Bad Security, Traveller Scape Goats, and Dogs

My other memory’s of 1990 besides the magical day I spent with Ry Cooder, Was all the shit with security and travellers . I will also throw dogs into the mix as well . Lets take dogs first I would always take my dog Swan to the festival . He was a perfectly formed staff handsome light fawn friendly with humans and other dogs a real star every one loved him especially kids . He would breeze round the site in a Cuban hat and a pair of shades, I kid you not . Feargal Sharkey once offered me £500 on the spot for him . That year he was on the Pyramid as we were setting up he went to the middle of the stage had a shit then went to the corner had another shit .The stage manager went mad . The lighting crew shouted down “LEAVE HIM ALONE ITS A SIGN” He would always be wandering into the crowd . He came once back minus collar I am sure I spotted it the next day round the neck of some punky type . But they had left his home back stage pass beautifully made by my daughter . I will scan some shots and post them up .

But it was to be his last year . A close friend his kid was bite in the face by a lurcher type dog on the Thursday .Michael knew the family and that was it from then on total dog ban . It was very much the right call more more dogs were on site . Things could of got really out of hand .

Now the security thing that year . From early on we knew things were not in safe hands . Stories of the contract had been given to a joint London / Birmingham posse with shall we say criminal elements involved . I was asked by a friend who was new to the festival to go and retrieve some confiscated Jack Daniels . I entered a tent up at their compound . A big guy sitting behind a wooden fold down table with a array of confiscated drink piled up behind him . Well lets say they weren’t handing much stuff back . But he instantly knew I was not going to be a push over . My friend spotted his bottle . He begrudgingly started to decanter it into the plastic bottle we had provided him . But not before he handed it round to 3 to 4 of his cronies who all took large swigs . Totally out of order ,out of 20 people queuing to get drink back . I was the only one to leave with at least some drink back . They where coining it right from the word go .

But the most damming evidence came in the way of another friend . She had won the contract to do the catering with in the security compound . As the festival progressed I heard reports she was going to pack up and leave site . It turned out she was witnessing torture in the form of beatings and people being tied in chairs and burnt with cigarettes all in the eating area of he catering tent . She complained and was told to shut the fuck up. You just make and serve the food it has got fuck all to do with you . She told me they would be laughing and joking over meals how many people and stalls they had robbed .When she eventually got home she was a physical and mental wreck . So much so she decided to pack up and move to France . I was in the Greenfield on Monday afternoon When I recognized a person from were I live . He was a wrong one who I had run ins with in the past. He was in security gear and high as a kite . He bragged to me how he had a contact in the security . Who had sold him passes t-shirt photo id . He had spent the whole festival being a free lance robber showing me an array wallets and money he had robbed we nearly came to blows there and then . He called me a dick head and swaggered off down the hill .

In my opinion the Travellers thing was the smoke screen the security needed . I think the security knew they had been rumbled they were going to take on the travellers to cover their tracks . So they did, prompting the confrontation to show the travellers were the problem . Knowing the travellers would duly oblige . When all the the time the security were the nastiest thing ever to be in that beautiful valley . But the festival learned a valuable lesson . The security now days is good I have worked with them no worries . The same security for quite a few years now . You can tell they have taken the festival to the hearts which is good every one has got to grow with it . To make sure we never have to work with people like that again

More to come  Norm

2 out of 2 for Roy

WELBECK  TOOK GOAL WELL

Two out of two for Roy ,nothing spectacular but a win is a win is a win . Now for the Euros
CLICK LINK FOR HIGHLIGHTS http://footyroom.com/england-1-0-belgium-2012-06/

DO YOU THINK THE ARCADIA TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM WOULD WORK OVER ALL THE SITE ?

