Banging our heads against a Millwall

So we were given a flashback to the violent 80’s this week. Some bloggers have commented that ‘they’ve not enjoyed an atmosphere like that for years’. We hosted the infamous inter-city firm last Friday, and intimidation was the order of the day. It’s easy just to be dismissive of their behavior, however, there were elements of their support that made me envious. The camoradary spirit is second to none and their vocal support is an amazing carcophony of noise. There’s a few things have been said in the press by commentators who’ve been into the game for 5 minutes and think they’ve got all the answers. Needless to say I’ve not agreed with any. So here are my unique and slightly controversial thoughts on the matter. For starters I’ve always found football is a very tribal affair. In a multi-cultural society, it’s challenging for your average Caucasian male to find an identity that makes him stand out. Your average hooligan is unlikely to be accepted into the local yacht club!

To feel a sense of belonging and purpose they pledge their allegiance to a football side. This gives them the opportunity to become part of a unique family. This is one of the best things about supporting a team. I’ve been going to the hall for 16 years and in that time I’ve met some great characters. For me though I’ll always have things I’ll want to do outside of football. Some individuals will live and die for their team which is excellent if they focus their energy correctly. Too many of the Millwall fans want to focus their energy on violence. Part of the problem is the reputation that Millwall has gained for itself. Every new generation of fans will feel obliged to ensure that Millwall’s bite is as bad as its bark.

The most upsetting thing about football violence is when innocent people that are there purely to enjoy football are caught up in the violence. I’ve never been to a ground where there wasn’t a section of the crowd that was there purely to fight someone. These groups have been meeting each other for years under the radar meeting at venues to have their punch-ups. This is an ideal solution for all concerned as long as the venues are somewhere where innocent people are unlikely to be. Any team whose fans try to bring this violence into the ground should be docked points or have their fans banned from away grounds. Too often we’re seeing the same away fans getting away with murder at grounds because the authorities are afraid to act.

So what’s been happening on the pitch I hear you ask. Well, Millwall was 0-0 and we lost at Swindon yesterday. You’ll find more professional match reports out there than I could give. Besides at the Millwall game, I spent 90 minutes watching my back. An amusing incident did take place in the East bank though. One of the Southend youth players is a Millwall fan (and very unprofessional) and got a whack for his over-exuberant support of the opposition. Only at Roots Hall ladies and gentlemen!