City Fan Injured By Ball Hit Towards Him

[Gerry Gows' Tash]

This is the stupidest debate I've ever read on here, it was an unfortunate accident - if players have to consider what might happen if the ball went in the crowd then you wouldn't see much of a game would u. Like everyone else I was wound up because we had lost by that point but u can't blame their defender and the huge crowd stood giving it verbals just made it worse for the injured lad.

I think we should shut ut about it or some HSE jobswoth will get on the case and stop anyone sitting within half a mile of the pitch !

[Milo]

I think we should shut ut about it or some HSE jobswoth will get on the case and stop anyone sitting within half a mile of the pitch !

←

I really think that this particular argument is missing the point entirely. With 46 professional games taking place every weekend in England, how often do you hear or see such an incident? Under normal circumstances, you're watching the game and will protect yourself if the ball comes your way. If the ball smacks the roof and rebounds on the back of your head that's unlucky. This is stating the obvious but is inappropriate for this circumstance.

I was sat in Black F of the Atyeo and was therefore close to the incident. My instantaneous response to his action was puzzlement that he had belted it as hard as possible. It was not in keeping with the situation. He was not under immediate threat of dispossession. It was not a miskick. I was confused.

Not only was the rocketed kick not in context with the game, fans walking out of the ground can be excused for looking where their feet are, who's in front of them etc. I don't recall people standing and watching the game - they'd had enough, game over. I recall a constant slow movement of people making their way home.

I don't imagine that he meant to hurt a fan. I imagine that he meant to blast the ball into the fans and did not think through the consequences of this action.

I'm also angry that Sheffield Wednesday fans on this thread consider this incident to be an opportunity to call City fans bad losers, or to state that anyone who states that they are not sore losers just don't know it. Its a patronising and offensive stance to take and demonstrates the same lack of compassion shown by your two players.

If the chap who was hit has woken up with a sore head but got on with his Sunday, then this is not a major incident. The Sheffield Wednesday player should still take time out to apologise properly and for the sake of atmosphere at the next match he should also apologise publicly. This will be the end of story. However, heads are precious. If serious damage has been done, and I left the ground very worried for him and in the absence of an update I remain concerned, then the player must surely be facing an assault charge.

[freezer]

I really think that this particular argument is missing the point entirely. With 46 professional games taking place every weekend in England, how often do you hear or see such an incident? Under normal circumstances, you're watching the game and will protect yourself if the ball comes your way. If the ball smacks the roof and rebounds on the back of your head that's unlucky. This is stating the obvious but is inappropriate for this circumstance.

I was sat in Black F of the Atyeo and was therefore close to the incident. My instantaneous response to his action was puzzlement that he had belted it as hard as possible. It was not in keeping with the situation. He was not under immediate threat of dispossession. It was not a miskick. I was confused.

Not only was the rocketed kick not in context with the game, fans walking out of the ground can be excused for looking where their feet are, who's in front of them etc. I don't recall people standing and watching the game - they'd had enough, game over. I recall a constant slow movement of people making their way home.

I don't imagine that he meant to hurt a fan. I imagine that he meant to blast the ball into the fans and did not think through the consequences of this action.

I'm also angry that Sheffield Wednesday fans on this thread consider this incident to be an opportunity to call City fans bad losers, or to state that anyone who states that they are not sore losers just don't know it. Its a patronising and offensive stance to take and demonstrates the same lack of compassion shown by your two players.

If the chap who was hit has woken up with a sore head but got on with his Sunday, then this is not a major incident. The Sheffield Wednesday player should still take time out to apologise properly and for the sake of atmosphere at the next match he should also apologise publicly. This will be the end of story. However, heads are precious. If serious damage has been done, and I left the ground very worried for him and in the absence of an update I remain concerned, then the player must surely be facing an assault charge.

←

Well said,Brunt cleared the ball with power and at a height that could only hit someone or something and possibly cause damage.If a City player did the same at Wednesday then I'm sure some people would be equally upset.

With no pressure on him he hammered it into the crowd,if you want to waste time at 4-1 up then you give it air into the top of the stand,I reckon he had a lapse of common sense and basically cocked up.In saying that,players have a duty to perform to reasonable standards of behaviour and play so as not to incite the crowd and IMHO what Brunt did should be classed as common assault,(he had the option to clear it gently,upfield or high into the stand-not driven at spectator level,with power from yards away.)

City were crap,we deserved to lose.Hope the guy and his sons are ok.

At 4-1 up with minutes to go it was a cheap shot,he probably didn't intend to send someone to hospital when he struck it,but he did so the intent to cause damage was there.

I can accept losing,particularly when we lose to a better side as Wednesday were but is it really what football is all about(in the 'Family Enclosure')when due to a players lack of self control that you might be liable to serious injury if and when a player decides to target the spectators.

