I'm a Chelsea fan and was at your ground when the seats were ripped up and thrown on the pitch. I was in the standing section though.

I've noticed an edge this year to fans that has always been there to a degree but more prominent than before.

I think unsavoury incidents have occured at lower levels for years, they get less coverage but do not go unnoticed by those that are interested in that sort of behaviour. Some who have never experienced the bad old days, some who should no better. These people want to recreat this experience, in my opinion. They act like we are already there and with the smaller incidents going under the radar and things like pitch invasions being defended as a bit of a laugh, the authorities are helping enable their vision.

I also wonder if the impact of restricted attendances due to COVID has also had an impact, it has certainly been claimed that there is a lack of experienced stewards or even skills fade leading to a weakened ability to manage fans.

I also think some of your more excitable fans are reacting to all the woke activity that is being shoved in their faces, not defending them but you cannot simply tell people how to behave, they have to want to and that takes education and patience.

I have invaded pitches, got arrested at more than one game, run rivals, been run by rivals but all that was 40 years ago. It was what happend then all over the country, it was part of the matchday experience. But that was then, no social media, no camera phones, little CCTV and anyone thinking that is sustainable today is a bit lacking in the iq department. I'm not saying it was acceptable back then, it just what it was. It did bring football to its knees though.

I'm still a season ticket holder and attending games today, I'm sure there are many others. It doesn't make us experts, but we do have the experience to call upon and this is just my view.

Also, I don't think it's just a football problem, there has been trouble at horse racing events at least but then you go back to the 50s and that was not uncommon then either, see Brighton Rock and I believe Peaky Blinders (I haven't watched it myself but I'm told they caused a bit of trouble at the races)

Afternoon Chicago, hope you're doing well.

Upon seeing the Billy Sharp incident it caused me to wince, because that was such an awful act and could quite easily have created a more serious incident.

Both the sentence and fine along with a two year ban from football are far too lenient. These thugs need to be fined harder and served harsher sentences to deter them. I say the following not because he's a Forest fan but as a form of ol' school punishment would be throw him to the pack of wolves baying for his blood and let the Sheffield United fans serve retribution.

Had that guy been issued with a sensible penalty it may well have caused fans at the Port Vale v Swindon and Everton v Palace games to think twice about behaving like complete T......

The Everton fan possibly deserved what he got from Vieria but Patrick needs to know better, that could well have created a riot.

There certainly is something ugly creeping back into football, look at the recent West ham vs Frankfurt games and it needs serving with harsher penalties so that these thugs take note.

It's been tradition at our club to go on the pitch on the last game of the season for as long as I can remember

Sit down...don't stand up!!
Don't go on the pitch
Don't have banter with fans
Var

What are they trying to do to the game??

Yet some people agree to having their freedoms taken away??

What next?...all sitting at home with those silly virtual goggles on

start taking the details of every single fan that comes through the turnstyle. make it a rule that you can only enter the ground with a ticket registered to you.

that way when they are caught doing anything you have all the details already there and police just turn up at their door and the appropriate action can be take by both the law and the club. If any fan chooses to give their ticket away or sells it , then it their responsibility to either change the details on the ticket or they accept any actions made against the perpetrator in addition to the person committing the crime.

Thanks JFDI and Desi. (And I'm OK here in sunny Chicago!)

I agree that harsh penalties are needed . For far too long the relevant authorities have been far too lenient especially with travelling England yobs who used to terrorise innocent bystanders in foreign cities. All they wanted to do was get them out of their country; the idea of punishing the barstewards seemed alien to them.

It's also interesting/disturbing to note that this is not just a UK problem. Germany clearly has its own brand of football thugs.

But there also seems to be a general lack of decency in some strands of society today. Maybe, as JFDI suggests, there is some reaction to WOKE but I can't believe it's as simple as that.

comment by w@ltzing the cowshed (U18940)
posted 6 minutes ago
It's been tradition at our club to go on the pitch on the last game of the season for as long as I can remember

Sit down...don't stand up!!
Don't go on the pitch
Don't have banter with fans
Var

What are they trying to do to the game??

Yet some people agree to having their freedoms taken away??

What next?...all sitting at home with those silly virtual goggles on


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Sadly you may have had trouble free end of season pitch invasions up to now but I doubt they were ever official and it only takes one or two idiots to spoil it.

A dream of mine would be to run on the pitch at Elland road with a very large spade and get to work

On the pitch not the fans

comment by w@ltzing the cowshed (U18940)
posted 3 minutes ago
A dream of mine would be to run on the pitch at Elland road with a very large spade and get to work

On the pitch not the fans
----------------------------------------------------------------------
<Laugh>

comment by w@ltzing the cowshed (U18940)
posted 5 minutes ago
A dream of mine would be to run on the pitch at Elland road with a very large spade and get to work

On the pitch not the fans
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hooligan Gardener👍🤣

Hooliganism reflects the economic state of the country. Whenever things are really bad, hooligans come out. It’s going to get much worse in the next months/year or so imo.

It's not just football violence on the increase I'm afraid, the whole country is being infected with uncontrolled crime.
Successive governments over the years have failed the country, and allowed drugs and violence to increase to epidemic proportions, and until punishments are increased to that which will an effective deterent..
God help us all.
Of course it will be a long battle, with the likes of the Mayor of London who want drugs to be made legal
God help us.

OK, here's my take on it. Its been gone from the game for what, a generation, so it's novel.
I was unfortunately involved with some "argy bargy" with someone recently (not my fault) ....but the Police said they were rushed off their feet with 'incidents' since the end of the lockdown. People unable to go out for 2 years and get p'd had meant that there were a lot of idiots out there who didnt know how to behave / unable to take their drink and quickly got involved with violence.....

Very interesting discussion between Simon Jordan and Martin Keown re the Everton - Palace aftermath. Lots of sense spoken whatever else you may think of SJ.

Clowes Developments have reached a deal for the stadium apparently

Re Clowes there is no official confirmation but we can always hope.

Going off topic - according to the Mail, Leeds or Burnley intend to sue Everton and the Prem for FFP breaches and failure to control respectively. I always said Middlesboro's claim agin DCFC would set a precedent.

comment by Uncle Tom (U1899)
posted 12 hours, 14 minutes ago
Clowes Developments have reached a deal for the stadium apparently
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh no they havent,
Pantomime season Clowes have denied the rumour

@chicago,

How to solve the fans running on to the pitch problem.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10848709/AC-Milans-Ultras-slap-fellow-fans-ran-pitch-Serie-title-win.html

Are you thinking of emulating the Ultras, Desi? If you are as big as some of those guys you could act solo!!!

I'm a lover not a fighter. 😀

More trouble at the Roma Feyenoord game this evening.