We all know the story.
Villa fans thought the whistle had gone and leapt onto the pitch to celebrate.
There was very little, if any animosity aimed at the Albion fans and it was all celebratory, from what I’ve seen.
But it was a high profile game shown on the Beeb and gave totally the wrong message to anyone watching, in that it’s ok to invade if you’ve won an important game.
Which would be fine, if it was just an important game.
As we all know, that particular game was, well, a game-changer for the club, one that, for me, massively contributed to the difference of us staying up or going down.
But donning a neutral cap, it’s not a good enough excuse.
While I totally believe the fans intentions were perfectly good and it was just pure celebration, I think, having had time to think about it, that it was an inflammatory action that actually provoked the Albion fans into their behaviour, that was actually way worse than ours.
My opinion says the Albion fans don’t really kick off in the way some of our other local fans do, is the point.
I understand that this might not be a popular opinion, but we have had some previous history this season.
We’d already been fined £100K for the Leicester game, a fine that had been increased after a previous £50k fine in an earlier game, that eludes me (Stoke?).
Don’t get me wrong.
I don’t blame the fans for this at all (apart from getting the timing wrong), but the fact that the game was shown live with the likes of Lawrenson saying it was a disgrace and practically the end of footy as we know it didn’t help.
Where were the stewards and police, who while I wouldn’t expect them to stop a full blown invasion, should surely have done better?
Penny pinching? Probably, given the fact that I actually got thrown out of VP for holding an unlit cigarette a while back (yes, it still wrankles, for those who remember the story. Pay peanuts, get monkeys).
Is that £200k actually a record?
I thought West Ham got the same for the fracas against Millwall, but don’t know for sure.
Summing up, yes, it’s a harsh fine, but are we really surprised, given that it’s the FA who handed it out?
They’ll happily sell their soul down the river and will do anything to pay off the stupid money that the unwanted Wembley cost.
I have the same opinion of those in charge of the FA, as they seemingly have for football supporters who are celebrating a win.
Honestly think we got that much because fans invaded before the final whistle, so fair enough.
However the following quote does stick in my throat –
‘West Brom boss Tony Pulis criticised the stewarding at Villa Park and said his players’ safety was in jeopardy.’
His players? Oh you mean the vicious thugs who were so scared they started assaulting Villa fans?
Just wondering how much McManaman and Morrison will get fined for assaulting Villa fans or has that all been forgotten?
It will be interesting to see what fines the fa hand out after the reading vs Bradford game when flares were thrown. Maybe not so high profile so lower fine?
Yep, totally forgotten, in the scheme of things, as that part wasn’t blindingly obvious.
Same as the behaviour of the albion fans that their club apologised for, iirc?
Already replied to Lanford about this on an earlier thread, but in summary my view is:
We’re very fortunate that the game wasn’t abandoned, ‘coz I don’t think we’d be looking forward to an FAC Final if it had been.
The fans’ behaviour was stupid. No Excuses.
The club’s stewarding was shown to be totally inadequate.
Currently the football columns are full of references to the 30th anniversary of the Bradford fire, the Heysel tragedy, and of course the ongoing revelations about Hillsborough; the FA can not be seen to tolerate a reappearance of the spectre of fan-invasions, especially at what are supposed to be top-class stadia like VP.
As police resources are withdrawn from games because of public spending cuts, football clubs will have no choice but to spend much,much more on employing/training/equiping stewards in future. I don’t expect that to be a problem for the EPL clubs, in fact it’s about time they took more responsibilty, but do worry about those clubs down the divisions, who haven’t got the same mega-revenue streams.
I think Villa have actually gotten-off quite lightly, and I’d almost bet that the FA will soon announce points deductions if it happens in future at a league game [now that could put a team down…]
* Sorry – typo – meant “Langfordvilla”
It sounds a lot but is only one weeks wages for half a dozen player combined. Don’t forget the invasion during the match was a genuine error by the fans. They thought tje final whistle had gone. Whatever the taunting, tje Baggies fans had no right to behabe like that and should also be punished, as should the players who hit a number of fans as they ran past.
as u say, it definitely wasn’t a repeat of the 1970’s and the hypocrisy of rhe pundits a few days later was the worst part of the whole event.
…what terrible typing! It is early I guess! 🙂
I notice Lawro has predicted 1-1 for tomorrow.
I’d take that now except I’ve got a sneaky feeling we might get all 3 points.
Crystal ball says – Soton 1 Villa 2
UTV
1-4 VILLA get in there the bladders told me. UTV
villa being fined and warned is fair.
but if you look at blackpool as an example they have had previous invasions, tennis balls thrown onto the pitch and then an invasion which caused game to be abadoned and fans trying to get to directors boxes.
where is there punishment?
oh and reading fan on pitch before game was finished then an invasion
And last night Bocca fans invaded the pitch and assaulted the River Plate players with flares, game abandoned..Slap on the wrist anyone?
Andrew – t.b.h I don’t think that there’s much worse they could do to Blackpool than the owners/club have already done themselves. Self-destruction of a once-proud name in English football history.
