Hooliganism In Irish Football

[Dunny]

I'm doing a project on this at the minute. I'm just trying to find some info about past incidents. I know of the scenes outside the Hill 16 pub, the antics in Oriel Park this season with Rovers, Shels fans being attacked on the LUAS. Just looking for some stories or incidents thatt happened in the past it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

(MODS: If you have any problems feel free to delete.)

[Tony Soprano]

I'm doing a project on this at the minute. I'm just trying to find some info about past incidents. I know of the scenes outside the Hill 16 pub, the antics in Oriel Park this season with Rovers, Shels fans being attacked on the LUAS. Just looking for some stories or incidents thatt happened in the past it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

(MODS: If you have any problems feel free to delete.)

does what happened in oriel qualify as proper hooliganism ?

that was just a bunch of scumbags getting rowdy

real hooliganism nowadays is the stuff that happens outisde and away from the grounds, street fights etc, especially the organised and pre planned stuff

[Dunny]

Well if you look at the definition of Hooliganism it would count, it's not something I would focus on anyway.

(This is NOT anti-Rovers stuff btw, I'm looking for nationwide stuff, not Rovers-Bohs)

[BohsPartisan]

Slim pickings on that fronnt. Doubt you'll find too many people in the know willing to spill the beans and at any rate.

[Dodge]

There hasn't been anything major in the past 20 years.

Now in the 70s...

[Dunny]

There hasn't been anything major in the past 20 years.

Now in the 70s...

Any info on any decade would be greatly appreciated.

I should have been clearer I suppose. Over the last 20-30 years would be brilliant and also some recent (even if it's not that major)

[Dodge]

Everythign that happened happened in Dundalk ;)

[peadar1987]

Shams fans attacking a perfectly innocent wall at the Carlisle. Disgraceful!

[**FrOsTy**]

Hooliganism in Ireland is non existent! Two incidents that can relate to football hooliganism would be the hill 16 incident an the incident involving pats and linfield! Everything else is just a load of drunken teens throwing shapes and shaking fences! You'd be better off doing a project on European or even the rise and fall if British hooligans

[Dodge]

Hooliganism in Ireland is non existent! Two incidents that can relate to football hooliganism would be the hill 16 incident an the incident involving pats and linfield!

I think you'l find nothing happened between Pats and Linfield.

http://www.stpatsfc.com/news.php?id=2196

[eamo1]

A mate of mine did a project on what was just mentioned about the rise and fall of British Hooliganism.About how better stadium's with better segregation and policing along with pricing the hooligans out of the grounds worked so well in the top 2 divisions.You still sometimes see it between Millwall,Crystal Palace,Gillingham and a few other London clubs but its mostly gone now.Something similar has happened in Germany too.When doing project's/thesis etc they always say to pick a topic that you have loads of information on,not sure you'll get it on Irish hooliganism but good luck:).

[SkStu]

i posted the following link in the Sligo forum which is an excellent resource from the 70's around some Sligo hard chaws (even if its a little difficult to read). http://www.revleft.com/vb/extracts-sligo-rovers-t122113/index.html?

also, if i was you i would stick to incidents inside the grounds or outside the grounds but clearly linked to hooliganism. Dont go near the Schooligan rubbish or rubbish like the bar attack in Derry which was one sided. From a Bohs perspective theres the RDS incident v Rovers, Rangers 1984 and Rovers storming the shed, amongst others. Anyone over on the Bohs mb will fill you in on the details if you ask nicely.

If nothing else, check out the link above. I think youll find it useful.

[marinobohs]

A mate of mine did a project on what was just mentioned about the rise and fall of British Hooliganism.About how better stadium's with better segregation and policing along with pricing the hooligans out of the grounds worked so well in the top 2 divisions.You still sometimes see it between Millwall,Crystal Palace,Gillingham and a few other London clubs but its mostly gone now.Something similar has happened in Germany too.When doing project's/thesis etc they always say to pick a topic that you have loads of information on,not sure you'll get it on Irish hooliganism but good luck:).

