does STAR do a good enough job for reading fans?

[floyd__streete]

Any idea how many people are stopped and frisked before entering the ground btw? Only, I'm still getting my handbag searched as the steward I spoke to said they had to be vigilant and were on the look out for miniature bottles of alcohol. You'd think after seeing how I abuse my body by drinking their white wine in the concourse, they'd concentrate on some other people who could be carrying alcohol/some sort of weapon.

Hardly helps that you turn up stinking of gin every week.

[Royal Lady]

ho ho.

Well I'm south side of East Stand when I go in and not one person is ever checked unless they are carrying a bag - I always arrive with at least 3 other people and not one of them is stopped and frisked. But if they wear the same outer clothing to an away match - they are often searched there....

[floyd__streete]

Well I'm south side of East Stand when I go in

Is that another euphamism for 'three sheets to the wind' ?

[Royal Lady]

It's against my Human Rights to have my bag searched but other more hooligan looking people without a bag are not searched. Or something. I'm surprised no-one has claimed that one yet to be honest. I might go to the European Court of Human Rights - the club won't bother sending anyone that far (a la Newcastle for that Gylfi shirt or whatever it was) and I'll prob win by default and get asked to go on Big Brother.

[PieEater]

You need to be quicker RL, don't wait to be searched, just plough forward to the gate and pile in. They aren't going to come after you!

[Barry the bird boggler]

STAR does a reasonably good job in my opinion. Remember for them to do anything you have to raise your issue with them (and they'll investigate for you whether or not you are actually a STAR member)

However they can only ever ADVISE/SUGGEST things to the club and authorities as they do not have the final say, they are there to put the fans point of view and raise problems and issues as they become known. If the club decides to ignore them that is not their fault and although it may make them look toothless and rather pointless it's always good to have someone to bang away about such things so the club at least hear a voice.

Suggest that this thread should actually be in the STAR forum so that they can blow their own trumpet on here at they have done, what they are doing etc.

[RoyalBlue]

Any idea how many people are stopped and frisked before entering the ground btw? Only, I'm still getting my handbag searched as the steward I spoke to said they had to be vigilant and were on the look out for miniature bottles of alcohol. You'd think after seeing how I abuse my body by drinking their white wine in the concourse, they'd concentrate on some other people who could be carrying alcohol/some sort of weapon.

Best thing is to let them search your bag and carry your booze in your coat pocket. They never seem to check coats if they search someone's bag!!

[Gordons Cumming]

RL

Re:searching you before entering the stadium.

Treat it as a compliment.

You'll feel better about it then.

(They probably fancy you.)

[STAR Liaison]

im on the fence right now leaning towards no. people come and go pointing out problems with the club and its really STARs job to tackle the issues. instead of going on and on about dead subjects like standing and the 39th game (which is not much of a worry anymore dudes) why dont they attack the club with the post match safety issues.. just curious.. are they sleeping with the club a bit too much. please discuss. i would like to see a better organization to represent the fans

STAR does tackle problems - maybe not in the confrontational way that seems to be assumed to be the best. I believe that you achieve more by talking to the powers than shouting at them - and I can only work the way I am comfortable with. Sorry if it is not the way you want.

Having said that STAR has not been inundated with requests to tackle issues so maybe there is nothing to complain about. So far this season STAR has had one complaint sent to us - about the catering. So if you want issues taken up with the club you do have put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and send us details. As has been said many times we cannot get the club to take any notice if all we have is a complaint on here as they will not take seriously an anonymous complaint.

As well as taking issues to the club STAR is also a conduit the other way, and maybe what we report is what we have been told and not what we want to happen.

BTW you really are up to date with the 39th game - the last time we 'went on about it' was when it was proposed - 4 or 5 years ago?

