Season 04/05 - October

"U" Cluj - Steaua Bucuresti - 13/10/2004

Source : stilostil site

Aston Villa vs West Bromwich: 15 arrested as police target soccer yobs - 28/10/2004

Source: Evening Mail

Suspected yobs at the centre of a bloody Villa v Albion street brawl were arrested in a series of early morning raids today as police stepped up their crackdown against soccer violence.

Officers targeted around 15 hardcore fans who they believe orchestrated or took part in the fight following the derby clash at West Bromwich Albion's Hawthorns ground two months ago.

The brawl, in a quiet, residential Hands-worth street left families and passers-by terrified.

During today's raids, 13 people - nine Villa fans and four Albion supporters - were arrested at addresses across the West Midlands and taken into custody.

They now face being banned from football games under a series of tough punishments being considered by police. Det Insp Mason said: "There were innocent passers-by who would not have expected to see such violence in their street on a summer's afternoon.

"Items of street furniture were being thrown and weapons were used amongst crowd of grown men. It was extremely frightening for people.

"This sort of violence isn't acceptable and we will do everything we can to take action against those involved."

Eight supporters were injured in the clash on August 22 as an estimated crowd of 80 yobs confronted each other outside the Uplands Pub, in Oxhill Road, Handsworth.

Innocent passers-by, including a terrified young mum with her baby in a pushchair, were caught up amongst the jeering mob as the violence exploded.

Thugs wielding baseball bats, iron bars and street furniture fought running battles with each other and riot police during eight minutes of shocking scenes which again brought shame on Midlands soccer.

The violence spilled across the road and into neighbouring streets where young families were enjoying the late afternoon sun.

Frightened residents in the normally peaceful street bolted themselves inside as the crowd fought.

The fighting broke out two hours after the final whistle of the 1-1 draw. The pub is less than a mile from the Hawthorns.

It is believed the fight had been organised and planned. A dozen thugs were arrested at the time.

Today's operation was the culmination of a two-month probe, codennamed Tripoli.

The first wave of police teams left stations in Birmingham and the Black Country at around 5am to swoop on fans before they woke.

It is understood a number of people had been identified from CCTV and other video surveillance of the brawl.

The raids came as football found itself in the dock once more after violence erupted at last night's clash between Chelsea and West Ham in London.

According to national figures released earlier this week, Villa fans are in the top ten league of thuggery.

Police arrested 70 Villa fans last season, placing it tenth in the league of shame of all football league clubs.

Walsall: Football hooligans leave trail of havoc - 24/10/2004

Source: Sunday Mercury

Walsall FC owner Jeff Bonser has revealed how hooligans brought shame on the club by trashing a train after an away game with Wrexham - and burning the Welsh flag.

The soccer boss revealed that a group of about 70 Saddlers fans went on a violent rampage before and after the match in Wales, which ended 1-1 last weekend,

Mr Bonser pledged to do all he could to help police track down the culprits, who now face lifetime bans from Bescot Stadium.

The soccer owner hit out in his matchday programme notes before yesterday's home game with Bristol City.

"A group of 45 supporters travelled to Wrexham by train and were joined by another 25 who had travelled by bus," he said.

"They left a trail of havoc behind them. The train was trashed; they caused bedlam in a Wrexham public house; local police were forced to use dog handlers to prevent them leaving the train at Shrewsbury.

"Then they burned the Welsh national flag in the doorway of a pub.

"Once at the ground, they threw coins at police and opposing fans. At half-time they left the ground - this shows how interested they were in the match - and went to a local pub to wait for Wrexham supporters to arrive.

"One of the most distressing telephone calls we received on Monday was from the father of a girl travelling on the train.

"She was eight months pregnant, yet these louts proceeded to harass her.

"I am disgusted by behaviour of this kind. It brings shame on the club, on all Walsall supporters and on the town itself. "

Mr Bonser revealed that the police had CCTV evidence of the thugs involved and were anticipating making 30 arrests.

Stoke City - Queen's Park Rangers - 02/10/2004

Source: http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk

Fans held after clash

Two men were arrested after police and stewards were pelted with missiles during Saturday's football match between Stoke City and Queens Park Rangers.

The game was marred by violence from both sets of fans when objects were thrown from the stands at Stoke's Britannia Stadium.

Police said that, after the final whistle, they had to break up a number of incidents of disorder and as a result two QPR followers were arrested for public order offences.

Another local man was arrested later in the day for public order offences following an incident in the Shelton area of the city.

An official crowd of 16,877 attended the match which saw QPR beat the home team 1-0.

Chief Inspector Paul Giannasi, commander of the policing operation, called for clubs and "true" fans to work together to beat hooliganism.

