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[Mick]

I'm bemused why we have to find fault with something all the time.

I'm guessing that first half when we were shooting to Chequers then most Alty fans stood near the fence.  I'm sure Chester fans asked if they could go under the roof and were told no as that's a sterile area between supporters.

Then second half nearly all the fans moved down ( or the most vocal ones ) to the Golf Road end so there was no need for a sterile area so the police/stewards said you can go under the roof for this half as you won't be stood next to the home fans now.

Seems pretty sensible to me?  Goes someway to saying "sorry we don't have an away roof, its just one of those things, we did tell you outside, however no reason why you cant go under it now as the home fans are in the other end"

If I was a Chester fan pissed wet through and was stopped from going under a roof for no good reason I'd be pretty annoyed and probably bore the steward/copper at the fence to death about it.  To stop them for the sake of it smacks of the kind of thing an ex league club would do.

Absolutely spot on
After 'previous' with Chester supporters the police were here today - it's funny how the troublemakers seem to pipe down and behave when a few coppers are about.

[Is this it?]

Interesting view from the Chester forum regarding this http://www.devachat.com/index.php?showtopic=80711

I'm not in agreement for behaving unreasonably towards oppo fans for the sake of it, but having had to endure a number of petulant and, not to forget, violent thugs from Chester who made their presence felt in the Golf Road end last year, I see no reason for them crying foul because we dealt with them in the manner we did.  Buffoons.

[Jimmy]

It's a shame that our best performance in arguably in last few years has been overlooked because of this trivial nonsense like Sybil said away fans  should have a covered area and the vast majority of grounds do

[robins1978]

As said defore.
We were told that the Chester fans in the bar were from the stand.
That was not the case.
 They did stand in front of the new CHC, but no problem
Yes they did have colours on as well.
What I don't understand is , why do they want to stand with the opposition supporters, and not their own!!!!!!

Because they didnt want to get wet (they told us this as reason to pay extra and get option of cover and not get wet) as at first they only had uncovered area behind the goal at the away end.

[Nom de plume]

The stand is very rarely full, so you could argue that we are at least giving away fans a choice. Stand in the open or sit down under cover.

I think that elevates us above clubs like Halifax and Wrexham where there is no choice. They fleece us and tell us to sit down whilst having huge standing areas empty.

[CB]

The club seem to disregard the wishes of the home supporters, so why don't they just keep the Golf Rd end just for us lot and let the away fans have the chequers end and the whole of the popular side (or up to the scaffolding). We wouldn't want the poor loves in the away end from getting wet or not having the run of the place.

Sod the home fans.

[roytonmike]

Two points occur to me. Firstly - of the current Conference National clubs I suspect only Southport and ourselves use an open terrace as the away fans' segregated area (I haven't been to all the away games this season so I'm not 100% certain of that, & I'm not counting those where there was - thank God - no segregation necessary). Secondly - if we were to propose putting a roof over the open end I rather think the people in the properties behind would have grounds for objection, unless it was a flat roof no higher than the existing terrace. I think we're in a cleft stick situation as regards provision for away fans - as far as Chester are concerned not only would they (or at least their literate fans) have seen and read the sign at the turnstiles but their own match programme stated last Friday in a feature on Moss Lane that "away fans are mostly housed in the open Hale End terrace", so they should have known what to expect. In an ideal world you'd like to offer covered areas to all, but this world ain't ideal.  

[Mrs Warbouys]

There wouldn't be half this moaning from them if they hadn't been walloped 4-1. The way around this situation (finance permitting) is to bolt seats onto the the first rows of chequers end and leave the upper rows as standing, as is the case at macclesfield, and add a corrugated plastic roof, for which I think we may already have planning permission that way they get a choice to sit or stand without encroaching on the whole stadium. The other option would be bolt Seats completely on the chequars end and not give them a choice what they are having and charge the seated premium. The sense of self entitlement from some of these chester fans is bewildering, it's a football match not a tea dance, if they had a bit of the stiff upperlip they might not have let their football club die. And had they not hospitalised two people last time they visited here they probably wouldnt have initially been treated so guardedly...

[Bob]

http://www.fansfocus.com/articles/ground_grading.php

There is nothing I can see in the rules for us having to give cover for away fans when segregated. That's not to say we shouldn't be hospitable (and I agree with Sybil that the chequers end is in very poor condition) but if you start giving away part of the popular side just to be nice then the barriers and gantry as they are muck about the home fans which in itself is unfair.

Put as cheap and basic a roof as possible on the chequers end (which would still cost a lot of money)
Or put better barriers and gantry in place on the popular side and allow away fans in part of it (still would cost a chunk of money)
Or give half the popular side to away fans, coming in at the bottom end golf road turnstiles (need to provide catering and toilets which cost money)

If the money isn't there I would put the segregation at the chequers/popular side corner and make fans fully aware that it is uncovered

I'll keep saying it. If by being nice to away fans we are then treating our own support worse then our priorities are wrong.

[Jenga]

Agree with Ecky on this one. Also the Police were in attendance at the fence before the fans were allowed under the roof.

Additionally if WE were allowed in to the sterile area it is only sterile by a wall that can be climbed over. THEY moved in to the sterile area which was protected by a high fence that can not be climbed over. Appreciate you could go around it though.

I was however concerned by the obvious Chester fans in the home end who were no escorted around to the away end. However all of those i saw (maybe 15 of them) were elderly and of no issue. As a friendly club it was probably right to leave them in situ. Had they been 16 year old scoates i am sure the stewars or police would have had them moved.

Going forward though, i do think that we need to look at a roof for the Chequers end (do we have planning permission though?) and also include some proper segregation fences along the pop side, where we can pick and chose where the segregation starts and stops. Appreciate it is expensive but if we stay up, with this league the way it is, we should be doing something I feel. However Rome was not built in a day and it may be a few years down the line before we can afford such expense.

[Shiny Happy]

Is the club missing a trick here? Could the club not be selling plastic ponchos for those caught out by the rain? Might be a nice little earner.

[Jenga]

Is the club missing a trick here? Could the club not be selling plastic ponchos for those caught out by the rain? Might be a nice little earner.

I agree, could sell umbrella's, foam hands and twirly things with coloured lights as well.

[beaker141]

Is the club missing a trick here? Could the club not be selling plastic ponchos for those caught out by the rain? Might be a nice little earner.

They sold these at Stockport!

I was in the main stand, not in my usual seats as a load of Chester fans were sat there, hence I had to go to the opposite end and have a slightly restricted view of the golf rd goal due to the pillar. I'd like to see some segregation in the main stand, it is sometimes annoying having to sit with the opposition - especially if they are winning.

The stand was busy, but there were plenty of "restricted view" seats near the community hall