Actually latest view is that hooliganism is having a bit of a revival in Ingerland ! On the back of the hoolie flicks (football factory, green street etc) a new generation are indulging (especially outside the Prem) although it is difficult to be accurate about this as most happens away from the ground due to CCTV, better policing, banning orders etc.
Similarly here in the LOI much of the activity goes on away from the ground (sometimes a long way away) and it is therefore difficult to attribute it to (a) football hooliganism or (B) normal scumbaggery.

best of luck Dunny but first port of call probobly to outline your definition of "football hooliganism" (for the purpose of your paper).

[**FrOsTy**]

Anyone up for causing heaps of trouble at games in the next few weeks just so we can give dunny something to write about? Haha

[dfx-]

Who could forget Twix-gate..

I've never been more disgusted in my life...and I've walked past the Connaught Street end 'toilets' many times..

[SkStu]

hooligans use the internet and mobile phones to organise fights, dont ya know? ;)

[Mario]

A chapter on the biggest hooligan in Irish football Ollie Byrne wouldn't go a miss. Ollie attacked refs, fans, managers, other clubs directors over the years and largely got away with it apart from the time he tried it on with Roddy in the tunnel in Tolka :cool:

[peadar1987]

i posted the following link in the Sligo forum which is an excellent resource from the 70's around some Sligo hard chaws (even if its a little difficult to read). http://www.revleft.com/vb/extracts-sligo-rovers-t122113/index.html?

also, if i was you i would stick to incidents inside the grounds or outside the grounds but clearly linked to hooliganism. Dont go near the Schooligan rubbish or rubbish like the bar attack in Derry which was one sided. From a Bohs perspective theres the RDS incident v Rovers, Rangers 1984 and Rovers storming the shed, amongst others. Anyone over on the Bohs mb will fill you in on the details if you ask nicely.

If nothing else, check out the link above. I think youll find it useful.

God, whoever wrote that was a right arse. Having scumbags following your club is nothing to be proud of.

[SkStu]

yeah people shouldnt write books about bad people. :peace:

[SwanVsDalton]

There was a particularly infamous dust up with Shamrock Rovers fans in '93 (I think, definitely early 90's) in the Brandy. Forgive my sketchy details, I was only 7/8, but got a bit tasty with the Rovers fans, in particular, being a little, eh, frisky. My google searches turned up not much useful but an older poster might be able to shed some light.

[peadar1987]

yeah people shouldnt write books about bad people. :peace:

It's not the subject matter, it's the way the passages in the links read. They're glorifying this scumbag.

[SkStu]

it just seems anecdotal to me. Not much glorifying at all.

[Cuyahoga]

Why dont you do a project on what happens on the pitch instead? You would have more to write about and it would be more interesting.

[Dunny]

While that was my first thought it doesnt fall under the the topic. It's more of a social thing, why people do it, how it affects the club and supporters etc.

I'm not glorifying it btw.

[Buller]

Shams fans attacking a perfectly innocent wall at the Carlisle. Disgraceful!

I didn't like the way it looked at me....

[Noelys Guitar]

Some of the worst trouble at LOI games was in the late 60's early 70's. Rovers had a large Skinhead following around that time. It was never as bad as anything in England (not even close). Rovers v Cork Hibs around 71 a lot of trouble outside the ground after the game. But the worst trouble was usually at European games. Bohs v Newcastle EUFA game in 70s was one of the worst. Bohs v Rangers and the worst one of all Dundalk v Linfield with Philip Green doing the commentatry ("I might be leaving you very shortly" as in trying to get out of the ground with the game going on)

[GUFCghost]

I'm doing a project on this at the minute. I'm just trying to find some info about past incidents. I know of the scenes outside the Hill 16 pub, the antics in Oriel Park this season with Rovers, Shels fans being attacked on the LUAS. Just looking for some stories or incidents thatt happened in the past it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

(MODS: If you have any problems feel free to delete.)
Why do you want to write such a thing?

