The Palace Conspiracy

[mona]

The Police made a big mistake in insisting on a midweek evening kick off. A Saturday early kick off would have been much more sensible and the CP could have been ferried back to Croydon, Surrey and East Grinstead straight after.

 

[The Fifth Column]

Any person with a degree of sense or who knows anything about the Albion would know to avoid the station and the pubs nearby on such a fixture as Albion v Palace. I'm sure a tiny minority of people were caught up in this and that's unfortunate but the overwhelming vast majority of people involved were either well up for a ruck or claim not to be hooligans etc but are of the opinion that, "I'm no troublemaker but if those Palace arse'oles come on my manor and walk past giving it large and come near me then I'm getting involved to protect my mates and famileee" sorry fellas that makes you no different than the rest and as far as I'm concerned if you got a shove or baton from the OB then it wasn't nearly as big a shove or hit as you deserved so dry your eyes and stop bleating about the OB getting involved and doing their jobs. Its a waste of time trying to have a reasoned debate about it with some posters as they are so entrenched in their anti-police rhetoric nothing anyone says will change that.

 

[spoonie]

same here. wasn't fancying wandering around Brighton to find an alternative pub they may have palace fans in, safest place was to stick round the station with Brighton fans. anyone looking for trouble would have headed down west st its not that far away.

 

[Buzzer]

LOL post of the day.

Is it? I can't see any posts saying Brighton fans wanted protecting. I think most neutrals, myself included, don't buy this conspiracy theory but also think the police cocked up by inadvertently creating a flashpoint when alternate routes and pubs for away fans were available.

I'm not excusing the behaviour of the fans but march a load of Palace fans with beer in their bellies past a load of equally lubricated Brighton fans and tempers will get frayed.

 

[looney]

Is it? I can't see any posts saying Brighton fans wanted protecting. I think most neutrals, myself included, don't buy this conspiracy theory but also think the police cocked up by inadvertently creating a flashpoint when alternate routes and pubs for away fans were available.

I'm not excusing the behaviour of the fans but march a load of Palace fans with beer in their bellies past a load of equally lubricated Brighton fans and tempers will get frayed.

I found her post tongue in cheek and very funny regardless of the detai of the topicl. Thats not a crime is it?

 

[e77]

The saddest aspect of this is the people who will suffer are Brighton fans travelling to Selhurst in the New Year, where the Met will no doubt be sure to make sure no trouble happens regardless of what it takes.

Again the innocent majority suffer for the acts of the minority.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I'm not excusing the behaviour of the fans but march a load of Palace fans with beer in their bellies past a load of equally lubricated Brighton fans and tempers will get frayed.

Their fault, and nobody else's.

 

[kip]

Is it? I can't see any posts saying Brighton fans wanted protecting. I think most neutrals, myself included, don't buy this conspiracy theory but also think the police cocked up by inadvertently creating a flashpoint when alternate routes and pubs for away fans were available.

I'm not excusing the behaviour of the fans but march a load of Palace fans with beer in their bellies past a load of equally lubricated Brighton fans and tempers will get frayed.

This

 

[Buzzer]

Their fault, and nobody else's.

Maybe but I would have thought the police would try to keep rival groups apart. Is this now not the usual practice with police - to anticipate flash points and avoid where possible?

 

[WICKBHA]

Come on who are we trying to kid ?. The BHAFC " fans " who were at Brighton Station drinking in the pubs where there for one reason, a chance of a ruck with CPFC fans.

Respective " fans " were out from early afternoon on the lash looking for some action ".

We have seen footage of the moment CPFC fans walked up Queens Road and the BHAFC were giving it large and throwing pints and other stuff at them, and the Police. I agree the Police could have done a more sensible route and in a way it could be argued it was entrapment but any " fan " who was there at 6pm knowing it would kick off and was stupid enough to fall for this, well , live and learn.

What utter bollocks you are talking. ATTENTION Brightons new "MOB" consists of an 65+ year old man who had walking stick,and a bottle just missed his head,and my 3 mates 3 partners,who are female and in thier 40s,and many kids also,please stop dribbling on about things you clearly aint gotta a clue about,A1 Pillock comes to mind.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Maybe but I would have thought the police would try to keep rival groups apart. Is this now not the usual practice with police - to anticipate flash points and avoid where possible?

Naturally, but equally it's bloody difficult to get a group of 200 people (I'm going by the numbers quoted on here by the way, I have no idea whether they're accurate) from West Street to the station any other way. They won't want to herd them down the side roads because they're small, with lots of offshoots, and simply not practical in terms of traffic movements. They also do like, where possible, to treat people like adults and NOT surround them with officers as that can actually have the opposite effect of ramping things up further. How many times have we seen complaints on here that there have been too many OB around, that football supporters get treated like cattle?

If a bunch of people in a pub or on the street can't handle their rivals walking past without hurling bottles or excessive abuse then that's their problem. I notice the other 20,000 or so individuals inside the stadium broadly managed to cope that day without anything more than the usual banter going back and forth, so anyone who crosses that line, inside or outside the stadium has nobody to blame but themselves.

IMHO of course.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

There is a common saying; only the very stupid think the law is stupid.

This week, Sussex Police released pictures of people they want to speak to in relation to the disorder that occurred on the 27th September prior to the match with Crystal Palace. They have also indicated more arrests (and presumably pictures for snitches to peruse) are to come as part of the post match investigation.

Am I the only one who thinks there should be a serious inquiry into the way the day unfolded, but not an enquiry into the behaviour of the fans, but those who were supposed to Police the fixture.

