Jump to content
IGNORED

Football tonight.


JamesBCFC

Recommended Posts

Very short notice, but tonight Bristol Manor Farm host Taunton in a top of the table clash.

Manor Farm looking for back to back promotions, scoring lots but have been throwing away leads a lot lately.

Tickets for Bristol City season ticket holders are £4 and also just £4 if you show a train or bus ticket from today, tickets normally are £8.

Thought I'd share if anyone fancied bracing the cold to see a very promising local team with ambition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, phantom said:

Meanwhile down on the south coast Palace fans were still waiting to get into Brighton 30 minutes after kick off 

IMG_20171128_211935.jpg

IMG_20171128_211927.jpg

And supposedly being escorted back to the train station at half time. No idea why they weren't let in the ground in the first place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, phantom said:

Meanwhile down on the south coast Palace fans were still waiting to get into Brighton 30 minutes after kick off 

IMG_20171128_211935.jpg

IMG_20171128_211927.jpg

Isn't this pretty much what we sued the WMP for? 

Interesting to see what Palace fans do about this as it's completely unacceptable behaviour from the ob.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Carey 6 said:

Isn't this pretty much what we sued the WMP for? 

Interesting to see what Palace fans do about this as it's completely unacceptable behaviour from the ob.

You're drawing that conclusion based on what exactly?

There could be a perfectly valid reason for all we know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, JamesBCFC said:

The Manor Farm-Taunton game finished 1-1.

Manor Farm move into an automatic promotion spot and Taunton stay top.

311 there which is a great crowd for a Tuesday night game at a club who got crowds of 40-50 as recently as 7-8 years ago.

Expect that crowd was bolstered by a healthy following from Taunton. Up the Peacocks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, JamesBCFC said:

The Manor Farm-Taunton game finished 1-1.

Manor Farm move into an automatic promotion spot and Taunton stay top.

311 there which is a great crowd for a Tuesday night game at a club who got crowds of 40-50 as recently as 7-8 years ago.

NB - Taunton are four points clear AND have three games in hand over BMF (36/32 and 15/18) while Bideford are also on 32 after only playing 16.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Leveller said:

NB - Taunton are four points clear AND have three games in hand over BMF (36/32 and 15/18) while Bideford are also on 32 after only playing 16.

Correct.

The title will very likely be going Tauntons way.

Really is a fight for 2nd which other teams are still in the hunt for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Admin

http://www.football.london/crystal-palace-fc/news/brighton-crystal-palace-fans-trouble-13972602

Crystal Palace's big derby game down at Brighton - their first ever in the Premier League - was a much-anticipated clash. Fans of both teams had waited more than four years to meet each other again.

But the match was marred by fan troubles outside the away end of the Amex Stadium, where a group of Eagles supporters without tickets charged a gate and rammed through, injuring two stewards - one of them from Palace.

As a result Sussex Police and Brighton took the decision not to let in any more fans, despite many having legitimate tickets for the match, leaving nearly 200 fans stuck outside the stadium while the match unfolded.

As half-time came and went a few were let in but most were kettled by Police back to Falmers station and sent home without seeing a single second of the game (which admittedly wasn't a huge loss as it was a bore goalless draw).

Jim Daly was at the Amex covering the game for football.london.

 

"After all the hype building up to the game and the rigorous checks and hoops fans were made to jump through to get tickets, in the end a few hundred Palace supporters were denied access even though they had tickets," he wrote in his report.

"They were still being penned in at the away entrance by Police until half-time when they were then told they wouldn't get in, despite having legitimate tickets to see the game. Many were kettled by officers and forced back to Falmer station and sent home."

He described the incident as a "shambles" from Brighton and Sussex Police.

 

Amanda Jacks of the Football Supporters Federation issued a statement following the match and promised to hold those responsible to account.

"I shall be seeking an urgent explanation from BHA and Sussex police as to why so many CPFC supporters, seemingly all with tickets, were not only denied entry to the stadium, but were detained by police for at least 45 minutes before being escorted back to the station and 'encouraged' to board trains regardless of their destination," she wrote.

