bigmick wrote:Clearly from anecdotal evidence (as I obviously wasn't there) the stadium wasn't a wise choice. Also, by all accounts the stewarding and policing was rubbish as well to go along with the fact that the ticket allocation was patently ridiculous.
That said, clearly some supporters let themselves and the club down with their behaviour. We can't continually condone bad behaviour, but equally fans can't seriously be expected to police themselves (it would take a big or a brave man to confront four lads who've bunked into some seats next door and then tell the rightful owner to get fecked when he arrives). Yes we can tut-tut, and yes we can roundly condemn, but ultimately the responsibility to behave properly lies with the individual, and the ultimate responsibility to ensure that good behaviour lies with the authorities. Collectively I don't think Liverpool supporters should be hanging their heads in shame. While there probably was some regretable behaviour, it is possible to underatand some of it even if we don't necessarily agree with it.
It's hard to imagine how a fan, who was say taking his little lad accross Europe to see the final would feel when he was refused entry at the gate with a legitimate ticket. Would I storm the gates in such a situation? Fecking right I would, OOTer scouser or whatever you are, when your little 'un is bawling his eyes out you're going to try and remedy the situation somewhat.
Equally, if you've travelled accross Europe with a few of your mates who have tickets, hoping to pick up a ticket somewhere along the way and the opportunity comes to sneak in, would you take it? Course you would. I defy anybody to say hand on heart that they wouldn't. You wouldn't tell the rightful owners of the tickets to get fecked but you would sneak in no question, well I would anyway.
No the answer is not to build a new stadium, its to build a coherent plan for stopping those without tickets getting within a half mile of the ground. It's about building a facility via a big screen with scaffold terracing and a beer tent on the outskirts of a town for those fans from both clubs who havent got tickets. It's about a festival is a final, and the authorities who happily took the fans money but then on the night hadn't taken necessary measures to ensure those fans could take their seats to see the game should be hanging their heads in shame, not ordinary Liverpool supporters.
No sorry if i was with my little 'un, and we were refused entry i would not storm the gates, that would be a Fucking stupid thing to do and a really CraP example to my son.