You are right about the French authorities inside the ground.

They knew from the fighting outside that it could taste nasty very quickly yet appear to have done nothing.

10 minutes later, whilst ITV are interviewing players on the pitch, a group of shell-suit middle aged guys come running past.

Apparently they were the stewards drafted in to sort out a couple of thousand fans!

Hopefully this doesn't create some sort of knock on effect into European games next season as then there rely would be trouble and sanctions handed down.

It's all such a shame as generally most recent tournaments have passed fairly peacefully I think.

I think yesterday shows the difference between genuine hooligans and the type who just get brave after a few beers. The Russians seem to have been prepared, trained and organised in a way that would put several national armies to shame, where as the England lads' main skills appear to be the ability to drink a lot and Top Bantz.

Only one winner there.

I do for one. I have been amazed at how many forum threads I have seen with people rallying round to defend them.

all are complete loosers

Probably because people feel they are not the only ones to blame?

Some will say it takes 2 to start a fight and all that..

Of course its stupid to start singing songs about ISIS and throw any sort of objects etc but by the looks of it for example the stuff in the stadium was very much started by Russian fans no doubt either drunk or caught up in their excitement of a late equaliser...

I am not aware of any great violence when England played their qualifying matches or the recent games against Scotland?

If the answer is no is that because a smaller more loyal set of real football fans got tickets as opposed to the free for all a major tournament brings?

I don't think alcohol is as involved as people might think, at Euro 88 and Italia 90 the most drunk fans were the Irish but they were the least violent.

It's too calculated to have alcohol involved anyway although it will be a factor for some idiots.

Whilst not on the scale of what has been happening the last couple of days or 1996 in London or 1999 in Glasgow there were arrests for violent disorder at both the 2013 game at Wembley and the 2014 game at Celtic Park .

Football violence has never went away, the policing of it in the UK is much better nowadays and the penalties of getting caught in the UK can be severe but some won't be able to resist it.

Sometimes it is given a high profile in the media so every instance is reported as will happen for the next few months, sometimes it is just ignored.

Fair enough - games like that will never be totally free of some sort of incident but didn't think there was the mass trouble there has been in recent days.

Certainly in the domestic game its less of an issue with the odd incident cropping up (usually involving the same clubs!)

No we just wont back away from it due to our culture

Trouble at games has never gone away it's just very rare at Premier League games with CCTV almost everywhere

It's just different except for the odd high profile incident (Millwall/Barnsley at Wembley recently)

There was a good report on the increase in incidents at lower league games on 5-live towards the end of the season that highlighted the fact that there are less trained stewards at these games so they are able to get away with a lot more

Also, not sure if this is fact or fiction, but aren't a lot of the travelling England fans also 'supporters' of non-PL clubs ?

Think there is some truth in that.

Not sure fans of the big boys are so consumed with supporting England abroad.

What about the other home nations - Wales have 2 clubs knows for quite a bit of violence in the past when they have meet (Cardiff and Swansea)..

I fear they might have a few yobs who wouldn't mind having a fight or two after a few drinks..

It's not just England fans, Russian and French "fans" seem to be the main culprits.

There was also trouble with NI fans too.

I suppose the English are to blame for that as well.

Some people are either misinformed or have short memories. England have an unsavoury element to their fans yes but so do a lot of other nations.

A video from the last Euros in 2012:

https://youtu.be/lRjgIV94-88

Who has said anything to the contrary?

Anyone who knows anything about European football knows about clubs and countries where violence could start at any moment.

You only have to look through this thread and several others to see there are a lot of posters claiming that English fans are the sole problem.

While I agree with your post I'd remove 2008, England weren't there that year.

It's pretty obvious that the problem is the Russians as it is in every walk of life. This was organised violence at its worse. Planned violence with precise intent. This is a nation of brutes whose status has been hurt by the likes of the Baltic states and Ukraine getting independence. The world cup should be taken from them and banned by Fifa and UEFA indefinitely. Problem is if they get kicked out Putin will probably refuse for them to leave arm them to the teeth on the pretext that they are to protect Igor who has a tobacconist stall there
Once scrum always scum

Top quality rantage.

The English had this in the 70's and 80's. Now all of those have "retired" and anyone who has behaved anywhere near this back at home (and so the "youth" squads if you will) have now been banned so can't travel.

Problem is like you say, those who do get a bit brave after a few beers and miay throw a few chairs, act loutish have the notoriety of the past on their back so everyone still wants to fight the English and as the Russians seem to have done, come very prepared for a serious fight.

Have a watch of these videos:

https://twitter.com/zelenovz/status/741735178524065793
https://twitter.com/footbalifights/s...38081598996481

See all the "fans"... many wearing black.. running across that empty block of seats kicking and punching? Those are Russians. See the fans moving to the right edge and crushing up against the barriers and having to jump over them? That's the England fans trying to get away.

Please don't suggest it is "just the England fans" who are causing trouble.

That wasn't a scenario where English thugs were egging on Russian thugs and vice versa and eventually it spilled over. That was a charge of Russians into a section of England fans.. containing women and children.. and there was no provocation at all. The Russian fans are rightly being investigated by UEFA.

Agreed. There are two types. The "we've been drinking beer all day and we're not going to be moved" type and the "we're going to the Euros to kick as many heads in as possible" type. I think the Russian thugs see the English as a good target due to past history at football tournaments but I think that element has mostly gone now from our lot. So instead normal fans were getting the beatings. I'm not saying the English fans are 100% clean of trouble makers.. clearly there will be some there. But I don't think it's as bad as past years.

Because the hardcore English hooligans have been banned from travelling, no such thing has happened to the Russian hardcore.