"I will also be taking up individual complaints such as the one from a father who was denied access to the stadium despite his teenage son being inside."

football.london spoke to Palace fans who attended the game about their experience of what happened outside the Amex Stadium.

 

Stuart Ions

"Like many Palace fans we were advised to go to the Weatherspoons on West Street. At 18.10 we were placed in a police 'kettle' to Brighton Station. This journey would normally take 10 minutes on foot. For some unknown reason, when 300 yards away from the station the police diverted us through a series back streets that eventually lead us to the rear of the station.

"At this point it was 19.10 - a full hour since we left the pub. We were kept outside a further 20 minutes before getting on the train.

"The train arrived at Falmer around 19.45 and we made our way to the ground. When 200 yards from the ground we was again held back by police. Eventually we were let through.

"A large group of Brighton fans then started to surge at the Police and minor scuffles ensued with a few fans. Most fans like myself continued to walk towards the away end.

"On arrival at the away end all turnstiles were closed. Absolute chaos and confusion then ensued. No one seemed to know what was going on and communication between fans, police and stewards was non existent. It was at this point a fire exit was opened. Not sure how or who opened it but a minority of Palace fans surged at the door to gain entrance. The door was promptly shut.

"At this point it was 20.20 and no one seemed to know what was going on. Eventually, after I persistently asked, a Police officer advised me that there was trouble inside, when that was sorted we would be let in. No time frame was given and we was left outside with no further information.

"Time ticked on and it was suddenly half time. With no warning several horse mounted officers appeared to move us away from the entrance. Initially I assumed they were moving us back to reopen the turnstiles and let us in. Sadly not. This was the beginning of us slowly being moved back to Falmer station. We were never at any point advised we was being walked back to the station, it just became apparent after a while!

"At 21.10 we was back at the station. Confined by the police on a ramp next to the platform until a train was available to take us back to Brighton.

"After a further 20 minute wait we were herded onto a train back. On arrival in Brighton we were herded again to another train. I asked the police why we were being herded onto another train.

"The response I got was: 'Everyone that just got off of that train is subject to a dispersal order and you all have to leave Brighton now!' They didn't know where the train was going but we were told we had to get on it. The police treated us with complete contempt.

"200-300 fans all with tickets were treated like criminals because of a small minority of Palace fans, only late to the ground because of inept policing. Easily the worse experience I've ever had at a football match, or not at a football match as it turned out."

 

Jesse Boyce

"While there can be no condoning fans attempting to access the stadium without tickets, there can be no hiding the fact that the significant Police and security presence, including riot gear, dogs and horses was designed to be preventative, and failed.

"The clubs had gone to great lengths to ensure that ticket holders needed ID and couldn't transfer tickets yet these fans were let down when measures were not taken to ensure only these fans could access the away stand. No prevention or cure from Sussex Police.

"There were Police cordons between Falmer station and the away end where the only question asked was 'Are you home or away fans?' No tickets were checked so while some fans may have forced entry without tickets, it's impossible to say if fans in any number were held outside the stadium without tickets.

"The turnstiles in the south stand (for the away fans) are not fit for purpose. They can be jumped as they’re not full height like most modern stadiums. These were more akin to London Underground. It’s also false to say 'no further supporters were let in the ground'. I was one of around 30 fans who were admitted at half time after avoiding the kettling of the main group of fans back towards Falmer.

"The vast majority visibly had tickets as seen when the Palace fans waved their tickets in the air en masse as a peaceful demonstration of their their case.

"Brighton say the disorder was caused by a minority of individuals who attempted to gain entry to the stadium without tickets. The only disorder was by the minority who did gain entry to the stadium without tickets, and then continued to let off smoke bombs throughout the match without being challenged at all.

"The disenfranchised group of ticket holders locked outside were orderly and civilised and imagery and video evidence has shown.