[Dunny]

I watched Green Street last night...

As I said in previous posts I am not glorifying it or anything. Just looking at the social aspects of it etc as I already said.

[Spudulika]

I witnessed Derry fans wrecking cars outside Glasnevin Graveyard as they made their way back to buses (I think it was after an FAI Cup final in '88). We were walking back up to collect the car to go home and there were cars with "Up Louth" written on them (I think the Wee County were playing a Championship match the week before or after) and Derry fans started jumping on bonnets and ripping off aerials. Some Gardai were on duty across the road (next to the main entrance gate) and as they ran over to retore order were pelted with rocks and bottles. 2 Derry buses I remember were parked just short of the CB house and Gardai were dragging guys off them.

I remember clearly Rangers fans going mental at a UEFA Cup game with Bohs. For some reason I think it was in Phibsboro as I remember my Dad taking us towards Cabra before heading back to Glasnevin for the car.

Modern day hooliganism has really moved east in Europe and is quite dangerous. There are lots of the usual idiots wearing burberry and throwing what they think are shapes, but pre match pitch battles are the norm. In Russia and Ukraine this is quite traditional (like the old Irish faction fights) and is associated with hockey (or bandy) moreso. I heard some real horror stories from ex-Yugo countries and was present for one of the most amazing incidents ever.

After a derby match in Split, police accompanied all Zagreb cars and buses back, however one car load decided it was a good idea to pull in to answer natures call, and left the convoy. Some triumphant Hajduk fans spotted this and within seconds the car and it's occupants were set upon, the guys beaten to pulp, the car overturned and set on fire -and the media reaction was "Well, they shouldn't have stopped." Within 1 day it was laughed off. Not exactly Luas gate I guess, but close!

[Mario]

There was a particularly infamous dust up with Shamrock Rovers fans in '93 (I think, definitely early 90's) in the Brandy. Forgive my sketchy details, I was only 7/8, but got a bit tasty with the Rovers fans, in particular, being a little, eh, frisky. My google searches turned up not much useful but an older poster might be able to shed some light.

Rovers won 1-0 that day. At the end of the game as the players came over towards the fans to celebrate, one Rovers fan ran out across the track and was rubgy tackled from behind by a derry "stewart". Then some more rovers jumped out to help their mate. Then more stewards got involved and the whole thing snowballed with some stewards taking off the bibs and throwing digs all over the place. Then some derry fans came storming up through the stand and across the pitch from the shed to get involved and all hell broke loose. We finally made it back to the bus which was surrounded and attacked with a block coming in through the back window. If Rovers had not won, or if the stewarts were professional or there were police in the ground nothing would of happened!

[Macy]

A mate of mine did a project on what was just mentioned about the rise and fall of British Hooliganism.About how better stadium's with better segregation and policing along with pricing the hooligans out of the grounds worked so well in the top 2 divisions.You still sometimes see it between Millwall,Crystal Palace,Gillingham and a few other London clubs but its mostly gone now.Something similar has happened in Germany too.When doing project's/thesis etc they always say to pick a topic that you have loads of information on,not sure you'll get it on Irish hooliganism but good luck:).
If the subject was that it moved out of the grounds, then fair enough. But if the claim was that British Hooliganism disappeared in the Top 2 Divisions then they should've failed. It never went away in England - more incidents every weekend than overblown incidents in the LoI in the last 10 years!

[Noelys Guitar]

I was at the Bohs v Newcastle game in 1977. McFaul the Newcastle keeper was hit by missiles early in the second half and so a load of Newcastle fans jumped down onto the pitch from the main stand. Most of the trouble was caused by Man United supporting Irish fans that night. It was bizarre to hear "manchester lalala" at a Bohs v Newcastle game!There was a full scale riot outside the ground after the game with the Newcastle busses getting stoned and the Newcastle fans getting off the buses and rushing at and hitting out at anyone within reach. Very scary stuff and it was a relief to get back into the city center that night in one piece. Bohs had a very good team at that time (Gerry Ryan in his prime)and were favourites to win the home game but the crowd trouble put a real dampener on the night.

