Kennett pointed out that the afl is so pi55weak it used a security company that employs gentlemen almost exclusively from the subcontinent who have little or no understanding of Australian football crowds, customs and behaviours.Wring your hands, pat yourselves on the back and go get your prize if you managed to use the R word today and made yourself feel good.

The whole thing is pathetic.

The AFL is a farce run by dunces.

When the Romans have to be silent at the circus to please the Emperor then he should be thrown to the lions.

36 minutes ago, Biffen said:

Kennett pointed out that the afl is so pi55weak it used a security company that employs gentlemen almost exclusively from the subcontinent who have little or no understanding of Australian football crowds, customs and behaviours.

No he didn't. He assumed as such by making generalisations about the appearance of the few security people he's seen, and was caught out doing so.

To quote:

Neil Mitchell: What, you mean they appear to be of ethnic background?

Mr Kennett: Well, they’re new arrivals to Australia, it appears.

Neil Mitchell: We don’t know that.

Mr Kennett: We don’t know that and they could be born here.

But of course, I wouldn't have thought you would know the facts given your disdain for the media. I wonder how you even heard about it?

 

Edited June 17, 20195 yr by Lord Nev

Mitchell is not squeaky clean, he's a fine one to be sanctimonious under any circumstances.....

Eddie has form as well but they are both blokes who could quite quickly call an extraordinary meeting together with Teeth

Tolerating a bunch of morons in Government is one thing, but having buffoonery in my recreational reposes is tantamount to criminal......

40 minutes ago, Lord Nev said:

No he didn't. He assumed as such by making generalisations about the appearance of the few security people he's seen, and was caught out doing so.

To quote:

Neil Mitchell: What, you mean they appear to be of ethnic background?

Mr Kennett: Well, they’re new arrivals to Australia, it appears.

Neil Mitchell: We don’t know that.

Mr Kennett: We don’t know that and they could be born here.

But of course, I wouldn't have thought you would know the facts given your disdain for the media. I wonder how you even heard about it?

 

Kennett wasn't caught out for being wrong, he was called out for making an unsubstantiated accussation

Gut feeling tells me he was probably right

Geez, I hope this situation leads to segregation of opposition fans at footy matches. For years I haven't wanted to sit next to some ill educated boofhead supporting the opposition, especially ill eductaed Magpie or bomber fans. Bring it on !!!

If my wife brings in the Behavioural Awareness Officers into my lounge room when I'm watching the footy, I'm stuffed !!!!

You could not script the timing of this one.

What did he think he was going to do?

 

Reasonable security expectation:

1. Security on the gates
2. Visible police presence inside and outside the ground, monitoring hot spots and walking the aisles
3. Security dispersed through the venue
And maybe:
4. A text line for antisocial behaviour

Overall I think the text line is a good thing but it does create a culture of dobbing that seems to be all the rage these days. Unfortunately we've lost either tolerance or the ability to politely say something to disarm a situation and not only that but instead of getting off our fat backsides to go find an attendant at the back of every bay we now text it in.

So you have a text line and you get:
5. Antisocial hotline zone supervisors
6. Behavioural awareness officers

Because being a progressive orginisation Marvel can't do anything without snazzy titles and flouro vests. Gone are the days of sensible uniforms and being in the background. Now it's all about a visible presence. And whilst it's unfair to judge these people on race or migrant status it's reasonable to ask what experience they have with football crowds and where to draw the line.

Hopefully they learn to scale it back a little and be street smart. It shouldn't be that hard to know who the real troublemakers are.

And hey, FFS can people stop fighting at the footy. The verbal abuse stuff never becomes a problem if a bunch of idiots don't start punching on! Control yourself tools.

 

 

Also my conspiracy theory on this wouldn't extend to the AFL so much as Disney sponsoring the stadium. They want that place to be a safe haven for kids. Funny when Marvel movies are mostly violent!

