Indo Article on Schooligans

**Mr A** · 19/03/2008, 10:03 AM

Good piece in the Indo today:

'Schooligans' pose major threat to AIL
Derry City's Peter Hutton and Linfield?s William Murphy clash as tempers frayed during their recent Setanta Cup tie at Windsor Park. However, tension off the pitch may pose a major headache for any organisers of an All Ireland League

Wednesday March 19 2008

NEVER mind the politics, the egos, the power struggles and pure and simple logistics. When discussing the obstacles facing the prospect of a merged All-Ireland League, a very significant, and depressing, hurdle could prove to be pockets of disaffected teenagers.

Last Monday night, following the drawn Setanta Sports Cup game between St Patrick's Athletic and Glentoran in Inchicore, a congregation of local youths waited outside the ground when the game concluded and tried to attack visiting supporters.

The Gardai moved in to handle the trouble instigated by youthful troublemakers, many of whom weren't at the game in the first place. Within minutes, phones were hopping as national newspaper desks heard of the hail of sirens and sniffed a story.

Scraps outside League of Ireland games are one thing, but throw in a sectarian element and then it's a different kettle of fish altogether. Presumably, the same highly developed specimens will be out in force next month when the even greater 'enemy' from Belfast in the form of Linfield comes to Richmond Park. Any more trouble will dampen enthusiasm to make such visits more frequent.

Of course, the reality is that the kids in question would be just as likely to attack Donegal Celtic fans as they would followers of Linfield. We are not dealing with political heavyweights here; merely pumped up pubescents who prowl Bebo by day and bus stops by night.

Full Story HERE

**jebus** · 19/03/2008, 10:34 AM

Not as sensationalist as I would have thought from the Indo to be honest. I'll take it that the story regarding the Shels fan who lost an eye due to the BSS is fact now though?

Policing around the affected grounds, and adequate safety for away fans is the only way to dela with it though. Obviously there are a lot of games in the league that wouldn't require heavy security, and some clubs have attracted more of this schooligan element than others. I know Limerick fans are well behaved when it comes to nonsense like this, especially in recent times (in my years of going up, only the second visit of Shamrock Rovers a few years back brought out that type of 'fan'), and even games against Cobh and Dundalk, places where if there were to be trouble involving Limerick fans I'd expect it to be there, have passed off without incident. I'm not saying this exlusively a Dublin problem (I hear Cork have a few schooligans going up), but it does seem that the majority of incidents involved Dublin based clubs, so if the Gardai are looking to put extra gaurds on duty at LoI games, then they should really concentrate their efforts around the capital

**ForzaHoop** · 19/03/2008, 11:50 AM

To most of these kids it is a chance to get one over on another area and prove there area is the hardest. The jump on the bandwagon Soccer Hooligan thing which they want to exist from watching green street etc

Not sure about you but when i was a Teen i just wanted to get LAID and get away with being drunk

**Keen2win** · 19/03/2008, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by ForzaHoop

Not sure about you but when i was a Teen i just wanted to get LAID and get away with being drunk

What more would we expect from a Rovers fan?

**jebus** · 19/03/2008, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by ForzaHoop

To most of these kids it is a chance to get one over on another area and prove there area is the hardest. The jump on the bandwagon Soccer Hooligan thing which they want to exist from watching green street etc

Doesn't this sort of thing happen quite a bit with rival teen gangs in England? London in particular? Seems like they are just copying their English Bebo counterparts, who in turn seem to think they were brought up in Compton

**Higgo** · 19/03/2008, 1:20 PM

Originally Posted by ForzaHoop

Not sure about you but when i was a Teen i just wanted to get LAID and get away with being drunk

Eh no, I'd be lying if I said I could identify at all with this mentality. Terrible post.

**pete** · 19/03/2008, 1:23 PM

Can't argue about the article. The kids Bohs/Shels would find some other excuse to fight if no LOI but that doesn't help the league. Its amazing that the authorities can't control children. Imagine if there were proper "firms" in the LOI with hundreds of members?

**Higgo** · 19/03/2008, 1:31 PM

Originally Posted by pete

Can't argue about the article. The kids Bohs/Shels would find some other excuse to fight if no LOI but that doesn't help the league. Its amazing that the authorities can't control children. Imagine if there were proper "firms" in the LOI with hundreds of members?

I have to agree with this point. There are many people who could legitimately take some blame for this problem. However, it is shocking that our police force cannot handle these incidents. At the end of the day, there are relatively few people involved and the majority of them are only children. I fail to see how we could ever host a big European cup match in Dublin. It is beyond a joke how incompetent some of our gardai are. Very sad indeed.

**Raheny Red** · 19/03/2008, 1:47 PM

Originally Posted by jebus

Not as sensationalist as I would have thought from the Indo to be honest. I'll take it that the story regarding the Shels fan who lost an eye due to the BSS is fact now though?

