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[Darren]

What a Drummer!

By Editor
Date: 28/11/2007

Not only did Saturday see one of the most incompetent refereeing decisions this season, it also saw one of the worst actions taken by stewards. Having allowed the Blackpool drums in to the ground, the stewards went in and removed them causing both disruption and distress. So how plead the Stewards?




Thanks to an A V F T T .com reader, we've obtained a copy of a letter which was sent in reply to a complaint about what happened at St Marys. The letter does suggest that it was indeed a Blackpool fan who complained about the noise from the drums - something that seems unbelievable bearing in mind how many seats were available at the ground - even worse if if as stated "many complaints from Blackpool supporters were passed to the stewards about the level of noise and the nuisance that this was causing".

So were the Saints Stewards and safety officers right in their actions? Were Blackpool fans miserable old gits and brought about an unnecessarry situation? Or is what you read below a very convenient excuse from the safety officer? We'll let you decide.
Following a request from a Blackpool supporter three days prior to the fixture, permission was given for this supporter to bring a drum to into the away end. The supporter was informed that this was an unusual request not normally permitted and therefore would have to comply with any specific instructions given on the day by the ground management.

Early in the first half it became very clear that the effect of the drums, (two were actually brought into the ground) was more than could have reasonably been anticipated. Also, many complaints from Blackpool supporters were passed to the stewards about the level of noise and the nuisance that this was causing.

Communication between the Control Room and the stewards via the radio system was greatly compromised due to the level of noise from the drums. The radio system is one of the main safety features required to operate safely and efficiently as stated in the General Safety Certificate, so this situation became a major safety concern.

It was for these reasons that the stewards were instructed to inform the owners of the instruments, that the drums would have to be confiscated due to safety reasons and also in response to the complaints received from their own supporters. The stewards emphasised that these would be returned to them at the end of the game, with no other action required.

Unfortunately other Blackpool supporters in the vicinity became very aggressive and resisted violently when the stewards attempted to confiscate the drums.

In the incident that followed, one steward was seriously assaulted and one arrest was made due to this assault.

The rest of the game passed without further incidents and the drums were returned to the supporters with an apology from the stewards at the end of the game.

The Club Operational Safety Team would like to apologise for any distress, disturbance and inconvenience caused to anyone affected by this incident and will review all safety procedures associated with this incident.

I do hope this answers the queries you have raised

Kind regards

David Luker

Head of Supporter Services