worldsoccer
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| (member) |
| 21/05/2008 16:25 |
Manchester Mayhem
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Brian's latest column can be found here.
Please post your comments here.
| Chesh |
| (member) |
| 09/06/2008 19:02 |
Re: Manchester Mayhem
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Commenting on Brian's comments about Manchester.
How this is turned around. Where is the bad comments about teams such as Liverpoolin Istanbul, or Celtic in Seville - or even international teams that take many more fan's than they have tickets for?
Their may of been trouble in Manchester after Rangers had lost, but what is forgotten to be said about is the followin. The day went well I saw people mingling and joking talking to police through out. Where it went wrong was the organisation by Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Police.
People complained about the amount of rubbish that was left. If their was enough bins, maybe this could of been avoided and I mean more than the bins that were already overflowing by 11 in the morning with no other's supplied.
This was the biggest game in Rangers history since 1972 what do you expect but the following that came. Manchester and the Police had plenty of warning, they could of started planning correctly once even the quarter finals were drawn and their was the oppurtunity of a British club with a huge following decsending on Manchester but they put their head in the sand.
As for the trouble that flared in Piccadilly Gardens. Where was the communication? If a descion had been taken as possibly rumoured. The reaction of the police by as soon as their was a slight bit of heat and frustration shown at the failing of the screen to send in the heavies was typical of the no love lost between Rangers and GMP. People may remember or not that GMP declared they would not police a freindly between Bolton and Rangers two years ago with the talk of only 12,000 fans coming from Scotland.
I remember standing in Piccadilly Gardens just after the riot police first moved in, and being rushed a group of about 10 riot police. Their must of been about 6 or 7 of us looking around at each oter trying to work out what had happened, I was even trying to use my mobile phone to find the people that I had gone with because we became seperated after what happened. Heavy Handed!! This is not even to mention the pictures on the internet of the man stood behind a phone box, and a riot officer coming up behind him with no warning and hitting him over the head !!
I am not trying to excuse some of the scenes that happened later on, but their is cause and effect and Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Police must share some of the blame for these.
| stephen_woodside |
| (member) |
| 10/06/2008 12:14 |
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Re: Manchester Mayhem
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One thing that Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Police force should have taken into consideration was to learn from an incident that occured in Liverpool City Centre two years back when the big screen located near Clayton Square broke down whilst the England v Paraguay was taking place in Germany. Ok, that sunny day on Saturday 10 June 2006 in Liverpool obviously can not be compared to the events leading up to Manchester, but in a way this makes the organisation far worse in preperation for the UEFA Cup Final. Organisation in Liverpool that afternoon was nonsensical as police seemingly allowed drink to be consumed from glass bottles etc, these said glass bottles were later thrown at the screen and everywhere else. It was absolute murder in the City Centre that afternoon. Question's then have to be asked into the intelligence of the Metropolitan Police and the communication between regional Police Forces. With thousands of ticketless fans converging on the City of Manchester for the UEFA Cup Final, "that reallisticaly should have been played at Old Trafford" problems such as this should be anticipated then quelled professionaly when sparks begin to fly. I dont believe the screen going off in Picadilly Square had anything to do with the trouble that ensued "though this did not help improve matters" as the problems really began after the full-time whistle went, but still, the organisation was very poor. What's more, i was not present so my take on the trouble may not be fully or even partly true.
| rickyrix2008 |
| (member) |
| 18/06/2008 10:19 |
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Re: Manchester Mayhem
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After reading Brian Glanville's latest column it does smack of the English arrogance and has left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Should it now be a rule that anyone without a ticket for a major final involving there club just stay at home and not travel along. Many of the Rangers fans travelled down to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the occasion of being in the UEFA Cup final, just like Celtic fans did when they travelled to Seville.
Look at what happened when Liverpool were in the European Cup final against Milan in Greece. There fans were using fake tickets to get in the stadium. Hooliganism is just the norm and expected with English fans now.
The city of Manchester was ill-equipped for the size of numbers that travelled, that's just plain and simple.
I'm throughly disappointed that a small minority used the failing of the TV as an excuse to cause trouble, but those are the sort of idiots that ruin it for the honest fans. What might now have been known amongst many people reading the papers is that the English hooligan effort was up in Manchester also. Many people I spoke to that were in Manchester spoke of some English lads being up looking for bother.
I just feel that Brian Glanville's column is that of just an old man, stuck in the past with no real sense for today's football. This is 2008 not 1948!
| RichieC |
| (member) |
| 18/06/2008 11:51 |
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Re: Manchester Mayhem
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Ah...so when the scottish fans cause trouble, it's either the 'small minority' spoiling it for the honest fans or it's the english fans that turned up to cause trouble...yet when there's problems where an english team's involved, then it's just because all english fans are hooligans?
Or...maybe it's just that scottish football has its hooligan element too?