In reality the pitch invasion there [& I’d still describe it as ‘stupid’ – should’ve waited until after the whistle/players off] was simply a protest against the owners. If there had still been anything at stake – Blackpool were already relegated and the result didn’t affect anyone else, as far as I recall – then I reckon that the FA or Football League would have taken more drastic action: replay and/or points deduction/fines/etc.
As it is, Blackpool will probably be playing in a nearly-empty stadium down in the 3rd Division next season, assuming that they haven’t gone bust during the summer…
The fine is reasonable, the stewarding has to be better. A pitch invasion on the final whistle was planned and the club needs to do much better to prevent it. A few life bans for those they can identify would send the message.
Southampton have gone off the boil recently but the early start seems to boost the home team since its introduction, so I will go for a 2-2 draw.
So how do a couple of hundred or so stewards stop Thousands of fans running past them on the pitch. It’s impossible to stop determined fans running on
Oohah we stopped you in the 80s, plus’s you tried to take the goal post out the ground.
Hi all , yes very true that was down to bad stewardship plus’s police lack of awareness, them very same things like pitch invasion happened years ago, thing is police go outside around 10 or 15 minutes before the game ends, then its down to stewards, that should have never happen them stewards could see people going down the gangways and towards the pitch at an early part of the game. In my book chief steward and senior stewards should have done their job in blocking off that corner, when people see others getting away with it they follow. The club has now leant to re-act quicker, Badger sorry to hear your incident hope it wasn’t in my time?
Bill – agreed, it may take more stewards, which PL clubs can certainly afford, but on top of that I reckon it will need better training for the stewards, and more communication from the security people who are supposed to be monitoring the crowd on CCTV all the time.
The stewards should be doing what the police [-say they] do: i.e. spot the ringleaders early, and take them out. The rest of the would-be invaders are like sheep, they won’t go without a leader…
Ardent, that’s what should have happened, its not a question of more Stewards thay have enough,its doing a job ! police sit in control room with 8 -10 monitors three observers watching right up to Spaghetti junction, can pick out what’s in your hand as if your along side of that person, someone didn’t do their job,it cost the club.
Talking about the FA why don’t referees get fined for SHITE costly decisions, yet if a manager post match comments on the ref that the FA aren’t happy with he’s fined.I think this issue stands out a mile & their a bunch of penny pinching wankers imo.FUCK the FA
Ps with the money in the game now the fines are in the stupid amounts & they know they’ll get it.
It would be more appropriate for bad referees to get a big kick in the fanny in the centre circle, post match. That’d learn ’em!!!
Put Bill Pearson back as Head Steward!!
*********Fuck the Tories, Labour, Lib Dems, SNP, UKIP……Vote Bill Pearson for Head Steward…..we need the discipline back at VP!
*********Vote BP********Vote BP********Vote BP************Vote BP**********Vote BP*********
Thanks Langford, need men like you, bet you would have pissed off them back into the seating, I’d have made you deputy Chief Steward. Badge I’d have found him a box to smoke in.
BP gets my vote any day! 🙂
I just hope Bill’s middle name isn’t Nigel or Neil!!!!!
Its Lewis, as in Hamilton. a winner by nature….
Them off, vote for Bill P.
Just heard that Livermore has been suspended.
That’s Hull f***ed then.
Allegedly involving Peruvian marching powder…
Not so sure it makes much difference. He’s not very good anyway. My concern in this game is more Tottenham than Hull. Spurs form is pretty poor lately. I think their players are busy avoiding the Europa Cup. Hopefully they will play a bit better, or Hull will implode.
If Hull play like they did last week Spurs could put the youth team in and win.
Anyway I hope we’re mathematically safe after our match by beating Soton and then I won’t give a tuppenny toss what happens with Hull
Hull are fucked anyway Livermore or not he should be booted out the sport but I’m sure the PFA will wrap him up in cotton wool as per usual .
It’s quite ironic that the FA have fined us for invading the playing area of the football pitch when they were the ones that were happy to sell our game to the highest bidder and play a local derby at teatime.
The game was always going to be fuelled with animosity from the match three days earlier and the FA have to be culpable in some way for their short sightedness on that. I doubt West Mids police celebrated the news of a 5:30pm ko between Villa & Albion.
The fine has come our way because we lost complete control of the ground. Looking down from the upper Holte, there were people coming on to the side of the pitch after both goals, near the end, and a pretty serious incursion when some thought the final whistle had gone, before the mass invasion when the final whistle actually did blow.
It’s fair enough, we had a fair few idiots dosed up on loony juice that night, and we have to learn.
The other sides mentioned above have all been charged by the FA, but other than Blackpool, most were just running on after the match. They’ll be fined but not too much.
How much were Blose fined after the semi ?
Hmm, Villa are 17/4 for the win tomorrow.
That’s tempting.
Hi my merry band of fans, I’m going for a draw, 1-1 plus Hull will take the plunge today.
I can see Hull winning today. Not because they are any good, but because Spurs have lost interest and the players don’t want Europa league. On the bright side I usually get these things wrong.