English 'hooligans' - soccer24-7.com Forums

Paisley · Nov 15 2002, 02:13 PM

How come the whole of Europe (especially UEFA) single out English fans as being the worst hooligans? I've been virtually everywhere in Europe and the bizzies treat us like something they've trodden on. What's the deal? You go to Italy you get stabbed but who gets the bad press? US. Go to Switzerland and they beat you, bomb a MacDonalds with Liverpool fans and beat a fan till he's got serious head injuries and who gets the bad press? US. Turkish fans have shown dreadful behaviour over recent years especially to English fans but who gets the bad press? US. Cologne ambushed us in Leverkusen and Hamburg in Zurich but again who gets the bad press? US. The list is endless.

I'm not saying all English fans are perfect and there are no hooligans but what is done to the neo-nazi skinheads in Eastern Europe etc? Nothing. It's a complete joke. I got arrested and missed the match in Basle for walking to the game. Reason? Because I was English abroad. I Picked up a Swiss/French paper the next day and there's my face with about 40 other reds with the headline,''English hooligans arrested at St. Jakob Park''. Hooligan for walking to the match? Don't think so.

***Boovy*** · Nov 15 2002, 03:13 PM

Leverkusen fans ambushed us too, that walkway upto the ground from the train station os f***** scary! Even tho they started a HUGE fight outside Papa Joes near the Cathedral!!!

Paisley · Nov 15 2002, 11:29 PM

I'm surprised the Salford Reds and the Cockney Reds let that happen mate. We knew Leverkusen would start something on the walkway and were therefore prepared. The surprise was Cologne fans ambushing the train going the match. It stopped at the station and they jumped on and tear gassed the train. Wrong decision because they got battered. Idiots. What pisses me off more than anything is the press across Europe. They ignore any sort of violence/hooliganism unless an English team is in the country. It's a complete joke.

Leeds Pioneer · Nov 15 2002, 11:40 PM

Nothing changes, I watched Leeds in Europe in the eighties and the home fans can do what they want, Leeds fans retaliate, the Police move in and arrest as many as they can.

I was once in a pub with 50 or so Leeds fans in Denmark, about 100 local Hells Angels attacked the pub putting some sort of smoke bombs through the windows, then attacking us as we tried to get outside. The police arrived, told the bikers to go, then gave the Leeds fans a good beating.

English fans on the continent, are all assumed to be hooligans, and are treated as such.

**Tanghe the best** · Nov 16 2002, 12:50 AM

yeah i really know what ur thinking/feeling!

This years UEFA Cup: In Warsaw our Hotel was attacked after the game by about 100 Polish neo-nazi hooligans(Teddy Boys 95). They even carried axes!! The night before the match they were looking in the warsaw nightlife to cut utreggers in pieces. And they didn't do nothing whenn we where with about 500 utrechters at the big square...No the b******s where on the look for small groups. :angry:

In Utrecht there where about 600 of them and a big group of about 100 polish without tickets could just walk tru! Than the 7th minute....0-1 for Legia and the batards shoot firework/flares at the utrechtfans(where many children sit!) and than we reacted offcourse. Utregfans went on the pitch for the Legia stand and the match was stopped for 38 minutes(European record)! Who got the blame....? we did offcourse.

result: we have to play 1 homematch in Europe without any audience at all

Red Devil · Nov 16 2002, 09:11 PM

Every week on the net I read about South American fans rioting or killing; or European team fans on rampage or fighting; a certain Turkish team's fans killing rivals and suchlike or so forth. Why hooliganism is labelled the "English disease" is only down to people trying to cover up their own sad inadequacies.

***Blue*** · Nov 17 2002, 08:24 AM

Everyone in Soccer apart from the idiots who run FIFA know its a global problem. English clubs are victims of there own notoriety Im afraid. All the damage that was done in the years before have come back to haunt the English with a vengeance. Once you have got a rep everyone knows how hard it is to lose it.
The press dont help either who love to cry "English Hooligans" just to sell papers.

**orswich** · Nov 17 2002, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Red Devil@Nov 16 2002, 11:01 PM
Every week on the net I read about South American fans rioting or killing; or European team fans on rampage or fighting; a certain Turkish team's fans killing rivals and suchlike or so forth. Why hooliganism is labelled the "English disease" is only down to people trying to cover up their own sad inadequacies.

from much of the press i've read and my uncles experiences.. england hooligans travel abroad.. most other hooligans only get irate during home matches... english hooligans will travel the globe to cause s***..

maybe thats why the bad rap?

**Tanghe the best** · Nov 17 2002, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by orswich@Nov 17 2002, 12:46 PM
from much of the press i've read and my uncles experiences.. england hooligans travel abroad.. most other hooligans only get irate during home matches... english hooligans will travel the globe to cause s***..

maybe thats why the bad rap?

very good point Orswich!

That why we got a bad rep too which frankly i don't care about.

**Tanghe the best** · Nov 17 2002, 10:08 PM

Foto's Legia home!!

people at the pitch

part two

www.bunnikside.nl

Red Devil · Nov 18 2002, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tanghe the best+Nov 17 2002, 08:17 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Tanghe the best @ Nov 17 2002, 08:17 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteBegin--orswich@Nov 17 2002, 12:46 PM
from much of the press i've read and my uncles experiences.. england hooligans travel abroad.. most other hooligans only get irate during home matches... english hooligans will travel the globe to cause s***..

maybe thats why the bad rap?

very good point Orswich!

