The Tottenham manager,
André Villas-Boas, said this season that the White Hart Lane crowd has
been 'anxious and negataive'. Photograph: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images
Tottenham Hotspur
are actively taking steps to try to combat the "unacceptable" behaviour
of a supporters' group set up to improve the much-criticised atmosphere
at White Hart Lane, according to documents seen by the Guardian.
The latest minutes of the Tottenham Safety and Advisory Group (SAG) reveal the club are concerned about an organisation of supporters who want to bring the noise back to the stadium on the back of André Villas-Boas's comments that it is too "anxious and negative".
The 1882 movement, set up by the Fighting Cock fanzine and podcast, encourages supporters "to sing as loud and as long as our lungs will let us". However, the minutes reveal there are moves being made behind the scenes to try to prevent the people behind it gathering in a designated area of the ground.
Bob McIver, head of building control at Haringey council, has written to Darren Eales, the Spurs director of football administration, to put the club "on warning" about this group. According to the documents, the club have decided they will not be allowed to go into J block, as they did for the recent Capital One Cup tie against Hull City. McIver's view is that "this group have to be monitored at future fixtures" and, since that meeting, the relevant supporters have been moved to another area behind one of the goals.
Tottenham have been speaking to their Supporters' Trust about the problem with the atmosphere and the club say they want to work closely with 1882 group. McIver is "aware it is hard to stop this group getting seats together as they arrange this among themselves via social media".
Sue Tilling, Tottenham's safety officer, depicts the 1882 movement as "a group of supporters aged 15 to 25 who are trying to improve the atmosphere at White Hart Lane". The SAG is "fully aware this fixture [against Hull] came just after AVB's interview regarding the lack of atmosphere at the stadium". However, there were reports of people standing, against stewards' instructions, and they "will therefore not be allowed to buy seats in this area". The group "stood and migrated [and] this is not acceptable".
The 1882 group was set up in the 2011-12 season, originally for youth-team and under-21 fixtures. According to its website, "the aim of the 1882 movement is to support our team and the shirt they play in and to sing as loud and as long as our lungs will let us. We want to hark back to the days before the Premier League, when how loud you sang and how passionate you became wasn't dependent on how well Tottenham were playing. We simply want to make noise and get behind the team, which hopefully creates a more enjoyable match-day experience."
The SAG meeting took place on 5 November, including representatives from Metropolitan police, the ambulance and fire services and the Sports Ground Safety Authority. West Ham's supporters were identified as having caused the most issues at White Hart Lane this season because of "increased, organised problematic fans". Their followers were "not the best to deal with and had ignited a smoke bomb".
The latest minutes of the Tottenham Safety and Advisory Group (SAG) reveal the club are concerned about an organisation of supporters who want to bring the noise back to the stadium on the back of André Villas-Boas's comments that it is too "anxious and negative".
The 1882 movement, set up by the Fighting Cock fanzine and podcast, encourages supporters "to sing as loud and as long as our lungs will let us". However, the minutes reveal there are moves being made behind the scenes to try to prevent the people behind it gathering in a designated area of the ground.
Bob McIver, head of building control at Haringey council, has written to Darren Eales, the Spurs director of football administration, to put the club "on warning" about this group. According to the documents, the club have decided they will not be allowed to go into J block, as they did for the recent Capital One Cup tie against Hull City. McIver's view is that "this group have to be monitored at future fixtures" and, since that meeting, the relevant supporters have been moved to another area behind one of the goals.
Tottenham have been speaking to their Supporters' Trust about the problem with the atmosphere and the club say they want to work closely with 1882 group. McIver is "aware it is hard to stop this group getting seats together as they arrange this among themselves via social media".
Sue Tilling, Tottenham's safety officer, depicts the 1882 movement as "a group of supporters aged 15 to 25 who are trying to improve the atmosphere at White Hart Lane". The SAG is "fully aware this fixture [against Hull] came just after AVB's interview regarding the lack of atmosphere at the stadium". However, there were reports of people standing, against stewards' instructions, and they "will therefore not be allowed to buy seats in this area". The group "stood and migrated [and] this is not acceptable".
The 1882 group was set up in the 2011-12 season, originally for youth-team and under-21 fixtures. According to its website, "the aim of the 1882 movement is to support our team and the shirt they play in and to sing as loud and as long as our lungs will let us. We want to hark back to the days before the Premier League, when how loud you sang and how passionate you became wasn't dependent on how well Tottenham were playing. We simply want to make noise and get behind the team, which hopefully creates a more enjoyable match-day experience."
The SAG meeting took place on 5 November, including representatives from Metropolitan police, the ambulance and fire services and the Sports Ground Safety Authority. West Ham's supporters were identified as having caused the most issues at White Hart Lane this season because of "increased, organised problematic fans". Their followers were "not the best to deal with and had ignited a smoke bomb".
