Opinion: fighting Port Vale fans should be banned for life

[Lornelounger]

I've stood near these ****** on some away games and shaken my head in disbelief at their actions. They really are not fans of football or the Vale, whatever anyone says about distance travelled and money paid to watch a game - most of the ones I've seen can't tell you anything about the club, the players, or anything about the game itself, because they spend all of it hurling abuse at the opposition fans. I was at Cheltenham a couple of seasons back where a group of these idiots didn't even realise when we had scored, because they had their backs to the game provoking opposition fans. They just want to travel to cause trouble, because it gives them a buzz and puts them in the spotlight for the first time in their sad little lives. They have chosen this activity because it makes them feel hard. They are usually pissed or drugged or both, though worryingly, not always.

 

The club need to work really closely with the police on this one and get these people away from the club permanently. We have CCTV and can identify them. Like other posters on here, I know women and children who used to follow the club but won't come any more because of this sort of hostility - and they are not shrinking violets either, but quite used to the hurley burley of being on the terraces. They are just sick and tired of the thuggish behaviour, and find it easier to stay away. They won't come back until the club are seen to take firm action.

 

I really believe, like other posters here, that if we can get back to being a family club and remove this threatening behaviour, our crowds would go up again in the long run. The fan base at present is way too narrow from what I see, not enough youngsters or women, and we will not get young ones though the turnstiles if their parents do not feel safe on or around the ground. We are losing a generation of Vale fans if we are not careful - not just because of the hooligan problem, but partly because of it. They change the whole vibe of the club, and it is a great club, and we need to promote our reputation. When I was first taken to the Vale in the late 1960s, anyone behaving in an anti-social manner on the terraces was soon shown the door.

 

The reputation we now have with so many other clubs, where we used to be respected as a friendly bunch, is not good. We are now reviled by lots of clubs because of the actions of a gormless minority, though thankfully, the fans I speak to accept that it is a minority thing. Put these turds on litter picking at 3pm every Saturday until they find something else to do. Name them, make it clear that their behaviour is not going to be tolerated, keep calling them out, and let the silent majority help the police and stewards get them away from our club. We can't just let them keep doing it. We get charged a lot by the police for policing our games, so it is time they hauled a few away and sent a message. We should also work with police forces at away games so they can intercept those concerned and escort them as far away from football as possible. Once they have spent a whole day going to Grimsby to be intercepted, sat in a car park for a couple of hours, and put on a train home, they will get the message - hopefully. It saddens me immensely that if, heaven forbid we do get relegated out of the league, a lot of teams will breathe a sigh of relief that they don't have to have our idiot minority in their town centres and grounds on match days in future. We ought to be better than that.

[Aussie Rules]

The main reason my wife won't come to games with me or allow me to take our young son to matches is because of the pondlife she witnessed 'supporting' our club at Bury a few years back.

 

I take my elderly mother to matches sometimes but have to pick and choose because of the thick meatheads that cause trouble at certain games.

 

Not a few years back Mr H, but the 3rd September, 2016. Sadly, as you and many others witnessed, the trouble makers took their loutish behaviour onto the streets and public transport of Manchester.

[onestepatatime]

Like many others, my wife, a season ticket holder will not attend away games with me. She has been appalled at some of the loutish behaviour witnessed visiting many other grounds.

 

I attend many away fixtures, as I still love Vale and frankly enjoy a beer or two with the locals at most away games and the experience of a day out supporting my club still gives me a thrill, even at my age!

 

I will not be hounded out by a very small number of idiots that are in no way Vale fans. I realise that this relatively small gang of lunatics may attend some fixtures purely to fight, goad away fans and generally ruin every one else's day. They also may drag into their midst some genuine fans on any day who may "get carried away with the mob culture" that makes them believe they are "hard."

 

However as an individual I like to think I can sense such vile atmospheres and the onset of trouble most of the time and accordingly remove myself from that area as quickly as possible. There are thousands like me who are there simply to support their Club. Yes, I've been in situations whereby as an individual, I have attempted to stop such idiotic fighting or likelihood of trouble but as any one would appreciate "the mob rule" ensures that common sense goes out of the window and if you don't stand down in such times then you are likely to have your own body attacked, irrelevant of whether you are a "fan" of the same Club or not.

 

Vale are not alone with this age old problem. I am surprised that in this day and age of technology and intelligence that Clubs do not have the full and correct equipment to video or photograph such violent occurrences. I have been to many away games when fans have been subjected to police/stewards videoing fans before, during and after games so surely there ought to be ample evidence to remove these unwanted yobs and take them to court? It has to be fact, surely, that every ground /police/stewards have the capacity to provide the evidence needed to rid the game of these people?

 

We could go on and on about this cancer in football. Admittedly over the years it has subsided somewhat but it has never fully been eradicated. In the meantime especially in view of Saturday's episodes, Clubs will suffer with decreasing numbers of people attending matches for fear of violence, bad behaviour etc.

 

Was it not one of Smurthwaite's initial promises(ha ha!) that we were to become a "family orientated Club" to attract women, children etc to the fold of hard core Valiants? Yet another load of hot air I'm afraid to say. Sad.

[Santa]

Was it not one of Smurthwaite's initial promises(ha ha!) that we were to become a "family orientated Club" to attract women, children etc to the fold of hard core Valiants? Yet another load of hot air I'm afraid to say. Sad.

I think it's called 'Fan Experience'. Wildes brought a company to work on improving it, then Smurthwaite took over and decided not to pay them.

[Trampilot]

If you want to build a fan base you have to provide an attractive atmosphere and product.

