Tenant Troubles

[Neils]

From the Beeb -

Four police officers were hurt when trouble flared during Coventry City's Championship clash with Derby County.

One was taken to hospital with a dislocated shoulder and three others suffered minor injuries at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday.

Fighting erupted between rival fans in the stands at about 16:30 BST and a 23-year-old man was arrested.

As fans left a further disorder took place outside. Another man has been charged with affray, police said.

Assistant Chief Constable of West Midlands Police Jayne Meir said: "While the vast majority of football fans attend matches to enjoy the game, it is wholly unacceptable that officers get injured during violence like that seen yesterday.

"A full investigation is under way in partnership with the club and those found to have taken part in the disorder face prosecution and a lifetime ban from matches."

The match ended 1-1 as the Rams ended their host's 100% winning start to the Championship season.

[Covkid40]

I was at the game as my youngest son wanted to go and watch. All I can say is it reminded me why I don’t enjoy going to football matches, the experience is unpleasant the language, attitude and general behaviour of fans is not something I would like my son to be part of. Unfortunately he likes football as much as his older brother likes rugby so looks like we’ll be going more often.

[andermt]

I saw comments online yesterday that there was even fighting between Cov fans.

[Rossm]

I know which game the stewards would prefer being at

[NellyWellyWaspy]

I know which game the stewards would prefer being at

Oh yes. I had a conversation with a steward when it was the Ricoh. They hated the footie matches, loved the rugby matches, and were NOT looking forwards to CCFC returning.

[WonkyWasp]

It was the same at Adam's Park. The stewards and carpark stewards all said  'No problem ever with the rugby fans. They're no trouble at all. But the football fans are awful.  we really dread them'. 

[backdoc]

wonkywasp

My first football game was Lincoln v Southend at Sincil Bank, Lincoln.

The away supporters were 10m from me, with a policeman in between.

They were singing 'we all p*ss in red and white bowls' etc etc - Lincoln's colours.

At around 60 minutes I got a bit angry at this and yelled 'shit' at them.

I was booted out of the ground for the rest of the match. I was 10 years old.

That is how sport policing works in the UK.

[Marlow Nick]

I remember going to the 2007 European cup match at the Ricoh before we bought the site.
The police management implemented the full soccer protocol. Our coach was held on the M6 before we were driven to our segregated parking area carefully away from the Saints opposition buses. We then walked across the road to mingle with the Saints fans among the 100+ police officers.
The police had a great time. Lots of overtime and nothing to do.

[petros]

I remember going to the 2007 European cup match at the Ricoh before we bought the site.
The police management implemented the full soccer protocol. Our coach was held on the M6 before we were driven to our segregated parking area carefully away from the Saints opposition buses. We then walked across the road to mingle with the Saints fans among the 100+ police officers.
The police had a great time. Lots of overtime and nothing to do.

I was also at the game. We parked in the stadium carpark and were amazed at the number of police present. When chatting to one policeman they couldn't believe opposing fans could mingle, complete with drink, and be civil to each other. It was Coventry's first exposure to topflight professional rugby.

[WonkyWasp]

Two friends of mine come from  an avid footie fan family, and they were  incredulous to (I was showing them a recorded rugby match) see that everyone mixed in together ......  side by side!  They couldn't get their heads round supporters not being separated  from each other.  And not fighting either.  And then they spotted the cider and the beer freely circulating!  Amazed.  I  explained that we rugby supporters  go 'for the game'  not for a punch up  They are two civilised peaceful ladies  but had always thought that the bad behaviour of a minority of footie fans was the accepted norm everywhere and they just turned a blind eye to it.  They are still my friends.

[Rossm]

When we were at Loftus Rd, I was working closely with the local police at Shepherds Bush. Once they had got their heads round that rugby fans didn't get into drunken brawls, there were always more police spectating in the crowd than were on duty in the ground.

[Wombles]

My father in law is retired from the Met Police. Used to escort the England Rugby team coach to HQ or worked that patch on match days. Met officers grabbed up O/T for rugby as virtually no incidents beyond assisting someone a little worse for wear, and thoroughly enjoyed interacting with rugby crowds. More often than not posing for photos of kids, supporters etc sitting on his police motorbike. There was so little trouble that sometimes during the game if he was outside the stadium he would go home to their house in Hampton for a brew.
Policing for football games is a different beast, normally leave being cancelled to ensure enough officers deployed to deal with the aggression, vandalism, assaults, multiple criminal activity that surrounds the sport.

When I was a kid we went to Wimbledon as well as Wasps as my family enjoyed both sports. As I got older I became aware of the wider problems surrounding football. I stopped going after my parents car got keyed and went to a game where even my mother and father had my sister and I remain right next to them, and got out of the area as quickly as possible before it all kicked off. Yet a Wasps games we all played with other kids before and after the game, and you rarely saw mum at half time because she had gone to grab some food and chat to people we knew.

Football supporters seem to excuse their behaviours because it is tribal and passionate. In fact it is intimidatory, violent and hostile. Us rugby are as passionate as they come. But I would stop going if they stopped fans all sitting together, sharing a beer and our time...whilst supporting our own teams with all we have. Some of my greatest memories are being with friends and ending up in a pub/bar late at night having a few beers and singing together (Although the Ireland lot we got to know at a previous 6 nations knew how to drink and sing to a level we struggled to stay with).

One comparison between our sports made me laugh. Football fans are likely to end up in prison, rugby fans are likely the ones that would put them there. 

[Nigel Med]

I have a friend who was an ex-Met Police officer. He was a big rugby fan and took a colleague to an England match at Twickenham. His colleague was a soccer fan and had worked at soccer matches dealing with the seemingly inevitable violence and intimidation. Apparently he was terrified at the lack of segregation between supporters heading to HQ and in the ground and kept asking where the "rest" of the Police were seeing only a couple of coppers directing traffic and on horseback. He found it almost impossible to grasp that you could put 80,000 people together without any hint of trouble.

This is why we love rugby! I feel like an old fart constantly going on about rugby's ethos and values, desperately resisting any changes that might make the game head in the same direction as  soccer. The day that I can't chat to opposition supporters and share a beer win or lose is the day I stop going to matches.

[MarleyWasp]

I remember giving a Leicester supporting friend a lift up to Welford Road for a match once. We stopped at a Little Chef on the way. It was the same day as Chelsea v Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford. Whilst we were sat eating our lunch in opposing shirts, a group of Liverpool fans came in and sat down on one side of the restaurant, followed by some Chelsea fans who sat down at the other side. As we were leaving we walked past the Chelsea fans who asked us why we were sat together when our clubs were playing each other in a top of the table clash that afternoon. They told us that they were all friends with the Liverpool fans and several of their group had been ushers at one of the Liverpool fan's wedding a few weeks earlier, yet they couldn't even be seen travelling together or even having lunch together 100+ miles away.

[mike909]

A football leaning friend was somewhat taken aback, when I explained that when attending a Wasps - Tigers game at Welford, I rose to cheer in a rare (that day) try for Tom Varndell and I was the only Wasps in the whole block (Got a ticket off a Tigers mate) I gently bowed to the Tigers fans and sat down to some mirth. Went for a beer with those around me after!