders and turn away.

It's a very poor response that you are not interested in dealing with the club to improve procedures and training.

However you may well be the only other poster on this forum who can spell the word 'flak', so I'll overlook the whiney tone of your post this once. Do buck your ideas up tho if you're serious about building a better relationship with 'fans'.

 

[NottsYellow]

Normally there is no problem with away coaches being parked up, i guess that Man City perhaps didn't want any possibility of "fans" banging on the side of the coach etc.

I think a further part of the problem was the coach was parked at an angle so in effect it was blocking 2 to 3 times the width of the coach.
Surely some steward could see that after the barriers were put up and the coach parked at the angle it only left about a 8 foot gap for every one to walk through. You would think common sense would make someone think that was not right, also assume it was like that for a while before the final whistle to give plenty of time for some steward to question it.

 

[Oufcrealist]

To be honest where the coach was parked wouldn't have been an issue without the barriers. The barriers caused the funnelling towards the small passage and these have never been used before, presumably it's just because of the premier stars. My question is who arranged the barriers and when? They had to be carried from somewhere and there were dozens of them so it must have been pre-planned. So, it wasn't a situation that just arose from a late "fluid" action. Anyone with any sense would have looked at it and thought this would be dangerous. More worrying was the reaction of the stewards to the situation as they held the barriers firm against the crush instead of pulling them away towards the coach or opening them up - they said they were doing as they were told.
I hope some fans caught in the crush are asked to participate in the enquiry.

Quite right. Plus the barriers need not have been in place until 20/30 minutes after kick off!