[GuisaSaigon]

Not really hooliganism, just a bunch of scumbags ambushing 3 fans, hopping into their blue bus back to Dundalk, never to be identified by "real" Dundalk fans
http://foot.ie/archive/index.php/t-113820.html

1986 League Cup final, not really hooliganism either, just another bunch of not very nice Dundalk people!

Galway s name was on the cup. Some five minutes later a bout of scuffles arose when Dundalk followers appeared to move into Galway fans terrain. ...
http://archive.advertiser.ie/pages/view.php?ref=14784&search=!collection827&order_by=field51&sort=ASC&offset=0&archive=0&k=

[bullit]

Ahh now,we are nice!!!

We just dont like them moaning Galwegians.

[Battery Rover]

Everythign that happened happened in Dundalk ;)

That was one hostile place go to in the 70s early 80s along with Limerick, Waterford and Athlone.

[Partizan]

St. Pats v Waterford Cup Semi in Richmond in 1986. Game held up for 20 minutes due to rioting. Even a gang of bikers drinking in a nearby pub joined in. I wasn't there but from accounts of people who were at it, it was pretty scary stuff.

There was a riot after the Cup Quarter Final against Cobh in 2001. It didn't help matters when before the game, Waterford fans invaded the stand behind the goal where the home support usually gathered, cue aggro and the odd bottle thrown, digs and after the match all hell breaks loose. Free for all on the pitch, Waterford fans coming under attack outside the ground from stone throwing local scrotes and one little knacker tried to set our bus on fire by taking off the petrol cap and stuffing a rag down the shaft. Good job his matches were wet. Your man got caught and received an awful hiding. Cops called and Garda escort for the travelling support out of Cobh.

[eamo1]

Was it Danny Dyer or that Ross Kemp guy who had a program a few years ago about hooliganism around the world and he was going to derby matches with one group of fans??It was Dyer wasnt it?Anyway Dunny if your looking for the reasons,social or otherwise,for hooliganism then watch that program.The reasons are mostly the same around the world for why people do it,just copy and paste different clubs,countries etc alongside the reasons.

[DUFC4life]

Anyway Dunny if your looking for the reasons,social or otherwise,for hooliganism then watch that program.Because they're pwopa naughty?

[peadar1987]

Because they're pwopa naughty?

And well tasty. Don't forget well tasty!

[Spudulika]

I absolutely loved Danny Dyer as the hoolie finder, he was brilliant. Not being sarcastic or ironic, he was just perfect for it - for what the whole series was, light entertainment-comedy. The exposure after the series of some of the "best bits" really gave it even more comedic quality. When he "fled" the Spartak fans because they were getting angry with him, was actually a case of him leaving in order to catch his flight, and when you understand what the fans were saying "Who is this idiot? Isn't he gone yet?", classic.

I always think police should take the proper 3rd world line with hooligans, use live ammunition. I think the English mad dogs would suddenly find that garden furniture doesn't quite stack up against a few rounds of a shot gun.

[pixiehead]

Sligo fans pelted a Galway supporters bus with stones and rocks a couple of years back.
Also there used to be these 2 neo nazis from Tubbercurry who had a sligo/nazi flag and they were dressed like proper hooligans and they used to set up on the terrace and pretend to be scary and then the cops would just escort them away and everyone would cheer :)

[seand60]

No that was because Philip was in the press box which was on stilts and the Linfield fans were shaking it so hard he thought they were going to topple it to the ground and end the broadcast!

[bennocelt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfcnAvx7fc8

danny dire is the dogs.................

