Yorke And The Fans

[John]

It even came up on Sky News with their breaking news story. This is the most serious piece of sh*t to go down in our country for a while.

Steve Bruce comments this afternoon confim to me he is a complete ######*r.

[MCMC1875]

Two Men arrested- breaking news on SSN.

Who nicked them? Regan and Carter? I hope they had back-up!

"Bosh! You're nicked slag, get yer trousers on!"

I don't mean to demean the weight of any crime that has been committed, but the reportage of this incident ... you'd have thought that Bin Laden had been spotted having a lard pastie in the Darwen End.

Hysterical tabloids ... as ever.

It really is soooooo pathetic isn't it? What a world we live in eh? Worst is that its prob my generations fault that its gone that way!

As for the Local plod...... The attention that they have given to this non- event is rivalled only in stupidity in excessively breaking the speed limit and using flashing blue lights simply to get Peter friggin Andre from the Lancashire border and into town last week to switch on the embarrassingly pathetic Christmas lights (they were already on when they met him 20 miles away btw) .......... I just wonder what would have happened if they had caused an accident?

Easy - it wouldn't have been reported, like much that goes on in East Lancs.

All this police time at taxpayers cost due to media hysteria. And this at a time when the mounted division is being considered for axing to save money!

Edited November 23, 2004 by MCMC1875

[jim mk2]

1 POLICE Yorke

TWO ARRESTS OVER DWIGHT YORKE ABUSE

By Pat Hurst, PA

Two men have been arrested over racist abuse aimed at footballer Dwight Yorke during a match at Blackburn Rovers, Lancashire Police said today.

Both suspects, in their early 20s, went to Blackburn police station voluntarily today at 4pm. It followed a nationwide appeal to find the culprits who taunted Yorke with monkey chants and other racist abuse.

The two went to the police station and were arrested on

suspicion of committing a racially aggravated public order offence.

Yorke, who plays for Birmingham City, made a complaint to police after Sunday’s Premiership match at Blackburn’s Ewood Park.

The suspects were captured on TV and pictured in newspapers hurling abuse at the player. Lancashire Police said the pair contacted police

following the appeal and arranged to come to the station and were now being interviewed.

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: “Two men in their early 20s have been arrested on suspicion of committing a racially aggravated public order offence following an incident at Ewood Park on Sunday.”

She added, “Det Inspector Simon Giles and Det Sgt Gary Dunnagan, from Blackburn CID, met with Mr Yorke and other members of the

club earlier today at Birmingham City’s training ground where they interviewed a number of people over several hours.”

[mrsjansen]

Steven Reid has even jumped on the bandwagon, commenting how he is disappointed that it has happened at ewood park.

I also don't get that the LET disotorted the face of the alleged abusers yet The Sun had a full picture of him.

Strange.

[thenodrog]

Both suspects, in their early 20s, went to Blackburn police station voluntarily today at 4pm.

The two went to the police station and were arrested on

suspicion of committing a racially aggravated public order offence.

Note that Plod could'nt find em and they had to give themselves up.

[booth]

Steven Reid has even jumped on the bandwagon, commenting how he is disappointed that it has happened at ewood park.

The thing is. A reporter walks up to you when you are minding you're own business and asks you what you think. You briefly tell them your thoughts, and they release one sound-bite to the press.

Reid, or any other black player, is more than likely not going to be happy. But what's to say that he didn't also say that it was blown out of proportion with only a couple of fans amongst over 20,000 being a problem - but that would hardly thicken the plot - if you're a tabloid journo (or a wannabe tabloid journo). So it doesn't get in the paper.

Edited November 23, 2004 by booth

[philipl]

Just to enlighten people, the-photographer will have done the following deal:

National rights face clear EXCLUSIVE £25,000 (bought by the Sun)

National rights face blurred £5,000 (bought by the Mirror)

Local rights face blurred syndicated out perhaps £5,000

Conspiracy theory behind the arrests.

-A freelancer with a Sun contact tailed the morons out of Ewood whilst he mobiled a Sun mate who in turn mobiled Bruce to tell him there's £5K cash in it if he makes an issue out of Yorke getting abused when he does the press conference.

-Morons get taken to the freelancers hotel shown cash, given £100, whisked safely out of Blackburn, get more cash and put in a room with a minder outside and told not to contact anyone and that they are famous/ minor celebrities.

