Letter to The Observer editor re Dave Jones

[knowingeye]

"Dear Sir,

I'm not a regular fan of Stoke City or one who writes to newspapers, but as a keen follower of football, on this occasion I simply have to put the record straight.

I was sat no more than ten feet from the team benches at the match between Stoke and Cardiff, when I witnessed a straight forward assault by a Cardiff trainer, in fact the reserve team manager, on a ball-boy for apparently not returning a ball "quickly enough", then to compound the matter further, then went on to assault a St John's Ambulance attendant. Both victims were volunteers at the venue as a matter of their choice in support of a football game and deserve better treatment by the stewards, the inept police actions and the incorrect reporting of the press. The matter, at the time, was made worse by the Cardiff manager who then turned to face the crowd behind the team benches, only to gesticulate and mouth obscenities in the general direction of the crowd and director's seating area. The crowd was infuriated by the assaults that took place and the Cardiff manager's completely unprofessional and perhaps "out of character" response. The subsequent crowd chants, directed toward Mr Jones were abhorrent and unacceptable, but the whole situation should not have arisen from the mindless acts of certain professional sports management who should know better.

The Observer is right to report and criticise the actions of the inappropriate crowd reaction, but Mr Jones and his his fellow trainers should be thankful that they were not arrested for breach of peace behaviour, common assault or actions to incite crowd trouble. I don't make these serious allegation lightly, indeed as a former Manchester policeman I felt ashamed at the response of the police inspector when I made my views to him, only to be informed he couldn't take any details, as he was wearing his gloves!

Yours faithfully


(name removed)
Alsager
Cheshire
cc. Peter Coates, Stoke City Chairman"

[Cabby_Shunt]

Don't try to defend the indefensible.

[jpm64]

Good well balanced letter KE


Be interested to see if it's printed Sunday or if you get any resonse !!

[winger]

Dear Mr Knowing Eye,

Pls do write again with your interesting comments. We have taken your views on board and thrown your letter in the bin.

Yours greatefully, Letters Ed

[Stick It On Cort's Head]

;D

[mark71]

The observer and football supporter are two worlds which usually don't collide.
Just the fact that your claiming the Observer reported an incident incorrectly will see your letter filed in WPB ASAP.

[Time4aPINT]

edwinvanbakel said:

Don't try to defend the indefensible.

He isn't trying to defend the indefensible, he's just trying to put the record straight. The actions of Dave Jones and his staff was inexcusable.

[Deleted]

I could understand Stoke fans taking the brunt of the criticism if we hounded Dave Jones from the first minute to the last and chanted obscenities at him throughout but the chants came as a result of his (and his staff) actions.

I'm not defending the chants aimed at Jones but the empshasis has to be on him to act in an appropriate manner, he is the one in the media spotlight afterall.

I didn't hear any abuse aimed at Jones throughout the game until the incident with the ballboy and Jones' subsequent turning to Stoke fans behind the dugout and the gestures he made.

The incident would never had occured had it not been for Jones and his staff IMO. I know it's easy to say as I am a Stoke fan but I am trying to be as unbiased as I possibly can.

You can't defend the chants but you can't defend Jones and his staff either, the brunt of blame should be at their door.

[hanibal7]

david jones your a wanker,your a wanker,then get on the pitch and twat him.
end of.
sorry only joking

[mrblobbysdad]

Sitting opposite the dugouts in the Seddon stand i could only see the was something going on when the police suddenly converged in that direction.

If its true that Jones and his staff incited the taunts by their 'assaults' then they have no room to complain.
This of course doesnt make it right to shout the kind of things that have been reportedly shouted, whatever the circumstances. Football is after all, a game, end of. Those kind of comments have no place in a football stadium - False allegations of that type can ruin lives.

[Big Al]

so you've never sung "the referees a wanker" or "who's the bastard in the black" or any other song that come from the terraces its football and the crowd chants are apart of it. It doesn't make it right and I'm in now way condoning it but it is part of the game they are big boys let them deal with it, but attacking a ball boy aged between 11-15 might be classed as assult on a minor along with the st johns ambulance man well i think they should ask the press to retract their comments

[The Toxic Avenger]

I see. So are monkey noises at black players "part of the game" as well?

[RAF]

No but directed at Andy Hessenthaller they are more than acceptable.

