Crowd violence erupts on West Ham's US tour

[worcestersauce]

Did anybody else see this?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/west_ham/article4371094.ece
Source: Timesonline

"A violent half-time brawl between more than 100 fans marred West Ham United's friendly with Columbus Crew in Ohio yesterday.
The fights, which overshadowed West Ham's 3-1 win, began when a handful of the Premier League club's supporters entered the north-east corner of the stadium where the MLS team's most boisterous supporters were gathered.
Rival groups began directing chants toward each other and fights quickly broke out between more than 100 Crew fans and at least 30 West Ham supporters. The clashes were eventually stopped when Columbus police officers and Crew Stadium security staff moved in to separate the groups. Highway Patrol officers arrested one fan outside the stadium for disorderly conduct, but Columbus police were unable to confirm whether any arrests had been made inside the stadium.
It is the second incident Crew supporters have been involved in this season. In May, a fan was reported to have shouted a racial slur at Kheli Dube, the New England forward, after he scored a later winner at the ground. The incident prompted a league investigation, with Don Garber, the MLS commissioner, saying that the fan will be banned from league games for life if officials were able to identify him from a video that captured it".

Can't make my mind up whether this is just the usual load of spammers or does this actually prove that Football really has taken root in the land of Uncles Sam.
"The Columbus Crew" sounds just right for a bunch of hooligans. :grin:

Kentucky this is near you isn't it?

 

[DoublePivot]

Yeah. Columbus is starting to get a label for this. Recently they had issues over a fan abusing a black player with the use of the N word.

You're finding that people who worship the MLS are becoming really fanatical about. You're seeing the fledgling beginnings of a hooligan culture (I think Green Street Hooligans - not sure if that was what it was called over there - started their infatuation), and Columbus would be leading in this category. But also, I live here and love football, but I can't even talk to MLSers, because they would want to start and argument over why I don't support the MLS. They're very nasty about it, even referring to people who like teams from Europe as Eurosnobs.

And that's probably where the issue arose from. I doubt it was that many people travelling over from England to see some friendly in shitsville Ohio. It was a bunch of "eurosnobs" who support West Ham and this offends the MLSers and there you go.

I mean really, if some real hard Hammer fans were walking into that stadium, those rednecks wouldn't have started sweet fa.

 

[bergsuk]

I mean really, if some real hard Hammer fans were walking into that stadium, those rednecks wouldn't have started sweet fa.

according to a few spammer sites their were some real hard hammer fans out their.

 

[Marty]

according to a few spammer sites their were some real hard hammer fans out their.

In that case the Spammers were whipped by the Yanks. A win-win situation :smile:

 

[LSUY]

That isn't much of a surprise. I swear Columbus model themselves on Millwall. Because of films like Green Street there are an increasing number of people who think being a hooligan and football go hand in hand.

Of course, this will be our fault as far as the US media is concerned as violence only ever breaks out in soccer games.

 

[VegasII]

'Eurosnobs'....well we have been playing it for a fucking long time & Football did exist before the MLS.

Double divot...have my sympathy, mate.

West Ham play the MLS all stars on Thursday (I'm in Canada) so I think I'll watch that on TV. Should be a laugh.

 

[FMA]

I'm not surprised. Their country has really gone to pot since 1783.

 

[Rocksuperstar]

See this is something that i've been waiting for.

The big thing that no-one realises is that where everyone considers English football fans as trouble, the NFL has just as big a problem with violence, if not more so, but in their cases it's nearly always the home fans causing all the grief, hence it being hushed so much by the locals.

Cowboys fans and Raiders fans are apparently a bit shifty, but i've heard friends from over that side of the Atlantic talk about Steelers, Dolphins and Vikings are a cut above for being just sadistic in some ways - tales of their fans getting wasted and setting fire to some random guys hair, just because it was dyed in the colour of an opposing team. I'm also told that, more often than makes any sense at all to even the most mental-case loon, the most trouble is between their own fans! Packers fans, despite being from Green Bay, once were caught beating up a guy in a wheelchair, who was also a Green Bay fan, Cowboys will whip the shit out of each other and most of this, apparently, goes on in the stands or stairwells :shrug:

I will admit i hear this second hand from wasted/stoned/mad American friends of mine over the years, but i've always been curious about it so whenever sport comes up i tend to ask these kinds of questions :lol:

Who knows, they maybe shitting me, but i tend to believe them.

