An increase in football violence ...

... or is it my imagination.

I had messages that there were confrontations before and after the game yesterday and that Crewe were looking for stragglers after our coaches had left on Tuesday night, 'Rotherham' have decided we can't have a drink down there and there are whispers of trouble from Sheff Wed.

I don't believe we've merited any of this as we've had good and decent support in our away games.

But there also seems to be friction at other games with Newcastle squaring up to Leeds recently and trouble yesterday in various places, Manchester seems to be increasingly dodgy. Has Covid driven people nuts or is there a general feeling of gloom around the country. I really hope things don't go back to the days when you had to avoid away pubs, watch your back in town and worry about train stations, etc.

https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2021/08/lincoln-v-bolton-match-marred-by-shocking-violence-and-thuggery/

https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...reaking-shocking-video-shows-violent-21311362

 

Pubs are open as normal down in Rotherham.

 

Ah right, where's that info come from, I thought that wasn't the case.

 

Rotherham council have said yesterday, it did come out but they don’t know where it came from, they said it’s entirely down to the pub landlords they don’t interfere.

 

I don't believe a word of it but there you go.

I'll post the latest response when I'm home.

Whatever the case we can't say the pubs are open as normal down in Rotherham ...

... if as you've posted, it's down to the landlords, we may still not be allowed in.

 

I must of misread it somewhere but I thought it was you who put it on?

 

Thank you for your email. I have been in touch with our Licensing Team, and with the Chair of the Rotherham United Football Club Safety Advisory Group and South Yorkshire Police to clarify the position.

I can confirm that there is no blanket restriction on licensed premises permitting entry to home or away supporters on match days that has been implemented by the licensing service andthere are no premises with this as a condition on the premises licence. The Council does however add a condition onto premises licences in our ‘high risk’ town centre premises that requires the premises licence holder to risk assess the requirement for door supervision or to increase in door supervision on specific match days.

I understand that, as part of a routine enquiry to South Yorkshire Police, they advised as per the above and not that there was a blanket ban on away supporters. It may however therefore be that some premises do not allow entry to away supporters due to the risks that may present. That is in line with the position across South Yorkshire (and across the Country). It is not the Council’s decision as to whether individual pubs do or do not accommodate away supporters on match days and the Council does not therefore maintain a list of such venues. That decision is solely for the premises and in line with their own risk assessment.

The Council obviously liaises closely with the Police, through our Licensing Service and the Safety Advisory Group. We are aware that South Yorkshire Police licensing do, as part of the planning for high risk fixtures, liaise with licensed premises in the town centre to seek to identify which premises may be willing to accommodate away supporters. South Yorkshire Police Licensing are in the process of undertaking this exercise and will endeavour to share this list with supporters groups prior to match day.

I hope that this helps toclarify the position.

Kind regards
Cllr Chris Read
Leader of the Council

 

What I've just said is that I don't believe the council, police, licensing authority have nothing to do with this.

Landlords always have that discretion so it wouldn't be news unless someone else had stuck their nose in ...

... which is what I suspect.

The Council are suggesting the Police have had something to do with it, the police are denying it ...

... typical buck passing which I just don't accept.

This story originally came directly from Sunderland AFC who advised that no bars would be open to away fans.

They obviously didn't just dream that up or ring every pub in Rotherham.

 

Its defo on the rise mate. I know quite a few Boro frontline lads and its becoming rife again.
Seeing Hungary fans coming to Wembley and taking a liberty makes my blood boil. If i wasn't a dad to young boys id be tempted to get involved myself

 

I heard there was a 63 year old Man City fan hospitalised with life-threatening injuries last week in Ghent.

He was attacked by five blokes after the game which was one of a number of incidents.

I used to love the idea of watching Sunderland away in Europe but it seems such a clart on now.

 

Unfortunately society seems to have taken a step back in the past 5 or so years. I haven’t been to any games post covid but two I did attend at the end of 2019 (Ipswich and Shrewsbury away) I was quite shocked at the hostility of the home support, especially at Shrewsbury of all places which is quite a pleasant town on non footballing days.

 

I think the Russians rampage in 2016 at the Worldcup has given us a reality check as a well know nation of hooligans. The problem is football violence is all about getting pished with your mates and having a scrap in our country.
Alot of the foreigners train in MMA and take it to another level they are trained fighters which totally goes against what football hooliganism is all about.

 

Do we actually have an active firm??

I have many books on football hooliganism its a big interest of mine. Ive mixed it with Millwall in disguise haha because my mates a fan of them and i enjoy going for the craic'. What an experience and what an intimidating set of fans they are. I nearly got a clip about 10 years ago away to Hartlepool when i was having a pish talking on the phone at Hartlepool. My NE accent was noticed.

I know Boro hooligans who are animals. I never hear anything about us though??

 

No, but the old lads still travel together and will put up a good defence if people bother them.

They were at Kings Cross waiting for Portsmouth before the final and at a pub near the Shard before Millwall in the Championship ...

... neither showed up.

Central Station to SJP, before the 5-1 with Bruce, was the last big get together to my knowledge. Newcastle made half a dozen 'charges' but were chased each time, it got really funny in the end.

There's a bunch of young town lads, 18-22ish, who've become a bit more lively but you wouldn't call them a firm imo.

 

Its pretty weird how a club with our fanbase that covers many hard hit areas have not got an active firm.??
Darlington and Hartlepool have a really hard bunch of lads, Boro were on another level years ago and every book i have fans around the country show them massive respect. The lads i know now you would not want to get on the wrong side of.
Wheres our firm then, im confused???

 

But we have to remember that Shrewsbury and the mags are tighter than 2 coats I’d paint for some reason they always meet up at England games

 

Me and Mrs Smug went to the Shrewsbury away game and parked up in town. The first two people we encountered were Mags shouting Shearer at us from across the street. I asked them to come closer, as I couldn't quite hear them, but they went off in the other direction

 

https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/football-news/accrington-stanley-owner-andy-holt-22369099

Accrington Stanley owner Andy Holt slams Fleetwood Town fans over vandalism, spitting and alleged attacks

"In six years at Accrington Stanley these are the worst fans and aggro I’ve encountered"

Accrington Stanley owner Andy Holt has slammed the shameful behaviour of a section of Fleetwood Town fans following vandalism, spitting and alleged attacks on supporters and 'townsfolk'.

Andy said in his six years in charge of the club "these are the worst fans and aggro I’ve encountered".
Incidents were reported "before, during and after" Saturday's 5-1 win with a 14-year-old boy reportedly taken to hospital after an attack and another woman racially abused.

 

"Fighting between Spurs and West Ham fans broke out outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with one individual reportedly being knocked out, before coming back round."

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https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/breaking-tottenham-west-ham-fans-25767884.amp

 

As a matter of debate. With mobile phones etc these days any little scuffle can be highlighted unlike the hey days of 70s and early 80s. Over the road practically after every game there is a post about altercations no matter how trivial.

Maybe totally wrong here but I think the handbags and posturing that goes on today is small fry compared to years ago

Yours truly

Harry the Hotdog!