"Brighton say swift action as taken, it wasn't. It took almost an hour for the Police to decide what to do with the ticket holders outside, which was to kettle them back past where their ineffective cordons were and towards Falmer station.

"There was total absence in communication. Stewards and Police officers admitted they didn't know what was happening or even what was likely to happen to next or whether ticket holders would be eventually admitted. They couldn't pretend to be interested.

"Is there no accountability attributable to BHAFC, the party responsible for managing the whole situation and for making the call to not let the majority of ticket holders in? Can we contact you for travel and expense refunds?"

 

Rich Atkins

"I have been going to Palace home and away games with my Dad since 1989. I am 36 and my Dad is 61. He has been going to games since 1964.

"On reflection, my first mistake was to take all of the pre-game announcements so seriously. My Dad had ordered, and therefore held, our tickets for the game. He lives in Eastbourne and I live in Horsham though we are both ex-South London!

"Given the need for bringing your season ticket with you, having ID etcetera, I didn't want to run the risk of approaching the ground without my ticket to hand, in case this caused an issue.

"As such I drove to Eastbourne and then back to the recommended park and ride car park for that side of the ground - which was full, so on we went to Mill Road. It was now 19.15 and, not wanting to miss kick off, and with no park and ride bus ready to leave, we got an Uber to as close to the ground as we could get.

"Ironically, had I not been cautious with thinking I should have my ticket on me in person as I approached the ground I would have been in long before the gates were shut.

"We were held by police and stewards at two points as we crossed the bridge over Falmer station for reasons that were not clear. Brighton fans were held too. We approached the away turnstiles as the game kicked off. The doors were already shut.

"We were told that the doors would reopen soon and from that point the communication had pretty much disappeared. 10 minutes later and with there being around 300 of us standing around word was getting about that the doors were being opened. The turnstile on the far left did open but closed again very soon, within about 20 seconds.

"There was clearly a lot of frustration and that was driven by the fact that we all, certainly in the main so far as I could tell, had tickets and no one was updating us. It was apparent that people had tickets as many were holding them, often showing these to the police to prove that they should be allowed in.

"The extent of the frustration was a bit of shouting and abuse but nothing aggressive or unexpected in the circumstances. This was not helped though by the decision to then send two mounted police horses through the middle of us all. I still have no idea what that was trying to achieve.

"With 10 minutes to go until half time the police, who were now surrounding us and had been joined by many others, were starting to advise us that we would be going in at half time but not before. At this point I noticed that no one was allowed to leave the area either. We were also being told that the police were just carrying out instructions that were being requested by Brighton’s stewards.

"It was 10 minutes into half time that a sudden chant was sounded from the police at the back of the group and we all started to be shunted forward. At first it wasn't clear whether we were being forced into a queue but as the kettling continued it became apparent that we weren't going to be seeing any of the match.

"The kettling continued for about 10 meters at a time with several minute breaks in between, where we were just held. As we passed Brighton’s west stand we were treated to a view of what must have been some kind of corporate area; it was amazing to see how many people were in it watching the Man Utd game on TV. All we wanted to do was watch the Brighton versus Palace match and they were sitting out the back watching telly!

"We were herded down to Falmer station eventually with the continued shouts of 'forwards' coming from the police as they drove us to where they wanted us to be. It was also clear at this stage that if it has been a requirement to show your ticket to be allowed near the ground, the set up of the stadium would make this very easy to enforce.

"It was around the 85th minute as we were forced to get on a train to Brighton. I recall reading on Twitter that Murray had been subbed.

"Regardless of where you needed to get to, on arrival at Brighton we were then directed on to a train to East Croydon. We had no intention being shepherded around any further so pleaded with the police to be allowed to go to the loo, as it had been a good couple of hours now since this all began.

"Amazingly, the police we spoke to said only Southern Rail staff could allow us out of the escort so I was amazed that when I asked a Southern worker to tell the police that we were allowed to go to the toilet, he obliged. The police let us through on the advice of a guy that had 'Southern' printed on a fluorescent vest! We never rejoined the group and jumped in a cab to Mill Road.