 

[DoublePivot]

I was at the Germany-England game back at Euro 2000. You remember the one where people were getting hosed down in the streets. The game everyone asked me about thereafter. Well in Charlesroi, there was no big issue. Felt safe as I could be.

The times I have felt that I was going to die were at Boston College sporting events....football game where I was minding my business and a group of frat boys started claiming I had thrown something (and it doesn't matter how hard you are, when you're outnumber 15-2 by a bunch of drunks) or when they beat North Carolina in a basketball game and started trashing the streets.


You're right RSS. The one thing that keeps thing is check for the most part in American sports is the lack of traveling fans.

 

[LSUY]

Cowboys fans and Raiders fans are apparently a bit shifty, but i've heard friends from over that side of the Atlantic talk about Steelers, Dolphins and Vikings are a cut above for being just sadistic in some ways - tales of their fans getting wasted and setting fire to some random guys hair, just because it was dyed in the colour of an opposing team. I'm also told that, more often than makes any sense at all to even the most mental-case loon, the most trouble is between their own fans! Packers fans, despite being from Green Bay, once were caught beating up a guy in a wheelchair, who was also a Green Bay fan, Cowboys will whip the shit out of each other and most of this, apparently, goes on in the stands or stairwells :shrug:

The Eagles fans are the worse. They use to have a temp. prison inside the stadium with a court judge standing by.

 

[llamafarmer]

I'd imagine they've all seen the spammers on Green Street and fancied taking on some English hooligans.

Bunch of knobcocktwats if you ask me.

 

[KentuckyYid]

I shouldn't think the Americans will let crowd violence get to the levels that it does in Europe. The cops would be whipping out & using their pistols in self defence before you could blink.

The Crew just thought they'd tear it up with a reknown firm such as West Ham is all. Give themself some bragging etc. The fact that West Ham went into Crew area shows they weren't backing down from a fight either. I'm sure during the evening they all stroked each others cocks and had a pint together as the Americans and English do get on well.

 

[DFF]

The Eagles fans are the worse. They use to have a temp. prison inside the stadium with a court judge standing by.

Ahem... it was the first NFL stadium with a built-in jail, not the only one (i think).

Also, didn't DTA's cousin or someone have his car shat on outside that stadium? :lol:
Stupid Redskins fans. That evens it up, surely.

Anyway, our new stadium doesn't have jail cells (...anymore). You could probably still get your car shat on, though.

 

[Yiddosmithy]

Seems like 'the columbus crew' are trying to make a name for themselves by fighting witha firm that was in a film.
Talking about fights at pre season 'friendlies' i went to see Weston-Super-Mare vs Exeter last week and there was a fight there maybe 20 people and not a very big fight but it still suprised me. The Weston firm call themselves the 'Weston Chaos Crew'.
In fact it was barely a fight just a few punches and that was it.

 

[Bonjour]

Do the ICF still knock around?

They were hard bastards. Really hard bastards.

 

[Blotto]

Do the ICF still knock around?

They were hard bastards. Really hard bastards.

Don't you mean 'Green Street Elite'? Those are the chaps that influenced those Columbus Crew knobs...I hear Elijah Wood, aka Frodo, is the hard-man through and through. :grin:

 

[taidgh]

i'm a bit embarrassed to post this, but...


12 Crew Hooligan // Jul 21, 2008 at 10:15 am
I’m 19 and live in Columbus, we will fight any firm in the world. Even when out-numbered in our own stadium. I was involved in the incident, which is completely West Hams fault (8-12 IFC stood directly behind the Crew section, when immediately asked to leave by security they threw up their fists like they wanted to fight. 3/4 of the Crew section emptied to the NE side of the stadium. The remaining 1000+ IFC left their section and met us by the concession, when the first punch was thrown by a CREW FIRM MEMBER mace was used and stopped any progress for a brawl.) It’s how we do things in COLUMBUS, try not to sleep on us, or we will be your worst nightmare…on and off the pitch. Also, I apologize to those who don’t understand the passion involved in this situation. We will NEVER allow someone (especially Britts) to come to our stadium and push us around, sorry…..Please don’t forget 1776, history tends to repeat itself, British getting destroyed.
I hope the U.S is starting to realize a thing or two about “soccer”

http://www.epltalk.com/columbus-crew-1-3-west-ham-united-your-reaction-to-the-game-and-violence/2671

 

[TaoistMonkey]

i'm a bit embarrassed to post this, but...


