What the heck were the police upto after the game?

[clapham_gull]

I'm sorry, were you there tonight?

I can tell you now that walking away from the police cordon outside the South Stand where small children and women simply trying to get to the Park & Ride were herded into a tight huddle along with all the Millwall fans exiting the ground was NOT an option.

It was inept policing, and potentially dangerous. Thankfully nothing came of it. Not this time anyway.

No I wasn't there - I've already said that. I've also said that I'm perfectly aware of what some Millwall fans can be like, probably more than you. I've experienced their nonsense at London Bridge many a time. But I was responding to a reaction from the Palace games and I was at both. I also been to to all the recent coming togethers.

I've also said that whatever happened tonight the police will learn from it.

BUT... and this is my point.

They are trying to be a bit more clever at the Amex. With almost perfect success.

I think it worked at the Palace game, obviously not tonight. But because of the experience of tonight, don't change everything next time Leeds come down or even Palace.

They are trying to do something different than the default position of separating fans into groups because it CAN make the situation worse. We've had years of that and it hasn't made the situation anywhere better.

Ok ?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

There was supposed to be a direct Falmer -> London train for the Millwall fans tonight. Didn't it run?

Yep. From the Lewes-bound platform, at about 22:25.

Millwall fans were separated from Albion fans, by being sent down a different set of stairs and admitted to the platform via the main station entrance, rather than the side gate. Albion fans were held at the side gate while all this happened. The segregation worked really well.

 

[The tall one]

very poor policing , forcing 2300 millwall fans up 2 rows of steps , then getting arsey when people start pushing . Massive bottle neck . Keep em inside for 15 minutes job done everyones happy . Brighton police really do amaze me sometimes ...

But the police have no say as to whether away supporters are held back or not. It's the clubs policy to allow all supporters to leave at once.
The reason why all the Milwall supporters left at once were because the bars were shut.

 

[honey boy zimba]

thank you Lord B as ever you talk sense no probs it worked well

 

[wellquickwoody]

Sorry, but please do get your idea of life just a little more realistic. When it comes to football, the police are GOD.

Sent from Pippa Middleton's lingerie drawer.

 

[Manx Shearwater]

No I wasn't there - I've already said that. I've also said that I'm perfectly aware of what some Millwall fans can be like, probably more than you. I've experience their nonsense at London Bridge many a time.

I've also said that whatever happened tonight the police will learn from it.

BUT... and this is my point.

The are trying to be a bit more clever at the Amex. I think it worked at the Palace game, obviously not tonight. But because of the experience of tonight, don't change everything next time Leeds come down or even Palace.

They are trying to do something different than the default position of separating fans into groups because it CAN make the situation worse. We've had years of that and it hasn't made the situation anywhere better.

Ok ?

I can see what you're trying to say, but I don't think you can properly comment on tonight's particular scenario unless you'd seen it for yourself.

If they are trying to be a bit more clever then they either need to move the South Stand, or the Bus and Coach park. Obviously this isn't going to happen. What you're left with is people from the West Stand being barred from walking to the Park and Ride queues, and not only that, being kettled in with away supporters emerging from the South Stand. It needs a lot more thought than someone gave it tonight.

And I've been in the Old Den, and been subject to the lobbed bottles while walking back down the side of the ground, so try not to patronise me too much.

 

[clapham_gull]

End.

.. and by way of a footnote it well be worth your while actually reading what I was referring to.

 

[clapham_gull]

I can see what you're trying to say, but I don't think you can properly comment on tonight's particular scenario unless you'd seen it for yourself.

If they are trying to be a bit more clever then they either need to move the South Stand, or the Bus and Coach park. Obviously this isn't going to happen. What you're left with is people from the West Stand being barred from walking to the Park and Ride queues, and not only that, being kettled in with away supporters emerging from the South Stand. It needs a lot more thought than someone gave it tonight.

And I've been in the Old Den, and been subject to the lobbed bottles while walking back down the side of the ground, so try not to patronise me too much.

I'm not commenting on tonight at all, I wasn't there. Just reacting to the people mentioning the Palace game. Basing on what everyone is saying, it quite obviously wasn't the same and doesn't therefore mean there should be a change to the general policing/stewarding at the Amex. Just probably for Millwall next time.

Can't see where I have said anything different...

I'm sorry if you felt I was patronising, I simply trying to not undermine your experience because mine has been similar. Got a story about Kings Cross one morning that is too long to relate here. Weirdly, the only place I have genuinely felt physically threatened was that Grimsby away game when we got relegated. I was glad to get home.

 

[honey boy zimba]

there is at some games the partential for trouble all im saying is just use a bit of common and police the games by risk ,I have no probbs being miggled in with most clubs ,have had some good chats about the game with away suporters ect but fffs millwall and palace will add pompey in too

 

[Bigtomfu]

Yep. From the Lewes-bound platform, at about 22:25.

Millwall fans were separated from Albion fans, by being sent down a different set of stairs and admitted to the platform via the main station entrance, rather than the side gate. Albion fans were held at the side gate while all this happened. The segregation worked really well.

Sorry LB but the segregation didn't work well.

The main Millwall bunch barged through into the normally empty lane of the bridge over the lines, then forced their way down onto the platform for both the 22.04 and 22.14 trains to Lewes.

