jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

Im not spouting rubbish either about belonging to the greatest fans in the world, Iam sure Manu fans will say the same thing. Im on here re last nights game and taking the bait from inaccurate posts

TimWRX01

iTrader: (1)

Liverpool blew it by playing 1 up front. They neutralised the Milan threat but had none themselves. All they had was 1 offside goal in 90 minutes to show for their possession. No other meaningful attacks but a lot of long range efforts.

Carragher may have played like a one-legged pensioner but he came out with some credit in his interview when he admitted that Milan were the better team and deserved it (which they did).

555 Markus

lol, fair play to you being on here

Interesting article here which illustrates the mentality of some of LFC's travelling support . I witnessed much the same at the semi-final first leg.

Flood of forged tickets is final straw for supporters-Sport-Football-European Football-TimesOnline

From The TimesMay 24, 2007

Flood of forged tickets is final straw for supporters. Owen Slot, Chief Sports Reporter, in Athens

No one can really say whether the problems that occurred outside the Olympic Stadium were inevitable, unavoidable or simply the fault of the ticketless Liverpool fans who tried to storm through the gates. But with security guards weeding out hundreds for possessing forged tickets, the Greek police were prepared for what came at them.

There were two incidents that took place just as the match was starting yesterday. Outside the outer ring, police in riot gear had to use teargas and batons to repel a group of fans who had tried to storm a gate. At about the same time, closer to the stadium, a group of 500 fans also tried to charge their way through a gate. The police there responded by simply shutting the gates, although they were forced to let a few fans through when the crush became dangerous. In both these incidents, Greek police reported that it was largely Liverpool fans involved.

The frustration of many of the fans would explain much of what happened outside the stadium. The small allocation of tickets to each club was known long before anyone reached Athens, but another issue has been the quantity of forged tickets that have been on the market. Police made 97 arrests for people possessing or selling forgeries, but they did not come close to burying the problem.

To get into the stadium, fans had their tickets checked three times, the first two were cursory glances, the third required the logos to be checked with a special infra-red device. It was here that hundreds of forgeries were being spotted and the hapless fans were told that no matter what they had paid for their tickets, they could not go any farther. Many of these forgeries had cost in the region of £500.

With so many fans having paid so much to be disappointed, the two incidents at the gates last night can hardly have come as a surprise.

And they were not what we term “major” incidents of hooliganism. Overall, the atmosphere around this Champions League final has been convivial, save for a few incidents of fighting and bottle throwing in the city centre as fans without tickets watched the match on a big screen.

However, the lack of tickets has been the fans’ story since they arrived. Yesterday, Greek police arrested a 28-year-old British man for selling 50 forged final tickets to an Italian travel agent for ¤58,000 (about £34,000). With black market prices rising reportedly to ¤5,000, he was probably sniffed out because his prices were so reasonable.

Elsewhere, one Liverpool fan reported that a taxi driver had driven off with his ticket. He had taken his luggage, too, but that was of little concern. Police also reported that a fight over a ticket had broken out between two Liverpool fans and it had got so bad that they had to be treated in hospital.

Outside the ground, one man was in the process of giving his tickets to stewards when he was knocked to the ground and had both tickets taken from his hand. Those tickets were probably resold immediately at Irini station, the stop that feeds the Olympic park, because the market there before the game was rife. In the hours before the match, ticketless fans gathered there in hope. Many said they had never known tickets to be so scarce and many were holding high their personal “Tickets Wanted” advertisements; some were offering £1,500 a pair and getting nowhere.

Others had paid £100 for what they knew were forgeries but they hoped might get them through. “What have you got?” one fan asked another as they jostled in the first queue. “A piece of paper that’s as good as a piece of s***e,” he replied before turning to his teenage son. “Don’t worry, lad, we’ll get in. It’s the European Cup final, we always get in.” And how were they intending to do so? “We’re going to steam the c***s,” he explained.

Many of them did clearly succeed in getting in illegally because the Liverpool end last night was packed to the point where many feared it was becoming dangerous. The police were aware of a vast excess of bodies in the lower tier. When the game was still 30 minutes from starting, some fans at Gate 35 were screaming at stewards to stop letting any more people in.

As the match was played out last night, few inside would have known about the tales of despair from those left outside. The story last night was of AC Milan’s revenge on Liverpool for the events of 2005, but the other tale of Athens is the market for forged tickets, for many people are making huge sums of money from this and the fans are paying and they are doing so dearly.

