I thought I would write in defence of the stewards who are receiving more and more flak in recent weeks from so-called fans who think they are objects of derision and fun.

Gareth Evans eloquently calls them "jobsworths" and "morons" which means that he has researched the role and characters employed by Arsenal in this role not one little bit.

I admit to having a slightly vested interest since my sister was for some years a steward in the North Bank and introduced me at various watering holes after the game to her colleagues and most of them remain to this day my friends. These people are for the most part devoted fans who have decided to work at the Arsenal either because it was the only way to get into the stadia in recent years and/or because they want to work for their club and take great pride in doing so.

These guys and girls are for the most part trained in crowd control measures, first aid and communication skills so that people like Gareth can enjoy their day out in complete safety and should be supported by all of us.

One of my closest friends who I travelled to Paris with for the CL Final (a tale for another day) is so upset with the attitude, language and behaviour of the "new crowd" in the North Lower stand that she has resigned her job. She has tried to get fans to sit down and has been rewarded with foul language and abuse from her own kind and I hope that they are thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

The reason that stewards ask people to sit down is that health and safety rules state that you must sit in your seats and the stewards could lose their jobs if they don't attempt to get the fans to do so.

Ultimately Arsenal run the risk of having sanctions taken against them too if they don't comply. Apart from the obvious safety concerns I have recently suffered similar problems when I took my 11 year old daughter to a game. She missed great chunks of it because a tall adult "fan" in front of her refused to sit when others had. He also abused me with foul language when I politely asked him to sit so she could see.

I recently watched a Spurs v Arsenal game from1987 on ESPN when the rain chucked it down for 90 minutes and I watched the crowds of fans behind the goal getting sodden under the inadequate roofing, crushed against the steel bars (which caused 90+ deaths at Hillsborough) and shoved around by the swaying of the overcrowded terrace.

If Gareth and his friends want to return to those days then I have to question their sanity. I too miss some of the elements of yesteryear and there is no doubt that some atmosphere has left our grounds forever but a return to the eighties is a retrograde step and true fans will make the most of the situation and find ways to improve the atmosphere within today's standards and rules and not those of a bygone era.

Picking on stewards for doing their job says more about the mentality of people like Mr Evans than it does about the efficient stewarding of our new stadium.