That why we got a bad rep too which frankly i don't care about.[/b][/quote]
Is it not because other fans are WAITING for these fans to cause trouble???

mad_times · Nov 18 2002, 11:40 PM

Personally i think its deserved. What we did in 98 and various other 'away days' was a disgrace, i'm not saying its an english problem and i dont think they should be so heavy handed with normal fans, but by the way u are talking you seem to take some pride in your side beating them and know alot about various firms.

says alot, the police have it right, beat em and put em off coming again

Paisley · Nov 18 2002, 11:51 PM

Quote:

take some pride in your side beating them and know alot about various firms.

If your refering to me then no that isn't the case. At the end of the day I go to watch football else I wouldn't be there. But if a firm/gang/fans/locals anything attacks you and your mates then you don't sit back and take it. You defend yourself but that doesn't mean you take great pride in beating them. Needs must and all that. The reason I know all the firms is because I go all the matches - by doing that you learn where not to drink, where not to go and where the firms drink. Keeps you out of trouble. You need to keep your wits about you and that means learning about various firms.

mad_times · Nov 18 2002, 11:53 PM

yeh guess you are right, i know the various places to stay away from at Millwall and in Non-league Aldershot have 2 firms so i know what to expect there.

I'll stick to my opinion of heavy handed policing tho, would have worked a treat at Millwall last season, just got make sure you only beat the ones throwing stuff at ya.

Paisley · Nov 19 2002, 12:22 AM

I disagree about the police being heavy handed. Major problem on the continent as the bizzies there just way in with the batons. Where is the control in that? Plus the fact they will whack one set of fans and not the other which inflames the situation 10 times over. In general the English police are the best because they foresee trouble/problems and then have contingency plans in place in order to stop it. Continental bizzies are the same as the thugs but with a uniform on.

Nov 19 2002, 01:08 AM

Most hooliganism is drink related, so why not shut pub and bars a few hours before and after games, as I don't see the point of getting ratted before the match, and maybe we can get those familys who are too frightened to go the match back, like the old days.

Red Devil · Nov 19 2002, 12:21 PM

I'll agree on that scoot. I went to the Olympiakos game at OT and the lads were knocking it back like there was a brewers strike the next day; me - I had two thirst quenching pints and enjoyed the game

ky

Paisley · Nov 19 2002, 03:44 PM

Because scoot despite all the press football is still a working class man's game and there isn't anything the working class man likes more than a good few pints before the match!

**Tanghe the best** · Nov 19 2002, 08:39 PM

Quote:

If your refering to me then no that isn't the case. At the end of the day I go to watch football else I wouldn't be there. But if a firm/gang/fans/locals anything attacks you and your mates then you don't sit back and take it. You defend yourself but that doesn't mean you take great pride in beating them. Needs must and all that. The reason I know all the firms is because I go all the matches - by doing that you learn where not to drink, where not to go and where the firms drink. Keeps you out of trouble. You need to keep your wits about you and that means learning about various firms.

Spot on! You described how i see it too!

Quote:

Because scoot despite all the press football is still a working class man's game and there isn't anything the working class man likes more than a good few pints before the match!

Closing pubs will def. not work is my experience! People just drink beers some miles away(you can't shut down every bar in the city) or take beer from home. Beer and football will be a connection forever.

**Tanghe the best** · Nov 19 2002, 08:43 PM

And I know about all the firms too also because I find it very interesting. I wont deny it, but it's fasinates me every time. BBC's Hooligans was great too watch except for the part the b******s of Milwall kicked one Pompie fan :angry: Many against few :angry:

But the rest was truely interesting how sick it can be. I have experienced enough with firms and all too in real life and when it happens it happens. I never 'go on the look' for it but like Paisley said you always got to be aware what u can expect.

bluemoon32 · Nov 22 2002, 08:06 AM

The policing at Premiership games is usually spot on but most of the trouble at games is in the Nationwide leagues.
Small town clubs with small town policing just cant handle big away support. I can remember going to Exeter with Cardiff years ago & we took 4,000 down there & there was about 20 coppers

It was absolute mayhem.
I agree with Paisley about foreign coppers though,i went to the Standard liege v Cardiff game years ago & the coppers started all the trouble by overeacting & just hitting any Cardiff fan they could find,this made for an ugly atmosphere & it kicked off big time after the game . Thankfully in Britain at least it's nowhere near as bad as it was in the 80's,although it's never really stopped at Cardiff

Red Devil · Nov 22 2002, 04:46 PM

I am very critical of the policing in this country but one thing they do seem to be able to handle is the "big game" with apparently little trouble. I presume thats why we never see police on the streets, they are all at "big" games!

Shed Boy · Nov 24 2002, 02:58 PM

England will always be branded with that stick because of things that happened in the past and it is quite sad. Football hooligans are everywhere, it is just how the situation is handled and how much coverage it is given. The press can make the side that they don't like look bad even if it was not them that started it. A non football example of this was the miners strike when the news played a video of the miners fighting the police backwards so it looked like the police were attacked when it was actually the other way round.

I luckily have not experienced much bother but I have had some smal experiences. Like when I was in Motherwell last year we were in a supporters pub that was split into two sections for home "fans" and one for away fans.

About 20 to three they locked our end of the oub and let the Motherwell fans in with pool cues to fight us. In the end there was people lying in the streets with their heads burst open etc, and this got no press coverage whatsoever because it seems that everyone want to make us Scots all seem perfect and that we have no violence.

Red Devil · Nov 25 2002, 06:44 AM

Understood Shed boy. Like those "peaceful" scots in Wembley in '72 eh