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This season the position of the training goal for shooting drills has been moved to in front of the pop-side. Hilarity often ensues when a ball is hit into the crowd etc but surely where it is now is an accident waiting to happen. The goal is directly in line with the steps from the concourse up onto the terracing, from downstairs you would have no way of knowing the drill is going on. If you are carrying a couple of hot drinks, or keeping an eye on your young kids or what not, it could be very dangerous and just wondering where the club would stand on this especially in this era of health and safety Nazism.

I appreciate there is no easy solution to this conundrum, wherever it takes place you are susceptible to a ball in the bonce, its a risk we take, but I would say that where it is currently taking place is the worst possible place in the ground as it is the only flight of stairs below pitch level.

The volleying shooting training which particularly hazardous!

From reading the match programme it seems that it's impossible to as much as sneeze inside Plainmoor without first getting written permission in triplicate from the mysterious Safety Advisory Group (SAG). Bearing that in mind, it's difficult to believe that we would have dared make any changes to procedure that could possibly impact the crowd without firstly getting express authority from the SAG.

I have been attending matches at Plainmoor for over 50 years, yet I have never touched the ball once. (I will celebrate wildly when I do and refuse to return it). This may be compared with my visits to Elmore where not only do I touch the ball twenty or thirty times during a game, I often feel like an unpaid ballboy, running to retrieve the ball for the players.
Mind you, it did strike me (in thought, not physically) that a fair few balls were flying at quite a high rate of knots into the Pop. side stand while this warm-up was going on.
Perhaps the bearded idiot who bent Mr. Candy's bored ear for forty-five minutes (the entire first half) could mention this to him - although I expect Mr. Candy's dearest wish is never to have to come across this bore ever again.

bengull wrote:This season the position of the training goal for shooting drills has been moved to in front of the pop-side. Hilarity often ensues when a ball is hit into the crowd etc but surely where it is now is an accident waiting to happen. The goal is directly in line with the steps from the concourse up onto the terracing, from downstairs you would have no way of knowing the drill is going on. If you are carrying a couple of hot drinks, or keeping an eye on your young kids or what not, it could be very dangerous and just wondering where the club would stand on this especially in this era of health and safety Nazism.

I appreciate there is no easy solution to this conundrum, wherever it takes place you are susceptible to a ball in the bonce, its a risk we take, but I would say that where it is currently taking place is the worst possible place in the ground as it is the only flight of stairs below pitch level.

Practically everything we do in work/ even in our everyday lives is subject to risk assessment. This should be no different. If the club deems there to be a risk to members of the public, alternative places to put the goal should be sought.

An obvious place would be in front of the Bench due to the height of the stand wall. Granted, this wont stop all balls from entering the crowd, but as supporters watching a game of football, we should take some personal responsibility and expect the unexpected every now and then.

H&S does have a negative press for a number of reasons, mainly because of the 'compensation culture' we have and the inexperience of some people making important H&S decisions. Done properly, sensibly and with care, H&S is an important tool for keeping everyone at work/ members of the public safe.

wivelgull wrote:I have been attending matches at Plainmoor for over 50 years, yet I have never touched the ball once. (I will celebrate wildly when I do and refuse to return it). This may be compared with my visits to Elmore where not only do I touch the ball twenty or thirty times during a game, I often feel like an unpaid ballboy, running to retrieve the ball for the players.
Mind you, it did strike me (in thought, not physically) that a fair few balls were flying at quite a high rate of knots into the Pop. side stand while this warm-up was going on.
Perhaps the bearded idiot who bent Mr. Candy's bored ear for forty-five minutes (the entire first half) could mention this to him - although I expect Mr. Candy's dearest wish is never to have to come across this bore ever again.

Deary me wivelgull think you need to be careful of who you call a bearded idiot, I stand further along tp the left and the crap that you lot speak during the match is unreal, often providing good humour material for us further down

oh please! what the hell is going on its a bloody football ground there is always a chance you may get hit with tthe ball i once got hit in the face by a micky cave shot while he was warming up for a game, im still here, do we really need to be discussing stuff like this, what next dont let people in to grounds at all or maybe they could give out crash helmets, absolute bloody nonsense.

I think the reasoning behind the move may be the likely clientèle to be found in each stand. In front of the FS, there is a much greater chance that a stray ball will **** a kid or a girl or an unsuspecting elderly. In the Pop, people are more likely to be young men actually paying attention to what's going on. More able to react, more likely to react and less likely to be seriously injured if a ball hits them.
That said, the OP's point about balls ending up down the steps is a good one. Perhaps move the goal just a little bit further down one way or the other?

Matt.

Shooting practice is essential and something we should have done years ago. They could just slide the goal down a bit further to avoid hitting it into the concourse, simple solution. That way, unless a huge miscue occurs (in the occurrence of which, I hope Knilly makes the player run after and get it in a vague attempt to use negative reinforcement) it can only hit us potato heads in the stand.

That was basically my point, I have no qualms about taking one of the face, I would like to think I could react properly and take evasive action, neither do I have any qualms about it being moved over to the pop-side this season, adds to the fun if anything. Above the stairs though you are more likely to hit some unsuspecting member of public who doesn't see it coming. I don't think its 'bloody nonsense' to suggest that. Before anyone starts, I am not criticising the club, I am not wanting to be mollycoddled at every opportunity, I am not saying scrap the warm up drill altogether, just pointing out a minor quibble which can be fixed with the minimum of fuss.

Actually, better suggestion yet, why not move the goal halfway into the pitch (same orientation as yesterday, but with the imaginary goal line running between the penalty spots). They only need 20 yards in which to work, so there will be enough room and the margin of error would be greatly increased.

Matt.

Why not tie a long string or chord round the ball, and tie the other end to a small stake in the ground; this will stop the ball going into the crowd..

Plainmoorroar - you are actually the one talking garbage (as usual). This isn't the 1950's - if you cannot see the safety implications, then you must be even thicker than you appear.

when I got into the ground it was only the subs working with Matt williams over that side. There will be an issue where ever you put the warm up goal, even of you put it the middle.

What would make it safer if those concerned practised shooting, only Hawley was hitting the target, the rest were all over the place..

Fancy that eh! Footballs being kicked around at a football ground! Well I never!