If this seems to be something of a rant,you may be right but why is it that it hasn't happened before unless it was deliberate to provoke this reaction from so many.I've played the game before,Saturdays and Sundays,and yep,you can belt the ball into the sideline when p'eed off,but that is a consience decision.

Just my opinion,no offence meant.

[dandaman59]

ChrisSWFC i would love to no what you would think if it was one of your fans and one of are players done that i personally think you would be fuming about it and would be complaining about it like us! well some of us

[Gerry Gows' Tash]

I really think that this particular argument is missing the point entirely. With 46 professional games taking place every weekend in England, how often do you hear or see such an incident? Under normal circumstances, you're watching the game and will protect yourself if the ball comes your way. If the ball smacks the roof and rebounds on the back of your head that's unlucky. This is stating the obvious but is inappropriate for this circumstance.

I was sat in Black F of the Atyeo and was therefore close to the incident. My instantaneous response to his action was puzzlement that he had belted it as hard as possible. It was not in keeping with the situation. He was not under immediate threat of dispossession. It was not a miskick. I was confused.

Not only was the rocketed kick not in context with the game, fans walking out of the ground can be excused for looking where their feet are, who's in front of them etc. I don't recall people standing and watching the game - they'd had enough, game over. I recall a constant slow movement of people making their way home.

I don't imagine that he meant to hurt a fan. I imagine that he meant to blast the ball into the fans and did not think through the consequences of this action.

I'm also angry that Sheffield Wednesday fans on this thread consider this incident to be an opportunity to call City fans bad losers, or to state that anyone who states that they are not sore losers just don't know it. Its a patronising and offensive stance to take and demonstrates the same lack of compassion shown by your two players.

If the chap who was hit has woken up with a sore head but got on with his Sunday, then this is not a major incident. The Sheffield Wednesday player should still take time out to apologise properly and for the sake of atmosphere at the next match he should also apologise publicly. This will be the end of story. However, heads are precious. If serious damage has been done, and I left the ground very worried for him and in the absence of an update I remain concerned, then the player must surely be facing an assault charge.

←

I don't know if u remember Mark Lavin but I was at the Reading game where he deliberately leathered a dead ball ball from the touchline into the crowd and broke a guys hand, he got done for it to. Fair enough.

This was different - a player cant be expected to think of everything and charging someone for legal actions taken during the course of a game is a dangerous precedent.

By the way I was in the G Block of the Atyeo and had the best view of it, it hit the kid on the side of the head and he went down like a sack of spuds. It was an accident there was no intent. Apparently he went to hospital but is ok.

[Milo]

I don't know if u remember Mark Lavin but I was at the Reading game where he deliberately leathered a dead ball ball from the touchline into the crowd and broke a guys hand, he got done for it to.  Fair enough. 

This was different - a player cant be expected to think of everything and charging someone for legal actions taken during the course of a game is a dangerous precedent.

By the way I was in the G Block of the Atyeo and had the best view of it, it hit the kid on the side of the head and he went down like a sack of spuds.  It was an accident there was no intent.  Apparently he went to hospital but is ok.

←

I was also at the Reading match and can recall Gerard Lavin's idiocy. There's not just black and white, there are also shades of gray. Lavin's actions were unquestionably wrong, a ball kicked out during a tackle and hitting a fan is fine. Somewhere in between these two polar extremes is what happened on Saturday.

I'm no legal expert but I'm sure that legal precedents have already been set and that playing football does not exempt you from taking responsibility for your actions.

Do you completely rule out the possibility that Brunt aimed the ball into the crowd on purpose? If so,what was he thinking in your opinion?

[City Exile]

I am sure on this one the law would be very clear - the fact that somebody is on a football pitch would not give them any immunity from the law. I was not at the game, but the overall view from this thread seems to be more that the actions were 'thoughless' at worst, and maybe reckless, but very unlikely to have been deleberate. What on earth would the motive have been? And has been said before - I would suspect we have more to lose than gain on this one - 'directives' that fans can not leave that way before the final whistle.

I am sort of more interested in the fact that no overtime at all was played, even allowing for the 4 minute stoppage and normal injury time - say 7 minutes in total. May have been a degree of comonsense in the situation, but I always believed refs were paid to apply the rules, not exercise common sense? I do not think realistically there was any chance of it changing the result, but techically, should the ref in this situation not declare that the game has been 'abandoned'?

Any budding refs out there?

[Guest i8thegas]

Brunty should be banned or fined at least. He wasnt supposed to do it on puropose but there was no need to kick it that hard a simple tap out would have done, they had already won the game anyway. I didnt see the incident head on but i heard it and as far as i was concerned i thought it had hit the advertising boards, then when i turnt round i saw someone out cold on the floor. I do think though that they way the fans acted was unecessary he did turn round and say sorry and i think this all to do with the ref.

He had a shockin game and i really do think he needs to be handed the rule book.