12 Crew Hooligan // Jul 21, 2008 at 10:15 am
I’m 19 and live in Columbus, we will fight any firm in the world. Even when out-numbered in our own stadium. I was involved in the incident, which is completely West Hams fault (8-12 IFC stood directly behind the Crew section, when immediately asked to leave by security they threw up their fists like they wanted to fight. 3/4 of the Crew section emptied to the NE side of the stadium. The remaining 1000+ IFC left their section and met us by the concession, when the first punch was thrown by a CREW FIRM MEMBER mace was used and stopped any progress for a brawl.) It’s how we do things in COLUMBUS, try not to sleep on us, or we will be your worst nightmare…on and off the pitch. Also, I apologize to those who don’t understand the passion involved in this situation. We will NEVER allow someone (especially Britts) to come to our stadium and push us around, sorry…..Please don’t forget 1776, history tends to repeat itself, British getting destroyed.
I hope the U.S is starting to realize a thing or two about “soccer”

http://www.epltalk.com/columbus-crew-1-3-west-ham-united-your-reaction-to-the-game-and-violence/2671

In the words of defsta......

Oh Dear.... :lol:

 

[Rocksuperstar]

i'm a bit embarrassed to post this, but...


12 Crew Hooligan // Jul 21, 2008 at 10:15 am
I’m 19 and live in Columbus, we will fight any firm in the world. Even when out-numbered in our own stadium. I was involved in the incident, which is completely West Hams fault (8-12 IFC stood directly behind the Crew section, when immediately asked to leave by security they threw up their fists like they wanted to fight. 3/4 of the Crew section emptied to the NE side of the stadium. The remaining 1000+ IFC left their section and met us by the concession, when the first punch was thrown by a CREW FIRM MEMBER mace was used and stopped any progress for a brawl.) It’s how we do things in COLUMBUS, try not to sleep on us, or we will be your worst nightmare…on and off the pitch. Also, I apologize to those who don’t understand the passion involved in this situation. We will NEVER allow someone (especially Britts) to come to our stadium and push us around, sorry…..Please don’t forget 1776, history tends to repeat itself, British getting destroyed.
I hope the U.S is starting to realize a thing or two about “soccer”

http://www.epltalk.com/columbus-crew-1-3-west-ham-united-your-reaction-to-the-game-and-violence/2671

19 years old... :lol:

well, let them - whereas the thought of football violence over here makes me sick (maybe cos i've seen it and it made up a big part of the media surrounding the game during the 80's), the thought of 200 burger and mountain-dew fuelled fuck-whits pounding crap out of each other over, what is essentially, non-league class "sawker", is a mysteriously alluring draw :think:

 

[llamafarmer]

i'm a bit embarrassed to post this, but...


12 Crew Hooligan // Jul 21, 2008 at 10:15 am
I’m 19 and live in Columbus, we will fight any firm in the world. Even when out-numbered in our own stadium. I was involved in the incident, which is completely West Hams fault (8-12 IFC stood directly behind the Crew section, when immediately asked to leave by security they threw up their fists like they wanted to fight. 3/4 of the Crew section emptied to the NE side of the stadium. The remaining 1000+ IFC left their section and met us by the concession, when the first punch was thrown by a CREW FIRM MEMBER mace was used and stopped any progress for a brawl.) It’s how we do things in COLUMBUS, try not to sleep on us, or we will be your worst nightmare…on and off the pitch. Also, I apologize to those who don’t understand the passion involved in this situation. We will NEVER allow someone (especially Britts) to come to our stadium and push us around, sorry…..Please don’t forget 1776, history tends to repeat itself, British getting destroyed.
I hope the U.S is starting to realize a thing or two about “soccer”

http://www.epltalk.com/columbus-crew-1-3-west-ham-united-your-reaction-to-the-game-and-violence/2671

:lol: Numpty.

I particularly like the idea that they would be a Premiership side's (even one as shit as West Ham) worst nightmare ON the pitch. I watched MLS once, it was ruuuuuuuubbish!