During the late sixties and throughout the seventies, football on the
terraces and in the streets was a raging battleground. A frightening array
of weapons and some heavy boots were used to bring the opposition to their
knees. With the advent of crowd segregation (now why didnıt anyone think of
that before?) the terraces, or the stands, as they are now, are more or less
free from trouble. Out in the streets though, itıs a different story, as
recent reports have so graphically illustrated.
At any game now you are aware that there are bound to be problems somewhere.
That somewhere used to be far away from the grounds and easily avoidable,
but itıs been creeping ever closer since the start of this season. Now itıs
in the next street. So, where will it be next time?
Where thereıs a group of lads with mobile phones glued to their ears you can
be sure they are passing on instructions. The word is out, spreading through
the ranks. And suddenly thereıs a charge, with the local Dibble following
behind. Crowds very quickly scatter, but in narrow crowded streets the
effect can be devastating.
Naturally those who are taking part in this latest wave of aggression are
not old enough to remember the carnage of the past decades. The horrific
chaos that went hand-in-hand with football in the late sixties and
seventies. If they had borne witness to that horror they would almost
certainly think differently. Their antagonistic posturing is the same as it
always was. The results are also the same. Someone, somewhere is going to
pay a heavy price. And it is quite possible that it could be the ultimate
price.
And what of those innocent bystanders who have no previous experience of
this? How will they cope when faced with a mob on the run? I can answer that
very easily because I have already seen it. They donıt cope. The children
are scared out of their wits and the parents scared for them. The future of
the game will be driven away once more. The children wonıt be coming back
because their parents wonıt bring them.
I foolishly believed the Red Army had grown up. I thought our supporters
were above all this. Too proud of the name and history of Manchester United
to even think of dragging the name into the gutter where it gets kicked into
submission. Unfortunately some who would purport to be Manchester United
supporters seem intent on grinding the name of our club into the ground
while the rest of us are forced to observe the degradation.
And where it will end this time?
Surely no-one who possesses any intelligence whatsoever condones this
thuggery, or do they?
And letıs not confuse the fighting with what goes on inside and outside
every football ground, because they are two very different phenomena. The
banter between rival supporters is important to the game. Winding up the
opposition is part of the fun. Violence is not - and football should not be
used as an excuse for it.
The game is part of tens of thousands of lives and the few who perpetrate,
or silently support, the violence should not be allowed to take precedence
over those of us (the vast majority) who abhor it.
REDitorial by anonymous