H

[The Toxic Avenger]

Agreed ;D

[Big Al]

they used to be like i said im not condoning the chant i just dont see the point in making a song and dance about something the crowd said did the news papers report that we sang "Roy keene your a wanker your a wanker"or "get your tits out for the lads" or "do you take it up the arse" and many other songs that get sung on a match day

by the way all of the above have been chanted from the boothen in the last 2 seasons i didnt see anyone moaning about them

[GrandStokie]

knowingeye

"he couldn't take any details, as he was wearing his gloves"

That just about sums up the respect given to the football supporter, fuckall!! That is unfuckingbelievable, what a cheeky twat.

Let us know if you get a response from the Observer

[thats entertainment]

knowingeye

Have you since made a complaint to the Police about the 'assualts'? Would be interesting to see what comes of it. I sit in the Boothen and saw a struggle with the St. John's Ambulance guy but obviously couldn't say what had happened.

[bayernoatcake]

If You told said copper 'well take them off yer daft cunt' could he nick You?

[bodd]

ffs its a football game . not the fucking royal ballet get over it
there fault, they started it now they dont like the shit they get back
ahar diddums poor little sheep worriers i wont lose any sleep over it

[DodgyDino]

edwinvanbakel said:

Don't try to defend the indefensible.

Read what hes saying, He isnt defending anyone hes telling what really happened which wasnt explained in the newspaper article.

[Sammz]

bayernoatcake - he could probably nick football supporters for looking at him in a manner he found to be slightly annoying. Gotta justify the early kick off and large police bill somehow ???

[lordb]

-purely on the point of what songs are accepetable.-

screaming with venom paedo @ anyone who isnt one is simply out of order.

[markscfc72]

Jones calls for action over fans

Cardiff City manager Dave Jones says police should take action against the Stoke fans he clashed with during his side's 2-1 weekend defeat.
The incident flared up after reserve team manager Paul Wilkinson became embroiled in a row with a ball-boy.

Jones told BBC Wales: "The police were taking pictures of the fans involved and should deal with them in that way.

"But it's not even on my radar to worry about. I've had that sort of abuse off the same people at Stoke for 10 years."

He added: "People say it's banter, but it's not banter when someone's hurling a load of abuse at you.

"They think it's quite funny and as soon as you say anything back it's a different matter, but the police were brilliant.

"I think Wilko was a bit annoyed that we had a multi-balling system and all of a sudden it seemed to disappear somewhere along the line."

[bayernoatcake]

I don't mind the abuse back but the assault of a ball boy is a different matter You twat Jones!

[ceejays]

sent our version to bbc website.
doubt they will respond

[mumf14]

Knowing eye ,though I can understand your obvious annoyance I feel that your letter should have been sent to the F.A and not to the newspaper if you feel so strongly about this subject.I have no doubt that this is not the first time such chanting has been directed at Mr Jones and therefore one would assume that any wrong doings by the Cardiff officials would have been noted by the match offiicials.

The fact that the Inspector you spoke to also refused to help you with regards to this matter only further leads to me to the conclusion that from your perspective it is better left,regardless of your previous career,however irritating it may have been for you at the time.
I'm not criticising your honourable efforts but merely suggesting that it is better not to stir up any more 'shit' especially as we came away with the three points and no one was injured or unduly affected in the long term.One has only to look back 20 years ago to see far worse acts of violence and outrage to see that things are gradually improving and long may it continue.
Let's leave it to the necessary officials to sort out eh..?

[JoeStoke]

u wont get a response to tht letter

[knowingeye]

I'm just trying to provide a fair and balanced argument based upon several factors taking place in a heated atmosphere, where the events were unpleasant and unnecessary, to say the least. Professional football management assaulting innocent unpaid volunteers is unforgivable. I wonder if they even apologised to the ball-boy and the first aid man?

The chants from the Stoke fans were based upon ignorant, narrow-minded and inappropriate views held by a minority who felt it was their only way to vent their anger at the circumstances unfolding before their eyes. Plainly wrong.

We all know that the case against Dave Jones was thrown out of court and quite right in light of what the judge said. He's no pedophile, pediatrician or pedelo peddler for that matter. His actions and those of Wilkinson are just bang out of order and football shouldn't try to sweep under the carpet, otherwise they will be re-discovered at a later date, only to raise their ugly head and become something far worse.

[Dr Oetcake]

Good stuff KE.

[leeklad]

well done ,well written ke