A massive night in the Championship this evening with 5 of the top 6 playing, including Bristol City v Fulham.
That was what I was talking about. We have potential flashpoints against Mansfield and Grimsby where they will have the whole 1400 spaces in the Stacey West. The near blocks of 400 seats of that stand will be covered as segregation between "them and us." There will be a line of 20 or so stewards up the gangway along that segregation and then another 10 or so along the front of the stand approx 10ft apart each. If fans decide to have a pitch invasion then they will have a pitch invasion. I have never seen a "cordon" in front of the away end, even in the bad old days. Police stationed in the corners in the 80s ready to charge in with their batons, yes, but never a cordon there through the game nor at the end. It is amusing when a game matters (like the promotion game last season and Chelsea) that stewards even attempt to stop fans entering the pitch as it is 1 v 50 and they fail miserably. I have more chance of getting hold of my greyhound as he charges towards me thinking its a game. My point is that lower league clubs do not put more stewards in nor pay for more police and hope for the best.
Cordon might not have been the right word but the point is when a pitch invasion might be expected you protect the away end. I'm not saying you can prevent the invasion I'm saying you can prevent home supporters getting so close to the away support. We did it for Walsall and I'm assuming Coventry. Wigan have done it themselves! It's standard practice.
I get ya. Yep it would be easier to stop fans coming across to the away end than stop fans from leaving the stand in the first place.
The EFL are discussing whether to adopt the Aug 8th end to the transfer window in order to bring themselves in line with the EPL.
EFL have voted to close the window early to match the decision of the EPL....but retain the right to bring in loans until the end of the month.
Leeds are going to let their fans choose their new badge....so have abandoned their expensively designed badge. Mind you they could end up with a badge involving a football and a scarf.
Celtic playing like we do tonight, ****e. They had a great chance to go through as well leading 1-0 from the first leg
What happened in Wigan the other night is like a garden party compared with scenes in Bilbao tonight, where Bilbao´s Russian opponents have brought their hired thugs known as the Gladiators. These guys go to specialist training camps to act out their roles when encountering rival supporters. Meanwhile the Athletic ultras are not lying down quietly, engaging in hurling missles of all kinds rather than encountering their muscle-bound drug fuellled opponents in a full scale fisticuffs.
Not sure the Russian thugs will be drug fuelled. That's half the problem like you describe of them. When they encounter "casuals" they are encountering drunken / drugged / unfit hooligans when the Russians are in the gym and not drinking or taking drugs.
What a pity for Celtic,but not surprising really. Things could get even worse as Rangers begin to close the gap, and look capable of at least winning the Scottish Cup to add to Celtic´s cup of woes. If it gives Celtic a wake up call, then that will be good.
These Russian guys are taking drugs to make themselves big and strong, and it does have an impact on their mental state as well making them more aggressive. PS: Spanish ultras, unlike the British ones, do not get drunk on alcohol, not are they fat, although i am sure some of them engage in smoking a joint or two.
