villa v Birmingham

[roversdude]

As long as we don’t go back to being herded into pens

[Donnywolf]

The idiot involved will surely go down, lose his job and possibly his family.

The club should face a big fine or ground closure and a warning regarding future problems.

They shouldn't face a points deduction because of the actions of one idiot. If it happens again, then maybe.

The FA must make a huge stance on this because it needs stamping out. The last thing I want to see his 6' fences around the perimeter again.

Well said 1879 - the incident was appalling and the bloke should get everything coming to him BUT you were the first one I think to mention the dreaded fences

The connection to Hillsbotrough is there as those of us that lived through the run up and the tragedy itself will well remember. This is exactly the sort of behaviour (accessing the Pitch that is) that was commonplace and opposing Fans "baited" each other routinely both in and outside the Ground.

It was a HORRIBLE way to watch Football - running the gauntlet when you were travelling to or from Games - watching your back outside Grounds or inside Grounds. It led to clans / gangs / tribes of fans as a safety in numbers thing and as I say it was HORRIBLE - you hid Scarves and anything else that marked you as "opposition" as well

I hoped those days had gone and nothing gives me a greater "kick" than seeing Fans of whichever Team walking round in their replica Kits - Scarves Hats etc talking like Saturday like civil human beings to Fans of the opposition in their Club House - because we ae essentially the same. People with a love of football who happen to support different Teams usually based on our geographical locations

To me that is special - something I could personally never do and I dont ever want to see a return to those days either with fences penning people in or people being unable to walk around freely wherever they want with whatever Shirt they want to wear whenever they want.

Get this sorted now please as believe me you would not like the alternative one little bit. Lots of us on here have lived through that gloom and we dont want to go back there EVER

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a premeditated attack, rather than a spontaneous act fuelled by alcohol. The moron has probably won a bet after seeking his 5 minutes of fame that he knew would be filmed,  appear on TV and be preserved on Social Media. He's carved his place in history and probably sees it as an achievement!

Punishing the rest of the fans is not the right way forward.

[Bristol Red Rover]

Hysteria abounds with this. Fines, points deductions, games behind closed doors. Does that really help anyone when this happens at nearly every club every week albeit without the pitch invader punching someone? Why punish the club becasue the pitch invader punched someone, how is that any different to when someone gets on the pitch to celebrate.

By all means hammer the individual. Work out ways of preventing people getting on the pitch - netting sound wise fro a safety point of view.

And look at our f&cked up culture in general. We're all responsible for buying into a system that creates this kind of behaviour.

[Donnywolf]

Agreed - especially with the last sentence !

[RoversAlias]

Hysteria abounds with this. Fines, points deductions, games behind closed doors. Does that really help anyone when this happens at nearly every club every week albeit without the pitch invader punching someone? Why punish the club becasue the pitch invader punched someone, how is that any different to when someone gets on the pitch to celebrate.

By all means hammer the individual. Work out ways of preventing people getting on the pitch - netting sound wise fro a safety point of view.

And look at our f&cked up culture in general. We're all responsible for buying into a system that creates this kind of behaviour.

How is it different? Well, it's rather simple - people running on to celebrate are not attempting to harm anyone. This bloke has run onto the pitch with the sole intention of hurting Jack Grealish. He goes out onto the pitch to play a game of football and, in essence, entertain the paying fans. He nor anyone else who puts themselves in that position does not deserve to be clobbered round the back of the head, it could have been a very serious incident if the idiot had had a "better" punch on him.

It is very different to what happens elsewhere when fans run onto the pitch to celebrate.

[LincsRover]

It’s also a major incident waiting to happen with all the yobs carrying knives nowadays - remember the Arantxia Sanchez stabbing a few years back just playing a game of tennis. I can definitely see some backward steps being taken in football to protect players from pond life like this, making us all suffer unless we do something to stamp it out.

Unfortunately there seems to be little idea how to stamp it out in general society, never mind the highly charged & passionate rivalries that exist in football. I wish I, or anyone actually, had some answers for this but it’s not a vote winner so politicians will continue to give it lip service until a player is killed or seriously injured and/or we go back to the bad old days of cages.

