I read a post somewhere where you said you was at the spurs match, sat in the upper tier. Did you get out of there without any bother? i saw brief news footage that there where spurs fans waiting outside, mob handed, and wanting blood. Ive been told by people at work that there where "fights all over the place" Did you get any grief at all? Can anyone else here who went make any comments to the above?
I did mention this in a post somewhere on the Result thread. Yes it was a disgrace. We were understandably kept in by the police for about an hour. Then we left, everyone knowing it wasn't going to be good. We had to turn away from Tottenham High Road as the police were blocking our way, but as we walked down the road, loads of Spurs 'fans', came from a side street. Fights started ahead of where I was and we were pushed back around the Stadium, straight into about five hundred idiots. It was very difficult to get over the High Road. The police charged them and then we got over and got to our car pretty quickly. There was a lot of damage and a lot of people hurt. It's a disgrace that there hasn't been wider coverage so that Tottenham should be villified like Millwall.
No. 'Us Gooners' are by and large very well behaved. We have a very good reputation in Europe when travelling, in fact we have by far and away the best reputation of English fans when travelling in Europe. At Highbury, there is hardly ever any problems, and certainly nothing like Spurs. You will find if you ever go there, that Spurs scum are a breed into themselves. They are absolute disgraceful animals.
Can someone explain to me breifly on WHY does the Spurs hate gooners/gunners SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH?
Rick - Good to see you made it out to go on to the next game. I'm glad we didn't have the same experience with the Chelsea fans at the Champions League away match. I'd think I'd have a hard time getting my wife to let me go back for some games next year. There was an interesting article in the latest Four Four Two about Sir Henry Norris moving the team from Woolwich to North London and getting the team into the first division screwing over Spurs. Sounds like that might be where the bad blood started. Enjoy the rest of the season, bet your looking forward to the final match and the celebration that will follow. Wish I could be there. Dave P.
It all goes back to the 20's, I believe, when Arsenal got "promoted" to the 1st division even though they hadn't, technically, earned it. Spurs got relegated, and the common thought was that Arsenal had engineered the deal to go up AND get rid of their geographical rival, to boot. Somebody with a better grasp of Arsenal history might have a better answer, but the above is what I understand to be correct.
I think the deal was that they were expanding the First Division (top division then) and Norris lobbied behind the scenes and got Arsenal included in the First Division over Spurs, even though Spurs had finished higher in the last season before things shut down for the war. And I think the whole thing took place right after the war, so there hadn't been any standings the previous year, but a lot of people thought Arsenal got included due to pulling strings. I think Tottenham already disliked Arsenal, as when they moved from Woolwich to north London, that was viewed by Spurs as moving into their turf. Then the promotion thing just made it a whole lot worse from Spurs' view.
Its only natural Spurs hate us and its mutual. Even though they have cause for how we got to the first division, the fact remains they are the closest club physically and would have been a derby match for us anyway. Just like how Lions and Hyenas can't occupy the same territory neither can us and Spurs. Almost all clubs have derbies (rivalries) with the clubs closest to them physically with very few if any exceptions.
Yes, but very few derbies create the sort of hatred where people get beaten up and threatened just because of the game. I still maintain that if you think that the North London Derby has the same in passion to any ather derby, then you haven't been to White Hart Lane to see Arsenal play there
Take my personal anecdote for whatever it's worth but even over here watching Arsenal versus Spurs at the Brewhouse is a much testier atmosphere than any other match. There is never any hint or threat of violence but with Manc fans or any others you can have a laugh during the match and buy (or get bought) a drink after the match...no hard feelings. With the Spurs fans it's very different. There's this real seething hatred you can feel just because you're wearing an Arsenal kit. And yes, these are London transplant Spurs fans I'm talking about...not a bunch of Yanks who decided to follow Spurs. It's very strange.
Well that's because all Spurs 'fans' are very strange....... Animals you could say. But you are spot on, even in Manchester I still wear my shirt to the games, the only place I won't dare wear Arsenal colours is Spurs.