-Morons are told mini bar is free but they have a limit on what they can drink (which is substantially below what is in the mini bar)

-After milking the story for what its worth, the Sun's solicitor (a big name London firm) rings Blackburn's Chief Super and negotiates the Press Release concerning the morons voluntarily giving themselves up and does some plea bargainning.

-Minder tells morons they are in deep trouble but they will looked after, oh and by the way they exceded the minibar limit in the agreement so they have invalidated the agreement and had better behave themselves or else....

Probable events behind the arrests.

-Mum picks up the Sun "Oh my God, that's my little Jimmy."

-Mum's best friend knows a solicitor who does these sorts of things

-after 36 hours recovering from the bender/hangover, Jimmy and his mate go to the solicitor who negtiates with Blackburn's Chief Super

- Solicitor drives the morons the three hour journey up to Blackburn for the 4pm appointment.

[blue phil]

Well , for the first time in donkeys' years I have sympathy for the boys in blue - they've had to plough through this thread in the course of making their enquiries into a non existent crime against a total and utter excuse of a human being who is too weak minded to shrug his shoulders and get on with doing something more important with his life .

And what's more the bizzies are no doubt thinking the same as most sensible people - that this is a total waste of their time . But yet they have to continue because the PC society we have had imposed on us demands "action" .

Hopefully the brave custodians of the peace also noticed my earlier post in which I mentioned the many very real racist crimes that are prevelent in Blackburn - crimes in which people actually get hurt , ie not just their feelings . Maybe they'll get around to investigating them if their Chief Super decides it won't upset the natives .

PS - Apologies to Scotty and Paul McGarry for posting something that they might not necessarily agree with . ( Go and have a lie down girls , I'm sure you'll get over it - in time ...)

[Scotty]

PS - Apologies to Scotty and Paul McGarry for posting something that they might not necessarily agree with . ( Go and have a lie down girls , I'm sure you'll get over it - in time ...)

I don't agree so I'm a girl. Marvellous.

Well, if I'm a girl you smell of poo.

[modes98]

Sullivan is obviously using this rumpus as a lever to force Yorke out of St Andrew's.

Perhaps he's tired of watching an ineffective disinterested player too.

Sullivan is reported to have driven yorkes car to the petrol station and filled it up to the max, thne after failing to take this hint he bought him a one way ticket to trinidad & tobago!

At which point he released a statement saying the club is so very dissapointed to lose the services of such an amazing player with superb workrate and who is always willing to put in extra time in training to help youth players and himself.

And then he turned his attention to heskey

*sarcastic and in no way real all you people who can't get sarcasim concept!*

Edited November 23, 2004 by modes98

[blue phil]

I don't agree so I'm a girl. Marvellous.

Add sexism to the list of my PC crimes , Scotty .....

[jim mk2]

O’NEILL: “LENNON’S BEEN RACIALLY ABUSED”

By Chris Roberts, PA Sport in Barcelona

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill tonight accused the Rangers supporters of racially abusing Neil Lennon during Saturday’s Old Firm derby.

The Northern Irishman’s outburst was triggered by a question over his own post-match actions after the 2-0 defeat at Ibrox.

O’Neill was criticised for being “provocative” after he led Lennon to the travelling contingent and repeatedly punched the air following the stormy match.

And he claimed to have no regrets over the incident, instead complaining about the treatment his fellow countryman - who is being

investigated by police over some of his own actions - received.

O’Neill compared the abuse of the Rangers fans to the Spaniards who targeted England’s black international stars in last Wednesday’s friendly in Madrid.

The Bhoys boss said: “What should I regret? I go to the away fans every fortnight with the players and nothing has been said before.

“I think this is the first time we have been beaten away from home in 18 months and nobody has picked up on that at all.”

He claimed: “I applauded the crowd because the support was fantastic - and because Neil Lennon was abused from start to finish I think I had a right to show some support.

“He was verbally abused in a racial and sectarian manner. There has been a lot of talk about racism in football recently which was very prevalent after the incident in Madrid.

“Neil Lennon was subjected to this from start to finish - and it reached an incredible crescendo at the end.”

[jim mk2]

Two men were tonight charged over alleged racist abuse aimed at Birmingham City footballer Dwight Yorke during a match against Blackburn Rovers, police said.

David Ashcroft, 21, from Leyland in Lancashire, and Jason Perryman, 22, from Chorley in Lancashire, were each charged with a racially aggravated public order offence.

The pair are due to appear at Blackburn Magistrates Court at 10am tomorrow

[Ste B]

Police have now confirmed that David Ashcroft, 21, from Leyland and Jason Perryman, 22, from Chorley will appear before magistrates on Thursday.

