Celtic fans' behaviour tonight

[steven]

On matchdays I work as a turnstile steward, last night I had the misfortune of working on the Darwen End Turnstiles.  There was loads of trouble at the Darwen End Turnstiles.  What happened is that loads of Celtic fans with fake tickets got into the ground and then when the authorities realised what had happened they had to close the turnstiles which left 800 celtic fans with genuine tickets not being able to get into the ground, all hell broke loose.  Stewards were beaten up, one was left with a broken arm.  Some of my colleagues were in tears from the abuse that we suffered, there were people banging on the window and when we shut the turnstiles I thought that they were going to rip of the doors.  All in all a very scarey experience, I know that some quit working last night, a real shame because before the game I met loads of celtic fans and they were really friendly but as kick off time approached they got more and more aggressive.  I for one hope that they never get into the premiership.

I think that the average Celtic away fan is a shame to himself and his family.

I went to Celtic away and was well behaved as normal.  I didn't see the need to drink so much that I couldn't stand up, and most importantly I didn't feel the need to abuse people in the streets.

At half time I walked to the toilet at the Darwen end side of the CIS and was pelted coins/food/spit from Celtic 'fans', none of who were sat down.  The stewarding from Rovers was its usually incompetent and this contributed to what was an embarrassing night all round.

As I was leaving the ground and drove past the Hordens View I noticed 5 lads with pieces of wood in a stand off outside a bloke's house.  The bloke was stood in his garden in his dressing gown!  Celtic fans brought shame on themselves and their club and if they get into the Premiership I think I may turn my back on football for good.

[damo gally]

Believe me Damo, these forgeries were extremely good.  Normally you can spot them a mile of but these were almost perfect.  Still we have to take some of the blame for this, maybe we should have got a few more.

Im not saying you should be blamed. But Security was supposed to really tight last night, Rovers knew fake tickets were going round, and they should have made completely sure each ticket was ok.

[jas]

Sorry to everyone who have any trouble.

I have to say I was in two pubs prior to the game and there was no trouble, one being the Fernhurst, yes we we drunk, yes we sung our heads off, and yes, even Celtic supporters tried to take care of the really dunken thugs!

But, as a Celt attending many matches all over Europe, we were attacked by the police horses outside the ground twice! We had real tickets, but, the way the police teated the decent fan nothing short of making you totally lose your mind! The Police haven't any idea of what was happening. If they were use to attending to big crowds, they should have had a police line further away from the turnstile, to check the tickets within 10 feet of the turnstile was a totally JOKE!

Inside, not a single person could find a seat!!!! every starcase was full and the stewards/police really need to sort this out!!!

I'm a normal celt who loves footie, and likewise people, BUT, the police attack on us was a disgrace and whoever was giving out the orders should be sacked!!!!

At the turnstile, I spoke to a steward supervisor and even he said he couldn't believe what he saw the police doing!!!!

Also, if the police line to check tickets have been further back, the amount who got inside the ground without tickets would have been nearly none.

All quite on the way home. Apart from the shouts to the police who deserved more than just songs at them!!!!!!

But, great game, and well done bhoys!

[Ricky]

Jas

If Celtic fans hadn't turned up with fake tickets i'm sure you would have found your seat easily.

[bob]

I was in the CIS stand, complete madness on the way to the ground the Celtic fans kicked cars as they past, @#/? on anything they could complete thugs. Like others I witnessed people with no tickets trying to get in by paying at the turnstiles with Scottish £50 notes one bloke behind me got turned away by a steward but how many more got into the ground?  After Celtic scored in the first half it became clear who the Celtic fans where and several fights broke out I had to go and tell a policeman to intervene something he said he didn’t want to do madness, the steward (a young girl) didn’t even move as Rovers fans pulled one bloke from his seat. After calming the situation down the policeman wanted to leave the Celtic fan in his seat (He had a Celtic shirt, hat and scarf on) in the end he was taken away more for his own safety, but he wasn’t the only drunk Scot pushing people about. The lad who ran across pitch at the end was taken down between the Blackburn end & the CIS stand I think he got a bit of a beating off a steward five Blackburn fans where telling a policewomen I didn’t get a good view when I was coming out but it looked that way certainly something had gone on after he was taken off the pitch anyone see??. In all a terrible night for the team and for the club why could the Celtic fans not be properly policed on the way to the ground how did they get as far as the turnstiles through the ticket checks? The steward who was at the top of my stand should be sacked and the policeman. Bitter at the result no they deserved it, bitter at watching kids getting pushed and spat at fights and crowd trouble YES! We paid good money to watch a football game not thugs and idiots.      

