GrantB Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 One negative was having to walk all the way through the JHS concourse to take my wee girl to the ladies...and then having to wait in a reasonably long queue so she could pee (also, it was handy that there was someone on the queue that I knew and could look after my daughter inside the toilet where the queue continues). To be fair tho, I'm not too sure what can be done about this, the ladies toilet at the family section couldn't be accessed by home fans as it was in the away end. I had a similar problem with my wee girl. However the female steward stopping folk going into the 'away' part of the concourse was happy to let me take her through so she could use the ladies. This wasnt an issue yesterday but I could imagine it being a problem when we play the likes of Airdrie. I wonder if the club have thought through properly the fact that the ladies toilet for home fans is about as far away from the family section as it is possible to be. As far as the Lithgow chanting goes, I thought it was hilarious (although as others have pointed out, calling him a paedo was factually inaccurate). Some people need to get off the moral high ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Incognito Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 Lithgow himself turned to the fans and had a laugh about it at one point. You commit the crime you do the time and when that involves a footballer being on the register for something like what he did then the time is gonna be a hard time, wherever he goes. If people are so precious about their little ones hearing things like this at A FOOTBALL MATCH then they shouldn't be taking them. Most of the little ones are now located at the city end of the JHS, so I doubt they would have heard the chants anyway. I was sat in the middle of the JHS and heard 'beast' being shouted a few times - I never heard 'paedo' - and did briefly wonder what, or who, they were referring to (I had missed the ine-ups being read out). In any case, I doubt young children, i.e. those aged under 10, will have understood the connotations anyway. I know I wouldn't have at that age, it would probably have just sounded like people shouting. What Lithgow did was highly unpleasant and unacceptable in our society, so I doubt we are the only fans who have given him stick about it. If the chants we heard yesterday are the worst we hear at Firhill this season then we should count ourselves lucky. There are far worse things shouted on a regular basis at other grounds in Scotland, and across the world too for that matter. I do worry that this 'nannying' of our support, at a time when the club is trying to attract new fans, is counterproductive. At the Ramsdens Cup game last week a group of young fans got a hard time for basically just standing and singing. On that occasion it wasn't the fault of anyone from Thistle but it is nae wonder the atmosphere at Scottish football matches is generally poor compared to how it used to be, and compared to how it is currently in some other countries, when folk who are trying to create an atmosphere are given a hard time for doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart_adam Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 The half time queues for pies this season have been nothing short of ridiculous! Whos idea was it to have separate queues for each person serving? This is a complete disgrace, as yesterday, after making my way up the stairs from the Jackie Husband stand, I had to squeeze past the queue to get to the toilet, and squeeze past again to get back. Surely this is against health and safety regulations? they were all blocking the exits from the stands. I dont know what bright spark come up with this new idea, but all i can say is, in previous seasons, people queing the long way, past the gates has never caused an issue, at least people going to the toilet, and also going to get a pie can get and stand in the queue, at one point yesterday, the queue led for one of the pie stalls went all the way out to the hospitality section. Surely i cant be the only one who feels it shouldnt have to take me an extra 2-3mins to get to the toilet whilst i squeeze past people who are oncoming, because the people in the queues are blocking the exits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potty trained Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 Admin. can you shift this into the match day feedback thread, makes it easier for sandy to deal with everyone's points equally. Stuart. I totally agree with you regarding the queues. The change is stupid and needless. What I would suggest is installing a zig zag barrier away from the stall up to the end of the wall in line with the door... Meaning people queue straight into the zig zag leaving a 3 yard gap between the queue and the wall. It's then down to the concourse stewards to manage people who meet in the concourse. If they are bunching near the stall, ask them to move closer to the south end where there is always loads of space. It's basics like this that the stewards need to realise is part of their job, not just to stand about, waiting for their free pie. For so long the stewards and police have had an easy job at Firhill. Sets of fans in opposite stands, singing sections at opposite ends of the ground have given them an easy ride of it, they need to be coached in how to act when things get tougher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernsoul Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 Would it be possible to get someone to sell some programmes in the North Stand? Just a small batch is all I'm asking. Really wanted to get one yesterday but wee stall at the bottom of the south drive had gone by the time I was making my way up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fawlty Towers Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 Although I don't use the catering facilities I have to agree with those saying that the way the queues are organised is not the best as they are blocking people's access if they are going to the toilet at halftime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little_miss_jag Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 Nail on head LLD. So LMJ and POTM do you still