[Archived] Football Hooligans

[DanLad]

aye, but slamming someone with aggressively arranged electrons via a messageboard, while likely less life threatining than slamming someone with your fists and boots, may be just as mentally damaging.

There's nothing quite as horrifying as waking up with a hangover and sore knuckles from aggressive posting the night before...

The events of the previous night stealing back to you over the course of the day. A series of cold shivers up your spine...Did I really vehemently defend playing for a draw after going one up after 2 minutes?...Did I really CAPS LOCK say that I think Fettis was better than Friedel ever was?...Did I really agree with 'poster X'?

The you log back on and read the dribble that you thought was really funny the night before and it's ten times worse than you ever imagined!

Anyway, see you tonight after 5 ciders!

[JWP]

an older cousin follows Bolton and still likes a ruck if challenged. he tells me that he never worried about Rovers fans and still doesnt. a part of him died when hed to leave his beloved Lever End.

[teddy]

an older cousin follows Bolton and still likes a ruck if challenged. he tells me that he never worried about Rovers fans and still doesnt. a part of him died when hed to leave his beloved Lever End.

well he must never have come on a train then and passed through highercroft lol

[1864roverite]

Bolton fans used to leave their end regularly when Rovers were in town

[adopted scouser]

So was I. The bloke who did it used to got to St Marys College. He got sent down.

s

Dermot was in my class at St Mary's, yup he went away and rightly so.

[adopted scouser]

The ICU was a small group formed towards the end of the 80's, not really a football firm.

The ICU were just Donnachie and a bunch of kids who were based behind the infirmary. (ICU - Infirmary , geddit ?)

Then the GDT unit was put together and most of the 'gangs' were dealt with. GDT was so effective that subsequent gangs all over Blackburn began to die out. Remember the massive running battles in Corporation Park ? Asians, knives etc ?

When the Superintendent decided to make GDT official, the rather grand title of 'Sub Divisional Support Unit' came into being.

[cletus]

GDT? not familiar with that abreviation.

I remember a fair bit of trouble in the early 80s. I was only a young lad, but there was always trouble at the west end youth club on Friday nights. One week it`d be full of Millhill, the next Johnson St, then next Little Harwood....all looking for bother. I never really got involved, cos i was into rock music & all the trouble seemed to be around the New Order/trendy scene.

Friends of mine had run-ins with the ICU & Little Harwood on various occasions. There was even a 'gang' called MAD (Mosley Anarchy Division) at one point.

Not sure if it`s still like this around Blackburn, cos i`m not involved with yoof culture

[Roost]

Dermot was in my class at St Mary's, yup he went away and rightly so.

Dermot?

[adopted scouser]

GDT? not familiar with that abreviation.

I remember a fair bit of trouble in the early 80s. I was only a young lad, but there was always trouble at the west end youth club on Friday nights. One week it`d be full of Millhill, the next Johnson St, then next Little Harwood....all looking for bother. I never really got involved, cos i was into rock music & all the trouble seemed to be around the New Order/trendy scene.

Friends of mine had run-ins with the ICU & Little Harwood on various occasions. There was even a 'gang' called MAD (Mosley Anarchy Division) at one point.

Not sure if it`s still like this around Blackburn, cos i`m not involved with yoof culture

Group Disorder Team. There was a real problem with gangs and public order, sporadic kick offs all over the town.

The public wanted it sorted and a small, select, group of officers (with the mentality of Gene Hunt) did the job. One of the few times I saw scroats and scumbag thugs genuinely worried.

Dermot?

I'm 47 now so it was a long time ago, but I'm pretty sure it was him. Half brick into the crowd ? (or am I barking up the wrong tree) ?

[LDRover]

Group Disorder Team. There was a real problem with gangs and public order, sporadic kick offs all over the town.

The public wanted it sorted and a small, select, group of officers (with the mentality of Gene Hunt) did the job. One of the few times I saw scroats and scumbag thugs genuinely worried.

I'm 47 now so it was a long time ago, but I'm pretty sure it was him. Half brick into the crowd ? (or am I barking up the wrong tree) ?

Nah, was a geezer from Lower Darwen, definitely not called Dermot. Another bloke mentioned in despatches earlier in this thread is inextricably linked with the case. Very sad for all concerned.

[old darwen blue]

Group Disorder Team. There was a real problem with gangs and public order, sporadic kick offs all over the town.

The public wanted it sorted and a small, select, group of officers (with the mentality of Gene Hunt) did the job. One of the few times I saw scroats and scumbag thugs genuinely worried.

I'm 47 now so it was a long time ago, but I'm pretty sure it was him. Half brick into the crowd ? (or am I barking up the wrong tree) ?

Aaah, Alan Holts squad

[riverside returns]

Quite correct LDRover it was not someone called Dermot. No need to further elaborate. It was an unfortunate set of circumstances that led to an untimely death of a man. Death at a football match when it is not illness related is always a sad and unnecessary situation.

[adopted scouser]

Aaah, Alan Holts squad

That's the one.

[Roost]

Group Disorder Team. There was a real problem with gangs and public order, sporadic kick offs all over the town.

The public wanted it sorted and a small, select, group of officers (with the mentality of Gene Hunt) did the job. One of the few times I saw scroats and scumbag thugs genuinely worried.