It's not secret to anyone, least of all the police that there was going to be a LOT of people hell bent on having a bit of fun. It was discussed on forums like this from the moment it looked like we would get promoted, so how did they get it so wrong? Answer - they let it.

Take before the game, they had approximately 200 Palace fans under wraps in Wetherspoons on West Street. At the pubs around Brighton station a similar number of Brighton herberts had congregated with a large Police presence. Now obviously the Police had to move the scum from their drinking hole to Brighton station at some point, but they way they did it leaves a lot of questions. In my view they had 2 options. Option 1. Take the Palace on a straight march up Queens Road directly through the waiting Albion hoards. Or Option 2. Take the Palace fans up Queens Rd as far as the junction just before the Standard pub, then take a left and go around onto Trafalger St, come out of the tunnel under the station. The only pubs the Palace would get anywhere near would be The Prince Albert and the Grand Central. Meanwhile they could have kept the Albion lads cooped up in The Standard, The Queens Head and The Railway Bell. It would be unlikely either side would even see each other in Option 2, whereas Option 1 almost garunteed trouble. Well geuss what? Our devoted Police force chose Option 1. If a humble observer such as myself could spot this, then why couldn't someone paid to keep the peace?

After the game was a similar story, the Police allowed Palace fans to come back to Brighton station when there was absolutely no need to. Now we all know that Sussex Police are incompetent beyond belief, but does anyone think they are that stupid? The whole affair stinks to high heaven. The press and the Police are calling for the heads of people, but they pretty much arranged the entire incident. It was all done so that the handbags that unfolded could be filmed, and the overtime wages being paid to the football unit could be justified. As a result at least one person was injured (by the cowardly baton weilding thugs I might add), several windows were smashed, and I have it from a good source that one man walking his dog was assaulted.

In short, Sussex Police knowingly endangered people and allowed a breach of the peace, just to justify the millions needlessly pumped into policing football. Either that or they truly are f***ing stupid. If heads should roll for this it should not be those they are parading in front of the media, it's whoever was tasked with policing this fixture.

Unfortunately your 'Plan B' is incorrect. You cannot turn left at the Standard junction (Surrey st) AND 'come out of the tunnel under the station. Now, if you turn RIGHT you CAN after going along Frederick Place, then left
Glasshoues etc etc

 

[portlock seagull]

Can't say the OP will be missed on NSC. Nasty piece of work. I pity the board who gets him next.

 

[Buzzer]

Edna - Up Queens Road, slight detour up Frederick Place then up to the station would hardly have been off the beaten track.

And I disagree vehemently with your assertion that if people can't behave themselves that's their problem. It clearly becomes everyone's problem. This is why I thought that the police would have tried to avoid the clash of fans. Prevention is always better than cure, surely?

 

[Commander]

I thought it was an odd decision to put them in West Street in the first place, surely somewhere closer to the station would have been better, and they wouldn't have had to have the dramatic march up all the way through the town.

 

[portlock seagull]

Naturally, but equally it's bloody difficult to get a group of 200 people (I'm going by the numbers quoted on here by the way, I have no idea whether they're accurate) from West Street to the station any other way. They won't want to herd them down the side roads because they're small, with lots of offshoots, and simply not practical in terms of traffic movements. They also do like, where possible, to treat people like adults and NOT surround them with officers as that can actually have the opposite effect of ramping things up further. How many times have we seen complaints on here that there have been too many OB around, that football supporters get treated like cattle?

If a bunch of people in a pub or on the street can't handle their rivals walking past without hurling bottles or excessive abuse then that's their problem. I notice the other 20,000 or so individuals inside the stadium broadly managed to cope that day without anything more than the usual banter going back and forth, so anyone who crosses that line, inside or outside the stadium has nobody to blame but themselves.

IMHO of course.

Quite right. We all got along fine on the train coming down. We've all got mates who follow them and it's just banter before during and after. Not outright hatred. I do feel the police have a duty not to tar everyone in a group with the same brush though. Hitting people indiscriminantly...well, as we've seen in London, it can end in innocent lives being taken.

 

[e77]

I am sure some of the moaning element on here would also complain about the Police being over the top if they started closing pubs and marching people round.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Give it a rest Rory.

sorry presidente

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

"overtime wages"

What planet are you on??!

exactly , what planet are you on ?

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

What the OP is failing to realise is that if Albion & Palace nobbers are all intent on a meet for chest puffing and some handbags they will do so, no amount of police will stop that. There were various groups of Palace 'boys' at numerous locations all over town not just the couple you point out so trouble was inevitable simply because the police did not have infinite resources to keep an eye of every group in the city. The thought that the police orchestrated and organised all the trouble is totally absurd and based on no factual evidence whatsoever just a hopelessly misguided opinion. Also it was British Transport Police who had control over the various train stations including Falmer & Brighton and all stops in between and therefore any issues relating to the egress and subsequent direction various groups travelled to is down to them not Sussex Police, I imagine however in the OPs warped reasonong this points to BTP being part of the overall 'conspiracy'.

And please do feel free to present your evidence of the 'overtime wages' paid to the football unit (there is no such unit by the way) and the ' millions' pumped into policing the football. You'll find if you cared to research any of the nonsense you spouted that the club actually have to foot a large part of the bill for extra police beyond what would normally be provided and all the coppers I know were working on cancelled rest days or had been reassigned from their regular duties so none were getting paid any extra for working that day. The police aren't to blame for single braincell twats looking for a fight finding a fight and then getting nicked for it, the twats are responsible for their own stupidity. I suspect therefore that the OP and any posters supporting his ridiculous points are people concerned in violence and disorder or actively support it. You know who you are and the club doesn't need dickheads like you - so just f*** off.

you've missed the point completely , maybe you should do one .