I used to quite enjoy running on the pitch at the end of the season in the good old days. But having witnessed the thuggery at Forest this week I'm not sure it's a good idea anymore. Just seems a bit outdated and unecessarily dangerous (particularly to the players) in the modern game.
What do you think? How likely do you think is it to happen on Monday?
The way things are going, fencing will have to be brought back. Clubs should also be penalised for pitch invasions during the match.
I watched the scenes at Vale Park and some Port Vale fans completely ignored their own players and went straight up to the Swindon players. Everton fans also goaded Patrick Viera and he ended up kicking out at one of them which I can completely understand.
Its almost like the Covid lockdowns and their subsequent end have propagated a return to some sort of proto-hooliganism in football. We saw it in France earlier in the season and of course with England at the Euros final but now it seems to be seeping down the football pyramid, as we saw first hand against Grimsby in February.
Being reasonably young, the only time I've ever felt unsafe while supporting Notts is crossing the junction of County road and Meadow lane after a match (I've been almost knocked over more times in some seasons than I've seen wins), but unless the FA and EFL/National League pull their respective fingers out and actually do something about the issues facing the game, disorder at football matches is only going to get worse.
I just hope that Monday's fixture isnt marred by disorder too.
Port Vale/Burslem is a breeding ground for incestuous two headed types; they should lose their place in the final should the allegations be true.
How long before some nutter runs on the pitch carrying a knife??
I completely understand the idea of pitch invasions to celebrate with your team.
What I simply do not get is this thing about goading or attacking players.
The two really shouldn’t be associated, but due to some absolute low life’s they are now intrinsically linked.
A few spoiling a celebration for the many.
We won’t go back to fences, but clubs will have to start paying for a lot more policing.
I really hope we don’t invade if we beat Grimsby but I fear we will.
We’ll have a few fans that now think it’s acceptable, with what’s happened this week, and then the masses follow.
As stated, these teams have won nothing but a day out at Wembley.
I saw the port vale game. Half the Swindon players stood together in the centre circle and were mobbed by a load of PV fans.
Without fences and a ridiculous amount of police, the only way I can see to stop it is to allow fans on the pitch once opposition and officials have left. Anyone that charges the pitch before that is arrested/banned.
This needs to be strongly communicated by the FA, the club, and the playing staff.
You’ll still get the idiots charging but possibly not the masses that then think it’s ok.
I say all this knowing I was one of the first on the pitch when we got promoted with Big Sam. As I was running on one of our players leathered the ball in jubilation and I took it right in the gut and dropped like a sack of spuds.