Railway underpass an accident waiting to happen... (1 Viewer)

Alan Dugdales Moustache · Sep 30, 2018

We don't get large crowds, but if we did that tunnel is where there could be a real problem if there was trouble with away supporters.
It's the point at which both sets of supporters usually are in contact ( literally on occasion) after a game. Fortunately yesterday the Sunderland coaches were parked very close to the barriers, which in some ways helped with the segregation.
There were just under 12,000 city fans at the game but it still seemed a bit of a squeeze getting to the top of the steps to go under the railway line. If there had been a rush by a large contingent of away supporters towards the city fans on their way down the steps it would have resulted in a stampede and God only knows what could have happened as a result.
When there is a large crowd expected and with it a large away following then there must be a large police presence to ensure safely . It's not the 1970s any more thankfully but events yesterday showed that football violence isn't ever that far away.

chiefdave · Sep 30, 2018

Its a terrible design. The away support is in the wrong place to start off with as it means you have a large number of our fans having to go past them. Would be better off having them at the other end then there coaches using car park a and give them a park and ride just off the motorway.

The underpass itself needs to be a lot bigger or put a decent size bridge over the top. Its a bottleneck with 10K crowds let alone if 30K turn up.

pusbccfc · Sep 30, 2018

They did increase the size by adding that second one further down.

pusbccfc · Sep 30, 2018

chiefdave said:
Its a terrible design. The away support is in the wrong place to start off with as it means you have a large number of our fans having to go past them. Would be better off having them at the other end then there coaches using car park a and give them a park and ride just off the motorway.

The underpass itself needs to be a lot bigger or put a decent size bridge over the top. Its a bottleneck with 10K crowds let alone if 30K turn up.

A bit like Swansea. They cage you in once you get there.

Paul Anthony · Sep 30, 2018

chiefdave said:
Its a terrible design. The away support is in the wrong place to start off with as it means you have a large number of our fans having to go past them. Would be better off having them at the other end then there coaches using car park a and give them a park and ride just off the motorway.

The underpass itself needs to be a lot bigger or put a decent size bridge over the top. Its a bottleneck with 10K crowds let alone if 30K turn up.

I've always said the same about away fans. Why not give them the stand which has the quicker motorway access, and gets them out quicker? Seems more logical to me and always has.

As it is, I Never use the underpass if possible. Always use the footbridge further up.

Sky Blue Harry H · Oct 1, 2018

Used the bridge on Saturday as it didnt take a genius to see the underpass area was a potential flashpoint. I bet the police will be all over it on Tuesday(if not, who knows? It always feels edgier in the dark when you can't see who's who and what's going on.

lifeskyblue · Oct 1, 2018

Usually use bridge straight after game but on Saturday thought there may be a problem so stayed in ground 10mins then outside in a sunny spot (by the screened off memorial garden) for a further 5/10mins to allow crowds to go. In that time talked to a number of city and Sunderland fans...all enjoyed game, no trouble.

chiefdave · Oct 1, 2018

Its been worse since they decided to put barriers to stop you getting in to the car park. You now clear have the two sets of fans on opposite sides until the barrier suddenly stops and its a free for all.

If they insist on putting the barriers up then they need to direct fans away from the arena by different routes.

Sky Blue Pete · Oct 1, 2018

Yep utterly bizarre

Covstu · Oct 1, 2018

It was a bit crazy and you knew it was going to go off there. It was designed to start trouble rather than manage it. I think the issue is that you cant get out of the ground quick enough no matter where the away fans are parked. Getting out to the other side is as bad if not worse

letsallsingtogether · Oct 1, 2018

I have used the tunnels after every game since they were opened never had any trouble.
The only problem is most people use the first one we take a wide birth past everyone queuing at the first one and take the second one which is empty, if there ever is a air just saunter past and go down the ramp easy.
There are plenty of stones in the flower beds on the other side so if there ever is any trouble you have plenty of ammunition; )

COVKIDSNEVERQUIT · Oct 1, 2018

Why don't they just keep the away fans in the stadium until the home fans have left.

Especially if the visiting fans have a history of causing trouble.

Alan Dugdales Moustache · Oct 1, 2018

All it needs is a few idiotic away fans to get over the barriers and start something and there will be mass panic : nowhere to go except down the steps and everyone will start running and then we're in serious injury situation if just one person trips over.

Nick · Oct 1, 2018

letsallsingtogether said:
I have used the tunnels after every game since they were opened never had any trouble.
The only problem is most people use the first one we take a wide birth past everyone queuing at the first one and take the second one which is empty, if there ever is a air just saunter past and go down the ramp easy.
There are plenty of stones in the flower beds on the other side so if there ever is any trouble you have plenty of ammunition; )

I've ordered a catapult especially.

Sky Blue Harry H · Oct 1, 2018

Nick said:
I've ordered a catapult especially.

You going to hit them just below the knee, nice and early - let them know you're there?

Nick · Oct 1, 2018

Sky Blue Harry H said:
You going to hit them just below the knee, nice and early - let them know you're there?

