Are Hooliganism and Atmosphere Linked?

First and foremost, I am in no way intending to glorify hooliganism. We all have the right to feel safe when we go to football, and these days, we generally do. That is of course a good thing but I do wonder if this has a role to play in the topical debates over the atmosphere in English football grounds. 

I often sit my dad down and make him tell me what it was like following Spurs away in the 70’s. As he recounts in detail walking down Green Street, the story of how he got the scar on his shoulder (he was knifed by a Chelsea fan on the Shelf) and tales of Rotterdam in 74, I have a slightly perverse feeling of “I wish I was there.”

Having first gone to football in the late 1990’s I have seen a few isolated instances of trouble, but on the whole it feels about as safe as going shopping in Brent Cross. In fact, going to Chelsea away I’m more worried about tripping over a Gucci handbag or slipping in some fake tan than running into a head-hunter. That edginess, than tension is what kept fans united and on their toes, and that’s been lost.

[linequote]I have seen a few isolated instances of trouble, but on the whole football feels about as safe as going shopping in Brent Cross[/linequote]

The closest I can get to that feeling of yesteryear is by going to European away games. Of course we were all appalled by what happened in Lyon and Rome last season, but it was instances like that that remind you it’s wise to stick together and be aware of your surroundings.

We’re all in same boat- none of us want a blade in the backside. I really do think that camaraderie pays off in the ground, we’re all together, we’re all yids and whether Roberto Soldado gets enough service or not becomes a little trivial. I’m not saying we all have to be scared to create concerted support- but it probably helps.

I often think about a moment when I was 14 and we had just scored two late goals to draw with Arsenal 4-4. I jubilantly sprinted out of the stadium to intercept my Arsenal supporting mates on their way home. When I found them and started dancing around them wearing my “Bentley 5” shirt I realized I felt totally safe, and that was a shame.

[linequote]I’m not saying we all have to be scared to create concerted support- but it probably helps[/linequote]

Not one remark or threat from any of the hundreds of Gooners that were near me. Should it be like that? Probably, but it would have been more fun if it wasn’t.

Ultimately the Taylor report and 20 years of rules, legislation and bureaucracy have resulted in atmospheres becoming unrecognisable from the 70’s and 80’s. It’s clear that a nostalgic yearning for hooliganism is not something to be advocated.

Of course, you can be #AgainstModernFootball without legitimising a knuckle dragging, racist Millwall fan, but there’s no reason why our experience of football should be polarised in that way. However, creating a safe yet atmospheric environment seems to be proving rather difficult, but if we can get there via 1882 or any other means, I think it would be very fun indeed.

[author name=”Daniel Adams” avatar=”https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2546219026/fj0n2cn547v0w6ut4sw2_bigger.png” twitter=”DADAMS_93[/linequote]