Greek Fans Against Spurs...

[PolskRed]

...You've got to love that Gutteral Passion...sounds great.

Rose is having a mare too.

I can just imagine if that were City fans, instead of "Guttural Passion" it would be disgraceful behaviour with stewards and police having to stop fans from getting on the pitch, continual standing, foul language (presumably) blah blah blah..."

When it is foreign fans it is passionate support, it's in their nature etc...

[roobarb]

and for any Harry Redknapp haters out there..... remember he did lend us Steven Caulker last season so he can't be all bad!

[spudski]

I can just imagine if that were City fans, instead of "Guttural Passion" it would be disgraceful behaviour with stewards and police having to stop fans from getting on the pitch, continual standing, foul language (presumably) blah blah blah..."

When it is foreign fans it is passionate support, it's in their nature etc...

Many fans abroad are allowed to behave this way. We have too many restrictions here. Even if we wanted too.

What we saw yesterday at Spurs, was the same in this Country in the 70's and 80's in some grounds.

Unfortunately you cannot win here.

In Europe, at many grounds, you go knowing that anything could happen. You accept it, and make your choise to go or not.

Here, if Clubs were to allow a 'free for all' in one section of the ground, and something 'bad' was to happen to someone, you can pretty much gaurentee the individual would sue the Club for not giving adequate protection. It's a mentality thing and a catch 22.

It will never go back to how it used to be in this Country.

Fans want their Cake and eat it.

Many behave in an 'anti social' way, but are also the first to complain when they get treated like animals by the Police or Stewards.

[Chivs]

Yes...the point being I support neither so why should I back the English team purely for being English? Not mad at all. If anything I will choose a preference based on playing style, a team being underdogs or a particular player or manager I enjoy. Not just them being an English team.

Patriotism? Having said that, I don't believe any of the Premiershit teams in Europe are English. Foreign owners, foreign managers and foreign players.

Cardiff is more English than the top four Premiershit teams.

If anything I will choose a preference based on playing style, a team being underdogs or a particular player or manager I enjoy. Not just them being an English team.

Or detest. Hence why ABU is my second team.

[WellRedPhil]

Patriotism? Having said that, I don't believe any of the Premiershit teams in Europe are English. Foreign owners, foreign managers and foreign players.

Cardiff is more English than the top four Premiershit teams.

Or detest. Hence why ABU is my second team.

Your first point almost emulates my own...

As for your second, whilst I neither like or dislike United I am a fan of Fergie and would therefore prefer to see them do well in comparison to Liverpool, Chelsea or Man City. The same goes for Arsenal and Wenger who I admit I have a soft spot for.

[NiceRed]

I don't really understand why a City fan would hate Man Utd (or Liverpool) that much. We're not and never have been rivals. We probably haven't played Utd since 1980. I can understand the frustration when you see people walking around Bristol (or any other city that's not Manchester) in a Utd shirt, but it's not really Utd's fault that so many people who know little about football support them. They're just a victim of their own success. If City won the league 10 times in about 15 years, there'd be people all over England (and beyond) wearing city shirts.

[MarcusX]

Some sending off decisions and penalty decisions need to be reviewed in my book.

The bloke was trying to pull his arm away. Sending him off just ruins the game.

The whole point of the penalty rule, is to give the attacking team another go at a 'probable' goal scoring opportunity, that was stopped unfairly. How running away from the goalnet towards the corner flag, just inside the 18 yard box, and you get fouled, deserves a free shot on goal completely baffles me.

Pretty sure a penalty is just any foul in the box. However Id partly agree with you because you very often hear the phrase "anywhere else on the pitch that would be a foul/free kick" and some refs seem to wave away a penalty if it wasnt a goal scoring opportunity. Think there just needs to be a clear rule and everyone enforces it.

Having said that, as a defender you know you cant foul someone in the box, regardless of where or which way they're facing. A fouls a foul and if its in the box it should be a penalty.

[TRL]

Pretty sure a penalty is just any foul in the box. However Id partly agree with you because you very often hear the phrase "anywhere else on the pitch that would be a foul/free kick" and some refs seem to wave away a penalty if it wasnt a goal scoring opportunity. Think there just needs to be a clear rule and everyone enforces it.

Having said that, as a defender you know you cant foul someone in the box, regardless of where or which way they're facing. A fouls a foul and if its in the box it should be a penalty.

You are of course correct, trouble is many refs as you point out are loathed to give a penalty, where they would give a cheap free kick anywhere else on the pitch. I don't know why, but i reckon you could easily have 5 or 6 penalties a match, the ref should just give them and be done with it. It might make England better at penalties in the long run!

I originally stated maybe we should look at giving free kicks in the box, after reading your post i think just award penalties, makes the refs job easier, makes the games more exciting and would probably end up keeping 11 men on the pitch as i think the chance of downgrading the offence to a yellow card would be more acceptable.

SHOW ME THE PENALTIES! SHOW ME THE PENALTIES

[exiledinwatford]

I don't really understand why a City fan would hate Man Utd (or Liverpool) that much. We're not and never have been rivals. We probably haven't played Utd since 1980. I can understand the frustration when you see people walking around Bristol (or any other city that's not Manchester) in a Utd shirt, but it's not really Utd's fault that so many people who know little about football support them. They're just a victim of their own success. If City won the league 10 times in about 15 years, there'd be people all over England (and beyond) wearing city shirts.

For me it's the way they expect to win every game and if they lose it's always someone else's fault - referee usually, refs assistant as happened on Saturday. One wrong decision cost them a goal and apparently it delivered the title to Man City??? I think it's a problem all successful teams have - lots of us have the underdog mentality. Who didn't smile when the mighty Barca lost recently to Getafe? I also dislike the fact that people who have no affiliation to Man U, never been there and couldn't name a player still claim to "support" them.

[Mr Popodopolous]

Many fans abroad are allowed to behave this way. We have too many restrictions here. Even if we wanted too.

What we saw yesterday at Spurs, was the same in this Country in the 70's and 80's in some grounds.

Unfortunately you cannot win here.

In Europe, at many grounds, you go knowing that anything could happen. You accept it, and make your choise to go or not.

Here, if Clubs were to allow a 'free for all' in one section of the ground, and something 'bad' was to happen to someone, you can pretty much gaurentee the individual would sue the Club for not giving adequate protection. It's a mentality thing and a catch 22.

It will never go back to how it used to be in this Country.

Fans want their Cake and eat it.

Many behave in an 'anti social' way, but are also the first to complain when they get treated like animals by the Police or Stewards.

Didn't see the game but I know fans in certain nations have a reputation for being quite passionate so it doesn't surprise me hugely. As you say, it's changed a bit too much.

As for English sides in Europe, it varies for me. The established, monopolised former 'Big 4'- tired of them after a while, was nice to see some foreign sides actually giving them a game for a change. Tottenham in the CL on the other hand last year, superb- very much behind them, though Redknapp...seems a bit dubious. Europa League sides from England, generally quite supportive of. Arrogance (and it may be an incorrect perception) of Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool- the old Big 4, the glory supporters that puts me off. Controversial but I'd be surprised if I'm the only one who sees it like this.