[Rasputin]

Also there used to be these 2 neo nazis from Tubbercurry who had a sligo/nazi flag and they were dressed like proper hooligans and they used to set up on the terrace and pretend to be scary and then the cops would just escort them away and everyone would cheer :)
Pffftahaha 2 Neo NAZI's from Tubbercurry who were Rovers fans, couldnt make this stuff up.

[Nedser]

it just seems anecdotal to me. Not much glorifying at all.


"So much so that they knew the legendary Sligo bootboy by his first and second name, and were in such awe of his brawling prowess and status as a hardman and bootboy that they berated him with street ribaldry to the extent that they emblazoned his name in huge painted scrawl on the walls outside of the football stadium where he and his crew of toughies would be fighting "

"Legendary", "awe", "prowess". Yep, definitely no glorification there!

[**FrOsTy**]

Other incidents I've been told about by mates fathers from the 60's 70's! Waterford v Cork Hibs or Shams was always a tasty fixture! Away fans from respective games always got a horrid time. I was told a story of when we won the league in turners cross out players came under fire from rocks from the cork fans and all hell broke loose! Other stories included Shams at home where Waterford fans would wait behind a hill after the game for any Sham fans coming out! One day in particular when they destroyed a Shamrock Rovers team bus as it was leaving the ground

[red bellied]

http://limerickfc.ie/clubinfo/history.html

In the 1975-76 season Ewan Fenton returned as team manager. A number of new, young players were introduced to the side and the supporters were asked to have patience but the season was again marred by hooliganism and the worst sports violence ever witnessed in Limerick sport. After Limerick won the Bass League Cup 4-0 against Sligo Rovers on 16 October 1975 at Markets Field, at least one hundred Sligo Rovers fans, mostly thugs, marauded through the terraces, the grey hound track and the fringes of the pitch. The trouble continued for some time without a garda or a steward in sight. Off duty detectives Michael Hynes and Michael Browne, who were spectators, and some of the directors tried to clear the track but they were assaulted. Some of the youngsters invaded the pitch and proceeded to knock down a photographer from the Cork Examiner, kicking and beating him as well as damaging his camera. Seven youths, four from Limerick and three from Sligo, were arrested and appeared in court. The season ended with Limerick finishing thirteenth in the league, one place above Shamrock Rovers who were at the bottom of the table.

[SkStu]

"So much so that they knew the legendary Sligo bootboy by his first and second name, and were in such awe of his brawling prowess and status as a hardman and bootboy that they berated him with street ribaldry to the extent that they emblazoned his name in huge painted scrawl on the walls outside of the football stadium where he and his crew of toughies would be fighting "

"Legendary", "awe", "prowess". Yep, definitely no glorification there!

if someone feels the need to write or talk about him and people feel the need to read or hear about him, then he is by any definition legendary. Legend isnt always meant in the "awww man, you're such a legend!" way. The other words are clearly just the authors interpretation of how these people who remembered him felt about him. Its not really glorification and if it is then it is very mild. It reads very anecdotal to me. The author relaying peoples stories and experiences of him. Hardly stuff to get offended by.

[pixiehead]

Pffftahaha 2 Neo NAZI's from Tubbercurry who were Rovers fans, couldnt make this stuff up.

Actually it was one of yer own fans that told me they were from tubbercurry and said that no-one liked them. Why would i make up a story like that?? They might not have been from there but I remember them well at the rail end with a flag and sticking their fists up at us. The cops came and escorted them away eventually. In fairness I only saw them once. Can anyone else back me up on this??? Was Rovers Galway summer eve 3 years back

[red bellied]

Actually it was one of yer own fans that told me they were from tubbercurry and said that no-one liked them. Why would i make up a story like that?? They might not have been from there but I remember them well at the rail end with a flag and sticking their fists up at us. The cops came and escorted them away eventually. In fairness I only saw them once. Can anyone else back me up on this??? Was Rovers Galway summer eve 3 years back

It did happen, two clowns with a neo-nazi flag, hardly comes under the banner of hooliganism. It was seven or eight years ago against Galway in the quarter final of the cup.