 

[johnny rovers]

Sick to the back teeth of the hard of thinking being involved in football. The thuggery in the concourses with their moronic chants. The lack of respect to other supporters, the not sitting down and behaving like a decent human being, the false exuberance when they're not even watching the game.

How on earth can someone who wants to stand at a football match be considered not a decent human being. Christ the lord

[BillyStubbsTears]

I'm wondering how devoid of meaning a life has to be, for you to get to the point where you think stumbling in front of TV cameras to demonstrate that you are a fat ugly Kitson who is unable to throw a punch seems like a step forward?

Me, I keep those failings well under wraps.

[Bristol Red Rover]

How is it different? Well, it's rather simple - people running on to celebrate are not attempting to harm anyone. This bloke has run onto the pitch with the sole intention of hurting Jack Grealish. He goes out onto the pitch to play a game of football and, in essence, entertain the paying fans. He nor anyone else who puts themselves in that position does not deserve to be clobbered round the back of the head, it could have been a very serious incident if the idiot had had a "better" punch on him.

It is very different to what happens elsewhere when fans run onto the pitch to celebrate.

I agree that someone going on the pitch with intent to harm is different, but I was meaning all a club can do is try to stop people getting on the pitch, they can't be held responsible for what someone does once they are on the pitch.

Searching before games may well be something that increases now, though that won't stop people carrying a fist or boot. Automatic bans for going on the pitch may come in, though there are times eg end of the season, after winning a massive game when that is arguably reasonable and part of the fun of footy - I'm now thinking this is sadly something that cannot be allowed any more.

The idea of nets is the best I've heard of as it means they would be more likely to be caught by stewards and at the same time won't effect crowd safety in the case of people needing to escape onto the pitch.

Heavy fines, community service, and even custody in some cases may make a difference though I expect that may take some law change to be effective in halting the running onto the pitch if someone hasn't committed an affray.

Someone mentioned above about one of our fans who has been on the pitch a few times including fronting up to a keeper one game and is still allowed in the ground. This is an instance where the club IS responsible for not banning or not enforcing that ban.

[normal rules]

Mitchell has been a blues sth for 20 years. He was there with his dad and did it for a “joke”.
He has reaped the rewards though. Staring down the barrel of a stretch inside. Banned for life from St. Andrews and his family have had to leave
Their house due to death threats.
Clever lad!

[normal rules]

14 weeks custody. He will be out after 5-7 of course.
If he is very unlucky, he will share a cell with a villa supporter.

[normal rules]

He can forget about any future family holidays to places like Florida also.  With a conviction for violence , he would not get a visa.
His family must be proud.

[MachoMadness]

Amusingly, the BBC news report pointed out with great relish his address, which is Cock Hill Lane in Worcestershire.

[Donnywolf]

Mitchell has been a blues sth for 20 years. He was there with his dad and did it for a “joke”.
He has reaped the rewards though. Staring down the barrel of a stretch inside. Banned for life from St. Andrews and his family have had to leave
Their house due to death threats.
Clever lad!

He deserves everything he got for that - we dont want to return to the dark days of fences and tribal Football fights

BUT              (see last sentence of BRR's Reply #39 above)       WHY do his family have to live in fear of being attacked ? They are probably innocent pawns in his stupid game ? They probably had no idea what he would do They probably did not contribute to his mind set in any way. They probably dont even like Football

Dish him a Jail term out - but leave them alone

[drfchound]

Mitchell has been a blues sth for 20 years. He was there with his dad and did it for a “joke”.
He has reaped the rewards though. Staring down the barrel of a stretch inside. Banned for life from St. Andrews and his family have had to leave
Their house due to death threats.
Clever lad!

He deserves everything he got for that - we dont want to return to the dark days of fences and tribal Football fights

BUT              (see last sentence of BRR's Reply #39 above)       WHY do his family have to live in fear of being attacked ? They are probably innocent pawns in his stupid game ? They probably had no idea what he would do They probably did not contribute to his mind set in any way. They probably dont even like Football

Dish him a Jail term out - but leave them alone

Wolfie, you should be mindful that the people who are threatening his family are the same kind of people who applauded the idiot fan as he was removed from the pitch.
As they say, you can’t educate pork.