Rick, would you wear your Arsenal kit to the New Den if Millwall ever gets promoted? Their fans certainly have a bad reputation. seeing a female, teenaged Spurs fan yell "#$#@ you" at Pires when he took a corner kick summed things up. Ironically the Spurs fans at Ginger's Ale House in Chicago were quite docile during the game.......
Point taken, no I wouldn't. I was referring to the current Premiership Teams. The teams to be careful of are Tottenham, Millwall, Stoke, Cardiff and Swansea. I would quite happily wear my shirt anywhere else. Doug, next year (if I haven't put you off!!) come over for the match at White Hart Lane and ill get you a ticket, it's a super atmousphere in the ground. If not then when you do come over, make sure you can go to an away match as well as a home one. It's good fun going in the cars around the country to the games.
Sorry Dave, didn't see your post at first!! Yeah, to be honest I was expecting a little more trouble at Chelsea, yet good old Ed made sure you still went home with some bruises when celebrating the goal!!! I am looking forward to the Leicester game, although we have to drive to pompy on Tues night, which to be honest is dam annoying!! It will be a nothing game and is quite a distance to get to for a weekday evening game as the traffice will be horrible. Oh well!! Make sure when you come over next year to pencil yourself in for an away game as well, Champions League games in Europe are great fun!! Rick
Are they from London or the UK at all? There is nothing like a North London derby as anyone who's been to one will know.
I would love to do that! When will the 2004-05 schedule be announced? Early June? Your post says you drive to the away fixtures. Do you ever take British Rail? Driving to Newcastle sounds really tiring.... next year I hope to also see a Division 3 match as well, maybe Leyton Orient or Barnet if they win the Conference playoffs also
Orient's ground is a dump, but it has terracing so you can be taken back to the days of yore along with the other 67 people.
Beats me...they weren't very sociable. When they televised the derby at Highbury there were a lot more Spurs fans at Ginger's, not so many this time. I think I counted about 7 Spurs fans....... the Arsenal ex-pats I spoke to at Ginger's had nothing good to say about Spurs. One guy mentioned going to a derby at WHL in 1993 and having to avoid glass and beer bottles on the way to the game.
So you obviously didn't try our trains when you came over then?!! Trust me, you don't want to. It's good fun, a load of cars packed full of Gooners, stopping for food along the way. It is tiring, but im one of the drivers so you can sleep on the way back if you can bear Ed's Fleetwood Mac blaring out at you...... A div 3 game heh? Your brave!! I'll go to Barnet (as it's just down the road!!) but other than that your on your own!!The fixtures normally come out at some point in June. Just e-mail me when you know what games you want to come to.
no Julie and I didn't try British Rail, we didn't leave London. We were very pleased using the London Underground. It seems you're saying the British Rail service is dodgy? I'd like to see a Division 3 game since the English gent at work says it's better than Major League Soccer here in the USA I'll e-mail you when the fixture list comes out!
Well it was privatised in the 1980's and so isn't actually 'British Rail' as such but a load of smaller companies. maybe it's just me, I prefer to drive, you can go when you want and listen to your own music. Its also quite expensive to go by train compared to 4 people ina car splitting the petrol.
I herad about the incidents with those Spurs fans, they are pure class arnt they? Anyways I have never been to a Spurs-Arsenal match yet, but hopefully I will one day.
couldnt agree more, i really like all the small towns in this country.. its so unlike texas.. but the cost of petrol is getting out of hand~ the title of this thread is pompous!!!!!!!!!!! Rick gets his own personal thread??? where's the love?
I'm not sure how you put up with listening to Fleetwood Mac on the rides, but anything is better than the rail on a bad day. Last year when I went to the Sunderland Match the train broke down several times and it took us an extra 4 hours to get there. I would certainly rather be in a car with Ed and Fleetwood Mac. The Petrol cost would certainly be less than the train. The other comment that a 3rd division game is more exciting than an MLS game, I'm not sure about that. Division 2 is about equal, but not division 3. At least not by my opinion.