For once, I take my hat off to an MP: From John Mann, Labour MP for Bassetlaw and Leeds fan "I was at the game supporting Leeds as I have done for over 40 years. Both sets of fans were disgraceful. A sizeable group within each were coming out with relentless, abusive chanting. It's sad. There is no question that Leeds should be banned from having away fans for a match. The collective crowd did not hand over this thug after he returned to his seat. There are people there who know him and they should be banned. That stand where the Sheffield Wednesday fans were rioting should also be shut for a match." And have to wonder about this from the South Yorkshire police: "With the public's assistance we have clearly identified the offender who ran onto the pitch during the game between Sheffield Wednesday FC and Leeds United FC and who is suspected of assaulting the Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper." Only suspected?
The flairs were thrown by Sheffield Wednesday fans, not the only things they threw either, and not just at the pitch. Well then you're all vile animals, because I'm sure there's at least one thug who supports Watford. The actions of the small minority last night are inexcusable, but that's exactly what they are and I'm not going to be ashamed of the vast majority of fantastic Leeds fans because of it. People seem to be forgetting who it was who tried so hard to identify the thug, and who it was who called West Yorkshire Police in such numbers that people couldn't get through.
Think the MP's claims are a bit of a knee jerk reaction, punish the people at fault, not everyone. I think the police's comments are simply a case of innocent until proved guilty, as things stand he hasn't been convicted by a court of law.
Well, as he states, the collective crowd did not hand over the thug - how else would you expect to best deal with the large numbers who apparently condoned his actions? As to the thug being innocent until proven guilty - I suppose the possibility does exist that the police have arrested the wrong thug - god knows there are plenty to choose from - but, that aside, the stupid twat did what he did in front of TV cameras and a large a crowd. I doubt very much that anyone who saw him doing it merely suspects that he did it.
You've got to take into account: 1. The vast majority were celebrating a goal and had no idea what happened. 2. The people seen congratulating/welcoming him will likely be the ****ers he went with. 3. No intelligent fan would confront him at the time IMO, you risk getting yourself into trouble with the police or putting yourself in danger, considering the gang he was likely travelling with, and you have no idea what they could have had on them. The Leeds fans took the right action IMO by identifying and naming him after the incident (which the vast majority did or tried to do). That way he gets what he deserves and no-one gets hurt or unfairly punished.
Both sets of fans were disgraceful. A sizeable group within each were coming out with relentless, abusive chanting. Not just one guy then, a sizeable group had been having a go at Dave Jones over something that he had been before the courts over and had been completely cleared of. No, I do not condone the others with their chants. Can you please explain why Leeds have such a bad reputation up and down the country? I am sure that most people would not blame all of the fans, but to have got this reputation shows that something is badly wrong.
A relic of the 70s/80s, as with Cardiff, Chelsea etc. Note the countless games that pass with no incident. Suddenly there's one bad game and we've got some horrible problem that needs points deductions and empty away ends to be stamped out.
I think that you do have a problem when there is a sizeable group, not a majority, who are still giving your club a bad name by their pathetic behaviour. The club has not been able to do anything about them, if they have tried, so maybe sanctions will have to be given from elsewhere.
A relic of the 70s/80s? One 'sudden' bad game? There was a book published about four years ago entitled 'A history of Leeds United violence' which totally refutes those particular claims. And it's not suspected violence either.
If you can find these huge number of games where such a large group have caused trouble I'll be impressed, I'm going to guess you'll find small groups of people trying to be hard kicking off against similar groups from other teams. Last trouble I can remember was the game we were relegated against Ipswich with the pitch invasion, where about 12 people I think it was, including the ****stain from last night, went up to the Ipswich end. The rest just acted like tits taking pictures of themselves etc., half of them thought the game had finished. ALl of them were roundly booed by the vast majority who remained in the stands.
I admire your attempt to be positive about your club, but the image from scenes and reports like these do nothing to improve the reputation that rightly, or wrongly in your eyes, is attributed to LUFC. Until something changes and the decent supporters demand that the low life are removed from the grounds, then this tarnished view will hang around everyones necks like a millstone.
In my experience the vast number of low lives have been removed. Without the isolated incident last night was a heated derby match with some distasteful chanting and minor crowd trouble from both sides; not what anyone wants to see but nothing for anyone to get outraged over. The one idiot and his ****** friends don't represent a wider problem in my view, as is shown in the fact that the most major crowd trouble I can remember involved vast hoards of... 12.
First off I cant stand Leeds , I remember running for my life after stuffing them 4-0 ! That said I agree with Simon ,its only one twat marring it for the rest (at the moment as the law stands your innocent until proven guilty. Also I hear there was trouble at the red lion today,only handbags I`m sure and what about the watford fans throwing seats around at charlton ,every club has their idiots and its up to every decent football fan to notify the police if they know any of these knobs . It is not just a leeds problem it still occurs at nearly every club . Everyone is so worried about PC and chanting and racism , that violence and intimidation seems to be acceptable, the public ,the fans and the authorities need to get there priorities sorted out and violence and actual bodily harm must rank higher than verbal abuse .
Its good to see the twat has been jailed. He deserves it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20025830
He should be out in time for their Christmas games then. As shown in his case banning orders on their own don't work. All they need to do is add a requirement for him to present himself at kick off times to his local nick. I am sure that they could spend a couple of hours trying to find his attendance records.
isn't that what used to happen? Makes perfect sense, coz sure as eggs are eggs, he'll not care about the banning order anymore than he has to date...
Would they need to look for a couple of hours? My English geography is not that strong, but living in Cheltenham and supporting Leeds - I would have thought that is around 150 miles? I wonder how they arrived at the 16 weeks sentence - and will he be eligible for early release?
Looks like Palace will be losing Freedman to Bolton...clearly a move about more money for wages and players.