"In all my years of following Palace I have never experienced anything like last night. I do not condone the alleged action of Palace fans without tickets getting into the ground. Ultimately they ruined it for all of us who got stuck outside. I have attended every Palace game at the Amex and I’m not sure it counts having attended this one on the outside!

"What does bother me though is how we were treated like animals and just herded about and held for an unnecessary period of time in the cold. Again, if Palace fans did force entry without a ticket that is completely wrong but how on earth in 2017 do you force entry at a football ground?"

 

Gaz Holden

"After months of anticipation, hotel was booked, train fares bought, two days taken off and I headed to Brighton. At 3pm I was in Yates. By 3.30pm it was full and we were at full voice. The atmosphere was amazing. Everyone was happy, expectant.

"At 6pm, a policeman informed us we would be moving at 6.15pm. I left at 6.10pm along with a few others to make our way up the street, a 10 minute walk to the station. Outside we were told we would need to remain with the group.

"Five minutes later we were surrounded by police. The Palace Ultras (the Holmesdale Fanatics) were in front. The next hour was spent moving around Brighton streets surrounded by police. I asked several officers if we were going to make the game. Their stock response was that they had no concern whether we got there in time, only that we were under control.

"We were held outside the train station for 20 minutes as the Brighton supporters were still being loaded onto trains. Eventually, ours pulled up and we got on.

"Off the train now and headed, slowly, towards the stadium. Kic- off was about to get under way by now. As we approached the West Stand, the police line fractured and 20-30 Brighton supporters flew into the Palace crowd. Things got confused. I asked a police officer if I was on the Palace side. It turns out I was not. There were a couple of people on the floor injured.

"We finally got to the main stand. The match was underway by now. As I arrived I could see a fire door was open in the distance and there was a mass of people there. Barriers were in complete disarray and there was no pre-cordon. This, and the fact we were right up against the stadium was a surprise as I would have expected a clearing/ID/search area. The fire door closed and from this point on we were held at the doors of the stadium, but never let in. The police pushed horses through a couple of times to clear the door area.

"There was approximately 300 hundred of us stuck here. We constantly asked for direction from the officials, but they admitted they didn’t have a clue what was going on. At one point an Inspector came out to talk, but just fanned the flames as he suggested we wouldn’t get in until half time. There were a lot of angry people, clearly. They would have, bar a few, all had tickets. They were even waving them at the police cameras.

"Half time came and another horse push. The police reserves were called up and a tight wall was formed at the rear. It became clear we were being herded away. It was now half time and we now knew we were not getting in at all. At no point did the police, or anyone, inform us about the situation or longer term strategy.

"We were gradually herded towards Falmer station again. Kettled under the footbridge for 20 minutes.

"We were put on a train back to Brighton and, when we exited the train, we were told to go to Platform 5 for a train to East Croydon. I, along with plenty of others, was staying in Brighton hotel and explained this to the officers, though none of them were interested. They were asking for proof of residency for those that lived in Brighton, but not the hotel stayers. I brought up a hotel booking confirmation on an app, but the officer said it looked like it was an image of a quick google search. I showed him my hotel room key card and at that moment a commander came through the line, grabbed my arm and told me to exit the station. Two friends I was with also got through. We met a couple more later, but I know plenty had to get on the Croydon train.

"Communication was awful to non-existent. I was caught up in the route march simply because I happened to be in a pub in Brighton. I had a ticket. It had my name on it. I do not understand why I should be included in such a draconian and outdated tactic. I have never been late for a kick off, let alone denied entry. The officers were from three separate forces and, truth be told, clearly nervous to terrified. They were trying their hardest to remain chatty and professional. But they didn’t have a clue what was going on, which made their lives hugely difficult.

