Long Gun Posted December 6, 2001 Report Share Posted December 6, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Sukhumvit: Probably the most notorious used to be Millwall. They were all over the tv in the '80's with the jolly japes that their supporters got up to at away games including ripping up seating and lashing them on the pitch etc Things haven't really progressed much down Millwall really, if this report from Tuesday night's game is anything to go by! BEHIND THE LINES: A MANCHESTER CITY FAN REPORTS FROM MILLWALL Wednesday December 05 2001 By Steve Anglesey Manchester City supporters were banned from the New Den on Tuesday night - and missed a thrilling 3-2 win over Millwall during which Kevin Keegan was sent from the dug-out. But a few Blues fans made it behind enemy lines… and here is a report from one, taken from City newsletter Tenacity. IT WAS on the short train journey to South Bermondsey that the bravado started to wear thin. "I'm not sure about this. Maybe we should have stayed in the pub to watch Juve," said Juan, who’d brought along his 16-year-old son. "No, it'll be fine," I said. "None of their boys will be out tonight; no-one to fight." Arriving at the Den and putting on our best London accents, we took our seats about five minutes before kick-off. We breathed a sigh of relief as we looked around and saw a collection of relatively normal people… until the teams ran out. "Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo," screamed the white twentysomething bloke next to me, jumping up and down and imitating a monkey. "Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo," screamed his mates around us. "Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo," screamed what seemed like a hefty minority of the crowd. Their target? Shaun Goater, who had the misfortune to be closest to the touchline. "F**k off you northern monkey, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo." "F**k off you stunted coon, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo," they screamed at Shaun Wright-Phillips. "F**k off Paki," was the welcome for Ali Benarbia the first time he touched the ball. "F**k off you fat Jew," was the inevitable insult hurled regularly at Eyal Berkovic. And on and on it went. "The coon's in the box. He's in the box! Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo! Oh f**k he's scored." Goater silenced the racists for a few minutes with a beautifully-taken goal from a Wright-Phillips cross. Before the match the Bermudan had said. "I am sure we have the experience to handle the situation and come away with the points. That match at Millwall three years ago was the most frightening I have been involved in during my footballing career", so how he must have enjoyed that one. The game and the racism continued throughout the first half. Millwall equalised just before the whistle. By now we'd had enough and we asked if we could move into the Family Stand for the second half. "It's just as bad in there," warned the steward. And she was right. "Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo," screamed a girl aged about six in front of us. "Stop it. You can't do that," her father said. "Why not?" she asked, "everybody else is doing it. Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo." And on and on it depressingly went. City were attacking the goal in front of the deserted 'away end'. Then Darren Huckerby scored. There was absolute silence all around the ground. It was both eerie and terrifying. The players celebrated by standing on the dead ball line and applauding the empty stand. Ten minutes to go and the racial abuse had levelled out to a desultory booing of all our players. Then suddenly Millwall were back in the game, scoring a penalty after Danny Tiatto handled the ball. Seven minutes to go and although we wanted to win we were beginning to think that a draw might be the safest option. Then a chorus of monkey noises alerted us to the fact that Shaun Wright-Phillips was in sight of goal. ”That'll be the draw safe then,” I thought, but the ball hit the back of the net with such force you could hear it above the torrent of racial abuse from all around us. The three of us had just suppressed our delight when we heard "Yessss... c'mon City!" from an executive box directly behind us. Unfortunately, everyone around us heard it too and within seconds the box was under siege from the Family Enclosure. Thankfully, the stewards got there first and stopped 40 or so fans from getting into the box for a free corporate evening out, with bonus fighting. After what seemed like eight hours, the final whistle went and we were able to escape. After the inevitable 30-minute train delay we got back to the car. The relief was tangible. At last we could speak without fear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Gun Posted December 6, 2001 Report Share Posted December 6, 2001 quote: Originally posted by zoot: I also think the songs & chants are hilarious , I know mainly Arsenal ones , but my fav is the Millwall one ,hows it go "nobody likes us & we don't care" or something ,Ha , Ha. Not trying to wind you and Steve and the rest up but my favourite terrace song, which may or may not have started at Spurs, but that was where I first heard it, was this one (sung to the tune of a well-known cockney knees-up number) My old man Said "Be an Arsenal fan" I said "Fuck off, bollocks, you're a cunt" and that was it!! quote: Originally posted by zoot: Has anyone here had any first hand experience of hooliganism ???? As either spectators or participants??? Me being from Oz the answer for me is no. In over 30 years on the terraces I have never actually been hurt but have found myself in situations where I genuinely feared for my life and wondered very hard about why I bothered going at all. These included: Being chased through the streets of Newcastle City Centre after Sunderland had beaten the Scum 4-1 at their place ("One Gary Rowell!!"). A few of us had stayed in the ground after the bulk of the Sunderland fans were herded off to the railway station with a massive police escort which was not sufficient to deter the rabid Newcastle fans from