Flares

[Norfolk N Chance]

Suppose little bit naughty but dont half enhance the final images! Quite spectacular photo of the players running towards the fans with the red one just bring lit! Perfectly timed take a bow son lol

[Chris Black come back]

Thought they added to the occasion too. Looked really good on the photos. Top work whoever brought them.

[Al4475]

Yeah they look good fair enough.....but the green one that ended up on the pitch was initially lit and dropped/thrown into the middle of a group of our fans letting off awful smelling smoke and causing a touch of panic (too strong a word but I can't think of a milder one at the moment) and also some angry responses from other fans around me.

It was then thrown onto the pitch near our own goalie! And the game carried on for a little bit while the ball went out of play or the game could be stopped.

The red ones at the end were also set of about two feet behind me, causing burning ash (or whatever is it) to fall from the air into my hair and onto my jacket - causing both discomfort and burn marks in my coat!

Sorry - I'm not a wuss or a fuss-pot or whatever - but these things need leaving at home! Kids around me didn't like em, I didn't particularly like em and the police/stewards didn't like em - yep they look good, but our terraces are not in Spain or Italy or wherever where there's loads of space! It was cramped on that terrace yesterday and they caused some discomfort and some worries for safety! Leave em at home guys please!

[FuzzyDuck]

Got to agree with that.  I've had them set off next to me.  The smoke stinks; if they're set off during a game, it can be a good 5 minutes before you can see again through the smoke; there's a good chance the game is disrupted and I haven't yet got into fans having clothes or worse still, themselves burned.

All that for what?  To look good?  Get some flags streamers, table-bombs etc.  Make some banners and use some imagination.

[Chris Black come back]

Fair point about the small terracing at Brentford. Still, a story to tell the grandkids!

[BessieBlue]

I must have been stood next to AI4475 - my experience matched that precisely. The entrance checks can't have been that thorough.

[Katesby]

Yeah they look good fair enough.....but the green one that ended up on the pitch was initially lit and dropped/thrown into the middle of a group of our fans letting off awful smelling smoke and causeing a touch of panic (too strong a word but I can't think of a milder one at the moment) and also some angry responses from other fans around me.

It was then thrown onto the pitch near our own goalie! And the game carried on for a little bit while the ball went out of play or the game could be stopped.

The red ones at the end were also set of about two feet behind me, causing burning ash (or whatever is it) to fall from the air into my hair and onto my jacket - causing both discomfort and burn marks in my coat!

Sorry - I'm not a wuss or a fuss-pot or whatever - but these things need leaving at home! Kids around me didn't like em, I didn't particularly like em and the police/stewards didn't like em - yep they look good, but our terraces are not in Spain or Italy or wherever where there's loads of space! It was cramped on that terrace yesterday and they caused some discomfort and some worries for safety! Leave em at home guys please!

Sorry, you are a wuss and a fuss-pot

[BessieBlue]

The horrors of Bradford and Hillsborough are frequently highlighted and then idiots take flares to football matches - incredible

[mushRTID]

Added to the atmosphere. Great scenes.

[MrFrost]

Fantastic. Although did anyone see their stewards absolutely levelling one Donny fan who got onto the pitch? Thought it was going to turn ugly as some fans were trying to get at the stewards.

Surprised the majority stayed off the pitch to be honest.

[Al4475]

Katesby:

Sorry, you are a wuss and a fuss-pot
I beg to differ!

I'm a Junior School Teacher with a young family, I look at the bigger picture.

Flares at football matches are fine if the crowd is sparce and there's room to let em off! In a packed small terrace with lots of kids in close proximity - they're a disaster waiting to happen no matter how good they look!

Why do you think there's guidelines and suchlike for Firework displays?

If the young lad sat on his dad's shoulders less than five foot away from where the flares had gone off and had been (god forbid) injured! There could have been hell to pay!

Sorry - leave em at home!

[Ian Nimmo]

Totally agree Al4475, understandably everyone caught up in the euphoria but there are safer/better ways to display their feelings and emotions.   Lets hope this was a one off, the DRFC away supporters are better than this.

[ditch_drfc]

Yeah they look good fair enough.....but the green one that ended up on the pitch was initially lit and dropped/thrown into the middle of a group of our fans letting off awful smelling smoke and causing a touch of panic (too strong a word but I can't think of a milder one at the moment) and also some angry responses from other fans around me.

Excellent post Al4475

I was stood right next to the green flare with three others. One was my Mum, who's badly asthmatic. The flare set off a really violent asthma attack. Thankfully I dragged her out straight away (no mean feat), rummaged through her bag to find her inhaler and St John's ambulance were on the scene pretty quick.

She's not exactly elderly and frail, but it set off quite a bit of a scare. Once she'd settled down we all moved away for the rest of the game.

