As per title - the police, media and the 'football authorities' need no encouragement to do football fans down but anyone who willfully commits an act of hooliganism in around/football should be ashamed of themselves and dealt with harshly.

Swindon games for example, always seems to bring trouble sadly. Now I enjoy a slight 'edge' at football and although I rarely engage in goading of away fans understand why some do BUT unambiguous poor behavior - invading the pitch, missile throwing, etc is sheer stupidity.

Now I've been a strong advocate for treating fans caught up in trouble fairly and do feel we as football fans are treated disproportionately harshly but that doesn’t means that the buffoons who cause real trouble in/around stadiums are scum who spoil it for the rest of us - the worst of it being youngsters get caught up in it and copy negative behaviors.

You must have a lot of splinters in your BUT, from sitting on the fence so often......

whoareya wrote: February 1st, 2024, 3:13 pm You must have a lot of splinters in your BUT, from sitting on the fence so often......

Not at all - If something is clearly unambiguous then batter the heck out them with batons - where someone is prosecuted for a 'hate crime' and given a football banning order for shouting 'get up yer <old fashioned but mild word for a gay male>' to the player who goes down too easily then I'd be sticking up for the fan as I would with any ambiguous verbalization/chant - its about fair and proportional treatment and what most reasonable people would view as being able to cause genuine harm and having nefarious intent.

If you run onto a pitch before/during/after a game (unless on the clearly unique and joyous occasions of a promotion or 'great escape' or to escape danger or otherwise for ones own safety) or willfully throw an object capable of causing harm, etc then it should be dealt with robustly.

Obviously its about, or should be about, common sense and proportionality as well as intent - knock a half full cup of tea on to the side of pitch in exasperation/mock disgust from the front row? - clearly not 'hooliganism' (littering yes) - launch a £2 coin at the linesman - clearly 'hooliganism', dive over the barriers to give the 'come on then' to rival fans - yes, shouting 'jeff off back to xyz place' - rude but not hooliganism, etc - I support the police being harsh on the genuinely bad but not picking 'low hanging fruit' (which is what they often do at football).

It never ceases to amaze me the level of poor behaviour language, threats, gestures etc that is put up with, this inevitably escalates - goading of individual opposition fans should not be tolerated, start throwing a few out others will soon calm down.

County ranger wrote: February 1st, 2024, 4:07 pm It never ceases to amaze me the level of poor behaviour language, threats, gestures etc that is put up with, this inevitably escalates - goading of individual opposition fans should not be tolerated, start throwing a few out others will soon calm down.

I agree to an extent but again would say its about intent and impact - shouting 'calm down worzels' to Swindon fans is silly but hardly awful and possibly amusing but at the same time the constant 'ham shanker' gesture (a would be 'hooligan' of about 50 was doing that constantly v Utd) is a bit much albeit more irritating and embarrassing than 'violence' or likely to cause 'alarm'...the latter is more likely to be viewed in a legal context as intentionally seeking to rile and likely to incite violence so in that respect but legally and in terms of stadium 'rules' could be reasonably viewed as justification for action against that individual.

CathedralCounty wrote: February 1st, 2024, 4:23 pm

County ranger wrote: February 1st, 2024, 4:07 pm It never ceases to amaze me the level of poor behaviour language, threats, gestures etc that is put up with, this inevitably escalates - goading of individual opposition fans should not be tolerated, start throwing a few out others will soon calm down.

I agree to an extent but again would say its about intent and impact - shouting 'calm down worzels' to Swindon fans is silly but hardly awful and possibly amusing but at the same time the constant 'ham shanker' gesture (a would be 'hooligan' of about 50 was doing that constantly v Utd) is a bit much albeit more irritating and embarrassing than 'violence' or likely to cause 'alarm'...the latter is more likely to be viewed in a legal context as intentionally seeking to rile and likely to incite violence so in that respect but legally and in terms of stadium 'rules' could be reasonably viewed as justification for action against that individual.

Agree with you there are amusing songs that add to the atmosphere but also some very poor and embarrassing behaviour on which action should be taken - the old hooligans embarrassing themselves are poor influences on younger fans and make it uncomfortable for families.

Unfortunately its not just 'kids'. The chap who ran onto the pitch at Port Vale and chased of the ref was 62!

ghosty wrote: February 1st, 2024, 11:31 pm Unfortunately its not just 'kids'. The chap who ran onto the pitch at Port Vale and chased of the ref was 62!

Haha really? I bet he never caught him! Daft old burger

ghosty wrote: February 1st, 2024, 11:31 pm Unfortunately its not just 'kids'. The chap who ran onto the pitch at Port Vale and chased of the ref was 62!

He looks good for 62! Joking aside agreed its not or rarely is 'kids' its often old enough to know betters.

I was an idiot when I was a lad I indulged In a bit of fisty cuff with the County usually ending up worse off

My mother found out I never had such a hiding from a slipper and a cuff off my dad

I thank them for the lesson

UPTHEPORT wrote: February 2nd, 2024, 4:37 pm I was an idiot when I was a lad I indulged In a bit of fisty cuff with the County usually ending up worse off

My mother found out I never had such a hiding from a slipper and a cuff off my dad

I thank them for the lesson

Most young men are idiots! Otherwise recruiting sergeants would need many more skills than they actually possess! It’s no accident violence, daft behaviour and armies are over-represented by young men.