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

I will agree that the many liverpool fans who travelled without tickets are stupid and I said to my work colleagues yesterday (all manu supporters) that there would be trouble (as there is most weeks with most games however these are rarely reported). I watched a bit of GMTV yesterday morning about half 6ish and they were talking to supporters out there who were drinking lager (would have been about half 8 over there I think). When you see things like that you know there will be trouble.

I felt sorry for the genuine fans who had tickets who couldnt get in and also ended up being tear gassed.

NAF

we are the greatest fans in the world

no arguing with that mate

does that bother you?

lol

grovesy

Your not the best fans in the world.

30,000 free loaders try to get in with out tickets then try and blame the Police for it. You get all sentimental about Hillsborough when it was the so called fans who caused it.

Thieving scum...

ash1

iTrader: (2)

As usual people talking b0llocks on here, most of which comes from STIWS who should occasionally remove his blinkers. It was no spectacle, but it was better than that **** on a stick from the weekend.

As for ticket forgeries. Maybe UEFA should deploy technology to ensure only valid ticket holders get into the ground. Its as simple as that.

grovesy

Or maybe thousends of fans shouldnt try and storm the gates. Its not EUFA's fault.

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

"But Liverpool did not have enough quality in attack to do that."

From one of their own.

funniest though was Hansens comments.

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

Liverpool are going to win the Champions League final - I am absolutely 100% confident of that.

Can we put it up there with... You never win anything with kids

you'd think he'd learn

555 Markus

South Yorkshire police, Chelsea fans, or UEFA - they're all to blame. Never the "greatest fans in the world".

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

you forgot the Sun newspaper.

ash1

iTrader: (2)

It's a UEFA problem, deal with it.

grovesy

Its amazing The Sun are able to stay in Business after half the population of a small welsh town refuse to read it.

Funkii Munkii

With Liverpools idiotic minority there's always someone else to blame, butter wouldn't melt would it. It may be the minority but what a track record the minority has.

Maybe the majority should do something about it, they've not done anything in the last 20+ years so can't see it happening now not even close to being the best supporters in the world, Pompey and the Geordies are miles ahead of you.

UEFA stance

Gaillard told BBC Radio Five Live: "The behaviour of the supporters before the game made it extremely difficult for the police who didn't want to use brutal methods and they have to be praised for that.

"To control the fact that so many fake tickets were around as we warned but this was all done in Britain."

Former Conservative leader Michael Howard was at the game and he said: "I didn't think the match should have been held at the stadium.

"It's not a football stadium and is not equipped to cope with that number of people.

"Ticket checks were a joke. Many people with valid tickets were not allowed in.

"That is not acceptable and Uefa really need to look at their procedures and make sure everything is all in order.

"As far as I'm aware no-one was hurt, and that's a mercy, but it's no thanks to the Greek authorities, and I'm afraid there was a large measure of incompetence."


But Gaillard responded: "It is very easy to say it is not a suitable stadium, coming from the man that invented the poll tax.

"The Milan supporters didn't face the same problems because they didn't behave in the same way.

"The kind of pushing that was going on and the attempts to jump over barriers - imagine if we had turnstiles, we could have had a tragedy.

"More than three hours before the game there were incidents at the Liverpool end with people trying to get in either with fake tickets or jumping over the barriers.

"It is obvious that at one point the police felt overwhelmed and it is much to their credit there were no dangerous incidents.

"I am very sorry for what happened to fans who had regular tickets but at the same time there is a collective responsibility in terms of behaviour.

"This area was all for Liverpool fans and the bulk were obviously extremely honest people who had got tickets in the right way and observed the rules.

"But unfortunately because of a minority who did not they found themselves in a very uncomfortable and unpleasant position."

Gaillard defended Uefa against any responsibility for the problems, adding: "The only responsibility we could have is that we did not choose a stadium with 250,000 seats, but unfortunately they do not exist."


What I would agree with is the fact it is held in such a small staduim which is ridiculous for UEFA's premier cup tournament, they should only use stadia with 70,000 + seat and if it means they only use 10 or so stadia then so be it, Athens only held the final 13 years ago, so much for rotation.

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

Fact is the media has a number of people who are clearly Liverpool fans. The way this has been reported is to put the blame elsewhere other than where it should rightfully be.

Funkii Munkii

This bit made me laugh

"But Gaillard responded: "It is very easy to say it is not a suitable stadium, coming from the man that invented the poll tax."

What the **** has the poll tax got to do with UEFA, they promote this competition to the hilt, making fortunes in revenue from TV rights etc, they know how big the CL has become but they choose to host it in a small stadium, pretty short sighted.

