Saturday's Independent

[longtimeagobee]

Am I the only one to have read the Brian Viner column in the above?

 

[TW3Bee]

What's it about?

 

[longtimeagobee]

Travelling back from Lime St last week.
Mentions incident with fancy dressed supporters getting out of hand.

 

[nocoat]

rofl Going up in the world then, certain bees made the Daily Mail last season after Swindon :thetruth:

 

[nocoat]

What was the incident? I was't in fancy dress on the way home by the way, so it weren't me! :suspect:

 

[longtimeagobee]

Mentions group of 20, spiderman, superman, convict& jimmy savile among them

 

[Waterlooville Bee]

I read it.....poor journalism IMHO.....massively inaccurate.
Viner said we lost 2-0 to Tranmere.

 

[tobyw]

Just read it.

Apparently Viner and his 12 year old son were on the same train as about 20 Bees fans (he specifically mentions a Superman, Spiderman, a convict and Jimmy Saville) on the way back from Tranmere. He alleges Bees fans generally being noisy, chants of "we are going down", and some playful pushing and shoving etc, but then turning aggro with racist chanting and smashing up the carriage with a baseball bat. Apparently old bill piled on to the train after it was diverted to Birmingham and arrested the worst of the "thugs".

If this is true (and I can't see any reason why he'd make it up) then this is really bad publicity for BFC... :sad:

 

[Edmundo]

A baseball bat? Did someone go as Joe di Maggio?

 

[tobyw]

A baseball bat? Did someone go as Joe di Maggio?

it certainly seems odd but he's very specific about the bat incident

 

[nocoat]

It is true but those lads were not in fancy dress. Poetic licence methinks. All the lads in fancy dress were completely good natured from start to finish.. FACT.

 

[nocoat]

Although I don't know about the chanting bit at all, heard nothing racist, but very regionalist.

I think they should arrest ALL bees that did not go in fancy dress :yes:

 

[Billy Hunt]

I heard no racist chanting. I saw no smashing of anything.

I was sat with a Muslim clown, Tin man, Dorothy, a Monk, a Nun, some children, A Panorama superstar and gash.

I was removed from the train at Birmingham as the Police told me they were after someone in a red shirt.lol lol lol

I heard some highly 'controversial' songs sung by some Everton fans.

 

[nocoat]

They were singing about the scousers eating the dead at Hillsborough, thats why they don't buy the Sun

 

[Edmundo]

Perhaps someone who was on that train should write in and put the other side - so's we don't have Independent readers thinking Bees fans are a bunch of racist hoolies?

 

[Billy Hunt]

Perhaps someone who was on that train should write in and put the other side - so's we don't have Independent readers thinking Bees fans are a bunch of racist hoolies?

Couldn't someone just phone 'em?
Shouldn't take long.

 

[Willo]

I was sat with a Muslim clown, Tin man, Dorothy, a Monk, a Nun, some children, A Panorama superstar and gash.

Multi racial fans......

 

[brighton bee]

cant anyone copy and paste the article?

i cant bring myself to buy that sensationalist left wing garbage

 

[busheybee]

Am I the only one to have read the Brian Viner column in the above?

Looks like it, yes!

 

[Brentford St George]

cant anyone copy and paste the article?

i cant bring myself to buy that sensationalist left wing garbage

Football thugs in fancy dress leave true blue fans holding out for a hero
BRIAN VINER
1138 words
12 May 2007
The Independent
1ST
English
(c) 2007 Independent and Media PLC
RUGBY UNION | BRIAN VINER ON SATURDAY

The last proper weekend of the football season always feels to me like the first proper weekend of the cricket season, the weekend when the flannelled fools, not a moment too soon, snatch the spotlight from the muddied oafs. At last I can fully embrace the gentle thwock, on balmy Saturday late-afternoons, of leather on willow.

The noise I heard on a balmy Saturday late-afternoon a week ago, however, was anything but a gentle thwock. It was a terrifying smash, caused not by leather on willow but by baseball bat on lamp, the bat wielded by a ferocious thug almost too drunk to stand, the lamp belonging to Sir Richard Branson, whose Virgin train from Liverpool to London was smashed up in the name of fun and, regrettably, football.

I boarded the 18.10 at Lime Street with a lightness of step, having just seen my team, Everton, secure a Uefa Cup place with a stylish 3-0 win over Portsmouth. With me, similarly full of the joys of spring, was my 12-year-old son, Joe. We also had with us a Canadian woman called Janice and her 12-year-old son, Alex.

We had met Janice and Alex on the platform at Crewe, on our way to the match. Alex is a football nut who follows the Premiership as closely as he can from his home on Vancouver Island. When his parents decided to take him and his two brothers, one older and one younger, on a two-month expedition to Europe, he begged to be taken to an EPL game, as North Americans call them.