[Guest Kamy100]

I am sure that when the club does its debreif on last nights game that lessons will have been learnt.  As for over-zealous policing Jas, come of it mate, from what I saw the police were being very tolerant considering the level of abuse they got, if this had been in another country the celtic fans would have been beaten to a pulp by the police.

[Kandevil]

Do you not think giving them the entire Darwen End was our first mistake that led to all this?

Lack of experience from the Police too.

Giving them the whole Darwen End, also gave them control of the atmosphere, which must have contributed to our crap performance.

[jas]

I can only speak for myself and my brother! We we're just about to go through the gates, when the horses came running at us, knocking us down, my brother even lost his ticket as we were trying to show them it!! Once he got back to his feet the policeman (THANKS!!@@!) gave him it back!!! But as a normal fan attending games every second week, with 60k supporters, I must say I was really feeling sick by it all!!!!

You would be if you had done nothing wrong, and had f**king horses running over you!!!!!!!!!! It would turn a normal minded person mad!! but, we (my brother and I) remained clam throughout it.

I not going to say there wasn't drunks etc trying to get in without a ticket, or pushing their way around. I'm not here to defend them, believe me, I was just as sick with them, BUT it could all have been easier for everyone, if the stewards/Police knew what they were doing!

[steven]

I hope the de-brief and lesson learning includes the following aspects:

- allowing away fans to travel through non-official routes

- allowing away fans to drink in town all day before the game

- allowing away fans to get to 10 yrds from the turnstiles before checking tickets

- allowing away fans to stand up throughout the entire match (especially seeing as their stewards were almost Hitler Youth at Celtic Park)

- allowing away fans to leave the ground so soon after the game was over

- forcing Rovers fans in the CIS to run the gauntlet to go to the toilet/buy a pie at half time.  I personally had a cup of tea, about 10 coins, and a mouthful of spit thrown on me whilst I was queuing for the toilet

- allowing Celtic fans to get away with racist chants (pro-IRA) throughout the game

- allowing drinking and drunknesses to be almost condoned throughout the streets

- allowing drunken fans to be admitted to the Darwen End

- admitting fans with 500 fake tickets into the ground (the tickets should not be able to be faked)

- having an inept level of stewarding in most sections of the ground (there was a fight going on in the CIS between 2 Rovers fans and the stewards were so undermanned they had to leave them to it)

3rd division organisation again Rovers.  Well done.

[bob]

The Police didn't care they could have pulled the Darwen end down for all they bothered

[JonnyH]

Do you not think giving them the entire Darwen End was our first mistake that led to all this?

Lack of experience from the Police too.

Giving them the whole Darwen End, also gave them control of the atmosphere, which must have contributed to our crap performance.

You serious? Can you imagine the scenes if they DIDN'T have the whole Darwen End?!?!

[Flopsy]

- allowing Celtic fans to get away with racist chants (pro-IRA) throughout the game

How the bloody hell is singing about the IRA Racist? Pollitical Sectarian Stupid but not racist

[Rovermatt]

- allowing Celtic fans to get away with racist chants (pro-IRA) throughout the game

That's not racist. It's, er...pro-IRA

[steven]

- allowing Celtic fans to get away with racist chants (pro-IRA) throughout the game

That's not racist. It's, er...pro-IRA

whatever it is, it shouldn't be allowed!

i was getting carried away a little bit there, but it just goes to show how upset i am after the performance of the team/stewards/organisational staff of Rovers at the moment

i even managed to miss the CIS announcement debarcle from the list as well!

[jas]

Believe me when I say this but there was not many IRA songs last night - just good footie chants!!! on the whole!!

[Paul]

How on earth can we blame Blackburn Rovers or the police for criminal activity?

I was against giving the DE to Celtic - the club were right. Without this chaos would have reigned last night. A few Celtic fans were in home areas - for this you can ONLY blame Rovers fans who MUST have sold on their tickets.

A number of Celtic fans were in the home corporate area. This must have been known to the club and if fans don't behave in the corporate area we have to ask what sort of individuals are buying hospitality packages.