[STAR Liaison]

STAR? They don't really have an awful lot to campaign about really. For all our gripes about John Madj, there are no real apparent alarming issues about the way the club is run. The hopeless situation with the stewarding - which is the most OTT in all of the 70+ league grounds I have been to - is an annoyance; STAR will say they have organised stewarding forums before, but the short answer is that the club is very proud of it's Family Club of the Year certificates and somehow equates people standing up and shouting to something akin to the breakdown of the fabric of society. I am sure that STAR will sadly echo the club's view.....don't like it, go somewhere else.

As I posted above - echoing the club's view is not always agreeing with it but giving you the information about why it happens.

Your reference to the stewarding forums though it very relevant to me. I have organised a number with only a handful attending. It shows how important it is if no-one can be bothered to come along.

[STAR Liaison]

I don't have any beef at all with STAR, I was - as usual - just calling it as I see it and I'd be genuinely interested in STAR's views on filming of spectators in Y25 and 26 as well as the heavy handed stewarding towards smaller away supports. I know some of the people on the STAR board, I admire and respect the fact that they give up their free time to meet with the club to put across fans views.

Send me details at info@star-reading.org and I will certainly take it up with the club. As I don't sit in that area I have no personal experience to call upon, and as I always say I cannot use the anonymous postings on here as the club will not take them seriously.

[STAR Liaison]

Anyway, interesting that Floyd has such a beef against STAR. I wonder how many STAR members/non-members have a beef about their forums being inaccessible? Especially for those who live far away (they've stopped doing those transcribations) and those who are hard of hearing. I'd filled in the STAR survey and mentioned that they could improve those forums to make it easier for those with problems to be able to follow what is being said. No doubt my comments will be met with a resounding silence as I think not many people care about the deaf, eh!

STAR still does transcriptions - they are in the Reading Matter for members rather than available for all. We would be interested how we could make the forum better for the hard of hearing given that we are volunteers and not a large organisation - your survey comment did not suggest how this could be done. TBF we have not yet finished the analysis of the survey (volunteer time again) but if you have an idea about how we could make the forum more accessible let me know on info@star-reading.org

[Compo's Hat]

STAR? They don't really have an awful lot to campaign about really. For all our gripes about John Madj, there are no real apparent alarming issues about the way the club is run. The hopeless situation with the stewarding - which is the most OTT in all of the 70+ league grounds I have been to - is an annoyance; STAR will say they have organised stewarding forums before, but the short answer is that the club is very proud of it's Family Club of the Year certificates and somehow equates people standing up and shouting to something akin to the breakdown of the fabric of society. I am sure that STAR will sadly echo the club's view.....don't like it, go somewhere else.

As I posted above - echoing the club's view is not always agreeing with it but giving you the information about why it happens.

Your reference to the stewarding forums though it very relevant to me. I have organised a number with only a handful attending. It shows how important it is if no-one can be bothered to come along.

Or maybe that people feel STAR won't get anything done with regards to this situation so why bother. Sorry to say this as STAR do many good things for its members.

[floyd__streete]

Your reference to the stewarding forums though it very relevant to me. I have organised a number with only a handful attending. It shows how important it is if no-one can be bothered to come along.

I attended possibly the first of these forums and the overriding message that came out from it was 'you can stand up during moments of excitement but then you must sit straight back down'. I understand that the club will have safety licensing issues if they don't enforce this. As far as I am concerned, the club seem to enjoy enforcing this vigorously so that they can eject as many 'thugs' as possible, as they'd far rather have that family of four buying matching fleeces in the Megastore and they have absolutely no interest in wanting the supporters to generate an atmosphere which makes home games lively and entertaining which in itself is part of the experience for an admittedly tiny percentage of our timid fanbase. This is my own conpsiracy theory mind you, and the answer of course - as I said - is that if I don't like I can always go elsewhere (and boy am I considering that).

I'd be genuinely interested in STAR's views on filming of spectators in Y25 and 26

Send me details at info@star-reading.org and I will certainly take it up with the club.

Thank you. I must admit that this is second hand information as I do not particularly waste my time gazing at the tangos in the South-East corner but I shall observe next game and write to you accordingly.