I al;so heard that of the 17000 tickets Liverpool were allocated they kept 6000 back for ex players, friends, celebs and the like, so for me LFC need to look at their position as well, I would imagine this happens at all clubs and is not an LFC problem, supporters should realise in this big money industry we come last in the great scheme of things, I have a lot of sympathy for the genuine fans.

555 Markus

Never liked Gaillard much but this made me laugh.

555 Markus

Beat me to it .

Wonder if Cilla and Tarby got in?

ash1

iTrader: (2)

Lets all paint a bad picture of our fans. Fact is UEFA created a problem here.

The British government, meanwhile, has demanded an explanation from Greek authorities over the treatment of Liverpool fans, around 2,000 of whom were still outside the stadium when the game kicked off last night.
"We have received reports from some fans that they were prevented from entering the ground despite having tickets, and were then the subject of heavy-handed treatment by the police," said a spokesman for the British embassy in Athens.

Fans, meanwhile, could only vent their frustration. Pete Evans, 37, a BT worker from Dublin, said: "This is crazy. I paid €2,000 (£1,350) to be here." Kenny Roberts, a 19-year-old from Norris Green, Liverpool, said: "I've got no chance of using the ticket now. I've been gassed and hit on the back of the head by the police ... this is just disgraceful. It's terrible organisation."

Two Liverpool fans from Norway, who had paid €3,000 each for travel packages, headed disconsolately back into central Athens 30 minutes after kick-off. Rune Loholt, a 35-year-old from Trondheim, said fans with forgeries had got past the authorities, meaning genuine supporters were not let in. Frode Forsdahl, 32, a student from Trondheim, said: "We've been pepper-sprayed and hit in the face with clubs. We'll have to give up."

After the match, however, hundreds of Liverpool supporters gathered in the centre of the Greek capital to chant their support for the team into the small hours. Police praised the behaviour of the fans, saying there had been no trouble and no violent incidents.

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

thats out of order, hope you never lose someone one day at an event that could have been prevented.

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

as a Liverpool fan I disagree. At the end of the day x amount of thousands of fans without tickets flew out there to try to get into the stadium when they were told not to go if they didnt have tickets. If they hadn't of gone there would not of been as much trouble (lets face it there is trouble at every professional football game)

speedking

Surely this is the crux of the matter. Was it the authorities fault for letting forgeries in? They say that if they'd stopped the queue then the push from behind would have caused injuries.

I would say it is those "fans" fault for bucking the system. As soon as some non-genuine spectators are inside the ground then given it has a fixed capacity, some genuine ticketholders will be disappointed.

There must be a way of arranging gates, barriers, fences so that the crush is diverted past the entrance without allowing it into the ground. But then I suppose we come back to the authorities and whether it was a suitable venue

Funkii Munkii

Don't even go there jaytc2003

You can never forget those that have died in such tragic needless circumstances.

BUT

The myth that Liverpool fans are totally blameless is just that a myth.

A horrific day, one that I will never forget witnessing on TV, pretty much like Heysel, Liverpool fans weren't blameless but the majority want you to think they were.

I for one am glad it wasn't a Man Utd v Liverpool final, it's possible we would have been looking at utter carnage and they would have dished out more than a 5 year ban from Europe.. and that would have been the end of the Premiership.

Funkii Munkii

Maybe an exclusion zone, ring of steel lol 1/2 a mile from the ground, no ticket and you go no further, then again the minority would probably rush that, and when you have 500 people intent in getting past its bloody hard to stop them without resorting to exteme violence.

grovesy

"thats out of order, hope you never lose someone one day at an event that could have been prevented. "


Don't try and make me feel sorry for Liverpool fans they have brought tragedy on them selves on two occasions and tried to blame others. It was lucky last nite was not a third time. And lets be honest I bet at least half of them have never been to Anfield. It was typical scouse mentality they new they didn't have tickets and were quiet open about trying to get in for free. If I was a Liverpool fan I would be embarrassed by there behaviour.

grovesy

Milan have one of the most well run hooligan firms in Europe, didnt here about them trying to get in for free, or crushing women and Children.

Reality

Liverpool - let down by their scummy supporters again .

Robbin b@startds getting in without tickets & fans with tickets wanting to get that last pint 15 seconds before kick off.

Shame.

ash1

iTrader: (2)

Milan generally dont travel well. They even gave some of their allocation back.

At the end of the day its a collective responsbility, both UEFA and the fans.

I believe all the security checks were causing delays and the build up. In the end anyone waving a ticket of any kind e.g. train ticket, bus ticket were being let through.

In the World Cup they all tickets had micro chips in them. They could have done the same here.