think it was wrong that a responsible adult had a quiet word with him? Yes, you singled a guy out for joining in with the singing, as POTM said if someone from onethistle came along and had a word with the group and just explained that the word Paedo was the problem then that would have been a better way to deal with things. But what happened imo takes away from all the good things onethistle are doing. It was imo a fan with a power trip who excused his actions with "I am a Thistle fan". POTM, the way Jim & I work with fans and the likes of Ian and Dave demonstrates respect. That is the onethistle way. Get behind us - perhaps you could be that responsible presence next Sat? Respect is a 2 way thing though. I have alot of respect and admire what your trying to do, but when we come on to this forum to give you feedback, and then for you to ask for evidence of what I have said, respect is lost. I am behind what you are trying to do and I understand it will take time. All I am trying to do is raise some issues that we came across yesterday. I do worry that this 'nannying' of our support, at a time when the club is trying to attract new fans, is counterproductive. At the Ramsdens Cup game last week a group of young fans got a hard time for basically just standing and singing. On that occasion it wasn't the fault of anyone from Thistle but it is nae wonder the atmosphere at Scottish football matches is generally poor compared to how it used to be, and compared to how it is currently in some other countries, when folk who are trying to create an atmosphere are given a hard time for doing so. Summed it up perfectly! Where do you draw the line of what's acceptable and what's unacceptable? Falkirk game, the police filmed us, yesterday you can no longer use the term paedo, What will it be at the Hamilton game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lionel J. Botch Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 The catering is a problem, there is no doubt about that. I know that the onethistle guys are trying to change this, but their hands are tied to an extent. They can go to the caterers and say, "Please up your game" but the caterers were awarded with a fixed term contract by the club before onethistle was formed, so whether they actually do as they are asked is a different story. One thing I know for sure is that Jim, Sandy and Lance are making a note of every concern that they read on here, and everything they see on a matchday. As has been stated, a lot of things can't be changed over night, but the fact that the fans are now being listened to is progress in itself. The catering is not a problem, it is an absolute disgrace. The club should have some service level agreement with the caterers and they, the club, should be telling them to adhere to this or get out. Several times this season I have had to get a coke replaced as it is flat and tasteless. Yesterday a few stewards were cracking up as they were selling macb water in the bottles. I asked for a hot dog for the boy yesterday and was told I have hot dogs, but no buns. The ratio of buns to hot dogs is surely not a difficult one to work out. Slow service, crap food and drink and very overpriced. Does sound like most football grounds though. What is good about other grounds catering that we could copy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potty trained Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 (edited) That's got to be a wind up regarding the dog to bun ratio? There's no way that's true! I'm actually laughing at the absurdity of that. How do you make catering work? I'd suggest the club take a look at st mirrens catering, 2 stalls in their west stand can cater for a full stand of around 2000 easily. And the standing area outside the stall is half the size of the JHS. The quality of food is shocking, it's almost getting a stage that can only be described as lazy! St mirren have a kids pack, think its £2.50, you get a hot dog, a Capri sun, a bag of crisps nd a piece of fruit. My pie was so bad I just gave up even considering going back to complain. Does David Beattie not own the catering company who runs the stalls? He certainly owns the company that supplies the pies, no? Has he not brought in Ajay Chopra who was heralded as some sort of catering guru? Edited August 26, 2012 by potty trained Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p12tfc Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 I went for my pie about 5 minutes before half time and the queue was about 10 long. A steward then proceeded to shout " thurs 3 servin so make 3 queues und yull get served quicker " so doing as we were told we created 3 queues only for one of the staff to head elsewhere. We waited expecting her to return but she didnt. After a couple of minutes my queue was getting restless and after seeing the other queues were not all 15/20 long i gave in. About 5 mins into 2nd half i thought id try my luck before they closed. Managed to get a steak pie and the base was solid. Totally inedible! Im sure many others have had similar experiences... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 The catering is not a problem, it is an absolute disgrace. The club should have some service level agreement with the caterers and they, the club, should be telling them to adhere to this or get out. Several times this season I have had to get a coke replaced as it is flat and tasteless. Yesterday a few stewards were cracking up as they were selling macb water in the bottles. I asked for a hot dog for the boy yesterday and was told I have hot dogs, but no buns. The ratio of buns to hot dogs is surely not a difficult one to work out. Slow service, crap food and drink and very overpriced. Does sound like most football grounds though. What is good about other grounds catering that we could copy? I'm fairly sure the stewards would have every right to crack up at that. Just as sure taking bottles of water into the ground (any ground) is a complete no no Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Hosie Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 Would it be possible to get someone to sell some programmes in the North Stand? Just a small batch is all I'm asking. Really wanted to get one yesterday but wee stall at the bottom of the