[madyak]

I was down in Greenock last night to finally watch the Morton Celtic match at the third time of asking. Before the match it was well policed with loads of idiot celtic fans in colours being knocked back from the home end and it looked like Strathclyde polis had finally done something right.

However at the end of the match the polis allowed both sets of fans to leave at the same time, cue banter and in some cases some pretty nasty insults to get flung back and forward between the fans. The celtic 'fans' then come charging across a dual carriageway and start battering a couple of Morton fans, the home fans weren't having any of this and a big punch up ensues. The celtic fans leg it back across the road just as plod finally arrive to start batoning and lifting the home fans regardless of if they were involved in the fracas or not.

A bunch of neds (thats chavs to folk south of the border) then seek revenge on a solitary celtic fan who happened to walk round the corner at the wrong time which was not a pretty sight to behold.

Now I know that all teams have numpties who support them and when a 'big' team come visiting they will be trying to prove how hard they are. But why the hell did the police allow the fans to mingle so freely and why were there so few stationed outside the ground at full time which would have kept this to minimum and why do some folk still think its acceptable to go to a match with the sole intention of starting aggro.

 

[Guest]

I was down in Greenock last night to finally watch the Morton Celtic match at the third time of asking. Before the match it was well policed with loads of idiot celtic fans in colours being knocked back from the home end and it looked like Strathclyde polis had finally done something right.

However at the end of the match the polis allowed both sets of fans to leave at the same time, cue banter and in some cases some pretty nasty insults to get flung back and forward between the fans. The celtic 'fans' then come charging across a dual carriageway and start battering a couple of Morton fans, the home fans weren't having any of this and a big punch up ensues. The celtic fans leg it back across the road just as plod finally arrive to start batoning and lifting the home fans regardless of if they were involved in the fracas or not.

A bunch of neds (thats chavs to folk south of the border) then seek revenge on a solitary celtic fan who happened to walk round the corner at the wrong time which was not a pretty sight to behold.

Now I know that all teams have numpties who support them and when a 'big' team come visiting they will be trying to prove how hard they are. But why the hell did the police allow the fans to mingle so freely and why were there so few stationed outside the ground at full time which would have kept this to minimum and why do some folk still think its acceptable to go to a match with the sole intention of starting aggro.

I put it down to stupidity. Much like when the West Ham fans were at it last summer with various propah old firm geezers apparently coming out of retirement for it. Men in their 30s and 40s with families fighting at football matches for fun is stupid.

 

[bazza]

It's because they're complete and utter idiots. Mouth breathing, knuckle dragging, morons.

As for the police - I would assume they didn't expect aggro from teams which aren't particular rivals?

 

[kiscix]

Yet another reason I fail to understand the point of football

 

[bazza]

Nope - merely you taking a tiny minority of people, whose actions have nothing to do with football, and attempting to ascribe those actions to football as a whole.

if I see someone in an Alfa driving like a fool, can I then label everyone on this website a fool?

 

[kiscix]

No, of course not, and I never said people were a fool for watching football. I just said it was 'yet another reason' that I just don't understand the point of it all. I can think of loads more. It's one of those things i'll never 'get' or understand, just like i'll never understand how or why people are vegetarians .

Football has traditionally seemed to generate a fair bit of violence over the years, for some reason. I think it may be more of a reflection on certain parts of our society as a whole who just happen to watch it (next door neighbour, I'm thinking of you here!).

 

[madyak]

Proteo
The folk who instigated the trouble were mostly not wearing any team 'colours' suggesting they are not actually fans, also there were over 10,000 folk at the match coupled with the fact it was an evening kick off allowing folk time to get a few beers, statistically you are pretty likely to get some folk there who only want trouble.

The popularity of the game is also its problem, with it probably being one of the biggest spectator sports in the world you are bound to end up with healthy number of numpties in the crowd. That said I've been to hundreds of games over the years in various countries and that was the worst trouble I've ever seen. If the knuckle draggers want to fight fine, but they should keep it away from the everyday fan and non fan who don't.

 

[HackneyRed]

The only relationship these people have with football is that it gives them an opportunity, or the crowd cover, to travel the country in large groups and look for trouble.

Thankfully this has declined in the past. Fans don't seem to travel so far these days eg Glasgow to Greenock, Man Utd to Man City.....oh, hang on, most of those causing trouble in the Utd end would have travelled miles wouldn't they?

Nottingham has seen its fair share of trouble over the years, but hardly ever from Forest fans. Typically Forest play Millwall and the Leeds fans see it as a chance to fight the Millwall fans so come down to Nottingham. This happened more when Leeds and Millwall were in different divisions

Obviously the popularity of football has an effect here too. If rugby or crown green bowling was as well supported then the thugs would travel the country under that banner.

 

[danant]

Don't get to senior games much but the level at policing at junior games can be strange. Junior clubs tend to be fairly close together distance wise and there is often a lot of bad blood and rivalry. One match last year had loads of trouble. Kilbirnie were playing Beith, usually there is some trouble. Police were there in higher numbers as requested and kept the fans seperated before and during the game. They then disappeared about 5 minutes before the end leaving all the fans to go out one exit onto the street together with no / few police around. Rammy ensued causing bother.
You get bother at all levels and a lot of the time in the juniors it's the local drunken neds who are involved who don't even support the team and just want bother with those (insert expletive of choice) from wherever.

 

[madyak]

The daft thing was most of the folk in both ends/doing the fighting were probably from Greeenock/Port Glasgow given how big their septic supporters clubs are!