Everton v Portsmouth was the only match involving one of the top five clubs that they could get tickets for, and also had the merit of being within relatively easy striking distance of Craven Arms in Shropshire, where they were staying in a youth hostel for four days before moving on to York, then Edinburgh, Paris, Venice and Rome. So while dad took the other boys hiking, mum and Alex headed for Goodison Park. When she realised that we were going to the match too, Janice asked me how they should get from Lime Street to Goodison. I invited them to share a cab with us and then to meet up afterwards for the journey home.

Mine and Joe’s delight at Ever-ton’s victory was intensified by the sight of Alex after the game, sporting a Mikel Arteta badge. He and Janice had sat in the Park End, where all three goals were scored, and he said, bless him, that it had been the “coolest” experience of his young life. He had begun the day as a Manchester United fan but was now converted to Everton, and Arteta, who’d had a blinder, was now his favourite player.

And so to the 18.10. The four of us sat in the first-class compartment designated a quiet zone. But it wasn’t quiet for long. Just before the train set off, about 20 young men got on, chanting. At first I took them for Pompey fans, but one of the chants was “we’re going down”, which confused me. It turned out that they were Brentford supporters, returning from a 2-0 defeat at Tranmere. They weren’t wearing Brentford colours because they were all in fancy dress; among them was a Superman, a Spiderman, a convict and a Jimmy Saville.

At first, Joe and Alex thought the spectacle and the noise hilarious. But slowly the mood began to change. The convict and the Superman had a mock fight, during which they lurched into our table. Alex was still smiling but it was the smile of a boy unsure how amused he ought to be. Janice was beginning to look uneasy. I suggested that we move into the next compartment, which we did, mercifully without the abuse that I thought we might get. A little later we heard some racist chants starting up, doubtless to taunt the Afro-Caribbean ticket-inspector. Later still we heard the splintering of glass, as they took a baseball bat first to the lamps and then to the windows. Unbelievably, we stopped at Crewe and Stafford without any police boarding, and in the end were diverted to Birmingham New Street, where a battalion of officers got on and arrested the worst of the thugs.

What distresses me still is the idea that young Alex’s magical day was soured, although thankfully he and Janice got off at Crewe before the real nastiness began. I am also troubled by the thought that on this page a week ago I expressed my disdain for the Manchester City player Joey Barton, following his training-ground assault on his team-mate Ousmane Dabo, but confessed to the hypocritical hope that Everton might sign him this summer.

For this I was taken to task by a number of readers and I now realise that they were right. What Barton did, and what happened on the 18.10 from Lime Street, are morally indistinguishable. Football needs him no more than it needs them, while what I need is a summer of cricket

 

[nocoat]

lol Was he actually on the train

There was NO superman
The yoots didn't smash any windows
The police DID get on at Crewe
I heard no racialist chanting
It was not a baseball bat

Hey, what does it matter, wouldn't be able to get 1000 words out of the following, which is what my take on it is

"some young london lads may or may not have smashed up some lamps in first class and got arrested by the police for it.."

I should put on record I didn't see anyone do this, and they probably didn't if this guy says they did lol

 

[blunstone]

oh dear..... the indie isn't the sort of paper to make it up.

 

[Brentford St George]

oh dear..... the indie isn't the sort of paper to make it up.

So are you calling No Coat a liar then I was also with him on this train and can assure you not one person was dressed as Superman.Shocking Journalism.

 

[nocoat]

Indeed. This guy has got so much wrong already, I wouldn't be surprised if the lads smashing up first class was them dropping a bottle of beer ont he floor!

99.5% of bees had nothing to be ashamed of on that train, and 0.5% may or MAY NOT have.

:thetruth:

 

[nocoat]

And it wasn't 2-0!!! lol

 

[Houghton Bee]

how does this fool suppose the 'bees' got hold of the baseball bat? they dont sell them on virgin trains or at liverpool lime street so far as i'm aware, did they take it all the way from london, into the ground, and back onto another train without anyone noticing?! ****ing tit, spiderman and friends should sue

 

[maddogging]

how does this fool suppose the 'bees' got hold of the baseball bat? they dont sell them on virgin trains or at liverpool lime street so far as i'm aware, did they take it all the way from london, into the ground, and back onto another train without anyone noticing?! ****ing tit, spiderman and friends should sue

 

[Jimbee]

He got paid and he don't care. A bit like this bloke who was actually gutted that we didn't smash the train up:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4502261.stm

 

[VTG]

while what I need is a summer of cricket

That about sums it up. Take your cricket and stay there, you ****ing journalistically inept clown.

 

[Billy Hunt]

He got paid and he don't care. A bit like this bloke who was actually gutted that we didn't smash the train up:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4502261.stm

How to write NOTHING in lots of words.

I hope he didn't get paid for that.