south drive had gone by the time I was making my way up. We had two sellers in the North Stand. I reduced the number they had this week as they had plenty left at the Falkirk game. Perhaps sold out by the time you got to the ground? We all but sold out yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potty trained Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 I went for my pie about 5 minutes before half time and the queue was about 10 long. A steward then proceeded to shout " thurs 3 servin so make 3 queues und yull get served quicker " That's just not true. In fact it's probably the opposite! The fact that one of them then buggered off just makes this thread potentially a comedy gold mine, if it wasn't so bloody frustrating for the customers! Where's the person from the catering company, who used to post on here when things were going well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven H Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 I had a similar problem with my wee girl. However the female steward stopping folk going into the 'away' part of the concourse was happy to let me take her through so she could use the ladies. This wasnt an issue yesterday but I could imagine it being a problem when we play the likes of Airdrie. I wonder if the club have thought through properly the fact that the ladies toilet for home fans is about as far away from the family section as it is possible to be. As far as the Lithgow chanting goes, I thought it was hilarious (although as others have pointed out, calling him a paedo was factually inaccurate). Some people need to get off the moral high ground. Same steward wouldn't let us through 'incase anything happened to the wee yin'. Fair enough but it was some battle getting through all the pie stall queues...would've been safer to let us just use the ladies closest to the family section. Is there a reason why that section wasn't moved to the city end of the JHS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernsoul Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 We had two sellers in the North Stand. I reduced the number they had this week as they had plenty left at the Falkirk game. Perhaps sold out by the time you got to the ground? We all but sold out yesterday. Thanks for the response Tom. I got into the North Stand a couple of minutes before kick off, so they must have been sold out by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWM Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 God, it was inevitable some wee fairy would come on here after the game and moan about the Lithgow stuff behind their alias. Piss off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Kenny Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 I got in to the ground pretty early yesterday, about 230, so decided to go get something to eat. There were 4 people behind the kiosk but only 2 could be arsed serving. It got to the point where I had to shout on one of the girls to actually serve me. There was only about 5 of us in the queue at this point but it still took forever for the staff to work out that they should all be serving. Anyway after purchasing a pie and coke I can confirm like others on here that the standard was pathetic. I couldn't even get the pie out of the casing without the bottom half collapsing and the coke was just flat, syrupy pish in a cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandy Posted August 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 Would it be possible to get someone to sell some programmes in the North Stand? Problem acknowledged in yesterday's onethistle matchday report. I'll pass suggestion into Tom Hosie and see if we can fix this from 1/9 Hamilton game onwards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandy Posted August 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 (edited) LMJ, you said in your reply post to me at 2:11pm that 'you singled' this fan out for singing! Er no. I did not. Never saw him, never met him. I'll accept your apology for another factual inaccuracy. We are after CONSTRUCTIVE feedback, yeah? Get behind onethistle and stop sniping eh? Edited August 26, 2012 by sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Hosie Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 Problem acknowledged in yesterday's onethistle matchday report. I'll pass suggestion into Tom Hosie and see if we can fix this from 1/9 Hamilton game onwards Please see my earlier reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggyman Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 I got to the ground a little after 2.30. I was served quickly and with a smile,my only complaint is the steakpie could have been a bit warmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandy Posted August 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 I got to the ground a little after 2.30. I was served quickly and with a smile,my only complaint is the steakpie could have been a bit warmer Aye mine too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandy Posted August 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 Please see my earlier reply. I knew you would have things in hand, thanks tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lionel J. Botch Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 I'm fairly sure the stewards would have every right to crack up at that. Just as sure taking bottles of water into the ground (any ground) is a complete no no Sorry, that was my point. Catering staff not knowing or blatantly ignoring the law. Either way, not good enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lionel J. Botch Posted August 26, 2012 Report Share Posted August 26, 2012 That's got to be a wind up regarding the dog to bun ratio? There's no way that's true! I'm actually laughing at the absurdity of that. I wish it was a wind up, but I kid you not. me - any hotdogs? server - (opens the door of the cabinet) yep. Me - can I have a hotdog. server - (looks about, scratches head) sorry, no buns. me - any other kiosks got extra buns? server - dunno, anything else? I was at this point a steward came back and cracked up about selling the macb in bottles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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