carrying out their plan of attack - this was mid-70s when hooliganism was at its height and the whole exercise was being controlled via walkie talkies - God knows what they are capable of nowadays with mobile phones!! Anyway, they exercised a pincer movement style of attack which cut off the tail end of the Sunderland fans while the rest were trapped in the station. Most of the hospital cases that day were Newcastle fans who tried to fight their way through the lines of police dogs!! Meanwhile we left the ground when everything was quiet - and ran straight into a gang of home fans hiding round the corner!! Adrenalin is a marvellous thing and I eventually lost them in Fenwicks department store, but not before I had dramatically sprinted out into the traffic and leapt onto the back of a passing bus (they were open-backed in those days) and gave my pursuers the v-sign, though to my horror the bus then turned straight into the bus station and stopped!! Sunderland v Newcastle again, when 400 Scum fans got tickets in the Sunderland stronghold of the day, the Fulwell End, where they took up position at the top of the terraces, no colours, mouths shut, until 5 minutes into the game they just went berserk and attacked anyone within reach. causing the whole crowd to start tumbling and fleeing down the terraces. US readers may struggle with this concept but most fans used to watch the game standing on concrete steps, often with no roof overhead. Nobody could see what was happening until the nutters were right in their faces. A particularly graceless and cumbersome friend of mine keeled over in the middle of the crowd and somehow another mate and I managed to scoop him up by the arms as we ran past on either side. The most bizarre was probably Sunderland at Chelsea in a League Cup semi-final 2nd leg. We were 2-0 up from the first leg, Chelsea got an early goal and then one of their own old heroes, Clive Walker, scored for Sunderland. The whole stadium went absolutely berserk, 3 sides of it were ripping up seats and they were hurling them into our end from the posh seats, St John's Ambulance guys were being attacked as they tried to deal with the injured and they were pouring onto the pitch and running at our end which was protected by a large fence. (Their chairman later demanded the fences be electrified!) Kamikaze individuals were scaling it and dropping into the Sunderland fans who were kicking the shit out of them as they landed. I was with my girlfriend and honestly thought we would be lucky to get out in one piece. Behind us at the back of the terrace was a sheer drop of about 100 feet. Eventually some kind of order was restored by mounted police who were literally riding straight into the Chelsea fans and trampling them. One guy was chasing Walker all over the field and was eventually brought down by the Chelsea goalkeeper - it turned out that the thug was an off-duty policeman!! The referee was so keen to restart the game that they kicked off while there were still people on the pitch and Sunderland's clincher was scored when Walker chipped the ball over 2 policemen in the penalty area and Colin West nodded it home. Along with everyone else they could not believe the goal was allowed to stand! LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Gun Posted December 6, 2001 Report Share Posted December 6, 2001 quote: Originally posted by zoot: I find football hooligans fascinating , there are heaps of books on the subject that seemed to have popped up in recent years , both fiction & non fiction , I have just read a trilogy by John King , The Football Factory , Headhunters & England Away , not bad reads One of the best books I have read on this was actually written by an American who became fascinated by the whole concept and managed to infiltrate a gang of organised hooligans who followed Man Utd and England. The most disturbing aspect is the way that he becomes swept away by the whole experience and starts to enjoy it. (there is one particularly delightful scene where a supporter head-butts a policeman then sucks out his eyeball and bites it off!!) If you like that sort of thing the book is called 'Among The Thugs' by Bill Buford who was the editor of a respected literary quarterly, Granta. Whether it is 100% true or not is debatable but his day-job seemed to lend it credibility. LG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 6, 2001 Report Share Posted December 6, 2001 Well it seems that everyone has their opinion on the rivalries that fill football. I think the most heated definitely has to be the Rangers vs Celtic derby up in Scotland, I experienced that for the first time last season and I thought the stadium was going to catch fire the atmosphere was so heated. Football violence is really fading out in the Premiership thank god. On football terms I would say that the most anticipated game of the year is Arsenal vs Man Utd, the two teams have been at the top of their game in recent history and if it wasn't for an excellent Man Utd team/manager our boys would probably the biggest team in the country. I'm going to wind up Tottenham fans and say that we don't really judge them as a threat. Although it is nice to beat them we have moved so far ahead of them that they aren't really judged as a threat anymore. Admittedly they're having a good season but them being close rivals is a long way off! The Scums fans are unbearable though, they honestly think they are as big as Arsenal. The only experience that I have of football violence is after the Man Utd vs Arsenal FA Cup Semi Final replay in the year Utd did the treble. As we were leaving the ground a huge fight broke out in a church yard going away from the ground. Basically some Utd fans laid an ambush for the Arsenal firm, somehow I was caught up in it and it was a question of fighting, the scenes I saw that night were not pretty and not something I would care to see again. I still get acknowledged by the people I fought alongside that night, but thats not me scene. Copenhagen the following year was pretty hairy as well. As far as the nastiest set of fans are concerned in England I would say that Birmingham has to be the worst, they are absolute Scum. On another FOOTBALLING note the good news today is that Arsene Wenger has signed a 4 year extension to his contract. Lets hope that there's more good news on 10th December when we find out about the new ground! