Crowd trouble at the Everton match, October 18th

[ds]

Well said Gus and Rebel!

I too find spitting disgusting but what about your fans picking on scarfers, families and children outside the ground?

[SWLGooner]

Well said Gus and Rebel!

I too find spitting disgusting but what about your fans picking on scarfers, families and children outside the ground?

Yep, very true. I am 2 of the 3 and had some trouble INSIDE and saw exactly what you said OUTSIDE!

[Martin Hayes]

I can't help feeling that some of you are missing the point...

Ian posted as he was very disappointed with the fans behaviour, but more aggrieved with the lack of protection he and his son were given.

Whether or not Everton fans behaved moronically on the way to the game does not detract from his point. The Arsenal 'fans' who spat, the Everton fans who who attacked people, and the stewards who failed to do their job are all at fault.

Ian should not be told to "f**k off", since he is not responsible for the aggressive behaviour of others, in the same way that I am not responsible for those who spat.

And as far as spitting improving the atmosphere is concerned, if someone spat at you, you would not walk away feeling that such an incident "added to the matchday experience"...

[g88ner]

Well said Gus and Rebel!

I too find spitting disgusting but what about your fans picking on scarfers, families and children outside the ground?

The incidents are seperate, and doesn't make spitting on people below you any more justified.

[gus ceasar is a legend]

Quite simply Martin they should get their own house in order before complaining about others!

His lot cause shit wherever they go and so if he doesn't like it simply stop going!

Spitting is foul but in comparrison to what Everton get up to it is nothing!

[Tomo]

I am not an Arsenal fan. I have registered with Online Gooner in order to register a complaint about the quality of the stewarding at one section of the Emirates on October 18th, and to warn of potential problems in future.
I supported Everton as a boy but have lived in London for more than 30 years. On the 18th I went to the Emirates with my 11-year-old son, and we sat among the visiting fans in Row 19, almost behind the goal (about five seats from the barrier between the two sets of fans) and, critically, just below the second tier.
Shortly after Arsenal's equaliser, we started being spat upon. Someone spat on the top of my head; my son had spittle running down the side of his face; people on either side of me, in front of me and behind me all complained to the stewards that we were being spat upon. In all, scores of people were being spat upon, maybe more. Why an equaliser should prompt that sort of behaviour, I don't understand, but it did.
The stewards, as far as I can tell, did nothing: certainly no effective action could have been taken, because the spitting continued, on and off, for around 20 minutes. A man sitting to my right - a barrister - complained to the stewards and was told that he should calm down. To my left were sitting a middle-aged Frenchman and his wife, who was visibly distressed. A few people left - perhaps I should have done too but, having spent £68, I wanted to stay and enjoy the game, and at each moment I assumed that the stewards were about to put a stop to it.
The small number of yobs who were spitting from above realised that no action was going to be taken to stop them, and so they began hanging over the tier, spitting and then grinning at their victims - so it would have been a simple matter for the stewards to identify the perpetrators.
Inevitably, I and and everyone around me became quite enraged. There are few experiences more repugnant than being spat upon, and to be denied any effective protection was very frustrating. Some pushing and shoving developed between Everton fans and stewards, that became a scrap, and suddenly my son and I were in the middle of the sort of situation that I have not witnessed in a British ground for around 20 years.
I should emphasis that the real problem was not the spitting - if you get 60,000 people together there will always be some who will behave like animals - but the response of the stewards: they did nothing about the spitters, and then regarded the complainants as creating a problem. I have attended football matches in Kabul and Harare where the stewarding was of a higher quality.
There are two points I want to make.
The first is to point out that if this sort of behaviour is allowed to continue, then serious crowd problem will surely follow. Either Arsenal gets a grip on this sort of conduct now, or someone will get seriously hurt, and at that point the police and the game's authorities may start to wonder whether the Emirates has a serious design fault.
The second is more personal. I have always told my son that Arsenal is a great club with an illustrious history, and that its owners are (largely) respectable people. I have also told him that it currently has a very smart manager with fantastic young players playing wonderful football. We live south of the river, but I would have been quite happy for him to announce himself to be a Gooner.
Yesterday he was confused and very frightened. He has been to 20-odd premiership matches, and never endured anything like that. On the way home, I asked whether he wanted to go to a football match again. He said that he would. He added that he never wanted to go to the Emirates again.

Frankly, fuck off with your whinges!

