On the pitch, on the pitch, on the pitch?

Last updated : 01 May 2007 By Deano

Was there even a match played on Saturday? Perhaps fans dismissed the Millers' all too familiar habit of taking a pasting from lacklustre opposition as mere deja-vu? All I seem to recall is a lot of police tape, some skinny white torsos and a few tee shirts spinning aloft Burberry capped heads. Despite chants of 'On the pitch' it seemed goings on off the field were by far the centre of attention.

Not at Millmoor you don't lads!
Much has been made about the police presence at the match (I hope none of you got burgled between the hours of 3 and 5!) and training exercise or otherwise I felt the police acted well, though I wasn't exactly sure why one copper was pointing his camera at the players during the game. Evidence of Monty's criminal goalkeeping display maybe?.....

What I cannot fathom however is the bizarre efforts of the clubs security staff to diffuse what could have become a volatile situation. Firstly, police tape. I mean come on, stretching a piddly recycled carrier bag across two thirds of the stand does not make a security barrier. This did nothing other than exacerbate the numpty's desire to encroach onto the pitch. Secondly, stewards. Why do they even bother turning up? Sometimes I worry if the steward in front of us is still breathing, or I'm scared he's going to give someone a thump for stretching their legs. They are at best inconsistent, at worst a dangerous liability. How hard would it be to get them all together for training session, with some security and customer service training?

Finally, our good old friend the Mr Meadows. Yes, it's a laugh to us regulars when he gives Forest fans some stick over the tannoy, but his contributions are far from helpful when things are a little more heated.

As DavidR wrote last week, in order to survive we need to present Rotherham United as good value family friendly entertainment, which at present it isn't. I noticed several new faces on the Tivoli during Saturday's game, many of whom had kids in tow.

To secure their business for the near future Millmoor needs to be a place in which families can feel safe, and competent security is the very minimum that should be expected to achieve this. The 'jobs for the boys' culture that has allowed under performers at the club to flounder has got to stop if we are to achieve our long-term goals both on and off the field.

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