"I paid for a service I never received. I understand the police were dealing with the trouble making element. However, that being said, I was not one of them. We started being herded at 6.15. I got back out of Brighton station at close to 10pm. At no time was I permitted to drink, rest, or even take a leak. I will get a refund for the ticket, but the hotel, trains, days taken off work for nothing?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sussex Police have issued a statement apologising for LYING about Palace fans turning up to the game with knives and knuckledusters. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42273852

"Whilst accepting and appreciating the apology, a large number of supporters on social media are now questioning whether or not they've got the accountability.

"The statement caused a lot of cynicism when it was first released, not least because football supporters do not habitually carry knives.

"I think this episode demonstrates the importance of general media scrutiny and not reporting things at face value."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Carey 6 said:

Sussex Police have issued a statement apologising for LYING about Palace fans turning up to the game with knives and knuckledusters. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42273852

"Whilst accepting and appreciating the apology, a large number of supporters on social media are now questioning whether or not they've got the accountability.

"The statement caused a lot of cynicism when it was first released, not least because football supporters do not habitually carry knives.

"I think this episode demonstrates the importance of general media scrutiny and not reporting things at face value."

The Old Bill lying...??.....never.....can't believe it.:facepalm:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Carey 6 said:

Sussex Police have issued a statement apologising for LYING about Palace fans turning up to the game with knives and knuckledusters. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42273852

 

 

1 hour ago, KevP said:

The Old Bill lying...??.....never.....can't believe it.:facepalm:

Without getting too immersed in the semantics, there is not really any evidence that the Police were lying, i.e. that they gave an intentionally false statement or just made the whole thing up, is there?

"The reference to weapons being found discarded at the stadium following the Brighton v Crystal Palace match on November 28 was based on information logged by our officers on the night and done so in good faith.

"Subsequently, it has been established that no such items were physically recovered at the stadium or in the city. We accept that this information was incorrect."

I am sure that @Fordy62, @JulieH and others more qualified will be able to offer more detail, but is it not possible that some fans/witnesses, Brighton or otherwise, complained and/or gave statements to the Police, the statements were noted, logged and, without checking their veracity, released in an ill-advisedly premature statement. 

As an example, I recall back in the 1970s when, by coincidence, Sheffield United played City at Ashton Gate and loads of their fans invaded the East End before kick-off. In the fighting that followed, I saw a City fan with blood streaming from a wound in his head and recall clearly how he claimed a Sheffield United fan had hit him with an axe. Had I been asked by the Police to give a statement, I suspect that, as a young, impressionable teenager, I may have 'confirmed' the circumstances of the axe attack that now, as an adult, I am sure never happened, i.e. while there was probably an assault, there was no axe involved.

Would the Police have been 'lying' had they released a statement referring to said axe attack, or guilty simply of slipshod and lackadaisical carelessness?  

  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, PHILINFRANCE said:

 

Without getting too immersed in the semantics, there is not really any evidence that the Police were lying, i.e. that they gave an intentionally false statement or just made the whole thing up, is there?

"The reference to weapons being found discarded at the stadium following the Brighton v Crystal Palace match on November 28 was based on information logged by our officers on the night and done so in good faith.

"Subsequently, it has been established that no such items were physically recovered at the stadium or in the city. We accept that this information was incorrect."

I am sure that @Fordy62, @JulieH and others more qualified will be able to offer more detail, but is it not possible that some fans/witnesses, Brighton or otherwise, complained and/or gave statements to the Police, the statements were noted, logged and, without checking their veracity, released in an ill-advisedly premature statement. 

As an example, I recall back in the 1970s when, by coincidence, Sheffield United played City at Ashton Gate and loads of their fans invaded the East End before kick-off. In the fighting that followed, I saw a City fan with blood streaming from a wound in his head and recall clearly how he claimed a Sheffield United fan had hit him with an axe. Had I been asked by the Police to give a statement, I suspect that, as a young, impressionable teenager, I may have 'confirmed' the circumstances of the axe attack that now, as an adult, I am sure never happened, i.e. while there was probably an assault, there was no axe involved.

Would the Police have been 'lying' had they released a statement referring to said axe attack, or guilty simply of slipshod and lackadaisical carelessness?  