You caused shit on the trains down and there was grief last night again at Euston with your mugging c**ts the ring leaders!

I have not even read your post as before you moan about others you need to look closer to home!

[Wayno]

I'm all for hurling abuse at the opposition within the ground but spitting on kids is pretty fucking low. I don't doubt the reports on here of scousers causing trouble outside of the ground but that doesn't make gobbing on littluns right

[gus ceasar is a legend]

You are right Wayno it doesn't but it smacks of double standards when this guy complains about Arsenal fans behaviour!

:awnker:

[Martin Hayes]

...so we tell a family man, father to a potential Gooner, not to attend matches if he doesn't enjoy being spat at. Nice to see community spirit is alive and well at our illustrious club.

This kind of behaviour, plus any defence of it, will prevent fathers or mothers from wanting to take their children to matches. My daughter is a long way from that, but I'd like to think that she'd never experience being spat at.

It may be the case that Everton have a history of poor behaviour, but you cannot condemn someone like Ian because of it, otherwise we are all guilty of every single misdemeanour ever perpetrated in the name of The Arsenal.

[gus ceasar is a legend]

...so we tell a family man, father to a potential Gooner, not to attend matches if he doesn't enjoy being spat at. Nice to see community spirit is alive and well at our illustrious club.

This kind of behaviour, plus any defence of it, will prevent fathers or mothers from wanting to take their children to matches. My daughter is a long way from that, but I'd like to think that she'd never experience being spat at.

It may be the case that Everton have a history of poor behaviour, but you cannot condemn someone like Ian because of it, otherwise we are all guilty of every single misdemeanour ever perpetrated in the name of The Arsenal.

Oh grow up!

I sat on a train whilst a scouser was waving his cock at a few old dears on a day out to London asking them if they wantes to make a few quid! Do I sign up to an Everton site to complain about their conduct?

Like I said, no spitting is not right but when you go away with the club that causes shit wherever it goes you have little if any right to complain!

[dorset_gooner]

Interesting topic this, I have to say that spitting on somebody is unacceptable in any walk of life

However, it does seem that people have forgotten what happens at loads of football matches week in week out all over the country - fans trading with each other, be it physical or just a bit of banter this is what football has alwayd attracted.

I have been to around 60 grounds in this country from prem to league two and have experienced lots of horrible things, and been treated like shit by stewards/police in a variety of situations even if its not you that is personally responsible. Football attracts some morons, no matter what colour shirt they have on.

In general, it does seem fair to say that away fans are more likely to get the rough end of the stick whereas home fans can take the piss a bit more inside the ground.

I am not displeased that the Emirates is starting to get a bit of banter going on and that not everyone wants to eat a hotdog and sit in absolute silence. For me the majority of my trips to our ground have been pretty sterile. Football should stir the passions and sometimes the herd mentality kicks in and people do stupid things. As long as those people realise that they are responsible for their own actions and also in some ways represent Arsenal FC then the line is clear to see and they will get what is coming to them as CCTV will always win!

It would be great to think that all of this aggression/passion could be positively turned into making our home an intimidating place to come to in the respect that the noise levels are cranked up and we drown away fans out whilst having a bit of a crack with them etc rather than scaring kids by spitting and throwing objects.

[ds]

Well said Gus and Rebel!

I too find spitting disgusting but what about your fans picking on scarfers, families and children outside the ground?

The incidents are seperate, and doesn't make spitting on people below you any more justified.

When did I say spitting was acceptable??

[gus ceasar is a legend]

Well said Gus and Rebel!

I too find spitting disgusting but what about your fans picking on scarfers, families and children outside the ground?

The incidents are seperate, and doesn't make spitting on people below you any more justified.

When did I say spitting was acceptable??

I have heard that DS doesn't spit........................

[g88ner]

Well said Gus and Rebel!

I too find spitting disgusting but what about your fans picking on scarfers, families and children outside the ground?

The incidents are seperate, and doesn't make spitting on people below you any more justified.

When did I say spitting was acceptable??

You didn't.

[ds]

Well said Gus and Rebel!

I too find spitting disgusting but what about your fans picking on scarfers, families and children outside the ground?

The incidents are seperate, and doesn't make spitting on people below you any more justified.

When did I say spitting was acceptable??

I have heard that DS doesn't spit........................

, I look forward to meeting you again Mr I'm so brave behind a computer screen