Morning, tame Millwall fan here.
All this allocation stuff is a bit of a red herring, in my opinion.
Whether Spurs give Millwall 1,000 or 4,000 tickets, it makes no difference to the security of the match. Millwall FF has just under 6,000 season ticket holders and another 10,000 or so members. To become a STH or member you have to hand in lots of personal information & a passport photo. This all gets passed onto the Met.
Therefore, no active Millwall hooligan is a season ticket holder or member. If Spurs gave Millwall FC 4,000 tickets (the same as Wycombe Wanderers) then they would all be snapped up by season ticket holders. Not for some hooligan day out, but because it is a big cup game at a big club in a grand old stadium we rarely get to visit.
There will be no trouble inside or outside the stadium from Millwall fans. When we play Charlton we get 3,200 tickets. All go to STHs. Despite the clubs being local rivals there is never any serious disorder, no pitch invasions.
I am also certain that you normal Spurs fans see us as just another small London club. Therefore, this is not like a fierce, historic rivalry like we have with your friends West Ham United. When we play at Upton Park nearly every single one of them is out to get us. This would not be the case at White Hart Lane.
The only reason this fixture is anymore high profile than Spurs v Charlton would be is because of the rivalry between the two firms - as both are the biggest and most active in London. Although, strangely, the last time the two met was when they teamed up at the World Cup in France to take on the Russians, along with Luton & Portsmouth hooligans.
They will meet up whatever, because that is what these serious hooligans do. However, the Millwall firm won't be in the ground. In fact, I think this will be quite a disappointment for the media and curious Spurs fans looking to gawp at the travelling zoo that is the nasty Millwall support. Our fans in the ground will all be normal, everyday people, more Danny Baker & Greg Wallace Millwall fans, than Tamer Hassan & Ian 'Tiny' Garwood Millwall fans.
In fact, it is much more likely that the real herberts on the day, well the ones that normal fans will see (as the hooligans will be off radar somewhere), will be the young lads with silly haircuts and snide designer clothes drinking cheap larger out to throw beer cans at the escort of Millwall fans. It will be a strange scene inside the ground too, as the silly haircut brigade will be spitting insults and threats to office workers and affable electricians etc. from Welling and Bromley.... while our hooligans are miles away.
As for the football, I fear for us. You lot look good and will take it seriously. Also, our record in London derbies is excellent, we often get the better of Chelsea, West Ham, Palace and even Woolwich. Our derby with Charlton is officially the most one-sided in English football. Yet, you lot...you always beat us. In the official head to head record we have beaten you 21 times - but most of those were in our hey day as the leading light of London football, the era where we earned our nickname the 'Lions', replacing 'Dockers'. In more recent times I was at The Den when we were riding high in the old First Division and rarely lost at home, in fact we had just gone unbeaten at home for a whole season for the 5th time a couple of years before, yet you blew us away 5-0.
My prediction for this one...
Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Millwall. Lions take shock lead. Harry to get a hat-trick, but not celebrate. Goes off to a standing ovation from both fans. Spurs fans miffed by how 'normal' the 3,000 Millwall fans are, but on way home log onto social media and read about 'street battles' that they never got to witness.
Spurs go on to win Cup.
All this allocation stuff is a bit of a red herring, in my opinion.
Whether Spurs give Millwall 1,000 or 4,000 tickets, it makes no difference to the security of the match. Millwall FF has just under 6,000 season ticket holders and another 10,000 or so members. To become a STH or member you have to hand in lots of personal information & a passport photo. This all gets passed onto the Met.
Therefore, no active Millwall hooligan is a season ticket holder or member. If Spurs gave Millwall FC 4,000 tickets (the same as Wycombe Wanderers) then they would all be snapped up by season ticket holders. Not for some hooligan day out, but because it is a big cup game at a big club in a grand old stadium we rarely get to visit.
There will be no trouble inside or outside the stadium from Millwall fans. When we play Charlton we get 3,200 tickets. All go to STHs. Despite the clubs being local rivals there is never any serious disorder, no pitch invasions.
I am also certain that you normal Spurs fans see us as just another small London club. Therefore, this is not like a fierce, historic rivalry like we have with your friends West Ham United. When we play at Upton Park nearly every single one of them is out to get us. This would not be the case at White Hart Lane.
The only reason this fixture is anymore high profile than Spurs v Charlton would be is because of the rivalry between the two firms - as both are the biggest and most active in London. Although, strangely, the last time the two met was when they teamed up at the World Cup in France to take on the Russians, along with Luton & Portsmouth hooligans.
They will meet up whatever, because that is what these serious hooligans do. However, the Millwall firm won't be in the ground. In fact, I think this will be quite a disappointment for the media and curious Spurs fans looking to gawp at the travelling zoo that is the nasty Millwall support. Our fans in the ground will all be normal, everyday people, more Danny Baker & Greg Wallace Millwall fans, than Tamer Hassan & Ian 'Tiny' Garwood Millwall fans.
In fact, it is much more likely that the real herberts on the day, well the ones that normal fans will see (as the hooligans will be off radar somewhere), will be the young lads with silly haircuts and snide designer clothes drinking cheap larger out to throw beer cans at the escort of Millwall fans. It will be a strange scene inside the ground too, as the silly haircut brigade will be spitting insults and threats to office workers and affable electricians etc. from Welling and Bromley.... while our hooligans are miles away.
As for the football, I fear for us. You lot look good and will take it seriously. Also, our record in London derbies is excellent, we often get the better of Chelsea, West Ham, Palace and even Woolwich. Our derby with Charlton is officially the most one-sided in English football. Yet, you lot...you always beat us. In the official head to head record we have beaten you 21 times - but most of those were in our hey day as the leading light of London football, the era where we earned our nickname the 'Lions', replacing 'Dockers'. In more recent times I was at The Den when we were riding high in the old First Division and rarely lost at home, in fact we had just gone unbeaten at home for a whole season for the 5th time a couple of years before, yet you blew us away 5-0.
My prediction for this one...
Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Millwall. Lions take shock lead. Harry to get a hat-trick, but not celebrate. Goes off to a standing ovation from both fans. Spurs fans miffed by how 'normal' the 3,000 Millwall fans are, but on way home log onto social media and read about 'street battles' that they never got to witness.
Spurs go on to win Cup.