I'm 47 now so it was a long time ago, but I'm pretty sure it was him. Half brick into the crowd ? (or am I barking up the wrong tree) ?

Correct with the story - wrong with the name, but lets leave it there.

It was a terrible thing to happen, and people paid the price for it - sadly one with his life.

[Stuart]

One way to deal with hooligans - keep an eye on the linesman!

[dcbrfc]

Don't know if it's been said already but my mate was reading a book by Sheff Utd's 'top boy'. Can't remember his name, but one chapter is called "Blinded at Blackburn" and apparently he's blind in one eye cos some Rovers thug smashed him in the face with a brick.

[thenodrog]

Don't know if it's been said already but my mate was reading a book by Sheff Utd's 'top boy'. Can't remember his name, but one chapter is called "Blinded at Blackburn" and apparently he's blind in one eye cos some Rovers thug smashed him in the face with a brick.

Occupational hazard I'd imagine.

If this guy is 'known' then it might not have been a 'rovers thug' at all it might just have been somebody defending himself or his mate. Two sides to every story and he might just be seeking to embelish his 'story'. Alternatively he might have slipped on the soap and put his eye out on the bath tap but this sounds much better.

Just as a matter of interest who the hell would want to read such crap anyway?

[Iceman]

Clearly the guy reading that book Gordon.

[old darwen blue]

Occupational hazard I'd imagine.

If this guy is 'known' then it might not have been a 'rovers thug' at all it might just have been somebody defending himself or his mate. Two sides to every story and he might just be seeking to embelish his 'story'. Alternatively he might have slipped on the soap and put his eye out on the bath tap but this sounds much better.

Just as a matter of interest who the hell would want to read such crap anyway?

Went to Sheff Utd away in the eighties when Jimmy Quinn scored a hat trick of headers. After the match when we were all kept in the ground enough bricks were thrown over the wall at us so tough luck I say. If its true of course. Again, who would read this rubbish.

[darwenblueswearehere]

So was I Ossy.....

I also remember up at Boro one Boxing Day...when they played at Ayresome Park.(think we won - Garner)......Running street battles all over the town....twas the season to be jolly.

If that's the one I'm thinking of it was quite late on for footie violence, maybe a year or two after it had died down a bit. I remember being a bit shocked that it had kicked off again. We got locked in as usual for 20 minutes after the match and the Boro fans were chucking allsorts over the wall at us, toilet seats, bricks, the lot. I remember a lad from Darwen (Gaz Brownlow?) fell out of the back of his minibus at traffic lights and got hospitalised. Don't remember us winning the game though, I think it might have been a draw, though Garner did definitely score, as it was the first goal Boro had let in for about 9 games. Pallister was playing for them.

As for the death at Carlisle, I met a guy who is the boss of a housing association in Scotland who was actually with the lad who died that day. When he heard my accent. and asked where I was from he told me the story Even my brother, who is still a serving policeman in Lancashire, was on the pitch fighting that day!!

Don't think youngsters today can really empathise with what it was like in the old days, but this thread has painted the picture quite well. It wasn't big and it wasn't clever, but you couldn't help but get involved in it.

[darwenblueswearehere]

Aaah, Alan Holts squad

I know several of the lads from that team - it was, shall we say, a very thin line between the cops and the gangs in some respects, though having said that, everyone knew which side they were on. Different era, arguably better in some ways, but too indiscriminate with the punishments.

[brfcdec]

a

My stepdad was just telling me about some of the lads he used to go with. Byrnie adam or something, and 2 lads called smeth and smyth or something haha. he said they were right nutters

[Billinge End Blue]

Smeth and Smyth were a couple of skinheads who gained notoriety by featuring on Granada's World in Action (then appearing in the documentary's opening credits for a while after!) back in the late 70's. Think they had earned some 'recognition' by Millwall fans(ie thugs)...

Think one or both are now chanting and syncro-clapping on that great terrace in the sky.

[brfcdec]

Yeah he didn't say they were the nicest bunch of people. Only said he went to a few burnley boxing day games with them, he was in the same year as them at pleckgate. Said they used to wear big coats with razor blades in the collars and baseball bats inside of the coats. It's quite interesting hearing about this as i'm only 19. Also said the head groundsman at ewood was a bit of a nutter. You would of probably known my stepdad, he grew up near st mary's college. Not gonna name him obviously but he is a big fecker!

[Gav]

I’ve e not posted any links, but sentences have been handed out to both Blackburn and Burnley lads for the trouble at the station pub after the derby game at our place.

The burnley lads have been given 32yrs between them for the incident and the Blackburn lads have got between 6 months and 2yrs for there part.

Now many of us on this site will have heard accounts of the night in question, the police certainly knew what was happening, and they did managed to keep the 2 sets of lads apart.

The majority pleaded guilty to affray so for the life of me I cannot get my head around the severity of the sentences, not one punch was thrown between the rival groups?

The ringleader from burnley didn’t even make it to the pub, he got 5yrs?! Ok he has numerous convictions for hooliganism, but on this occasion he wasn’t there, how can they give him 5yrs?

I’m all for deterring such things, and this certainly is a deterrent for wanabe hooligans, but yet again I can’t help but think someone has a hidden agenda here, is someone trying to justify funding because these sentences do not fit the crimes.