The bulk of last night's problem was caused by the criminal activity of the persons who produced and sold forged tickets and those fans who purchased them. These forgeries are said to have been very good. How do the police and stewards spot this in either the dark or artificial lighting. I understand Celtic fans pushed their way through the cordon and then went through the turnstiles - you cannot blame a turnstile operator for not spotting an excellent forgery. Frankly I'm not sure I what I would do faced with a forgery if I were a turnstile operator in that situation.

Once in the ground fans with forgeries cannot practically be moved. Imagine trying to pull out 7-800 fans from 8000 - we'd still be waiting for kick off now. An impossible situation to resolve.

I wasn't in town but I watched the police dealing with Celtic fans outside the Fernhurst. The road was blocked at around 6.00pm. The police took a very calm, controlled view of the situation and slowly moved the fans back onto the pavement. In these situations the police have to use a degree of commonsense - any percieved aggression woiuld only worsen the situation.

I'd like to repeat for Pete1888, SMc and the Celtic fans who visited this site - I shook hands with many ordnary, decent Celtic supporters last night. I had four children with me and did not feel in anyway threatened.

Blackburn Rovers are in no way to blame for last night's difficulties. I'd better stop and change my signature now!!

[Rovermatt]

whatever it is, it shouldn't be allowed!

I know.

[Kiwiwannabe]

What an absolute disgrace on and off the pitch!  I think we need a lots of answers from the club as they have proved (as I'd suspected) that Rovers are incapeable of stageing a big game.

I dont want to go on about individual incidents I saw, but I would like to know why the guy in a Rangers shirt who ran onto the pitch was escorted INTO the Blackburn End by a steward?!

I do feel incredably sorry for the 800 Celtic fans with tickets who were unable to get into Ewood becuase of the club/police's innability to control the fans outside.

ABSOLUTE DISGRACE ROVERS!!

[jas]

aggression is the only word to describe the police last night!!!!!

[Tris]

A few points.

14May1995 and myself parked up near the M65, so had to walk in both directions past the Fernhurst and the Darwen end.  We also went for a pint in the Moorgate (the Brown Cow and White Bull were too rammed to get through the door).  We did not encounter a single obnoxious Celtic Fan, in fact there were plenty of handshakes and good natured conversation as there was in Glasgow.  The Fernhurst was teeming and noisy, but good natured when we walked past both before and after.

I'm not saying that other people won't have had different expereinces, I'm just saying don't tar them all with the same brush.

The trouble at the Darwen end turnstiles is a big shame, but something the clubs will have to take most of the blame for.  How would you feel, as a genuine fan with a real ticket to actually then be refused entry to the ground.  With nowhere to go to even see the game on TV cos everywhere was already rammed.  We all know how we felt before this massive game - excited, nervous, tense, full of anticipation.  I don't know how I'd react if I was told my genuine ticket wouldn't get me in because there were forgeries which had been accepted and I hope I never have to find out.

This is obviously not a new problem for Celtic - the guy we walked down the hill with told me "normally the forgeries are pretty good, but these ones are sh*te - they haven't even been cut with a guillotine but with scissors".  So why did Celtic not warn Rovers and why did they not work together to ensure the situation which arose did not happen.

The trouble in the pubs in town, according to Rovers fans who were there, was caused entirely by Rovers "fans".  In fact it was a planned raid.  There goes our good reputation.

Finally, a word about our own supporters in the Blackburn end.  I'll repeat what Hannah has already said - I saw and heard things in there I didn't like and haven't seen for a long time with Rovers.  It didn't help that I was sat next to an obnoxious racist idiot - I can see Andy Cole is black and didn't need reminding.

The Celtic fan who got beat up was an idiot for making himself a target, but not as big an idiot as the Rovers fan who got him in there.  Hopefully the database will allow the culprit to be banned for life.  It was inevitable the guy would get a kicking in the circumstances, but well done to the pr*ck who waited til he was nearly at the exit with his back turned - running down the steps and kicking him in the back from behind was very brave and very clever - all your friends (if you have any) must be so proud of you.  I hope someone took his seat number and gets him banned as well.

[Paul]

jas - I didn't experience the policing last night. I'm just a quiet (until I get inside) home fan with four kids so I'm not going to attract attention. I can tell you our club generally receives praise for its handling of away support as do Lancashire police.

