Bristol is a fantastic place to be, provided you're Harbourside, 'City Centre', Clifton, Redland and out norw west. South of the river I don't go, like stated some parts of Bedminster are dire, actually alot of the south is, as is the east (easton, St. Pauls, Fishponds). It's a bit longer than 30 minutes walk, probably 45. Not something you want to be doing. Given the option, I would pick to live in Bristol over southampton every day of the week.
I remember when we played Bristol City at St Mary's a few years ago we won 2-0 (how ironic!) and they caused trouble after the match. For me, they are getting a reputation worse than Millwall.
Hello. Just been pointed to this forum and seen this, and some of the comments, so thought I'd sign up and just clarify a few things seeing how this thread is about me and my mate (I wrote that comment on SaintsWeb). Can explain that. Before the game we went to a pub near Rovers' ground, one which we been to a couple of times whilst we were in League One, absolutely top pub and we thought we shouldn't miss an opportunity to go again. It was only a 15/20 minute taxi ride to Ashton Gate so that worked out well, got in just after kick off but obviously didn't miss much (awful performance, fair play Bristol City, much better team on the day). After the game we milled around the stadium for a bit, unsure of where to go, so we asked a copper and he told us to head on up the road to a train station, unsure of the name of it now. Saw some other Saints fans we knew so walked there together. When we got there, we realised our tickets weren't valid to travel from there. Someone mentioned Temple Meads was 'only 1.7 miles' away and 'just over there behind those tower blocks'. Easy we thought. Us three split up from the others and made our way towards where they pointed. We stopped off at a kebab house on the way, then a Maccies, asked for directions there, went on our way. Saw another group of Saints fans we knew who were also making their way there, they had stopped for a bit though so didn't join us on our misadventure, then later on down the road another group of Saints fans who were going to Temple Meads. We followed them as they walked ahead and they went down some kind of quayside thing but my mate was convinced he knew the way so we walked over a bridge. All this walking and dossing about meant it was quite some time after kick off now, and as we carried on we walked past a pub and that's where the initial incident happened. Anyone thinking we mouthed off to start it don't be ridiculous, you'd have to be brave/stupid to mouth off to a pub full of lads. As we walked by and looked in the window, several came out and started shouting. After that we saw several more Saints fans in shirts also lost looking for the station, told them we'd just been started on and that we'd stick with them, and finally headed off the right direction. Then we realised we were being followed, the other Saints fans we'd just met ducked into some curry house or something then quite a bit further down the road we got attacked about 500 yards from Temple Meads station. We weren't the only Saints fans that walked to Temple Meads, we just happened to walk past that pub and obviously catch the eye of some lads who wanted to fight so badly they'd assault 2 people who made it clear they didn't want trouble and just wanted to find the station! I hope this goes some way to clear up why we walked, we didn't know the area, Bristol is a massive place, and we got lost. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I wish we'd got a taxi but what can you do, it's one of those things. Beef_Dripping - Your mum knows mine?
Always tough when you don't know the place. Almost got lost at Reading earlier in the season FFS! There are some right ****ers on this earth...
No one looks to get beat up after going to an away match, but it happens all the time. I know quite a few times when Saints have handed out their fair share in the past. Sadly it is part of football and sadly always will be.
Joey.....don't know how you're fixed for funds but some just cannot start climbing into taxi's. They don't have the money for that kind of thing.
It sounds to me like they were a shade unlucky.......While I would agree with one poster that said we had heard only one side of the story.......I would ask you is it likely that 3 lads on their own are going to start shouting off to a large group of other lads? Unlikely I would have said.......mind you another question springs to mind......if your mate ran off to get help Why the hell didn't the rest of you go with him? What on earth was stopping you from legging it? Easy to be wise after the event it is true. However, it shouldn't have happened sad that it still does. From experience one would assume that the police were a little "matter of fact" or "little interested" about the whole thing. Typical of most police forces around the country. They appear to forget that in the main by far the vast majority of football fans are not interested in scrapping and therefore should be treated with a little more understanding......just a personal view.
I can only apologise - unfortunately we do have some idiots who are stuck in a time warp - for some reason they seem to have been back in the last 4 seasons since our return to the Championship. I believe that Bristol City had a reputation in the 70's and these moroons seem to want to keep it. Please don't tar us all with the same brush!
It was one group of people. Terrible for the victims, but only a tiny fraction of Bristol City fans there. We have had the odd incident as well. Luckily the days of widespread trouble are in the past (though, sadly, not enough in the past that Saints fans can go to Portsmouth without a police escort).
This is becoming a bit of a habit down in Wurzel Land.They attacked a bus full of Millwall family supporters last year putting a guy in hospital.You can guarantee the main perpetrators will bottle any away trips and let other innocent face the repercussions.
From what I was told mark (the guy that ran) just reacted that much quicker( think he also thought his mates got away too at first). One guy got caught first and the other reaction was to try and help. I know if it was me I would have tried to help my mate who was getting a beating.
My mate legged it before I even knew he had, I turned to see my other mate with about 6 or 7 lads on him... Saw him stumble to the ground and they kicked him in the head. I wish we had all just ran but seeing that happen to your mate, I was never gonna leave him there... I went over to try and intervene (Even though I had no chance!) and got a bit of a beating as well. He was walking slightly behind us with a bag full of food when the caught up - easy target. Police were pretty helpful in the sense that they gave us some water and treated my mate for his cut then they took us to a+e in their van... Mate came off a lot worse as I said with a fractured cheekbone so he needed a scan and stuff.
A taxi (for 2+ say) through a dodgy area? That's a sound investment. It's not gonna happen too often with many Saints fans traveling in numbers
Nothing like an even-handed, well informed sweeping accusation to summarise things. Are you really suggesting that these thugs were somehow able to identify, follow and ambush just three fans out of a crowd? I think an apology is in order.
You shouldn't feel that on an away day you have to get a taxi everywhere or otherwise you'll get a beating, 1.7 miles isn't a long walk (trust me, we walked from Reading's ground back to the station before, that was longer!)... I'm sorry that I seem to have offended you so much by walking.
