Stars and Stripes, Medieval Crusaders and violence outside St James’ Park when Chelsea and Everton visited | OneFootball

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The Mag

·4 December 2022

Stars and Stripes, Medieval Crusaders and violence outside St James’ Park when Chelsea and Everton visited

Article image:Stars and Stripes, Medieval Crusaders and violence outside St James’ Park when Chelsea and Everton visited

Saturday afternoon watching the USA in the World Cup brought a smile to my face, as the camera panned on to the USA supporters.

Draped in the stars and stripes and sporting silly hats and false beards made me think, then recall an article written by Tony Mallabar who describes some supporters as ”trees”. The reference was not lost on me having read Marabou Stork Nightmares by Irvine Welsh.


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Those “trees” had tagged on with him (Tony) and his mates when they were on an awayday excursion.

Back in the eighties and early nineties, wearing colours was an invitation to confrontation and violence. Though a mate of mine wearing a Harvey’s Heroes silk scarf in the pubs of New Cross seemed to defy this rule.

Wearing your team’s colours away was dropped for reasons of self -preservation and twenty plus years later it was something I thought was finished and had been buried, as supporters openly wore colours to away games again. Also, twenty plus years later, wearing away colours was a means of identifying you as not wanting trouble, therefore not fair game for anybody wanting to fight.

Recent footage of violence outside St James’ Park (Everton and Chelsea matches) is a reminder of how anger and subsequent violence is never far from the surface.

(Both photos Barrack Road after the 1-0 win over Everton)

Almost a year ago, me and my son were leaving Southampton’s ground after that Bruno goal on a cold night and found ourselves by chance, with angry Southampton supporters in a violent situation just outside the stadium. Fortunately, my young lad guided me away as the police moved in.

This made me question whether football violence is on the rise, or maybe it was always there, bubbling under the surface, after being untroubled by the media and now ready to manifest itself once more.

Or maybe, as I look back, I can see that society has changed and things have moved on, people have moved on, but it is the microscope of social media that is focusing attention on trouble and violence.

It is a different world now to the world of the 1980s, when I was an obnoxious youth ready to taunt opposition fans. No mobile phones or social media to chronicle events back then.

Forty years on it is a new world, where Americans are draped in the stars and stripes and in silly costumes, supporting their team.

They are sat in the Middle East, an American political playground, financed by the petro-dollar, that for more than half a century has been a theatre of corruption and violence.

Good job our boys dressed as medieval crusaders are there to sort things out if it all kicks off.

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