"Glostergull"
I don't think football has half the problems it used to have, and if we all grew up a bit and acted like adults instead of throwing insults there would be no trouble.
I would just love it if we could finish the match and finish off the event with Rovers and Gulls fans doing a huge conga right around the stadium. now that would be a sight worth watching.
i would just like to reiterate my point a little bit. i have no problem with supporters of other teams at all. as supporters of the team i appreciate they want to be at a match.
i have met many fans of other teams intermingling in the home sides of plainmoor and never had a problem.
quite a few years ago when i first started watching torquay there was a complete ban on away fans after there had been various incidents of trouble, the final straw being wolverhampton wanderers smashing up the town and having a good go at the ground.
during this time many away fans turned up trying to get into games when they were specifically told not to.there was a membership card scheme for torquay supporters but fans that lived here but supported other teams got cards and came to games anyway. there were no problems with any of them though, sometimes good banter.some even came and watched other torquay games.
i dont have a problem with a few here and there coming in the home end, for instance if family members support both teams but want to sit/stand together.
but like i said i worked with an arrogant tw@t who knew the away end was sold out and the home end would be and he got loads of tickets for his bristol city family and mates.
what annoys me is when hordes and masses of away fans know its a big game, the away end is sold out, yet they all think its ok to come down anyway and take over parts of the torquay end. its bloody disrespectful and arrogant.its our home game they have had theirs. they think just coz we're little old torquay they are entitled to do that.
we dont want games to become all ticket if we can help it for various reasons but this one could be massive for us.why should they be taking up the home end.
i would never go to an away ground and even dare think about sitting/standing in the other teams parts of the ground, no matter what the importance of a match is. it would not be my place to and thats it. if i couldnt get a ticket for the torquay end then i would stay away.
i know there is an arguement to say you can go and get tickets before hand and make sure you have a space but some people dont always know until on the day if they can go. childcare/work etc.indeed when i never used to hardly miss games i would quite often not know until on the day if i could leave work early and go the game.
i remember one year we were redeveloping the away end and northampton were down for the last game. they needed a point to go up, we needed a win to have a slim chance of the play offs. no away end available. northampton sold their allocation and the rest were told not to come. guess what? loads of them came anyway.
they took over the ground, many of theirs and our fans were locked out. i got there a bit late (working) and many torquay fans were walking away saying they would never go again and i know some never did.
bateson came out and addressed quite a few of us and let us in to watch the game from behind the glass of one of the bars upstairs. (fair play to him, it cost us a tenner, although normal price was £9, yes £9 for for a match).
there were loads of northampton fans causing sh!t outside. some burst into the upstairs bar where we were watching the game and started trying to have a fight. nearly sh!t myself. some burly guys restrained them and we had to wait ages for stewards and police.
on a positive with regards to quoted post- in 93, neil warnock kept torquay up, we were playing gillingham last game of the season they had just managed to stay up, we were almost guaranteed but any result would do. i think we won 2-1. after the game torquay fans went on the pitch. singing acknowledging the players. singing and thanking warnock.
we went to the gillingham lot who were singing we love you torquay, we then reciprocated likewise. the stewards and police had sh!t themselves when we went towards them but it was great. they joined us on the pitch and we all sang together, shaking hands, banter and having a laugh. it was a truly memorable moment of how great being football fans could be.one of the best moments i have had at plainmoor.