I have to admit i was annoyed at having to queue for 35 minutes, but there was no way there was 7500 there, 10500 is more like it

Yeh but superleague are saying there was only 846 at Hull KR.

Agreed. I was the same - in the queue before 2.45, got in at 3.15. The match had already kicked off when they finally decided to open another turnstile. It was pathetic really.

People slate our old, dilapidated stadium, but at least there are plenty of turnstiles and you can get in pretty quickly.

I was talking about the clueless lot on your board.

To be honest for anyone to have to stand and que for 30 minutes to get in is ridiculous. The club really need to take a look at why people where still queing to get in at 3.15 and make sure it doesnt happen again. Did they offer to let them in at a reduced rate because they had missed through no fault of there own part of the entertainment that they had travelled and paid to watch?

The farcical scenes outside the West Stand yesterday are an embarrassment to Warrington as a club. I see the usual arrogant sods on here have dismissed it as a load of idiots turning up too late from the pub or people not having tickets. That sums them up – “it didn’t affect me so I don’t care, I’ll just make facetious remarks and try and belittle those who have a genuine point”.

I go in the West Stand for every home game and there has never been this problem before at any other match. The turnstiles at the south end of the ground were closed, which isn’t unusual, but to have only one turnstile open (and then eventually two) at the north end was utterly ridiculous.

It was the lack of communication that infuriated most people. Not one steward anywhere to be seen, no one had a clue what was happening and why 6/8 turnstiles remained closed when there were 300+ people still queuing to get in at 3:10. Then at last, a steward appeared and told everyone that they were finally opening the turnstiles at the south end of the ground, which led to the predictable stampede. He directed everyone there but neglected to say that it would be ticket only, so when those paying cash arrived, they were told to go away, which enraged them since they’d given up their place in the queue on account of bogus advice given by a steward.

The very worst thing about yesterday was the female steward who was appeared on duty at the south end. Some angry Cas fans questioned her about the cash/ticket situation and pointed out that they’d come a long way to watch their team and still couldn’t get in. Her response was to laugh and say “Look - I don’t even like rugby”. This understandably enraged them further, so her next helpful comment was “I get paid £9 an hour to stand here, so you can say whatever you like”. At this point, I got into the ground with my ticket, but my friend had to advise a steward inside the ground that he’d better get out there before she caused a riot.

It’s this sort of thing that reflects very badly on Warrington as a club. The Cas fans were as angry as you’d expect, but despite some raised voices and obvious consternation, they weren’t swearing or getting physical and they were very well-behaved under the circumstances, so fair play to them. This isn’t the first time that I’ve had to put my head in my hands and think “what must other clubs make of us” and I’ll be writing a constructive, but pointed e-mail to the club about the matter.

Not that it will do any good.

i don't understand tbf why they don't just open every available gate ?

If they opened 4 more gates they would have to pay 4 x 1.5 hours x minimum wage. Such sums are not readily available at a club like ours.

Slightly O/T here, but when i go watching Everton, the stadium is often packed to the rafters, and they say only 33000 attendance. I think its someone higher up fudging figures tbh, report lower attendance = pay less tax? I dont know. But somethings going on

maybe they had drafted turnstile operators into the food and beverage kiosks after receiving complaints of poor service and big queues......

to be fair it does sound as though plenty of people arrived early enough to gain entry before kick off...and again we dont do "organising" very well....

and in my experience on Saturday I dont think we do "proffesional" very well either but thats another tale for a club shop type thread

On a slightly different theme I was served lager yesterday by a kid who cannot have been more than about 12 years old. Nothing to do with the club as Heathcotes are a franchise, but completely illegal nevertheless.
Regarding the West Stand, Cas invariably have a decent away following so it would appear someone has made an error. The idiot of a female steward simply needs to be sacked. She's there to control the crowd, not incite it.