You know it. Early doors

David O'Day · Oct 1, 2018

Alan Dugdales Moustache said:
All it needs is a few idiotic away fans to get over the barriers and start something and there will be mass panic : nowhere to go except down the steps and everyone will start running and then we're in serious injury situation if just one person trips over.

you can go back towards the ground or varry past the tunnels as well.

David O'Day · Oct 1, 2018

basically we've played teams like brum where there as been real trouble and there was only 1 tunnel, it wasn't the killing fields you folk make it out to be

westofrayne · Oct 2, 2018

I'm assuming that the barricading off the Car Park B every game came from the stadium Safety Advisory Group (SAG), if I remember it came after the Newport game last season where one 60+ year old pissed up Newport Support tried to start trouble. The placement of the barriers and the strict "no entry" for home fans is curious especially if you walk 100 yds to the end where all fans mix. I would like to see the Risk Assessment produced by the SAG that led to the barriers being put in place every game, herding all fans into a very small area is not the most sensible plan.

As for Saturday, it didn't take a genius to realise there could be trouble, especially with all the childish Social Media posts going around. The sensible decision would have been to hold the away fans inside the stadium for 10 mins, before opening the gates, not rocket science, but strangely not implemented.

Sadly I can see a typical knee jerk over the top reaction for tonight, where every fan is treated as a criminal (back to the 80's), lets hope not, if you have lived through the violence of the late 70's and 80's you will know what real football violence is.

sw88 · Oct 2, 2018

I wonder how the rugby fans cope with the tunnel post match. Just saying!

I think the tunnel would be fine if we didn’t have the sky blue crew of kids trying to antagonise away supporters which is the usual cause for scuffles.

Parked in car park B Last season and no end of times I seen the police having to keep an eye on the ‘kids’ because they’d had one too many haribo’s during the game.

The barriers are more a hinderance than a help. Although admittedly the Newport game was one of the worst - my car was right in the middle of it with us inside! But the barriers were a little OTT for every game that’s followed imo as like a poster above says, you walk 100m and you meet the opposition fans you’ve just been stopped from meeting, and 99% of the time fans manage to walk past each other in a respectable manner and without confrontation. Some even go as far as talking to each other! Who’d have thought it!

CovInEssex · Oct 2, 2018

David O'Day said:
basically we've played teams like brum where there as been real trouble and there was only 1 tunnel, it wasn't the killing fields you folk make it out to be

Brum at home where we won 1-0 was very much the same as Saturday tbf

oucho · Oct 2, 2018

Quite apart from the fact it's in a potential flashpoint location, it doesn't help that the steps seem pretty steep and its often a bit flooded at the bottom in wet weather; surprised there hasn't been a serious incident in someone tripping and get trampled by people behind, forming a crush. It must be said that with the railway above it, there is probably a limit to what access can be made available in that spot.

letsallsingtogether · Oct 2, 2018

Never mind the wolves subway army we have the mighty tunnel army

David O'Day · Oct 2, 2018

CovInEssex said:
Brum at home where we won 1-0 was very much the same as Saturday tbf

Fuck all then, great goal by Dann though.

Also there was more trouble that day. Tjhey were proper raging after that whole "birmingham is full of shit" hour

CovInEssex · Oct 2, 2018

David O'Day said:
Fuck all then, great goal by Dann though.

Also there was more trouble that day. Tjhey were proper raging after that whole "birmingham is full of shit" hour

Just because you didn't see it on Saturday doesn't mean it never happened. But yeah, both bad.

Dann's goal was just a header wasn't it? Lol. I remember we beat Wolves the week before as well. Good times.

David O'Day · Oct 2, 2018

CovInEssex said:
Just because you didn't see it on Saturday doesn't mean it never happened. But yeah, both bad.

Dann's goal was just a header wasn't it? Lol. I remember we beat Wolves the week before as well. Good times.

Danns goal was s half volley from the edge of the area and there was fighting as far from the ground as the Foleshill rd. Far more "nawty" than Saturday

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

SlowerThanPlatt · Oct 2, 2018

Few months later he was signing for Blues

CovInEssex · Oct 2, 2018

Probably my favourite period of being a cov fan, as sad as that sounds. (28 Yr old)
Blackburn away, beat Wolves, Burnley away (win?) Birmingham at home win, then beat Blackburn at home the Tuesday in the replay.

David O'Day · Oct 2, 2018

SlowerThanPlatt said:
Few months later he was signing for Blues

i'm in that video

SlowerThanPlatt · Oct 2, 2018

David O'Day said:
i'm in that video

With Grendel?

David O'Day · Oct 2, 2018

SlowerThanPlatt said:
With Grendel?

It's at a game so grenners wouldn't be there

clint van damme · Oct 2, 2018

sw88 said:
I wonder how the rugby fans cope with the tunnel post match. Just saying!

The edge is taken off any nervous moments in the tunnel by drinking each other puke and wanking in public as they pass under it.

Alan Dugdales Moustache · Oct 2, 2018

clint van damme said:
The edge is taken off any nervous moments in the tunnel by drinking each other puke and wanking in public as they pass under it.

...enduring image.

Railway underpass an accident waiting to happen... (1 Viewer)

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