 

Heard Terry Wallace on SEN this afternoon talking about the post match calls they took after the Blues-Dogs match. For 90 minutes no one called in to talk about the game. The callers were all concerned about the security guards patrolling the aisles at the ground. Some even left the match at half and three quarter time because they felt so uncomfortable. One caller said he was with his mother and they left the match to go home to watch it on TV. 

The problem with being so heavy handed with this way of doing things is that the people who do the right thing end up feeling terrible and intimidated. The aggressive drunks don't care who is around, they just carry on as usual. So is the AFL going to alienate all the 'good' fans and we will leave the grounds to all the so called 'bad' fans? There was still a fight between supporters at the end of the game anyway.

Two thoughts - Have the security at the back of the bays watching the crowds so they are not obtrusive (it is also annoying when they block your view of the game when they are doing their patrols), then we all know where they are so we can call on them for help if they are needed, plus they can observe the fans just as well from there.

Either increase the alcohol free areas for people who want to enjoy the football with their children and families, or even by themselves, without drinkers next to them (another annoying thing about these people always getting beer-they move up and down while the game is being played and also block your view of the game). OR- SHOCK. BAN alcohol totally, if the supporters can't be trusted to behave.  I know this won't happen, because there is money involved. That seems to be the number one priority for everything now.

6 hours ago, Lord Nev said:

No he didn't. He assumed as such by making generalisations about the appearance of the few security people he's seen, and was caught out doing so.

To quote:

Neil Mitchell: What, you mean they appear to be of ethnic background?

Mr Kennett: Well, they’re new arrivals to Australia, it appears.

Neil Mitchell: We don’t know that.

Mr Kennett: We don’t know that and they could be born here.

But of course, I wouldn't have thought you would know the facts given your disdain for the media. I wonder how you even heard about it?

 

My cleaning lady was listening to the radio as she was scrubbing the floor clean from the last little smug know all I had to murder and dissect before feeding the crocs in my moat.

Supporters could boycott a round or two... nothing the AFL hates more than is losing money...

8 hours ago, pineapple dee said:

Geez, I hope this situation leads to segregation of opposition fans at footy matches. For years I haven't wanted to sit next to some ill educated boofhead supporting the opposition, especially ill eductaed Magpie or bomber fans. Bring it on !!!

If my wife brings in the Behavioural Awareness Officers into my lounge room when I'm watching the footy, I'm stuffed !!!!

I'M WITH YOU PINEAPPLE.  I wouldn't make quarter time !! My BAO at home has the power to order me out of the room. No sense in fighting the ban as the subsequent consequences are worse

9 hours ago, pineapple dee said:

Geez, I hope this situation leads to segregation of opposition fans at footy matches. For years I haven't wanted to sit next to some ill educated boofhead supporting the opposition, especially ill eductaed Magpie or bomber fans. Bring it on !!!

If my wife brings in the Behavioural Awareness Officers into my lounge room when I'm watching the footy, I'm stuffed !!!!

...and even worse are our own ill educated fans...

I think I prefer the lounge room these days.

1 hour ago, rjay said:

I think I prefer the lounge room these days.

Gil has succeeded then. He’s turning the game into a reality TV show. 

15 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

Gil has succeeded then. He’s turning the game into a reality TV show. 

Yep we will be replaced by cardboard cut out figures or painted forms on seats with Muzac in the background.

The perfect arrangement for all.

Gil Apologises

“I’m sorry they are feeling intimidated," he said. "If people are feeling threatened we obviously will listen ... I’m appalled."

“It hurts me to hear our administration is not looking after the fans.’’

Love it how Gil deflects this on to the administration!  Of course he is squeaky clean on this!

It hurts him?  Is that the sympathy card he is playing?  Please. 

Gils 'hurt'=crocodile tears.

12 hours ago, Biffen said:

Kennett pointed out that the afl is so pi55weak it used a security company that employs gentlemen almost exclusively from the subcontinent who have little or no understanding of Australian football crowds, customs and behaviours.Wring your hands, pat yourselves on the back and go get your prize if you managed to use the R word today and made yourself feel good.