Being involved in Glastonbury for nearly 30 years . One of the biggest problems is crowd movement between the big main stages . IE bottle necks some of them can be very frighting . The huge never ending circle between . Pyramid , Dance, Other Stage , Jazz and round again . With The John Peel Stage becoming more popular going into the mix . The Park helps taking some of the strain out of the circle . But in that circle people travel one way round it , People travel the other way . Creating three very nasty bottle necks . Inevitably people panic in crushes add a bit of mud into the mix and a couple of prams scary stuff . Disasters go through peoples mind Hillsbough ,Heysel,The Pearl Jam gig . The crush in tunnel in Germany ,Not nice.

So as you wander round the chaos of Arcadia the Traffic lights flash red green amber above your head at strategic points . People stop dance laugh then off they go . The crowd travels round Arcadia 9 times out of 10 unhindered .

So would it work all round the site at the bottle necks . Well why not give it ago . As the capacity of the festival rises rightfully so . Plans to illuminate this problem must be in the pipe line surly this system has been tried and tested and must be be a front runner . What do you think ?

So 30 years at Glastonbury I hear you say how do you beat the bottle necks? Well I do beat them, But if I tell you then it will close the door . No it is not the back stage area routes thats cheating . Sod its Glastonbury lets share .

AT GLASTONBURY YOU ALWAYS GO UP THEN COME DOWN , THEN BACK UP AND BACK DOWN AGAIN . Easy no panic  

WHERE THE WATERS MEET

Glastonbury 2005 was the first time the Festival was in danger of being pulled , totally unthinkable .The story unfolds as follows . The meet and greet at the bottom of muddy lane was very busy , the weather was very hot and sticky , But every think had gone smoothly considering we had put a new one way system in round the main market area;s . To speed the setting up period even quicker . We had broke the back of the set up by mid evening Tuesday night , a new record .

At tea time on Tuesday night a blue Merc van with a a hippy type guy who I Knew his face previous festivals. I was explaining the one way system to him, as he wanted to drop some stuff at J market over by dance then head up the greenfield . I noticed he had 3 canoes strapped to the roof asking him “what are you going to do with 3 canoes at Glastonbury” . He replied “Not sure I put them up there on a whim , may be rig up some swings for the kids with them” “Yeah that could work” He drove off happy .

Meet and greet job done after resting the legs from four 16 hour shifts . It was Thursday night out on a jolly Avalon way . One thing led to an other made it back to my tent in New Holts 6 to 6.30 . Looking at the sky it was that dirty yellow pink grey colour and it was so warm . Or was it the cider I crashed . Only to be waked ,,by some one hammering on the roof of the tent . Opening the tent it was rain drops the size of gob stoppers . My son Niall ran over to me from a gazebo . “Dad there are little rivers are forming and running down the Jazz field”

Jumping out of the tent soaked in a nano second Niall ran back to the gazebo . Lighting of the fork type was hitting every couple of seconds scary stuff the jazz stage was hit . There was at least half a dozen small steams coming down the jazz field in to the main river behind us . One was in line with a friends stall I was banging on the side of her van waste deep in water . But at that stage it was clean water running over the grass . More like paddling up a chalk stream in Dorset than muddy puddles Glastonbury is noted for . The next 2 hours was mental trying to save traders stock, lightning strikes stages no power, porta cabins no power .

Then gliding round the corner at Babylon you guessed it the the guy from the blue Merc in a blue canoe . “The next time I see them on your roof I am going to confiscate them” He laughed . He must have been photographed a thousand times . It was nearly 11.30 .

More people were milling around . But the sky was looking that sickly colour it had done earlier . I needed a break checking the main river that runs though the middle of the site, it was dangerously high . For the first time ever I feared for the festival going ahead . Time for a Guinness . The back stage jazz bar was open . My mate Mike was in there he was on tour with the Coral armed with Guinness we sat at the opening of the tent as the havens opened for the second time . Mick looked at me . “Is this going to be cancelled or what”. I shrugged my shoulders . “Its looking very dodgy” . Michaels Land Rover pulled into the Jazz Back Stage area he was alone . With a very glum look on his face . Mike asked me “What is he doing here”?

