I hope they call it off if there is even a sniff of any danger. Be safe, all you London-dwelling Cottagers.
I agree that it should be called off if there's any danger, but I think the riots will have blown out before the weekend. I hope that the game goes ahead, and that that is because it's all safe by the weekend.
Whilst I think (and hope) the Captain is right that the riots will be over by Saturday I can imagine that if the club (either of its own accord or forced by the FA/PL) makes a decision today or tomorrow they will postpone the game. I'll be v. disappointed if its is called off.
Decisions won't be made until Friday, Thursday at the earliest. Nobody wants to put anybody's life at risk, but equally the clubs - not just us, all clubs - will be incredibly reluctant to take the financial hit from cancelling a game unless they have to. They'll wait and see how the next couple of days (or should that be nights) develop.
It's not so much the game being changed that would cause the problem (just like any other saturday), it's more things like train tickets that have been booked that are the annoying thing
I hope everything is okay by Friday night as well, not just because I want to see Fulham kick off the season on Saturday but also because my son - who occassionally posts on here - is a Policeman and his mother is worried sick everytime he goes to work at the moment.
Fulhaman, your son and all his colleagues are doing an amazing job at the moment - way beyond what they should have to deal with. Apparently 16,000 will be on the streets tonight so lets hope this will be an end to it and we can all get back to normal (football matches included)
Wow, massive respect to your boy Fulhaman - shouldn't have to put up with nonsense of this magnitude!
Look at this video Respect for your son, I would have sh*t myself if i was one of these cops http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14456050
It's none of my business, being an American (and God knows we have more problems than most), but I think the UK police need to decide whether they want to be feared by the public (as in America) or respected by the people (as in the UK). In situations like this, fear is probably a better deterrent.
Your view is as welcome as anyone's on this DR, regardless of nationality. That said, I'm not sure I agree with you. As you say, America isn't without it's own share of problems in terms of public disorder over the years, so fear isn't necessarily working any better than respect. I prefer to live in a society where the police are respected, and the relative rarity of events like this over here suggest that the attitude towards the police isn't the main factor at work here. I've heard all sorts of explanations as to why the events of the last few days have taken place, and I'm certainly not going to pretend to have a great understanding of it. But I do think there are wider issues at play, concerning how people see themselves and their place in society. None of which excuses violence or lawbreaking, of course. But I don't think a more feared police force is the answer.
to me this is about people taking what they want when they want, they are saying we dont have much thats why they are taking things, well get off your A**es get a job and pay for the things you want. dont just take things that dont belong to you and destroy someone elses life and property just because they cant be bothered to sort their own life, Fulhaman Much respect for your son and the others out there trying to sort these thugs out
With absolute respect to my fellow yank and one of my favorite posters, Dempsey's Revenge, I feel compelled to say that I like the UK model. After considering Rodney King, Waco, TX, the entire '60s and early 70s regarding police involvement versus the civil right movement and anti- Vietnam protests (think Kent St and Berkley), not to mention the continuing tenseness between police and the poorer minorities in the USA, I'm afraid the US fear model (guns and force) could erupt the current UK situation into something even worse. I hope you guys get things situated over there. I'm ready for some football er um SOCCER. word, Chet
I'm almost sorry I brought it up. I think I understand the balance between respect and fear, and I, too, like the UK model. But when I watched the video link posted on this site of the group of idiots driving the police back without any police response whatsoever, I thought a little pepper spray might be in order. If the local citizens don't feel that the police can protect them, their businesses and neighborhoods - and must as a result take to the streets themselves as vigilantes, clearly what you have isn't quite working. Having said that, I was just in the states two weeks ago (ugh!) and watched the fallout of the cops in Fullerton, California, who beat some homeless head-case senseless, then dumping him in jail where he died. That's just rotten, and there's way too much of that in the states. I like the UK model, but think the police need the option to up the ante when the situation calls for it, which it clearly did in that video clip I watched.