  

 

 

The chief inspector who claimed that there were knives and knuckledusters has lied yes. The police then by issuing a press release at the time have also carried on this lie without proof of such things actually being true. Astonoshing and amateur that no protocol/process to follow up on the claims made by this man who led the police operation, were in fact true before issuing the statement. 

The bloke should lose his job. Smeared the reputation of Palace supporters with this lie and now him and Sussex Police look like fools.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, Carey 6 said:

The chief inspector who claimed that there were knives and knuckledusters has lied yes. The police then by issuing a press release at the time have also carried on this lie without proof of such things actually being true. Astonoshing and amateur that no protocol/process to follow up on the claims made by this man who led the police operation, were in fact true before issuing the statement. 

The bloke should lose his job. Smeared the reputation of Palace supporters with this lie and now him and Sussex Police look like fools.

 

I understand from where you are coming, I just prefer 'misled due to incorrect information' to 'lied'.

As I said, a question of semantics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Admin

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/dec/09/police-crystal-palace-fans-false-stories-knuckle-dusters-knives-brighton?CMP=share_btn_tw

There is an old episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm in which Larry David is sitting in traffic when the lights change to green and the car in front does not move. The only issue is that it happens to be a police car and, in those circumstances, what is the etiquette? Who beeps a police car? Larry, is the answer. “No one’s above the beep,” he explains when the police officer gets out of his car.

OK, it is not to be taken too seriously (Larry is also wearing a wig and a false moustache after a fatwa for planning to make a Broadway musical, coincidentally named Fatwa!, about Salman Rushdie). Yet it is easy to sympathise and, ultimately, beeping doesn’t do Larry any good. Officer Jenkins doesn’t take kindly to being asked if he was daydreaming and is not prepared to accept Larry’s get-out clause that, driving a new car, he wasn’t attuned to the subtleties of the horn and had meant it to be a pip rather than a beep. Larry gets a ticket. He takes it to an appeal and the judge accepts the officer was on “important police business”. The case is dismissed and Larry is reminded it doesn’t always make sense to take on the police.

Sometimes, though, it is too important to let go and, back in the real world, that was certainly some victory for Crystal Palace’s supporters, in the face of some wildly inaccurate allegations, when Sussex police performed their volte-face and issued an apology for their cock‑and‑bull story about what happened at their game at Brighton.

This one is about something more serious than whether a police officer might have been daydreaming at traffic lights, too, bearing in mind the official version of events for the previous week and a half was that Palace’s away fans had armed themselves with knives and knuckle‑dusters. 

It turned out – well, whaddya know? – there were actually no weapons found and the whole thing was made up. Yet we still cannot be sure by whom. Press statements from the police don’t tend to include those details and a few hours before the public confession from Sussex HQ it also became clear that the officer who had spread this misinformation to the media was going off-radar. “Please excuse some Twitter silence while I’m off and abroad for a few days. Keep safe,” Ch Insp Simon Nelson wrote on his social-media account. His 50th birthday, apparently.

Fair enough. One imagines he has found it difficult to switch off, though, after the events of the past few days and it is certainly fair to say that a high‑ranking officer with his experience probably ought to realise he needs to be absolutely sure of the facts before sharing these non-facts with the world’s media and talking about it as “a return to the dark days of football”.

Ch Insp Nelson was certainly a lot more talkative after the game and – suitably proud, it appeared, of the publicity that his comments generated – he also took to Twitter to post one of the many newspaper articles where he was quoted. Every newspaper carried the story, all of them concentrating on the knives and knuckle‑dusters angle. It was on television, the radio, the news wires – and genuinely shocking bearing in mind the damage these weapons can inflict. He was “extremely grateful”, he let us know the following day, for so many kind messages about the bravery of his officers.

