WITHOUT glossing over a muted and tired performance last Saturday I would like to talk about the experience of us fans, writes Simon Smith.

The seating mayhem at Rochdale will almost certainly be repeated before the season’s end.

As far as I saw our five tickets had seat numbers on and, turning up at 2:45pm, we had expected no problem. Far from it.

Folk were in our seats and claimed to have been told to sit anywhere.

I took this up with a steward who would win no prizes for charm.

“Yes”, he said. “It’s your club’s fault, take it up with them, now go forth and multiply and then sit down somewhere”.

Eventually a kinder steward plonked us on four seats on the front row and my lad was forced to sit on my sister’s knee.

Many others were forced to stand.

The fact that Rovers won quelled what could have been an ugly situation.

However, it is a fact that the concentrated support at away games is why Rovers have had more success on the road.

On Saturday the referee rightly took the brunt of fans’ frustrations, sparing the players much of the anger.

The home supporters got behind the side, but anyone who enjoys the communal singing, the raw passion and the camaraderie of all being sat in the same stand will acknowledge that clumps of fans scattered around the ground lack intensity.

Away fans these days seem to have carte blanche to stand up throughout the game.

In the Lincoln FA Cup tie I was invited to at Turf Moor last season the fans stood throughout.

Since it seems now that seat numbers mean nothing, surely those Rovers fans who want to congregate together can gravitate to one side of the Ronnie Clayton stand or the home side of the Bryan Douglas?

There is hardly congestion.

If it is an issue of Health and Safety then there are massive holes in its logistics. We can’t have Fortress Ewood when there are only one man tents scattered around.