YELLOW CROSS WERE THE WATERS MEET 

In the far corner of the back stage area 2 of the main rivers meet . He wandered of there alone for about 10 minutes . When he come back to the Land rover the rain was easing the sun was trying to get through . He turned smiled got in the Land Rover and drove off .I said to Mike . “The fesival is defiantly on” . I wandered over there to have a look myself it was on the verge of bursting its banks were the 2 streams met . I am thinking if it would of burst there it would of flooded the site , flood stop play . It must have been a close call , But if a farmer doesn’t know his own land than no one does

especially when there is so much at stake . 

2005 was a great festival hard work , but everyone helped each other With some sights to behold 

More Glasto Stories Soon . Norm  

SCOUSE Guardiola

No he has finished on a winning note please get your arse to Liverpool and save the day before its to late  watch highlights and review click link   http://www.soccer-blogger.com/2012/05/25/athletic-bilbao-vs-barcelona-0-3-highlights-copa-del-rey-2012-final-goals-pedro-messi-video-kings-cup-score/

Cole eyes Liverpool comeback

Joe Cole is hoping to fight his way back into the Liverpool team when his loan term with French side Lille expires.

The former Chelsea star appeared to have no future at Anfield after being marginalised by manager Kenny Dalglish, who took the reins from Roy Hodgson last January.

However, following the Scot's sacking, the 30-year old now has a chance to impress any new manager and has set his sights on staying with the club.

"I haven't had any conversations with Liverpool, but as it stands I'm back there for pre-season,” .

"When you don't know who the manager is going to be you cannot do much else really. I'm hoping to make it at Liverpool," he added.

The 56-times capped England international netted nine goals during his time in Ligue 1, helping Rudi Garcia's side qualify for the Champions League for a second consecutive season.

He has regularly featured in a central attacking role for the French giants this term, a position which he believes he will occupy for the rest of his career.

"My time at Lille has been extremely positive. I’ve moved back from the wing into a more central midfield role and I have thrived there.

"It's my best position, I was doing it at 19 for West Ham.

"The days of me running down the wing are over, I see my future in the middle now. It's where I can get my foot on the ball and get the best out of myself."

Cole, who was left out of Roy Hodgson's England squad for Euro 2012 last week, also refuses to give up on his international career.

"England has gone in a different direction and there's nothing I can do about that. But I still believe I could play in two years' time at the World Cup in Brazil.

"I won’t give up. I'm going away for a couple of weeks but then I'll start training by myself to keep ticking over in case I'm in the Olympic squad. That would be brilliant."

We could of done with Joe last season . Not one of Kenny's better decisions 

THE BOOT ROOM IS A COLD AND LONELY PLACE

The boxes are piled up in the corner with old boots falling out . There is odd socks slung all over the place . Old unsold programmes are littering the floor . The light has stopped working ,most of the shelves are falling off the wall . The door will only open a third of a way . As I strain my head round the door, peering in , my touch flickering around nervously . A voice behind begs me not to go any further . But I can not resist taking my first step into the darkness . There is a muffled three way conversation/argument strikes up in the darkness It makes me jump kicking a old kettle into a tea cup it smashes . Making me yelp the door slams behind me . Dropping the touch it is pitch blackness the muffled voices get louder louder louder LOUDER LOUDER !! SHITTTTT!!!!!.

The boot room 

I wake up sweating turning my lap top on to news that Frank,de Boer . Has ruled him self out of the Liverpool job . Following Brendan Rogers decision a few days ago . Have we got are selves in a position of being unmanageable? . It has got to be down to the owners . What signals are they sending out . When and if, we ever get the Boot room mentality back . Where the owners just trust the team management to come up with the goods . With the Americans I am convinced they do not and will not grasp that . Making Liverpool not a good managerial prospect , it is proving to be the case . Out of all the candidates that have been mentioned . The only one who stands a chance of working with the Americans is Rafa . He has been down this road before . But I think all the persuading will have to be done on the Americans side . They have got to start thinking the Liverpool way . Other wise the boot room will stay a lonely and cold place for ever YNWA........