We’re still winning the fight against hooliganism

Now that the dust has settled and the blood dried from West Ham’s now infamous Carling Cup clash with Millwall, it’s time to take our sensationalist hats off and get some perspective.

Perspective is not something easily found in the modern media’s toolbox. An ability to overreact is a far more important attribute, and most of the country’s hacks didn’t disappoint in the aftermath of last week’s crowd trouble.

“The worst football violence for 30 years” the headlines screamed, as sub-editors suffered an attack of collective memory loss. Others called the violence “sickening” whilst there were even suggestions that England’s bid to host the 2018 world cup lay in tatters as a direct result of the actions of the West Ham and Millwall’s most idiotic of supporters (I’m not sure why – are West Ham and Millwall likely to be drawn in group E with Argentina and the Ivory Coast?),. This was football returning to the bad old days – when colours couldn’t be worn and police escorts were needed for all visiting fans.

Make no mistake, the violence in and around Upton Park was bad, very bad in fact and West Ham, if not Millwall as well deserve to be punished. However stylish and romantic Danny Dyer et al try to make football hooliganism, there isn’t a place for it in our game, and there never was. But the truth is that Tuesday night was far from the worst football violence for 30 years.

Yes the scenes outside of the ground were deplorable, and no fan should ever have to go to a football match with the worry of getting stabbed on their mind. And yes, the sight of West Ham fans willing to hit their own stewards in order to get to the Millwall end was disgraceful. Even the three pitch invasions that followed West Ham’s goals were in excusable – even if looked at in isolation the perpetrators were merely a pathetic collection of track-bottomed teenage boys and barrel-bellied morons rather than hardcore hooligans.

The distinguishing factor of Tuesday night’s violence from that of the 80s I witnessed when starting out as a football fan though, was that there was virtually no fighting between fans inside the ground. That is the kind of violence that blighted our game for nigh on 30 years – making fathers afraid to bring their children to games and away fixtures the preserve of the hardcore.

We don’t see it in England anymore. Despite what you might have read over the past week, stadium violence is not a problem here – certainly not in the Premier League. All seater stadiums have made it more difficult for opposing fans to mix. The use of CCTV and banning orders has prevented the persistent offenders from even getting into the grounds, and less heavy-handed policing means supporters are no longer treated like animals and whipped into frenzy.

The game has become more of a family affair. Many will say it’s worse off for it and I for one must admit to cringing when certain new breed fans loudly (but always politely) ask for others to sit down or worse – be quiet. But if this is the price we have to pay to make football safe again, then it is probably worth every penny.

In fact, the money it costs to go to football now has also played a role in tackling the “English disease”. Not only does it mean that the younger supporter who in the past might have been attracted to violence cannot go to games anymore, it raises the expectations people have from their “experience” of a football match. Do people really want to pay £50 to spend two hours trying to rip seats from the stands and fight with the police?

We have made great strides in preventing football violence in this country, and shouldn’t let one night blot what we have achieved. What Tuesday night showed is that we cannot be complacent. We must make sure that the police are prepared for violence outside of the ground, and have the resources to deal with it. Inside the ground, stewards need to be supported by the police, and clubs need to ensure their segregation arrangements are suitable.

But we mustn’t forget that we are seen as a world leader in tackling hooliganism. The problem is still very real within Italian grounds, whilst other countries such as Turkey still have plenty of work to do as well.

Tuesday night shouldn’t and probably won’t ruin England’s chances of hosting the 2018 world cup and providing we continue to put the effort into curing the English disease that we have done – I can think of no better place for it to take place.