I was told that you had to have you standard bearer facing the enemy unit to gets its +1 CR, is this true?
Your BSB must be in the fighting row for you to benefit from him, like it is for any character or command group.
Your standard bearer must be in the front rank to get the CR bonus, not the fighting row as this may be the flank or rear in some instances. And because the standard bearer must always go to the front, it means you essentially always get it.