Booze back at matches?

[The Master]

48 minutes ago, Principal Flutie said:

The "anyone who can't go 45 minutes..." argument remains a favourite of mines. Always good for outing the folk who are good at missing the point spectacularly.

Missing what point, exactly? The one where the police are currently dead against alcohol coming back to grounds, so it's better to look for a compromise that isn't substantially different from the status quo?

[ftk]

There is just something about football that turns some normal sensible people into raving looneys. Whether this is because they are tanked up with booze or just passionate about their team I'm not sure. More booze inside stadiums is just going to make them worse and create more problems. As usual the minority suffer. Can't see booze ever being introduced in Scotland for big club matches again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Moonster]

11 minutes ago, The Master said:

Missing what point, exactly? The one where the police are currently dead against alcohol coming back to grounds, so it's better to look for a compromise that isn't substantially different from the status quo?

People currently go 90 minutes without a drink so commenting that folk must be alkies if they can't go 45 minutes without a drink is entirely missing the point. The length of time without a beer isn't the issue here. Some people like to stand and watch the football with a bovril, I'd like to do it with a beer. In about 98% of matches this would be absolutely no issue. In your scenario, I go and buy a pint at half time and I'm forced to sink it within 10 minutes (by the time I get served, perhaps less) in order to get back to watching the match? To me that will just lead to folk cramming more drinks in a short space of time, when if you could drink during the game folk would likely just sit with a pint or two, as they would watching a game in the pub.

Finally, f**k the police and their stance. 

[accies1874]

I'd rather sit in a pub before the game, although I can kind of see the appeal of a half-time pint. The quality and price of the alcohol won't be appealing, and you'll probably be rushed, but fuckit, it'll wind the losers up.

[IainMorton]

26 minutes ago, ftk said:

There is just something about football that turns some normal sensible people into raving looneys. Whether this is because they are tanked up with booze or just passionate about their team I'm not sure. More booze inside stadiums is just going to make them worse and create more problems. As usual the minority suffer. Can't see booze ever being introduced in Scotland for big club matches again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to my one and only Scotland away game at Wembley two years ago. In the week leading up to it I was buzzing about it and was like a wee kid at Christmas on the train down to London. The whole thing was ruined, not only by the match itself and the lack of atmosphere, but by the amount of fans in the away end steaming drunk. The old chap next to me fell asleep during the first half, disappeared at half time and never returned. Why pay all the money just to get yourself in such a state?  Yes I know I’m a grown man and I should grow a pair, but it totally ruined the experience for me. I’m there to watch a football match not watch drunk guys fall about all over the place.

Like I said before, I’m not saying people shouldn’t drink before or at the football, but it ruins it for everyone else if you get plastered and act like a moron. We are always urged to get young kids interested in football, imagine taking a six year old to their first game and they are met by hundreds of people staggering about drunk just because “they can”. They wouldn’t want to go back.

[Alert Mongoose]

I fear the critics have never experienced the nadir of mistiming a pre-match binge. Too much and there is a risk of falling asleep/getting turfed out or too little and a shuddering, sobering hangover begins ten minutes into the second half. 

Maybe it's just at Tannadice but the latter gives me the fear.  Surrounded by 'Ol Danger types simultaneously screaming insults at the team whilst spraying the remains of a badly cooked pie in a surprisingly wide arc. 

[The Moonster]

15 minutes ago, IainMorton said:

I went to my one and only Scotland away game at Wembley two years ago. In the week leading up to it I was buzzing about it and was like a wee kid at Christmas on the train down to London. The whole thing was ruined, not only by the match itself and the lack of atmosphere, but by the amount of fans in the away end steaming drunk. The old chap next to me fell asleep during the first half, disappeared at half time and never returned. Why pay all the money just to get yourself in such a state?  Yes I know I’m a grown man and I should grow a pair, but it totally ruined the experience for me. I’m there to watch a football match not watch drunk guys fall about all over the place.

Like I said before, I’m not saying people shouldn’t drink before or at the football, but it ruins it for everyone else if you get plastered and act like a moron. We are always urged to get young kids interested in football, imagine taking a six year old to their first game and they are met by hundreds of people staggering about drunk just because “they can”. They wouldn’t want to go back.

Yes, we have rules for being drunk at the football and they are rarely enforced.  This isn't a reason for stopping 99% of normal people having a beer during the game.

[lubo_blaha]

13 minutes ago, IainMorton said:

I went to my one and only Scotland away game at Wembley two years ago. In the week leading up to it I was buzzing about it and was like a wee kid at Christmas on the train down to London. The whole thing was ruined, not only by the match itself and the lack of atmosphere, but by the amount of fans in the away end steaming drunk. The old chap next to me fell asleep during the first half, disappeared at half time and never returned. Why pay all the money just to get yourself in such a state?  Yes I know I’m a grown man and I should grow a pair, but it totally ruined the experience for me. I’m there to watch a football match not watch drunk guys fall about all over the place.