Had it not been for quick thinking and a bit of good fortune, it might not have ended so pleasantly.

Flares have their place at the Nou Camp. Not in middle of Brentford's jam packed enclosed away terrace. They can look good - and did look good on the final pictures - but that's not enough of a reason to make them a main-stay of British football. Nobody should be forced into a trip to hospital because some mindless idiot has set off a flare at another match.

[Alickismyhero]

Flares are a stupid idea and  the idiots responsible should be punished.
Selfish, thoughtless, dangerous and cheap imitation of foreign supporters.

[drfc1951]

Are they back in fashion now?

[ScillyRover]

Are they back in fashion now?

Crikey !.... I'll have to dig those platform heels out of the cupboard ! 

As for the pyrotechnics... no place for them in my book.

[Alickismyhero]

I  know exactly what you mean, its not as big a crime as wearing flares. but you have to draw a line somewhere preferably around their neck.

[silent majority]

Flares, as I've said on here before, are punishable with a prison sentence when attempting to take them into a stadium or using them. We've had several of these cases this season where the FSF have had a battle on keeping defendants out of prison. A hefty and lengthy banning order is the norm.

Not worth it in my book.

[RedmanRufus]

Well they looked class so who cares, added to an amazing atmosphere.

Didn't cause any harm.

You reds

[silent majority]

Well they looked class so who cares, added to an amazing atmosphere.

Didn't cause any harm.

You reds

I think you'd care if you got locked up for 6 months.

[Alickismyhero]

In exactly what way did it add to the atmosphere? It was dangerous and should  be stopped right now.
It made some silly little kids excited thinking it was Nov 5th
It also stopped play and could have affected the result.
I totally agree with SM not worth the risk of court action.

[ditch_drfc]

Well they looked class so who cares, added to an amazing atmosphere.

Didn't cause any harm.

You reds

I care. Actually mate it did cause some harm, it made at least one person have a pretty nasty asthma attack.

[RedmanRufus]

Well they looked class so who cares, added to an amazing atmosphere.

Didn't cause any harm.

You reds

I think you'd care if you got locked up for 6 months.

Yeah I would but I didn't take a flare, so I don't care.

You reds

[ravenrover]

The green flare was not some "silly little kids" it was let off right next to me by a group of pissed up 30somethings with little kids, as in 5-6 year olds, with them, The same drunken planks that wanted to start a fight with their own supporters just before kick-off! Oh and what great fun lets toss it over the heads of about 6-7 rows of spectators onto the pitch and never mind if it injures one of our own players.
No place for it in a cramped little stand like Brentford's. No place for it in football full stop!
Can't speak about the red flares as they went off at the back of me.

[ravenrover]

Well they looked class so who cares, added to an amazing atmosphere.

Didn't cause any harm.

You reds

I think you'd care if you got locked up for 6 months.

Yeah I would but I didn't take a flare, so I don't care.

You reds

Well doesn't that sum up the mentality of some of our "supporters"!
Have you reached puberty yet?

[Alickismyhero]

You have my sympathy Raven and sorry I  insulted the kids about the Green flare

The solution is simple get the stewards to deal with it.

I promise you that if it happens at any game I am at that is exactly the action I will take.

And if asked why I did it

"It just adds to the atmosphere"

I was, for my sins, the Fire Safety Officer for that stadium. Although the Means of escape in case of fire is considered adequate I would prefer not to test it from the upper tier with a crowd panicking.

It was a silly thing to do with potentially serious consequences.

[RedmanRufus]

Well they looked class so who cares, added to an amazing atmosphere.

Didn't cause any harm.

You reds

I think you'd care if you got locked up for 6 months.

Yeah I would but I didn't take a flare, so I don't care.

You reds

Well doesn't that sum up the mentality of some of our "supporters"!
Have you reached puberty yet?

I like flares and think they look great and add to the atmosphere, so why would I care about one being in the ground? Am I not aloud an opinion on them like?

Terrible banter as well.

You reds

[ravenrover]

Think you need to get back to your own teams forum, Blades by any chance?
The word you are looking for is allowed  you learn that at junior school
Yep your comments make that seem about right, think my hunch was right not reached puberty...... you do know what the word means? maybe not!

[BessieBlue]

My impression of the green flare was that it was either set off or dropped unintentionally and then because of the foul choking smoking someone picked it up and threw it in the only available direction - the pitch.

[RedmanRufus]

Think you need to get back to your own teams forum, Blades by any chance?
The word you are looking for is allowed  you learn that at junior school
Yep your comments make that seem about right, think my hunch was right not reached puberty...... you do know what the word means? maybe not!

Embarrassing again from you 'ravenrover'. If I was a blade I wouldn't have a Donny season ticket and I wouldn't have been at Brentford on Saturday celebrating our title win.

  

You reds