Phil McNulty, BBC Sport chief football writer at Villa Park Aston Villa 0-1 Tottenham "Surely it is time something was done by the increasing - not to mention idiotic - trend of supporters bringing flares into grounds. It was only a matter of time before one created an incident and we had one here at Villa Park when referee's assistant David Bryan was struck by one thrown by Spurs' fans celebrating Andros Townsend's goal. "Fortunately he is fit and well to carry on but that was an unsavoury incident."
I think we've all felt like hurling an object at an official when they make dreadful decisions. Looks like the powers-that-be are using this as a smokescreen to cover this poor officiating.
I have to say I love the flares at away games thing. The fact that someone manages to sneak one in every week amuses me and I love goal celebrations like yesterdays were everyone goes disproportionately mental and the smoke bombs are part of that. I've never seen another set of fans do it at the KC so for AKCJ's benefit, I don't think it is comparable to the stuff we regularly criticise your lot for such as "You're **** aaahhhh" at goal kicks. If you wanted to criticise something we do as being tacky it's that daft Palace song. I actually liked it when I first heard them sing it at the KC but every team copying it is a bit gay.
I didn't sneak the flare into Goodison - I was sat two rows back from the pitch anyways. But what surprised me was, my bag wasn't searched when I entered the ground. I even turned back to staff and they just said "you're fine, go in". I could have taken anything in the bag. And it wasn't as if it was nearly kick off and they were rushing us in, it was probably half hour before kick off.
Most football fans don't find flares unsavoury, they welcome them. The Polish brough a febrile atmosphere to Wembley last week with their flares, we should encourage our ulltra support.
It was rather a good shot from the Sperz lad this afternoon. The lino was a bit shocked but amazingly lived to tell the tale- and without a Niki Lauda style face. Do you think the dangers are being exaggerated in our H&S mad country?
Think this will see an end to the rather short-lived fad of flares. [video=youtube;-tDmPSjLeHM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tDmPSjLeHM[/video]
Dear Daily Mail Reader, Personally I'd rather not wait for someone to be actually burnt, injured or maimed by one of these pointless and unnecessary devices in football stadium. Would you be happy for a group of us to throw those types of flares directly at your head? Lit or unlit? If you can't create an atmosphere by singing, groaning, waving foam hands around, you should probably support some other game. You're the type of tosspot who thinks flares are brilliant and European, while whining about us retaining our identity as a nation, and rejecting any Americanisation of our hallowed sport. Flares? Get to fvck.
No image of that hideous stadium can be described as looking good. £33 to spend the whole game ducking, diving and swerving to try and see there the fcuking ball was. What a rip off!
Pyrotechnic smokes (sometimes called flares in the press) burn at about 500 degrees centigrade, proper flares burn at 6000 degrees centigrade. They are both extremely dangerous and not something to be messed with
A cigarette lighter burns at 2,000 degrees centigrade, just think of the carnage that could take place at a Barry Manilow concert.
Few flares are used at football, it's mainly smoke canisters with few if any H&S risks as they're intended for use in close quarters such as paint balling and parachuting.
Hi numnuts, there's no need to sign your posts, we know who you are. I didn't think people would need spoon feeding, but I'd just assumed people would realise the parachute reference was more pointing out they're not that hot if people are happy to have it strapped to them in close proximity to the flimsy bit of cloth that's keeping you alive. Also, formation parachuting can be close quarters, not that I personally do it.