 

A few posts here say they shouldnt be banned for life - I ask you this, would you repeatidly invite someone into your home or place of business and then allow them to trash it? Or threaten and shout obscenities at your friends, family and neighbours?

 

I wouldnt.

 

Ban them for life. Then inform the FA and League and get them banned from every other ground too. A dwindling fan base will only get worse if the impression of the club is one that allows idiots to prosper over those who go to support the team.

[old sage]

I believe that there has been a massive over reaction to what went on on Saturday. I for one never felt in the slightest bit threatened and I walked to and away from the ground on my own.

 

If the truth be known it was their goalie who wound up their fans by racing right up to them in the paddock. They clambered on to the pitch and started acting like macho men and a number of people in our end tried to get on the pitch to join in.

 

Unwisely the gates of both sections were opened and the have a go 'warriors' confronted each other but no innocent fans were involved as they were still inside the ground awaiting the restart of the game.

 

To me it was in truth a storm in a teacup which has been massively hyped up by the media.

[beasty77]

This is getting silly now. Youll never stop fans wanting a ruck with fellow fans. But banning them for life? Really..Good job Pope wasnt banned from playing football when he got in a ruck up Hanley a few years ago..

[PV1973]

I believe that there has been a massive over reaction to what went on on Saturday. I for one never felt in the slightest bit threatened and I walked to and away from the ground on my own.

 

If the truth be known it was their goalie who wound up their fans by racing right up to them in the paddock. They clambered on to the pitch and started acting like macho men and a number of people in our end tried to get on the pitch to join in.

 

Unwisely the gates of both sections were opened and the have a go 'warriors' confronted each other but no innocent fans were involved as they were still inside the ground awaiting the restart of the game.

 

To me it was in truth a storm in a teacup which has been massively hyped up by the media.

I disagree completely and it doesn't matter if you didn't feel threatened by it because I was a few rows from it and people were visibly scared by it all. It was ugly and got uglier with them running outside and into that little tarmac courtyard area and out the gates.

[Family Stand Terrier]

People saying, ban them for life don't understand how these things work. Courts can ban people from football for a period of time, 10 years is the most I've ever seen. That's a banning order, that includes all football matches in this country, and all England matches home and abroad. In the main, these are effective during the period of the ban, but I'm not sure how effective they are in preventing people re offending. If lifetime banning orders are to come into force, it would be a much higher authority that gives courts that power, nothing to do with the Vale.

 

All Vale can do is ban people from Vale Park, which I think is a matter of course. If people get a court banning order, I'm sure the club automatically bans them from Vale Park for life. It's simply a token gesture, that the club simply don't have the resource or inclination to police. Anyone subject to such a ban from Vale, that subsequently attends a match wouldn't be committing a criminal offence. I know people that have been banned for life by Vale numerous times, that still go now.

 

Basically, it's not as straight forward as saying, I'd ban them for life.

[Howjy04]

I believe that there has been a massive over reaction to what went on on Saturday. I for one never felt in the slightest bit threatened and I walked to and away from the ground on my own.

 

If the truth be known it was their goalie who wound up their fans by racing right up to them in the paddock. They clambered on to the pitch and started acting like macho men and a number of people in our end tried to get on the pitch to join in.

 

Unwisely the gates of both sections were opened and the have a go 'warriors' confronted each other but no innocent fans were involved as they were still inside the ground awaiting the restart of the game.

 

To me it was in truth a storm in a teacup which has been massively hyped up by the media.

 

 

So a player can’t celebrate a last min

 

equaliser with his own fans for fear of a ruck involving 2 sets of pansies,stewards and police?Polite applause only in future folks.Woe betide any player running over to Vale fans when safety has been clinched,with a last minute goal.

[Tomo]

I'm completely against any of this sort of behaviour, & have expressed it numerous times elsewhere, however even I don't agree with an automatic life ban for all.

 

Some of the people who take part (not all) in this kind of activity are quite young, & end up being taken under the wing of older fans who should know better. To give them a life ban would not only remove them as a fan permanently, but also the possibilty of their next generation coming to watch us somewhere down the line.

 

I think it would be a much better idea to dish out 2-5 year bans dependant on age, as this might just encourage/allow them to grow up a bit, & result in better behaviour. If they're anywhere between 16-25, chances are they could easily fall in with a better crowd, or even have a complete personality change within that time period. However, if it appears that any are (or become) repeat offenders, then I agree that a life ban is probably the best solution.

[LancyTony]

That's it, trim the fan base a bit more.

/QUOTE]

 

These are a section of the fan base we can afford to lose!

 

Maybe, if we get rid of these numpties families would feel safer coming to matches? Also, at some point, their actions will directly bring about a financial penalty of some sort, either a fine or the possibility of having to play behind closed doors?

[LancyTony]

...Maybe I'm soft. Maybe I'm just not stupid enough to realise that at football games is completely moronic.

 

You are neither soft nor stupid! We should be going to football matches to watch the games and support our team. If you want to watch fighting - go to a boxing match. If you want to take part and fight - join a boxing club or martial arts school. It isn't rocket science.

[LancyTony]

...You don't even get life for murder in this country...

 

Pretty sure there is a difference between life in jail for murder, and a life ban from football grounds for gross stupidity and selfishness?

[LancyTony]

People saying, ban them for life don't understand how these things work...

 

I think the life ban would be from Vale Park, which would be possible with some effort. But short-term bans do not deter from recurrence in the future...it is barely a slap on the wrist, and is similar to the punishment from other areas - not sufficient to be a deterrent.