And, despite everything, that still stands. A mate of mine used to be in the Metropolitan police football unit and it was dangerous work. Palace were never the worst offenders but it would be naive not to think they have some old faces who, if you know your hooligan films, see these category-A fixtures as a chance to re-enact the role of Yeti, of the South London Buccaneers. Or, indeed, that there might be a few younger ones who think a Stone Island badge and a nice pair of trainers qualifies them for bravery points.

Two stewards needed hospital treatment and there are clips of fans storming one of the turnstiles to force their way in. Flares were set off during the match and there were other incidents at the railway station. Brighton have a few headbangers themselves. It clearly wasn’t a pleasant night for the police.

Yet it becomes a lot more sinister when there are stories of people taking knives and knuckle‑dusters to the stadium. That’s a very different level of violence – unprecedented, almost certainly, inside our shiny grounds in the Premier League era – and there are still a number of unanswered questions for Sussex police about the precise sequence of events that led to the original 543-word statement on 29 November, as opposed to the 87-word correction accepting the original release was untrue.

Shortly before the apology was issued, Ch Insp Nelson stated on Thursday that the Palace fans should take it up with Brighton because “it was their staff who found those items in the away end”. That assertion, his police force admitted a few hours later, was also untrue and, to give him his due, he did reappear with an apology of his own the following day: “The information regarding discarded weapons and pyros in the away end of the stadium was passed to us and believed to be true – this was clearly not the case.”

So, how about being transparent and letting everyone know what did actually go wrong? Who set the ball rolling? Did a senior police officer release that information as fact without bothering to check it out?

I also doubt very much that we would even have had a follow-up statement, let alone an apology, from the police had it not been for the diligence of the Five Year Plan fanzine, whose editorial team immediately suspected that something didn’t ring true.

A freedom-of-information request has gone in via the fanzine’s online editor, Robert Sutherland, and the police might have to understand why some supporters are wondering whether it was all a bit convenient that the headlines were manipulated that way on a night when Ch Insp Nelson and his colleagues might otherwise have faced some awkward questions about their handling of the game.

Don’t overlook the fact that a significant number of Palace fans, having paid for their tickets and travel, didn’t even get in, held outside the ground by several lines of police before being escorted to the railway station without seeing a single minute of football. Yet there has been very little about that in the media over the last couple of weeks. The story changed dramatically once it was alleged that Palace fans were tooled-up and dangerous.

A return to the dark days of football? Well, yes, if we are reminiscing about the times when it was all the rage to spread misinformation about football fans and not be held accountable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, phantom said:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/dec/09/police-crystal-palace-fans-false-stories-knuckle-dusters-knives-brighton?CMP=share_btn_tw

There is an old episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm in which Larry David is sitting in traffic when the lights change to green and the car in front does not move. The only issue is that it happens to be a police car and, in those circumstances, what is the etiquette? Who beeps a police car? Larry, is the answer. “No one’s above the beep,” he explains when the police officer gets out of his car.

OK, it is not to be taken too seriously (Larry is also wearing a wig and a false moustache after a fatwa for planning to make a Broadway musical, coincidentally named Fatwa!, about Salman Rushdie). Yet it is easy to sympathise and, ultimately, beeping doesn’t do Larry any good. Officer Jenkins doesn’t take kindly to being asked if he was daydreaming and is not prepared to accept Larry’s get-out clause that, driving a new car, he wasn’t attuned to the subtleties of the horn and had meant it to be a pip rather than a beep. Larry gets a ticket. He takes it to an appeal and the judge accepts the officer was on “important police business”. The case is dismissed and Larry is reminded it doesn’t always make sense to take on the police.

Sometimes, though, it is too important to let go and, back in the real world, that was certainly some victory for Crystal Palace’s supporters, in the face of some wildly inaccurate allegations, when Sussex police performed their volte-face and issued an apology for their cock‑and‑bull story about what happened at their game at Brighton.

This one is about something more serious than whether a police officer might have been daydreaming at traffic lights, too, bearing in mind the official version of events for the previous week and a half was that Palace’s away fans had armed themselves with knives and knuckle‑dusters. 