[rich1471]

We need a solution an quick as this was the 3rd inciedent over the weekend alone how long will it be before someone gets really hurt or stabbed just for playing football they are just doing their job.

[Bristol Red Rover]

Presumably the Z logo on the back of his jacket when he went on the pitch is referencing "Zulus", or maybe I'm behind the times in logo knowledge.

I think 14 weeks and the fine is small fry, adding some long term community service would be apt, and the £100 compensation to Grealish is a mockery. Anyway, good that the whole thing was dealt with so swiftly.

[The Red Baron]

Personally I'd be happy to see him hanged, drawn and quartered. He's an arse and 14 weeks is not enough. However the Magistrates are constrained in how much they can sentence.

[Draytonian III]

Some d**kheads had started a Gofund collection to help pay the £100 he has to pay Jack Grealish, and another piece of scum has been trolling about Grealish’s younger brother who passed away as an infant, it’s beyond belief

[silent majority]

I think we should be very careful about over reacting to this particular incident. Whilst abhorrent it should be seen in isolation.

Arrests at football grounds are down by 50% over the last 7 years, pitch incursions are also down by the same amount. There has been a large and noticeable reduction in football related offences for quite some time so this incident has to be seen in that light.

If we overreact we will end up punishing the 99% of football fans who are innocent law abiding citizens. I listened to Talkshite radio this afternoon and they were certainly doing just that. They put forward the solution of netting because 'you can hardly see it on tv'. So typical. But if you've ever watched a game from behind netting you soon begin to realise this isn't the way forward.

[silent majority]

I think we should be very careful about over reacting to this particular incident. Whilst abhorrent it should be seen in isolation.

Arrests at football grounds are down by 50% over the last 7 years, pitch incursions are also down by the same amount. There has been a large and noticeable reduction in football related offences for quite some time so this incident has to be seen in that light.

If we overreact we will end up punishing the 99% of football fans who are innocent law abiding citizens. I listened to Talkshite radio this afternoon and they were certainly doing just that. They put forward the solution of netting because 'you can hardly see it on tv'. So typical. But if you've ever watched a game from behind netting you soon begin to realise this isn't the way forward.

Not sure I agree on netting.

I've been in some grounds where you hardly notice it all, yet in other grounds (Porto, to name one) it's horrendous.

So, you've just agreed with me?

[RoversAlias]

Well, he did say he wasn't sure...

[silent majority]

I just don't want it at all, end of. And as I've pointed out hooliganiam has dropped dramatically in recent years, there isn't an argument for the introduction of any further measures.

[dknward2]

For me the sentence is crap but as usual the judge is constrained by the law and guidelines something which needs to be looked at.

2nd no to the fences and netting and also no to that bullshit idea of having armed police if that ever happened that's me done with football.

As normal a minority is potentially spoiling it for the majority.

It's about time people stand up for what's right and decent in this country

[rich1471]

They had armed police at the Barnsley away game game this year , was surprised to see them, but you see armed police in shopping centres at times as well.

[silent majority]

They had armed police at the Barnsley away game game this year , was surprised to see them, but you see armed police in shopping centres at times as well.

They have armed Police at all SY games and have done for a couple of years.

[idler]

I wonder if they fire blanks like we have been lately.
Joking aside though I would imagine that the idiot will now be looking over his shoulder when he goes out. His face has been shown enough and there are bound to be Villa fans as well as City fans in the areas that he lives,works and drinks. I'm sure one or two will be waiting to have a cheap shot and a bit of notoriety.

[andyst79]

The ironic thing is the actual punch was pathetic & barely connected. It was the momentum of the weeble running into Grealish that knocked him over

[Bristol Red Rover]

Definitely not netting fences.

I was thinking of netting as being something between the top of the ad hoardings and the pitch, or raised on the ground. There to catch peoples feet if they tried to run, giving stewards enough time to react. Viable in some parts of grounds but in some grounds in some sections there wouldn't enough space. Still the best option IMO.