The whole thing is pathetic.

The AFL is a farce run by dunces.

When the Romans have to be silent at the circus to please the Emperor then he should be thrown to the lions.

Whether inadvertent or not they were disparaging comments by Kennett the obvious subtext being that these “new arrivals” aren’t fitting in to society, who’s general ignorance about Australian customs is disruptive and offensive. 

Nuffies short of Y chromosomes, you know the sort that actually do boo an Adam Goodes for the colour of his skin, listen to these types of comments and it’s like kicking a hornets’ nest. Racist people will be buoyed and emboldened by any kind of talk from leaders which plays into any kind of stereotype which divides “us” and “them”. See Donald Trump and his grand aspersion casting at ‘rape thirsty’ Mexican ‘illegals’.

Thats why it was wrong by Kennett. He publicly fed the trolls. It doesn’t help the situation. It only inflames.

10 hours ago, Robot Devil said:

You could not script the timing of this one.

What did he think he was going to do?

 

That's a $10,000 fine.

5 minutes ago, deebug said:

That's a $10,000 fine.

? That is actually pretty funny. 

Who is training these security men? Gomer Pile?

53 minutes ago, Matsuo Basho said:

Whether inadvertent or not they were disparaging comments by Kennett the obvious subtext being that these “new arrivals” aren’t fitting in to society, who’s general ignorance about Australian customs is disruptive and offensive. 

Nuffies short of Y chromosomes, you know the sort that actually do boo an Adam Goodes for the colour of his skin, listen to these types of comments and it’s like kicking a hornets’ nest. Racist people will be buoyed and emboldened by any kind of talk from leaders which plays into any kind of stereotype which divides “us” and “them”. See Donald Trump and his grand aspersion casting at ‘rape thirsty’ Mexican ‘illegals’.

Thats why it was wrong by Kennett. He publicly fed the trolls. It doesn’t help the situation. It only inflames.

No. You’ve extrapolated yourself into idiocy.

19 hours ago, Moonshadow said:

I had to explain to my 10 year old what the C bomb was after a game sitting next to @Bitter but optimistic.

Most unpleasant, though he claims his presence is "educational"...

 

What could broaden a child's view of the world and add some reality to the process of learning more than an afternoon at the football with Uncle Bitter?

The child will blossom from the experience.

As always Gil is reactive. He is always on the back foot and is never proactive. It happens time and time again where he says too little too late. he should be stood down.

20 minutes ago, Biffen said:

No. You’ve extrapolated yourself into idiocy.

Not at all. More like you interpolated yourself into naivety.

2 minutes ago, chook fowler said:

As always Gil is reactive. He is always on the back foot and is never proactive. It happens time and time again where he says too little too late. he should be stood down on.

 

The crux of the whole argument is the state of the game and the officiating of the game.

Fix both those issues and it's problem solved (for the most part)

However,  that is easier said than done.  The sport is harder to umpire than it ever was and the sport itself is often hard to watch as a spectacle anyway (for many)

There is no other sport in the world where the umpires cop so much abuse - nothing comes close.  And there has to be a reason for why that is.  All the other umpires/referees in all the other sports can't just be way more competent.  That argument doesn't make sense.

The umpiring is never going to improve whilst we have so many grey areas in the game coupled with so much congestion.  Making the umpires full time would help but if the grey areas and congestion remain,  the problem remains.

Which has all led to more fights in the crowd,  more abuse,  more frustration,  more over-zealousness of security staff and then we try and remedy the situation with a band-aid approach.

Make the sport more enjoyable to watch by ridding the game of the congestion & flooding and at the same time making the rules more defined for decision making by the umpires. 

Less players on the ground with minimum rotations for starters.  A more open game is much much easier to officiate and at the same time,  better to watch (for many)

Supporters would still abuse umpires and be frustrated with umpiring decisions but that would be minimised.  Or at least kept to a manageable level.