Source http://news.bbc.co.uk

[waggy]

so thats dave and jay from mmmmmmmmmm somewhere in between london and birmingham that posh area,with the posh accent not cockney but posher.

well tried lads but you did not put pc plod off the trial,1864 will be didtraught

[RovertheHill]

If it's proved then I hope they throw the book at them.

However, I don't recall Mr Bruce shouting from the rooftops about

this

[Radagast]

Now that two individuals have been charged, I think Bruce owes Blackburn Rovers an apology for his usual sensationalist tripe. How can two people "chant"? Clown.

[broadsword]

How can two people "chant"?

Didn't Wham sing "Chant No1"? Or was it Spandau Ballet?

[Radagast]

[BRFC4EVA]

However, I don't recall Mr Bruce shouting from the rooftops about

this

Steve bruce really is scum isnt he? What he did to palace, his hypocrtical nature and his constant complaints against ref's. That articule just sums him up really.

Anybody else see the stuff in the sun today. The usual rubbish unfortunatly, especially the article about the pfa spokesman Bobby Barnes.

He was responding to the Sullivan comments, you know when he said that Yorke shoulda warmed up at the other end of the ground. This clown Barnes comes back and says 'it is dangerous to suggest there should be no-go areas in the ground where black players can't warm up' Ummm, no actually what he suggesting you pfa muppet, is that yorke shouda warmed up in from of the b'ham fans, rather than in front of 7,000 Rovers fans in the bbe who hate him for the way he milked our club. I mean you wouldnt expect say, Alan smith to go warm up in front of the leeds fans if manure and them played in the cup or summit.

The 2 handing themselves in is a good sign, perhaps they can explain themselves to the police in some sort of suitable manner. If not, then they can be banned from ewood for a period and sent on a re-education program.

[Tris]

Ummm, no actually what he suggesting you pfa muppet, is that yorke shouda warmed up in from of the b'ham fans, rather than in front of 7,000 Rovers fans in the bbe who hate him for the way he milked our club. I mean you wouldnt expect say, Alan smith to go warm up in front of the leeds fans if manure and them played in the cup or summit.

To clear this up, it's not up to substitutes where they warm up, because law 3 states

all substitutes are subject to the authority and jurisdiction of the referee, whether called upon to play or not

That when combined with this

The fourth official assists with any administrative duties before, during and after the match, as required by the referee.  He is responsible for assisting with substitution procedures during the match.

means that players warming up will ask permission from the 4th official and will be told where they can warm up.

9 times out of 10 they will be instructed (as Lee pointed out in an earlier post) to warm up in the half of the field where the linesman is officiating on the side of the pitch where the dugouts are.

Presumably because the laws governing the technical area are fairly strict as well

Only one person at a time is authorised to convey tactical instructions and he must return to his position after giving these instructions.

The coach and other officials must remain within the confines of the technical area except in special circumstances, for example, a physiotherapist or doctor entering the field of play, with the referee's permission, to assess an injured player

so the subs are sent to warm up where the lino can make sure they're not conveying messages to players or coaching from the sidelines.

[roversWASmylife]

O’Neill compared the abuse of the Rangers fans to the Spaniards who targeted England’s black international stars in last Wednesday’s friendly in Madrid.

The abuse Lennon has suffered since his move to Celtic has been shocking, he retired from international football because of it.

The issue of religion needs to be dealt with, I don't know what the SFA have done, if any, to prevent it.

Not only on the pitch, but Lennon and his family have suffered abuse in general every day life, If I remember rightly his wife was attacked in Glasgow some time ago.

No NI comeback for Lennon

O'Neill critical of Lennon abuse

Ex-footballer makes 'racist' remarks at ball -

Thought this might be of some interest.

[Radagast]

Lennon gets booed at every park in Scotland because he's a narky thug - to suggest the fans up here (other than the unsavoury sections of the Rangers crowd of course) boo him for sectarian reasons is crazy.

[TheDrunk]

Hello peeps....

Ok, this is my first ever post on here, and what a sucky thread to do it in.

I have an opinion on these matters, as everybody else does.

I have been an Accrington based Rovers fan all my life. I have been following the news closely over the past couple of days and have found myself disgusted enough to come here and vent my spleen to anyone who will listen.

