‘Will football fans at bet365 stand for it?’

IT was interesting to read in the sports pages of The Sentinel (October 6) that the council and

Stoke City are monitoring the trial of safe standing at football grounds, with a view to it reintroducing it at the bet365 at some stage.

I do not doubt that the trials will be conducted safely and that the time to think about a return of, official, standing at games might be due.

Football has changed massively since 1989. There are now more families attending games, and the vibe generated on the pitch – by Gareth Southgate’s England team for example – has more to do with positivity than aggression.

This, you would hope, is reflected on the terraces, with the hooligan element mostly relegated to being a noisy irrelevance.

Policing at games has also evolved, with an emphasis on damping trouble down before it starts rather than engaging hooligans in pitched battle.

It is also clear that for a great many football fans, there is a lasting nostalgia for the old-style terraces.

This I can well understand, and have fond memories of cheering Stein et al on from the old Boothen End when we won the Third Division championship back in 1993.

I also though have memories of less glorious nights of shivering in the rain on the same terraces.

One midweek game in the Anglo-italian Cup against Notts County, when it was so cold I am surprised Scott of the Antarctic didn’t make the team sheet, still haunts me.

There, I fear, lies the rub. You might not be any warmer sitting down on a windy night at the bet65, but would fans be prepared to pay modern ticket prices to stand?

ADAM COLCLOUGH PENKHULL