It turned out – well, whaddya know? – there were actually no weapons found and the whole thing was made up. Yet we still cannot be sure by whom. Press statements from the police don’t tend to include those details and a few hours before the public confession from Sussex HQ it also became clear that the officer who had spread this misinformation to the media was going off-radar. “Please excuse some Twitter silence while I’m off and abroad for a few days. Keep safe,” Ch Insp Simon Nelson wrote on his social-media account. His 50th birthday, apparently.

Fair enough. One imagines he has found it difficult to switch off, though, after the events of the past few days and it is certainly fair to say that a high‑ranking officer with his experience probably ought to realise he needs to be absolutely sure of the facts before sharing these non-facts with the world’s media and talking about it as “a return to the dark days of football”.

Ch Insp Nelson was certainly a lot more talkative after the game and – suitably proud, it appeared, of the publicity that his comments generated – he also took to Twitter to post one of the many newspaper articles where he was quoted. Every newspaper carried the story, all of them concentrating on the knives and knuckle‑dusters angle. It was on television, the radio, the news wires – and genuinely shocking bearing in mind the damage these weapons can inflict. He was “extremely grateful”, he let us know the following day, for so many kind messages about the bravery of his officers.

And, despite everything, that still stands. A mate of mine used to be in the Metropolitan police football unit and it was dangerous work. Palace were never the worst offenders but it would be naive not to think they have some old faces who, if you know your hooligan films, see these category-A fixtures as a chance to re-enact the role of Yeti, of the South London Buccaneers. Or, indeed, that there might be a few younger ones who think a Stone Island badge and a nice pair of trainers qualifies them for bravery points.

Two stewards needed hospital treatment and there are clips of fans storming one of the turnstiles to force their way in. Flares were set off during the match and there were other incidents at the railway station. Brighton have a few headbangers themselves. It clearly wasn’t a pleasant night for the police.

Yet it becomes a lot more sinister when there are stories of people taking knives and knuckle‑dusters to the stadium. That’s a very different level of violence – unprecedented, almost certainly, inside our shiny grounds in the Premier League era – and there are still a number of unanswered questions for Sussex police about the precise sequence of events that led to the original 543-word statement on 29 November, as opposed to the 87-word correction accepting the original release was untrue.

Shortly before the apology was issued, Ch Insp Nelson stated on Thursday that the Palace fans should take it up with Brighton because “it was their staff who found those items in the away end”. That assertion, his police force admitted a few hours later, was also untrue and, to give him his due, he did reappear with an apology of his own the following day: “The information regarding discarded weapons and pyros in the away end of the stadium was passed to us and believed to be true – this was clearly not the case.”

So, how about being transparent and letting everyone know what did actually go wrong? Who set the ball rolling? Did a senior police officer release that information as fact without bothering to check it out?

I also doubt very much that we would even have had a follow-up statement, let alone an apology, from the police had it not been for the diligence of the Five Year Plan fanzine, whose editorial team immediately suspected that something didn’t ring true.

A freedom-of-information request has gone in via the fanzine’s online editor, Robert Sutherland, and the police might have to understand why some supporters are wondering whether it was all a bit convenient that the headlines were manipulated that way on a night when Ch Insp Nelson and his colleagues might otherwise have faced some awkward questions about their handling of the game.

Don’t overlook the fact that a significant number of Palace fans, having paid for their tickets and travel, didn’t even get in, held outside the ground by several lines of police before being escorted to the railway station without seeing a single minute of football. Yet there has been very little about that in the media over the last couple of weeks. The story changed dramatically once it was alleged that Palace fans were tooled-up and dangerous.

A return to the dark days of football? Well, yes, if we are reminiscing about the times when it was all the rage to spread misinformation about football fans and not be held accountable.

if anything this shows the dangers social media is having fanning the flames of fake news that rational people and news papers take as gospel because its come from someone in a position of power,

 Is the sussex police want to regain trust then the officer in question tweeting this should be sack for gross misconduct which is in line with the forces social media policy,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...