For all of you that is saying "if the fan wasnt paying attention thats there fault", i think u should just think about if that was u or one of your mates that got smacked cos I'm sure it would be a different story then.

[jimmyb]

Hope the fan is okay. Must have been an ordeal for his kid to see him in that state.

But let's get real here. A player smacks the ball as hard as he can into the crowd with a few minutes to go. Is he aiming at the fan? No. He's trying to get the ball as far away from the pitch as possible to waste a bit of time.

Anyone who suggests a player has a responsibility to gently tap the ball out of play is away with the fairies, I'm afraid! The defender isn't about to help the opposition when he can welt it further away and reduce the time City have to get a goal. It's his job to clear the ball.

What happened is a world of difference from that thug Lavin, who actually picked up the ball, went towards the fans and drop-kicked it with the express intention of hitting someone. I remember being disgusted that a player in a City shirt would do that and thinking the player deserved to be sacked by the club, an opinion I still hold today. It was intentional assault.

But all fans attend football games knowing that the ball is likely to be hit into the crowd. It's up to us to ensure we have our eyes on the ball whenever there's a risk of it coming our way, even if the City defence couldn't do that today. How often do we see pies or drinks go flying when a fan is walking back from the kiosk and gets hit by a ball? We all laugh then, but it's the same thing - an accident, pure and simple. Unfortunate, and bloody painful for the fan on this occasion, but that's all. Suggesting the player be fined sounds like sour grapes to me, and must have the Sheffield Wed fans p-ing their pants with laughter.

It's just another part of 48 hours that needs to be written off to experience.

←

Agree pretty much with that. From my viewpoint pretty close in the Ateyo it was an out an out accident. Immediately the fan was hit Brunt went over to the touchline in what seemed to me genuine concern.

He was perhaps unsurprisingly met with a torrent of abuse from our fans and so quite sensibly left the scene, what he did or didnt say i don't know. Perhaps one of the fans that were there could let us know.

He then as i saw was being beckoned back by our fans who presumably required an apology or furhter apology. He seemed quite prepared to do so but wisely was ushered away by other players for fear of inflaming the situation.

The referee then made the only sensible decision he had all day and blew up dead on ninety minutes. Very wise considering the nasty atmosphere that was brewing.

I assume as we have not heard otherwise that the bloke concerned is ok so i think a public apology and perhaps a donation from SWFC and/or the Brunt to a charity of his choice as a gesture of goodwill and the whole matter can be put to bed.

What we don't want is this hanging over to what could already be a very highly charged day at Hillsborough in May.

[Guest DANBOY_BCFC]

I'm stuck in 2 minds, dunno what to make of it. On one hand I feel sorry for the guy for the incident that occurred, on the other hand if it turns out he was stood around at the side of the touchline after leaving his seat early when we're frequently told not to, then I have no sympathy for him.

People who stand at the bottom, impare the view of the people in the GWR who pay to watch the whole game, if you wanna leave your seat 10 mins or so from the end then leave and go, don't hang around. If he has done this then its his own fault.

[tin]

Personally, I believe it was a scandalous event. Chris Brunt knew there were masses of fans making there way out after watching a dire performance from the team. He had the option of side-footing the ball or hoofing high and hansom into the stands but why he chose to cream-cracker it into supporters less than 5 yards away only he can answer. After the Lavin incident at Reading in 2000, where he did a very similar thing, received a red card, was prosecuted and basically cost him his professional career it is only fair that Brunt receives the same treatment. Hopefully the lad is recovering well but Brunt should be dealt with exactly the same way as Lavin. I hope the victim presses charges.

[Guest ChrisSWFC]

ChrisSWFC i would love to no what you would think if it was one of your fans and one of are players done that i personally think you would be fuming about it and would be complaining about it like us! well some of us

←

no.

because we are not the sore losers that most of you lot seem to be.

it was just a muva****in clearance and Brunt was not breaking any rules at all.

nothing will come of it.

the city fan will be fine.

everything will be forgotten.

[Guest ChrisSWFC]

Personally, I believe it was a scandalous event. Chris Brunt knew there were masses of fans making there way out after watching a dire performance from the team. He had the option of side-footing the ball or hoofing high and hansom into the stands but why he chose to cream-cracker it into supporters less than 5 yards away only he can answer. After the Lavin incident at Reading in 2000, where he did a very similar thing, received a red card, was prosecuted and basically cost him his professional career it is only fair that Brunt receives the same treatment. Hopefully the lad is recovering well but Brunt should be dealt with exactly the same way as Lavin. I hope the victim presses charges.

←

NO!

Brunt should not be treated the same as Lavin because the incident involving Lavin was a blantant act of dissent! The ball was out of play and he drop kicked it into the fans!

I can't believe you are even comparing this in the same vein to that incident, the ball was in play and Brunt, as I just previously said, was not breaking any rules. Only making a clearance, a powerful one at that!