"Once again we have seen that there is still a significant hooligan element that try and attach themselves to football," he said.

"The disorder shows that it is vital that clubs, police and true supporters continue to work together to ensure this small but significant minority of criminals don't spoil the game for the decent and true fans."

Sheffield Wednesday - Bradford City - ??/10/2004

Source: http://www.sheffieldwednesday.com

Assistant Referee Andrew Halliday hit by a coin thrown by a Wednesday "supporter"

I think it would be fairly accurate to say that Paul Sturrock's honeymoon period at Hillsborough is definitely over and the manager has wasted no time in telling striker Maclean that he must improve.

This was Sturrock's first defeat and it came in a manner that is very familiar to most Wednesday supporters - domination, failure to take chances and beaten by a 'sucker-punch'.

Wednesday had the better of a lively first-half but the game was lost in a three-minute spell during the second-half.

First Michael Symes put them ahead on the hour mark with a shot that took a wicked deflection giving Owls goalkeeper Ola Tidman no chance.

Three minutes later Dean Windass latched onto a through ball and delightfully chipped the oncoming goalkeeper effectively ending the game as a contest.

Bullen got Wednesday back into the game on 71 minutes with a shot that found the top corner of the net.

Symes though sealed the points for Bradford with 13 minutes left with a powerful strike that again gave Tidman no chance.

Sturrock blamed poor defensive play in the second period for this defeat

"I don't know why but in the second half our back four started to play 10 yards deeper and that has cost us dearly. Two of Bradford's goals came from that. The game became too long.

"In the first half we looked very solid and defensively we were very sound. I am disappointed with the result, but I have got to take some positives from the game."

Sturrock also took a shot at Owls striker Paul Maclean who has failed to show the goalscoring form he hit last season with Scunthorpe

"Steve MacLean could have scored a double hat-trick, but he was trying to be too precise with them and not hitting the ball early enough."

In other news it was confirmed that a Sheffield Wednesday supporter was arrested and charged following a coin-throwing incident in which Assistant Referee Andrew Halliday was hit on the head in the second half of Saturday's 3-1 victory over the Owls at Valley Parade. He admitted the offence to Police when arrested.

In addition two other Wednesday supporters were charged with bottle throwing in the Upper Tier of the Sunwin Stand.

Poland: Lechia Gdansk - Elana Torun - 24/10/2004

Source: Kibice.net

Elana Torun tooled up with few bats, as you can see on the picture.


Video: Lechia on the right, Elana on the left.

Bournemouth - Cardiff City - 26/10/2004

Source : BBC news

Cardiff City fans were attacked in a pub by football hooligans from West Ham United, who travelled to a match in Bournemouth they were not even involved in, police have said.
The 50 London hooligans hired a coach and travelled 115 miles to spark a mass brawl before Cardiff's Coca-Cola Cup tie on Tuesday night.

Police are now studying CCTV footage ahead of the league match in Cardiff with West Ham next Tuesday.

Dorset Police made four arrests.

A Cardiff fan in his mid 20s suffered a broken jaw after being struck by a brick and needed hospital treatment.

A second Bluebirds' fan was treated for facial injuries.

Police said that the London hooligans posed as ordinary customers at the Queens Park pub close to Bournemouth's stadium.

It was absolute chaos with people with blood down their faces

Pub barman

But on cue, they launched into a rendition of I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles, West Ham's trademark song, and started fighting.

The brawl spilled outside and, after a wall was demolished, bricks were thrown.

A dozen police officers who were on patrol outside the pub managed to control the trouble and made four arrests.

Inspector Martin Webster of Dorset said Tuesday night's trouble had been well-organised on the part of West Ham hooligans.

He said the men were dressed in designer clothing.

Insp Webster said: "Normally with these sort of things we get some sort of prior warning from a network of football intelligence-led police officers.

"But we received no information even though it appeared to be very well organised on the part of the fans from London.

"They hired a coach specifically to drive them from London to Bournemouth. They liaised with each other beforehand as they were not wearing their teams' colours.

"It appears the Cardiff supporters did not arrange to meet them.

"They came here to have a few drinks and then watch the football. On the whole they were well behaved.

"But at around 7pm between 35 and 50 people got off the coach and went to the Queens Park pub."

A barman at the pub said: "A coach load from London pulled up and came in and started mingling and acting as normal punters.

"Then a few minutes later they started singing I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles, and with that all hell broke loose.

"It was absolute chaos with people with blood down their faces. It spilled outside and the fighting carried on."

'Absolute chaos'

Four coach loads of Cardiff fans and other supporters in cars had travelled down for the game, including children on half term holidays.

Gwyn Davies of the Valleys Rams supporters' club said there was "pandemonium" in the pub.