No, not necessarily, the Indo Journo got that info from the front page of yesterday's sun - which contained a number of mistakes. The lad who wrote the piece in the Sun got his info from the Shels and Bohs forum, pathetically.

**jebus** · 19/03/2008, 1:52 PM

Originally Posted by Raheny Red

No, not necessarily, the Indo Journo got that info from the front page of yesterday's sun - which contained a number of mistakes. The lad who wrote the piece in the Sun got his info from the Shels and Bohs forum, pathetically.

Was wondering about that part alright, just because I haven't heard it reported as fact yet. Pretty lame out of the bastion of Irish journalism to be getting their stories from football forums filtered through the Sun

**WoodquayBoy** · 19/03/2008, 1:58 PM

Pure laziness, all it would take is a phone call to hospitals in the area, or even just one to the HSE

**Raheny Red** · 19/03/2008, 3:08 PM

Originally Posted by jebus

Was wondering about that part alright, just because I haven't heard it reported as fact yet. Pretty lame out of the bastion of Irish journalism to be getting their stories from football forums filtered through the Sun

However, as far as I know, he did sustain an eye injury. He can't see out of the lower half of his eye I was told.

**gufct** · 19/03/2008, 3:38 PM

Every club in the league has an element of Schooligans attaching themselves to the clubs.The worst I have seen are Bohs,Shels,Athlone,Pats and Dundalk where kids as young as ten are up for anything and all idolise green street with a passion.

We had four braindeads trying to start a row with 2 young lads from Galway down in Cobh last week and we have a certain element both boys and girls at our home games who dont even bother watching the games anymore.

**feo123** · 19/03/2008, 4:51 PM

will the schoolies be in sligo on friday night do ye reckon?

**Rob_the_cat** · 19/03/2008, 5:54 PM

This is a societal problem. Nothing to do with hooligan-porn like Green Street. Kids today (I feel old saying that) have no respect for authority. They have no respect for others, they don't value human life. Jeez, you only have to look back at the horrific killings in Drimnagh a few weeks ago. Then what, another story comes along in the cycle and it's all dropped.

Just today I heard about Mayo supporters throwing coins at Kieran Donaghy and his Kerry teammates. This isn't a soccer exclusive issue.

I would be surprised if Dan had not sourced this elsewhere than from "The ***" though. He's the best young sports journo around at the moment.

**Bucky-O'Hare** · 19/03/2008, 6:16 PM

Its probably a mixture of bad parenting, the youtube/greenstreet cult following, and a society that simply allows people, both children and adults to get away with too much with no consequence.

We live in a part of the world were its becoming more and more normal to see someone get kicked in the head or have a glass pushed into their face. Thus to these young boys this behaviour is seen as acceptable.

**pixiehead** · 20/03/2008, 2:56 AM

I Think its no harm that we the right fans give them a good shoe in the arse or a slap in the puss. its the only way spotty teens wallys will listen too

**Kingdom** · 20/03/2008, 8:43 AM

I'm only in the mid 20's and while I wouldn't be a snob, there is a distinct lack of any decency or respect amongst the kids these days. And the type we are referring to they ain't kids anymore either, they get older and braver younger these days.
Young wans have changed for the worst too. Its getting more ridiculous what they're going round in, and sorry leerer's I'm not referring to 17/18/19 yr olds, I'm on about the tweenies. Jailbait in my group used to be a joke about eligble but young looking girls you'd be shifting (insert your own slang here!) but now it has a genuine meaning.
I blame the parents a lot of the time and I'm saying that as a parent myself.
All joking aside as Forza hoop said when I was in my teens (less than 10 yrs ago) I wanted a lay and a drink. any aggression was used playing football or other sports.
There's no honour amongst people these days. I see this all day everyday. Remember its what we do ourselves that the kids take the lead from.
How often do you stop and help someone lift a bag on the bus/train? Or hold a door for someone? Or even acknowledge a stranger passing by? I do and its the way I was brought up. I can see it in the older women when they're walking down the road, they sh!t themselves pasing by kids nowadays.
As ridiculous as this sounds the fall of the church has a lot to do with it. That generation had a lot of different values to this generation.

**RonnieB** · 20/03/2008, 8:46 AM

I love some of the names they give themselves. The Dundalk Mujahideen are on the march to Longford tomorrow night

I don't know whether to laugh or cry with despair for humanity.

**sullanefc** · 20/03/2008, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by Kingdom

As ridiculous as this sounds the fall of the church has a lot to do with it.

You could be on to something there. While I wouldn't be a religious person myself, certain morals and values have been lost in our society. Whether its the fall of the church or bad parenting or a bit of both I'm not sure.