Torquay United Fans Forum

I have decided to post on the site in response to the comments, both fair and unfair,within this thread.
Firstly, articles 16 & 19 of the Ground Regulations, issued by the Football League, refer to the use of mobile phones and camera's for taking. images/recordings of the match. However, after a discussion with Andrew Candy the club, as you already know, have requested a more lenient approach. To effectively 'police' this we will no longer be 'bullying' supporters who use their mobiles to record still images of the game. However, the club have decided that recording action on any device will not be permitted and stewards will be instructed to request such recordings to be deleted. Flash photography and the use of camera's will not be permitted at any time.

Secondly, I would like to apologise to all supporters who attended the match, and those not present, for my over zealous reaction to supporters who use empty seats as footrests. I place the blame firmly on my parents who raised me to respect other people's property and keep my feet on the ground. i would like to add that we have had a few complaints from supporters with regard to the state of some seats. In future stewards will not speak to any supporter who feels the need to use empty seats as footrests.

Thirdly, 'agent 007' was acting on instructions passed on by myself and should not take the blame. Whilst not all the facts of the eviction are not included in the posts on this thread (sorry, no I will not elaborate), the incident was escalated by other supporters becoming involved which made the incident harder to deal with.

Finally, I have had time to reflect upon my decision to evict the two lads and realise that I probably over reacted. If anybody knows the two guys I would personally like to refund their admission fee and arrange for two free tickets for the next game (courtesy of Andrew Candy). As people have mentioned the stewards are in attendance to ensure the safety of everybody who attends the game and to uphold the Ground Regulations and club policies. Something we all agree to adhere to when purchasing a ticket. So, in future I will try and ensure that all stewards act in a diplomatic and professional manner in an attempt to alleviate the 'bully boy' image perceived by some supporters.

Once again, i would like to apologise to any supporter who feels that they have been mistreated by the stewards. I am available on match days to discuss these matters further if anybody wishes to contact me, via their nearest steward. I am sure that you will find me to be a reasonable and fair person who is just trying to do their job. After all we are all governed by rules and regulations that we have to abide by and let's face it.....damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Thank you for reading this post.
Yours
Rob Stanley