"About 20 or 30 West Ham fans burst in - a few others had been at the bar beforehand.

Chelsea FC - West Ham Utd - Carling Cup - 27/10/2004

Source : SPORTINGLIFE.COM

There was trouble at a Carling Cup match for the second successive night as West Ham fans clashed with police after their 1-0 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Police in riot gear were confronted by visiting supporters in a corner section of the ground 10 minutes after the final whistle.

Fans fought with officers and Chelsea supporters and it took 15 minutes for order to be restored.

During the match, the scorer of Chelsea's goal, Mateja Kezman, was forced to leave the field for treatment to a head injury caused by a missile, believed to be a coin, which appeared to be thrown from a section of West Ham fans.

Scotland Yard said later there had been 11 arrests for alleged public order, drugs and offensive weapon offences.

Millwall FC - Liverpool FC - Cup - 27/10/2004

Source : sportinglife.com

The trouble followed violence during the second half of Tuesday night's match between Millwall and Liverpool at the New Den, when a section of away fans tried to charge into the home end.

Security chiefs there said 68 seats were ripped out and two supporters from either side ejected.

Millwall fans had allegedly taunted the away supporters by chanting "Hillsborough" and "You should have all died at Hillsborough".

They were also claimed to have chanted "There's only one Boris Johnson", a reference to the Conservative MP and editor of the Spectator magazine who was last week forced to apologise for publishing derogatory comments about Liverpudlians and their role in the Hillsborough disaster, which claimed 96 lives.

Millwall chairman Theo Paphitis said no Hillsborough chants were clearly audible to the majority of people in the ground, and the trouble was caused by a Liverpool fan in the home end.

He said: "Naturally, if any such chanting did occur it is deplorable and in the worst possible taste, in the same way as that relating to the Munich disaster directed at Manchester United supporters by Liverpool fans, amongst others, in the past.

"Having studied the CCTV footage, our belief is that the catalyst for the trouble was a Liverpool fan, who had bought a ticket in the west stand from a tout, launching an attack on a Millwall supporter which led to a fracas.

"The Liverpool fans behind the goal then began throwing missiles and ripping up seats."

Liverpool won the match 3-0.

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Fans clash over 'disaster taunts'

Source : BBC news

Liverpool fans said the trouble during the Carling Cup tie at the New Den, south London, started after "sickening" chants about the 1989 disaster.

It is claimed that the Millwall fans shouted "You should have all died at Hillsborough" to the away fans.

But Millwall chairman Theo Paphitis said his club's fans were "no problem".

A total of 95 supporters were crushed to death at Sheffield's Hillsborough stadium during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in April 1989.

It is believed the Millwall fans also chanted "There's only one Boris Johnson", at Tuesday's match, in reference to the Conservative MP and editor of the Spectator magazine.

He apologised last week for publishing derogatory comments about Liverpudlians, claiming they were "wallowing" in their "victim status".

The FA says it is to investigate the trouble at the match.

Phil Hammond, chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said it would have been difficult to turn the other cheek.

He added: "It is sickening to use something which took 96 lives as a way of winding people up.

"The Liverpool fans shouldn't have reacted in the way they did, but it is easy to say that when you are not there.

Disabled fan injured

"People in that crowd last night may well have been at Hillsborough or lost loved ones there, so it is understandable if they find it difficult to turn the other cheek."

Seats were thrown from the upper tier of the stand containing Liverpool supporters, while fans in the lower tier of the away end rushed towards their Millwall counterparts and riot police were required to quell the damage.

A disabled fan was injured at the perimeter of the pitch as supporters in the Liverpool end poured forward.

Two fans from each side were ejected from the ground.

Millwall chairman Mr Paphitis told BBC Sport: "There was absolutely no problem with Millwall supporters at the game.

'Crossed the line'

"Of course what happened is never good to see in the stands but it was from the Liverpool end and there was no problem with the Millwall fans."

Les Lawson, of the Official Liverpool Supporters' Group, claimed the Millwall fans had "crossed the line of acceptable banter".

He added: "No-one minds a bit of banter, but to insult the dead is crossing the line of what's acceptable."

But Joe Broadfoot of the unofficial Millwall fans' group The Lions Trust denied there had been any chants.

He said: "I did not hear a single chant about Hillsborough or Boris Johnson.

"I've spoken to friends who were sat at various places around the ground and they didn't hear anything like that either."

Liverpool went on to beat Millwall 3-0.

Azerbaijan - England - 13/10/2004

Source : BBC Sport

Stoke City - Burnley - 09/10/2004

Source : YouTube

Feyenoord - Hearts - 21/10/2004

Source : Feyenoord website

Troubles in town center.

Leeds United - Preston North End - 16/10/2004

Source : YouTube