After the harsh glare of publicity shone on the Poppies due to a couple of incidents of things being thrown from the crowd last season, the club overacted as might be expected.
Problem - A plastic bottle was thrown on the pitch. Solution – ban all plastic bottles.
Consequently bottles of water were torn from the hands of young and old just in case the urge came upon them to hurl the item at a player. Never mind the proven health benefits of frequent hydration, and never mind if the player deserved it (joke!) A plastic bottle could become a dangerous weapon at a moments notice. As could a mobile phone, coins, a shoe or prosthetic limb.
We all know, and kind of accept, that the few civil liberties we have left to us are handed-in when we enter a football ground. Only at a football game can everyone be judged guilty for simply being there, and punished for the actions of someone else.
Here’s a wacky suggestion. Why not punish those people who actually transgress? I appreciate that this is an idea from left-field, but bear with me!
This way you leave alone the innocent 99.9% of folks to enjoy their football without molestation from the reflective jacket wearing jobsworths. If someone throws something at a player, catch them and ban them. What could be simpler of fairer? Mind you, to be able to do that the stewards and police would actually need to be in the right places around the ground and doing their jobs properly. I guess this makes this idea a non-starter when the stewards are busy watching the game and the police are enjoying their burger and chips.
How long does it take our match-day jailers to realise that a heavy presence at the bottom of the Britannia Road terrace, and between the two sets of supporters would either quell unrest, or put people in the right place should something unsavoury occur? Who knows, but they sure haven’t cottoned on yet. Probably too busy seeking out that dangerous water.
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