[Sarah Star]

STAR? They don't really have an awful lot to campaign about really. For all our gripes about John Madj, there are no real apparent alarming issues about the way the club is run. The hopeless situation with the stewarding - which is the most OTT in all of the 70+ league grounds I have been to - is an annoyance; STAR will say they have organised stewarding forums before, but the short answer is that the club is very proud of it's Family Club of the Year certificates and somehow equates people standing up and shouting to something akin to the breakdown of the fabric of society. I am sure that STAR will sadly echo the club's view.....don't like it, go somewhere else.

As I posted above - echoing the club's view is not always agreeing with it but giving you the information about why it happens.

Your reference to the stewarding forums though it very relevant to me. I have organised a number with only a handful attending. It shows how important it is if no-one can be bothered to come along.

Or maybe that people feel STAR won't get anything done with regards to this situation so why bother. Sorry to say this as STAR do many good things for its members.

Regardless of how you feel about what STAR are doing about the situation, aren't the Stewarding Forums your chance to have your own say direct to the people who actually organise the stewarding?

[zummerset]

Starliaison you have an email about the online SHAMBLES that is the ticket booking system on 17.09 v Doncaster Rovers..I look forward to your response

[Compo's Hat]

Regardless of how you feel about what STAR are doing about the situation, aren't the Stewarding Forums your chance to have your own say direct to the people who actually organise the stewarding?

Been to one before, they just carry on with their over the top ways.

[Sarah Star]

LOL What over the top ways?

[postwhisperer]

thanks star for replying i just think fans would appreciate it if you guys made what you do a bit more public. i know you guys loathe hobnob and its trolls but your section of the forum has been more or less a ghost town for the past 2-3 years. why not merge it with club policies? you guys are busy but it wouldnt hurt to be a bit more proactive when tackling issues that have been cropping up since the madejski was opened. sitting on your hands until someone sends a formal complaint comes across as dispassionate imo.

personally, judging something by many people show up to a forum (in regard to the steward forum) is a bit inaccurate.. im sure if you had a meeting when the 39 game issue was brought up no one would have bothered.. even if you scheduled a forum about the state of the club currently no one would show up unless some celebs like murty were present. i understand you need to pick your battles but maybe tackling the minor issues like the backpanel on the shirts would be a good start.. then work your wake up to the postgame traffic issue.

[STAR Liaison]

thanks star for replying i just think fans would appreciate it if you guys made what you do a bit more public. i know you guys loathe hobnob and its trolls but your section of the forum has been more or less a ghost town for the past 2-3 years. why not merge it with club policies? you guys are busy but it wouldnt hurt to be a bit more proactive when tackling issues that have been cropping up since the madejski was opened. sitting on your hands until someone sends a formal complaint comes across as dispassionate imo.

personally, judging something by many people show up to a forum (in regard to the steward forum) is a bit inaccurate.. im sure if you had a meeting when the 39 game issue was brought up no one would have bothered.. even if you scheduled a forum about the state of the club currently no one would show up unless some celebs like murty were present. i understand you need to pick your battles but maybe tackling the minor issues like the backpanel on the shirts would be a good start.. then work your wake up to the postgame traffic issue.

As far as the presence on here is concerned my work does not mean I am constantly on the internet let alone on HNA so I come and look when I have the time. Unforunately I am the only one with a STAR name at the moment although we thought we had sorted a load more names for STAR Board members with Graham we have the problem many have of getting authorised

We do have a more active website now and so we tend to use that rather than HNA for our news.

As far as judging the response from how many turn up - can you suggest a better way. After all if the stewarding mattered enough it is not making much of an effort to come along. We get plenty along for all the other forums we organise but the stewarding has always been dire, I think of the four or five I have organised you there have been a total of about 20 bothered, and although several on here say that it is not worth it because you won't change them I found that more of those 20 found that they understood why the stewards acted as they did and were less confrontational about it.

What exactly is your post game traffic issue? Is it on RFC property or on the public highway? Please let me an email of the problems.