Like I said before, I’m not saying people shouldn’t drink before or at the football, but it ruins it for everyone else if you get plastered and act like a moron. We are always urged to get young kids interested in football, imagine taking a six year old to their first game and they are met by hundreds of people staggering about drunk just because “they can”. They wouldn’t want to go back.

1. The problem there was booze consumed before the game, not at the ground. If Scotland are playing a 7:45 game at Wembley, their fans are going to be drunk. Are you really saying the situation would be the same for Morton vs Alloa, for example?

2. Realistically, is having alcohol available for 1 hour before the game and for 15 minutes at half time going to significantly increase the drunkenness of the crowd? No. People stay in the pub until 2:50 anyway before rushing to the game.  People aren't going to suddenly turn into a drunken mess after one or two pints pre-match.

3. If you're taking kids to a game, take them to the family section. Have an area of the ground where they don't sell alcohol. Its really not that difficult.

Trial alcohol sales in the lower leagues. Avoid high risk games. Limit it to three drinks per ticket if you have to. There's no valid reason why it can't work for the vast majority of games in Scotland. 

[gannonball]

2 hours ago, craigkillie said:

I think they should only sell alcoholic drinks before and after your meal at a restaurant. Anyone who can't go 45 minutes without a drink has a serious problem.

Im not too arsed about having a pint at half time to be honest or during the game really. What I would like is to turn up and have a drink before hand rather than trying to pack in to a pub near by trying to get served then leave to a larger queue at the stadium. 

[IainMorton]

8 minutes ago, ali_91 said:

Who the f**k is going to take a six year old to a 7.45 England V Scotland match at Wembley? 

 

Where did I say that?

[Marten]

2 hours ago, ftk said:

How does it work in England with smaller teams that don't have concourses?

I've been to a number of grounds like that. In general they sell the drinks at a bar / van or something within the ground just out of sight of the pitch. You can drink your beer there, but not take it with you on the stand.

[Marten]

2 hours ago, IainMorton said:

This. I also understand it’s good to relax and have a pint before going to a game, but is it really necessary? I’m not saying don’t do it, but some people act as if they can’t enjoy a football match without having at least one (or ten...) pints beforehand.

To be fair, I know plenty of fans of either professional Dundee side who can't bear watching their side when sober. But that might just be because of how they play.  

[Bairnardo]

Anyone arguing against being able to have a beer at football is an utter Helen Lovejoy to be fair.

This country is a fucking red neck in its attitude towards adults drinking alcohol.

[Ira Gaines]

3 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

Anyone arguing against being able to have a beer at football is an utter Helen Lovejoy to be fair.

This country is a fucking red neck in its attitude towards adults drinking alcohol.

It's a fucking red neck in it's attitude towards football supporters as well.

[Bairnardo]

It's a fucking red neck in it's attitude towards football supporters as well.

Yeah the two combined just guarantees that thousands of adults are going to get treated like kids.

Of course the football supporting population does have a considerable number of arseholes among it, but they havent be able to drink at the match for decades and guess what..... Still arseholes.

I honestly dont know of a credible arguement against this. Admittedly I dont know what the jist of the against is, but I cant think of anything that couldnt be immediately shot down.

[Broken Algorithms]

I wouldn't drink at games myself, but it'd still be good to have the option available and it can only help to add to getting people along, or potentially adding to any atmosphere whether positive or hostile. The police will kick up a huge fuss still no doubt.

[Steve_Wilkos]

Won't work because of the weegie knuckledraggers

 

 

[Richey Edwards]

Booze has never been away from football matches. Surely everybody knows this?

[senorsoupe]

If alcohol is sold in stadiums they will probably end up doing what they do here in Canada and make it so stupid expensive that most fans won't bother.  If I go to an Ottawa Senators game a tall can (500 ml) costs between $10 and $11 CAD (equivalent of 6-6.50 GBP) so if you want to get tanked at the game you need an additional mortgage

[craigkillie]

14 minutes ago, senorsoupe said:

If alcohol is sold in stadiums they will probably end up doing what they do here in Canada and make it so stupid expensive that most fans won't bother.  If I go to an Ottawa Senators game a tall can (500 ml) costs between $10 and $11 CAD (equivalent of 6-6.50 GBP) so if you want to get tanked at the game you need an additional mortgage

I was in Toronto for work and went to a Maple Leafs game. Since I was on expenses, I thought I'd just have my "dinner" at the hockey - ordered a poutine and a cider.  Paid $10 for the cider and received a can of Strongbow.