Paralympic Brentford fan attacked at Bramall Lane

[ss1953]

Not a good advert for Sheffield United

http://www.uxbridgegazette.co.uk/west-london-news/local-uxbridge-news/2013/04/18/eastcote-paralympian-attacked-by-football-fans-113046-33195596/

[the vicar]

The man should be ashamed of himself and when caught should be jailed and never set foot in a sports venue ever again its something a child would do not a full grown man of 40 yrs old

[donnyallday]

Bramall lanes not a sports venue, its a drop in centre. 

[andysly]

Not great from Blades fans.
But "the wheelchair tennis player was attacked while walking down the stairs"????

[RedJ]

Not great from Blades fans.
But "the wheelchair tennis player was attacked while walking down the stairs"????

Might be mobile enough to walk - does he have crutches - but not enough to play able bodied tennis.

[RobTheRover]

Quite a few of the wheelchair basketball squad are able to walk.  Just because they do their sport of choice in a wheelchair doesnt mean they arent able bodied enough to walk when required.

[andysly]

Getting away from the main point but its a bit rough on the wheelchair bound that able bodied people plonk themselves in a chair and play basketball or am I missing something.

[nice one rovers]

Getting away from the main point but its a bit rough on the wheelchair bound that able bodied people plonk themselves in a chair and play basketball or am I missing something.

Assuming that this is not a wind-up. You're helping to make us look like uneducated and insensitive arseholes. Come to Yorkshire. Sheffield fans'll Kick the disabled and then the Donny fans'll insult you.

You are definitely missing something.

Not least, the fact that he's a Tennis Player.

[German Rover]

Donny fans aren't much better, I was on crutches at the york game at the beginning of the season with a broken foot, when as I was leaving someone kicked my foot in the cast tried to push my crutches away and said I was in the way and shouldn't be there. I complained to the stewards but the coward ran away sharpish.  Every club has them, arseholes!

[Boomstick]

Unbelievable, typical of the sheffield clubs. Like use bully tactics when they have a numerical advantage, but when it's even they don't want to know. It's one of the many reasons I can't stand sheffield.

[IDM]

Boomstick, read the previous post, every club has its fair share of tossers.

No one should be attacked at a football match, regardless of disability or not.  Of course the media will make more of it if the victim is disabled, but even so, leave the mindless violence away from our grounds please...

[andysly]

Getting away from the main point but its a bit rough on the wheelchair bound that able bodied people plonk themselves in a chair and play basketball or am I missing something.

Assuming that this is not a wind-up. You're helping to make us look like uneducated and insensitive arseholes. Come to Yorkshire. Sheffield fans'll Kick the disabled and then the Donny fans'll insult you.

You are definitely missing something.

Not least, the fact that he's a Tennis Player.

Not a wind up in the slightest, and I'm not talking about the lad getting attacked either. Nor am I being insensitive towards the disabled, rather than that it was defending them.
I was just asking if it was actually fair on the wheelchair bound if more able bodied people could take over their sport (my mistake its basketball not tennis).

Not once did I condone the actions of a Sheffield idiot.

[Belle-Vue-Ghost]

At the end of the day whether the fan is disabled or not its still an absolute disgrace.  Why should someone be punched in the face bacause of who they support or because of the outcome of a game between two sides.  Some people need to take a bit of a look at themselves.  I cant stand Leeds but I'd never dream of actually punching someone because they were a Leeds fan and they'd beat us in a game.

[andysly]

Some people would want to fight if you said you preferred Emmerdale to Coronation Street, there will always be Neanderthals. 

[Ealing Bee]

Getting away from the main point but its a bit rough on the wheelchair bound that able bodied people plonk themselves in a chair and play basketball or am I missing something.

Assuming that this is not a wind-up. You're helping to make us look like uneducated and insensitive arseholes. Come to Yorkshire. Sheffield fans'll Kick the disabled and then the Donny fans'll insult you.

You are definitely missing something.

Not least, the fact that he's a Tennis Player.

Not a wind up in the slightest, and I'm not talking about the lad getting attacked either. Nor am I being insensitive towards the disabled, rather than that it was defending them.
I was just asking if it was actually fair on the wheelchair bound if more able bodied people could take over their sport (my mistake its basketball not tennis).

Not once did I condone the actions of a Sheffield idiot.

Dunno Andy myself, but a two minute Google revealed this:

"Lapthorne has cerebral palsy, and is confined to a wheelchair. He can walk for limited periods, but not very far and the condition has left him unable to straighten his arms fully."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lapthorne

Here is a comment from a Bees website:
"The old missus saw him just after he had come round. He wasn't in his chair but walking out of the ground with his friends when this guy lumped him. They tried to protect him and then the thug started on them too before legging it. He was totally dazed n had to be held up by a police officer, his face was all cut. Police n medics took him back into the ground to assist him but the Police said they were very confident the thug would be caught as the CCTV is excellent outside the ground and at either end if the road."
Also, according to another comment from someone who knows him, it is pretty obvious that his mobility is restricted, which makes this assault particularly low.

Anyhow, despite losing consciousness briefly, from his subsequent Twitter comments, Andy seems to be a resilient lad:
"@lapstar11: Hi guys, I know a lot of you have some idea of the incidents that happened last night with #SUFC 'fans' I'm ok cuts and bruises was knocked,"
 "@lapstar11: Out for a matter of seconds, im all good..... Violence at football has to stop attacking innocent people for no reason is wrong."
 "@lapstar11: Big thanks to the medical staff at #sufc who came to my aid and sorted my injuries. Well done to the bees and Peter gillum. #bfc"