 

[WarrenBee]

He got paid and he don't care. A bit like this bloke who was actually gutted that we didn't smash the train up:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4502261.stm

What a complete load of crap. Why was he on the 15.18 anyway, when surely the game kicked off at 15.00?? I also love the bit from the supermarket worker who stated that there was nearly some trouble between Arsenal and Man Utd fans.

 

[big neil]

Later still we heard the splintering of glass, as they took a baseball bat first to the lamps and then to the windows.

He HEARD a baseball bat from the next carriage?
What specific noise does a baseball bat make that enabled him to identify it by sound alone?
He sounds like a wee bit of a middle class rugger/cricket w**ker to me.

 

[leatherhat]

Just read it.

Apparently Viner and his 12 year old son were on the same train as about 20 Bees fans (he specifically mentions a Superman, Spiderman, a convict and Jimmy Saville) on the way back from Tranmere. He alleges Bees fans generally being noisy, chants of "we are going down", and some playful pushing and shoving etc, but then turning aggro with racist chanting and smashing up the carriage with a baseball bat. Apparently old bill piled on to the train after it was diverted to Birmingham and arrested the worst of the "thugs".

If this is true (and I can't see any reason why he'd make it up) then this is really bad publicity for BFC... :sad:

he must have been paying massive amounts of attention then, as i didn't see a single Spider-man or Superman all day... and as far as i'm aware, there was one alledged incident of a single broken light, possibly resulting in two (non-fancy dress) lads being asked to leave the train... :thetruth: i might write a letter, i'm good at those...

 

[SmiffyBee]

and as their were 2 Jimmy Savilles, in the event of police taking the matter further.... a Jimmy Saville line up would be called for...can the real Jimmy Saville account for his whereabouts ?

 

[YorkshireBeeAng]

was the train diverted to Birmingham?

 

[nocoat]

It stopped there, not sure if it was DIVERTED there though.

Will check on the trainline now :computer:

 

[nocoat]

lol ANOTHER LIE!!! :thetruth: Someone should send this ****candle the thread

Outward journey: Saturday 19 May 2007 Station Arr Dep Travel by Service Provider
LIVERPOOL LIME STREET 18:10 Train VIRGIN TRAINS
STAFFORD 19:06 19:19 Train VIRGIN TRAINS
BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET 19:56

 

[NorthamptonBee]

It stopped there, not sure if it was DIVERTED there though.

Will check on the trainline now :computer:

We changed trains to get to Brum so I would say yes. We got off at Stafford where RobBEEh dropped his guts on the train as he was about to tread onto the platform. FACT.

 

[rebus]

Someone should send this ****candle the thread

Can someone get in touch about this that was on the train - there are obviously several inaccuracies.

His editor should do for a kick off.

 

[nocoat]

You can quote me on all my points, as they are all cast iron fact :thetruth:

 

[Banshee Mildew]

OK. This bloke is a ****. But there was a baseball bat present belonging to Fred Flintstone I believe.

 

[Edmundo]

Was Fred Flintstone admitted to the ground with a baseball bat?

 

[Bee H]

OK. This bloke is a ****. But there was a baseball bat present belonging to Fred Flintstone I believe.

Bet you're glad you didn't get a mention as a Harry Hill look-a-like throwing up everywhere, you should have chundered over Mr Viner !

 

[nocoat]

rofl That would have been the funniest article ever

".. and to top it off a middleaged bald fellow in a 70s shirt chucked up Red V2 all over my travelling companions cleavage, before falling asleep in her crotch.."

lol :thumbs:

 

[Jimbo]

How to write NOTHING in lots of words.

I hope he didn't get paid for that.

i dont think the bloke was saying NOTHING, I thought the article was making a very important point; namely that football supporters arent hooligans and maybe resources spent on "low level hooligans" could be better invested in chasing villans that actually exist?

 

[Inappropriate Smilies Bee]

oh dear..... the indie isn't the sort of paper to make it up.

ONE STEWART TALBOT!!!

i was on this train and we didn't kill ANYONE.

 

[gashbee]

Them pesky singers on the 18.10 were so loud they burst my ear-drums.

I found the rasclot clown a rather revolting character. :looks:

 

[Bee Luckee]

That article is quality! What a tw*t! lol lol lol

 

[I Predict A Riot]

OK. This bloke is a ****. But there was a baseball bat present belonging to Fred Flintstone I believe.

Was Fred Flintstone admitted to the ground with a baseball bat?

An inflatable one, so Fred Flintstone is NOT GUILTY. :thetruth:

 

[Bee Luckee]

Any racist chanting directed towards the ticket inspector must have been very complimentry as he was good as gold with us lads and said he had no problem with us sitting in first class. Furthermore he even advised the police that we weren't involved with that pillock who smashed the lamp too. Think Mr Viner is a typical sensationalist journalist.