Several of them caused a bit of bother between myself and another Albion fan with young children when the chap with young kids took offence to them f'ing and blinding while the police held everyone up at the gate onto the platform.

More than one bunch of them remarked on sorting us all out when we got off the train at Lewes and the police simply stood there and did nothing about it.

I have no truck with the police on their tactics normally but this was simply wrong.

The special train was practically empty when it sauntered past us at Lewes station and the majority of the Millwall fans got the train back to Lewes to pick up their cars or wait for the 22.42 back to London Victoria.

I'm going to come across as a bit of whinger in this post but ive seen my fair share of trouble at games, stood in the pen at Zampa road to be taunted by Millwall at the best of times and taken it all in good grace, but the simple fact was if they had kept them in for ten/fifteen minutes after the game and forced them to get on their special train none of the unsavoury scenes I witnessed would have happened.

It was a 12 coach service direct to London Bridge that probably came at not insignificant cost to the club either directly or through a charge back from Sussex Police and their associated Policing costs for this game.

Millwall practically did what they wanted and the Police stood and watched.

We're just a bit lucky that nothing more serious than a bit of cat calling happened this time around.

 

[clapham_gull]

there is at some games the partential for trouble all im saying is just use a bit of common and police the games by risk ,I have no probbs being miggled in with most clubs ,have had some good chats about the game with away suporters ect but fffs millwall and palace will add pompey in too

Agreed, but just possibly (and somewhat controversially) felt the ingenious Palace home arrangement somehow worked...

 

[honey boy zimba]

IM afraid the police havnt had much experience with crowd managment over the years ,withdean was a very gentle place to police ,and it will take time to sort out the Met have been doing it for years and know the score hence palace away was a good experience

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Sorry LB but the segregation didn't work well.

The main Millwall bunch barged through into the normally empty lane of the bridge over the lines, then forced their way down onto the platform for both the 22.04 and 22.14 trains to Lewes.

Several of them caused a bit of bother between myself and another Albion fan with young children when the chap with young kids took offence to them f'ing and blinding while the police held everyone up at the gate onto the platform.

More than one bunch of them remarked on sorting us all out when we got off the train at Lewes and the police simply stood there and did nothing about it.

I have no truck with the police on their tactics normally but this was simply wrong.

The special train was practically empty when it sauntered past us at Lewes station and the majority of the Millwall fans got the train back to Lewes to pick up their cars or wait for the 22.42 back to London Victoria.

I'm going to come across as a bit of whinger in this post but ive seen my fair share of trouble at games, stood in the pen at Zampa road to be taunted by Millwall at the best of times and taken it all in good grace, but the simple fact was if they had kept them in for ten/fifteen minutes after the game and forced them to get on their special train none of the unsavoury scenes I witnessed would have happened.

It was a 12 coach service direct to London Bridge that probably came at not insignificant cost to the club either directly or through a charge back from Sussex Police and their associated Policing costs for this game.

Millwall practically did what they wanted and the Police stood and watched.

We're just a bit lucky that nothing more serious than a bit of cat calling happened this time around.

I missed all that. We went to Dick's Bar post-match, and strolled down to the station at about 10.20. It was all very quiet by then. I guess if Millwall fans had been kept in for 15 minutes, as you suggest, we might have become embroiled in something different. For that reason, I'm glad they weren't kept in.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

IM afraid the police havnt had much experience with crowd managment over the years ,withdean was a very gentle place to police ,and it will take time to sort out the Met have been doing it for years and know the score hence palace away was a good experience

Don't give me that, there were plenty of people on here complaining about being frogmarched back to Norwood Junction in a cordon.

No crowds experience? You do know Brighton is protest central, right?

 

[Tory Boy]

No crowds experience? You do know Brighton is protest central, right?

But we both know when there is a tree-hugger or right wing march, there are twice as many police as protesters.

Do the police ever ask sensible fans for their views, fans who have lived through all the nastiness from the 70s and 80s?

All the police want is the scum off their patch, in the same way they want West Street cleared in the early hours of the morning.

A big fat blind eye is turned against dozens/hundreds of criminal offences.

That's not acceptable, and hopefully when we have an elected Police Chief things will change.

TB

 

[e77]

I stayed to applaud the team off then went to the coach park via the toilet and so no trouble at all.

Must have been lucky, I guess.

 

[Commander]

Well this is all strange, because various know-alls such as Lord Bracknell told us at the start of the season that football violence didn't happen anymore, and that there was no chance of there ever being any at the Amex.

Pompey will be the next one, and probably the worst of the lot.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Legged it to the station on 90 minutes,no problems,also arrived 5 minutes after ko,found the stadium very quite from outside
I think more fans will give these high risk games a miss and many will leave on 80 minutes. Not good

 

[The Large One]

Bearing in mind a huge amount of Brighton fans stick around after the game, what value is there in the policy of keeping away fans in for 15 minutes?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Well this is all strange, because various know-alls such as Lord Bracknell told us at the start of the season that football violence didn't happen anymore, and that there was no chance of there ever being any at the Amex.

Pompey will be the next one, and probably the worst of the lot.

The mass confrontations that we saw in the past haven't happened. It's small numbers, not widespread public disorder.