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted December 7, 2001 Report Share Posted December 7, 2001 Thanks guys. It gives me a whole new perspective on things. The US football team Oakland Raiders have fans that are known for being the worse. They have stabbed an opposing fan, in the stands, on camera mind you! Also, they beat an opposing supporter in the bathroom at the stadium and each Raiderfan, as they are known, urinated on the supporter afer they just beat him to a pulp. HS basketball where I grew up, was pretty bad, fights and occasional gun shots outside the building and in the subway (the underground to you guys). However, your stories were all extremely interesting. My ex boss from Liverpool wants me to see the reds there but I told her I have go to Highbury first. I've instructed my cousins in Brixton (remember, although American, my parents are Jamaican & EVERY Jamaican has a relative there--lol) to take me to north London upon my next visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 7, 2001 Report Share Posted December 7, 2001 C Steve, hopefully you get to see us Vs spurs & you can post a trip report about the kaos once you get out of the nick or hospital . Enjoy , I am envious , you should read some of the books before going if you have'nt allreday . Be careful mate , I know I would'nt know where I was if I was dumped at Highbury singing "he comes from Senagal , he plays for Arsenal .....oh V........." Or how about "...Chim Chimminy , chim chimminy , chim chim cherrooo , who needs anelka when weve got KANU!!!!" Ha Ha ha , I love those chants, I reckon a mob of hoolies could do a tour down under singing footy chants as a comedy act , I think they would make a fortune!!! Maybe an idea for some poor backpackers stuck in LOS ( it must be terrible ) & looking for their fare to Oz. P.S -Did you notice both yours & my post above are # 338!!! Twilight Zone shit there !!!! [ December 07, 2001: Message edited by: zoot ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2001 Report Share Posted December 8, 2001 Rivalry between Birmingham City and Aston Villa fans is pretty hostile. The Aston Villa supporters are generally quite a laid-back lot but the Blues 'Zulus' are nutcases. My history of soccer violence. B'ham City vs Aston Villa (league cup) 1989 I was attacked by two Birmingham City fans on the way back to my car after they had mistaken me for a blues fan. I lost two teeth in the incident and had a fat lip for weeks. Kettering vs Colchester (GM Conference 1989) A bunch of Col U fans I was with had a running battle through the city centre with a mob of 50 Kettering. Leicster vs Man United 1986 Always seem to get into trouble at Filbert Street. It's one of the worst grounds to get away from in one piece. Got a right good hiding on this occassion. Wolves vs man United 1983 Wolves fans threw bottles onto the stand above us showering us in broken glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2001 Report Share Posted December 8, 2001 quote: Posted by Long Gun The most bizarre was probably Sunderland at Chelsea in a League Cup semi-final 2nd leg. We were 2-0 up from the first leg, Chelsea got an early goal and then one of their own old heroes, Clive Walker, scored for Sunderland. There's a blast from the past - Clive Walker. Didn't he get locked up for messing around with little girls and then return to football with someone like Dagenham? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2001 Report Share Posted December 8, 2001 Not sure about Clive Walker but Graham Rix was Chelsea coach he got locked 3 years ago for shagging a 15 year old girl. He's now at Portsmouth after Chelsea sacked him this summer Graham Rix's girlfriends only 4, she's only 4, she's only fourrr! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted December 8, 2001 Report Share Posted December 8, 2001 I will definitely write a trip report if I make it to Highbury. I would plan the trip around a good match like Tottenham, Man U or Liverpool. I read 'Fever Pitch' by Nick Hornby and I'm very curious to see the grounds. Spoke to my ex-boss & friend and she actually knows a whole lot about football. Only child of a fanatic Liverpool supporter and all her quality time was spent at the grounds or in front of the television with him. He wanted a son and tried to make her into one. (She's gorgeous by the way, blonde, blue eyes, very cute). Anyway, she said the best footballers were from northern England because poverty breeds the better athlete. I copied and pasted the following from her e mail. Any comments as to its veracity? From my ex boss: "The London Clubs are not in general as good as the Northan clubs, poverty seems to breed better footballers, so generally speaking the Northan Teams are snotty and stuck up about the Southern Teams, Cockney *%^&*()'s etc. As London is much richer than the North but there Clubs seldom overpower the northan teams. There are also about 8 London Teams, as London is so big, so support isnt as big, hense money is not quite as easy to come by. Arsenel are presently the biggest London Club, but Tottenham Hotspur have had ther moments in the past. The others are mediocre really, despite what there fans say. Every year some team will pop up with a challenge but I would say over the last few years Liverpool, ManU, Leeds and Arsenel are the biggest." --end. Regarding the violence, I'm mentally prepared for verbal abuse (racial, etc.). As for physical violence, no one really be prepared. I'm going to wear my Arsenal shirt under a non descript sweatshirt, possibly an American shirt. Hopefully, if I'm questioned my American accent & bewildered look will save me. lol. My god, those stories! Knocked out teeth. Broken glass raining down. Hooligans running amok. Sounds like Brooklyn when I was growing up. Great stories guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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