If football fans purchase forgeries or tickets from anything other than an official source the outcome is always in doubt. If you have fans who know they have forgeries trying to enter the ground this is going to be met with resistance - see my post above

[78]

Rovers organisation last night was very poor. I even witnessed two celtic fans trying to buy tickets from two young lads before the match and when they refused, they started threathening these boys and it wasn't until a police officer came by that they stopped and left the scene.

How could they have kids/teens as stewards for this match was surprising. I was standing outside the cordon in the JW/Family stand corner and when some Celtic fans tried to walk past steward, the steward tried his best to stop them but couldn't so he asked for some backing by a few other stewards who saw the whole situation but just stood and laughed at the whole situation while this guy had try to run and catch these fans. I walked to a police officer and told him about it and he got a few others and managed to get them out.

Then they were the "monkeys" who tried to climb over the fences when the teambus arrived, again I had to tell a senior steward before anyting was done. The normal stewards were more interested in seeing who was getting of the coach than recognising what was about to happen.

Sitting in the JW stand, I was glad to see the officer throwing out the fans after the first goal but wasn't too impressed with the stewards for having a lenient attitude towards the celtic fans who were in the comfy seats next to the vipbox. These "business men" had sold their remaining places to common fans and these thought that they had immunity because they were sitting in these posh seats and during halftime a couple of people had complained to the steward and even gave description and wrote down about where these people sat and the steward said he couldnt do anything about it. But after the second goal they got rowdy again and half of them on my row got up and said that if they didnt throw them out, they'll finish them. This worked and they got kicked out.

Overall, poor performance by the team but I felt the club should have hired bouncers instead of stewards or atleast stewards that weren't 15 years old. I dont care how experienced they are but I can't see them telling a Celtic fan to sit down or to refuse entry.

And regarding tickets, I think it's about time the club moved towards a clubcard (swipecard) method that's already in used in Bolton, Rangers etc.

I'll be writting to the club about the above and I suggest the ones that have been involved in any situation do the same, even if the message is a positive one.

If Celtic or Rangers do join the Premier League, I doubt clubs the size of ours or smaller will be able to handle the away fans due to the ammount of them that travel. The cost of the police and security would be more than any normal match and after last night I doubt it's worth it.

[Hasta]

Without this chaos would have reigned last night. A few Celtic fans were in home areas - for this you can ONLY blame Rovers fans who MUST have sold on their tickets.

The only gripe i've got with Rovers is as I've stated elsewhere. they said, as always, away fans would be ejected from the home areas but in most instances it doesn't happen. Why can't they have an extra steward & copper on each stairwell who ejects the away fans. I don't agree with kicking the fan from behind on his way out but I do agree with us chucking them out ourselves.

[jas]

jas - I didn't experience the policing last night. I'm just a quiet (until I get inside) home fan with four kids so I'm not going to attract attention. I can tell you our club generally receives praise for its handling of away support as do Lancashire police.

If football fans purchase forgeries or tickets from anything other than an official source the outcome is always in doubt. If you have fans who know they have forgeries trying to enter the ground this is going to be met with resistance - see my post above

Ye Paul, all I can really say is I experienced the same night as yourself!!! all good homoured!! pubs mixed, no trouble!!

But with REAL tickets and to be attacked by the Police just outside the entry to the ground was terrible,as I'm sure you would agree as there was woman and kids in with us aswell, but the horses still charged everyone!

I'm going to stop now, cos I feel I'm just going on about it too much. when I should really be wanting to talk about the game!

How's did yous feel about big sutton after his goal, by not really celebrating it, a true gent on a visit to his past club! But he did have a hugh grin on his face when he turned to the celtic fans!!!!

[14May1995]

Tris has basically just said everything I wanted to say.  Last night, for the first time in my life, I was almost embarrassed to be a Rovers fan.  The completely and utter arse who kicked the Celtic fan from behind - oh, I'm soooo proud of you!

The 2 idiots who tried to start "no surrender..." every 30 seconds - brain removed at birth, maybe?  How many times - no-one's going to join in!!!  The racist bigot - "they should speak f******g English"...excuse me, they're Scottish and probably don't understand a word of what you're saying as well (fortunately).

We proved last night that as a team, a club and a set of supporters we really don't understand what playing in Europe is all about.  In future maybe I'll reserve my European experiences for away games like Sofia and Celtic - now that's what it's meant to be like.