Anyways, there has been much talk about the coverage in the national press about the Yorke incident. Most people seem to conclude that the coverage has been over the top, that Steve Bruce has over-reacted, that Yorke over-reacted, even that political correctness has gone mad etc. What I have found the most intriguing is where the national press have found the Blackburn "locals" who have found themselves being interviewed on the television, in the papers and on the radio.

One such gentleman made me chuckle. (Adopt Lancashire accent which always seems much more broad on the radio) "I've been goin' down t'Ewood fer nigh on thuurty yeear an' I never sin a spot 'o' racial bother in al this time". I have heard many other people echo this sentiment, claiming that they have never witnessed racism at Ewood.

As a kid going down the rovers in the 80's and standing on the Blackburn end, I witnessed some abhorrent racism coming from the terraces, from both home and away supporters. One incident which stuck in my mind was the pre match warm up of the (then young) Uriah Rennie, who was greeted to about 2000 monkey chants coming from the Blackburn end.. This was nothing new to football grounds in the 1980's, it was echoed in every ground. Football in general, however, cleaned up it's act in the 90's and any racism is swiftly dealt with. It is such a rarity in top flight matches that any minor incident gets blown out of proportion. The football racists of the 80's have either grown up, been barred from grounds or learned that actually, racism is a pretty vile thing this day and age and 99% of people will not tolerate it.

Ewood Park has been racism free for the best part of 15 years. Why, all of a sudden, should it make a comeback, particularly when the club has been making such an effort (more than most clubs) to market its home matches to families and ethnic minorities? It's a shame that the ejection of a couple of fans was caught on the Sky cameras, and it's a shame that it happend so close to the England-Spain match.

The actions of a couple of idiots do not reflect the thoughts, beliefes and attitudes of 20,000 people who just wanted to go and watch their team try and win a match, and the Southern tabloid press (as ever) are now starting to pick up on the fact that BNP scumbags won seats in the area, which, as we all know, is totally irrelevant to the isolated incident. The press coverage in general of this incident has been shocking and has cast a bad light on the club, the town, and the area in general.

It's a shame.

[FourLaneBlue]

One such gentleman made me chuckle. (Adopt Lancashire accent which always seems much more broad on the radio) "I've been goin' down t'Ewood fer nigh on thuurty yeear an' I never sin a spot 'o' racial bother in al this time".  I have heard many other people echo this sentiment, claiming that they have never witnessed racism at Ewood.

As a kid going down the rovers in the  80's and standing on the Blackburn end, I witnessed some abhorrent racism coming from the terraces, from both home and away supporters. One incident which stuck in my mind was the pre match warm up of the (then young) Uriah Rennie, who was greeted to about 2000 monkey chants coming from the Blackburn end..  This was nothing new to football grounds in the 1980's, it was echoed in every ground.  Football in general, however, cleaned up it's act in the 90's and any racism is swiftly dealt with.  It is such a rarity in top flight matches that any minor incident gets blown out of proportion.    The football racists of the 80's have either grown up, been barred from grounds or learned that actually, racism is a pretty vile thing this day and age and 99% of people will not tolerate it.

Ewood Park  has been racism free for the best part of 15 years.

Quite true. Only a person utterly oblivious to his surroundings could have failed to hear the racist chanting in the eighties. In those days as all who were there can remember monkey chants seemed part of the atmosphere at every league ground I visited and I've been to a fair few in my time. It's sad to look back on those days and see that it was the norm to try and degrade a player solely because of their skin colour. At least with Yorke the majority were complaining because they did not like his workrate or attitude.

This debate or brouhaha or storm in a teacup or whatever does at least show how far matters have progressed. Two fans arrested for racist chanting. To do that at times in the eighties the police would have had to wade through hundreds or even thousands of other fans chanting just the same things. The reporting of this story is over the top but it all comes down to timing. One week ago it wouldn't be such big news but a week is a long time in football...

As for the two - do we even know they are Rovers fans? Football fans at all for that matter? As for the scarf...not suprised it isn't Roma. They tend to allign themselves against the Lazio ultras, some of whom (or many of whom depending who you listen to) embrace racism and slogans of white supremacy. Then again, any guy who ends up on national television doing a monkey impression (if that is what he actually did do) is hardly the sharpest tool in the box. Or able to handle his beer. One of the two. Or maybe both?

EDIT - I disagree that Ewood Park has been racism-free. It isn't something that can be completely eradicated from every single supporter. However I do agree that any kind of racist chanting or comments are very rare indeed.

Edited November 24, 2004 by FourLaneBlue