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Ennesima delusione ieri sera per l’ appassionato popolo della “Toon Army” di Newcastle. ( foto ) Nonostante il solito caloroso sostegno la squadra, di fatto obbligata a battere il Portsmouth per coltivare ragionavoli sogni salvezza, èla compagine bianconera è stata, invece, costretta ad un pari a reti bianche dai “Pompeys”, i quali hanno anche colpito un palo e sono andati più volte vicini al successo esterno. Fischi copiosi dalle gradinate di casa mentre i tifosi ospiti, in larga parte a torso nudo, festeggiavano il pareggio che allontana ulteriormente la squadra dalle zone pericolose. I fans del Portsmouth sono sospettati di essere stati presenti con quelli del Burnley nella trasferta sul campo dei rivali del Southampton, retrocessi in “League One” ed in pericolo di fallimento. A fine gara i supporters dei “Saints” si sono riversati sul terreno di gioco e vi sono stati momenti di tensione con i sostenitori dei “Clarets” i quali sono accusati di avere tenuto un comportamento provocatorio. Sono al vaglio degli inquirenti anche le immagini videoregistrate dell’ invasione di campo dei fans dell’ Oxford mentre tre “banning orders” di cinque anni ( pena detentiva sospesa ) sono stati emanati per tre sostenitori del Leicester, in relazione agli incidenti con quelli del Coventry. Un morto e diciassette arresti sono il rammatico bilancio di una rissa scoppiata fra le “firms” del Blackpool e del Preston. Le due società hanno dichiarato di cooperare da tempo, insieme a quella del Burnley, per sradicare un fenomeno che nella zona ha assunto proporzioni ragguardevoli. Infine voci di mercato britanniche ritengono pressochè certo che il nuovo allenatore del Chelsea sarà Carlo Ancelotti.
IT’S SHEAR AGONY AS TOON FADE
“NEWCASTLE are heading for the Championship unless they can produce a miracle in their last four games.Alan Shearer shuffled his pack and went all-out for a win last night by starting with Mark Viduka, Oba Martins and Michael Owen – but it simply didn’t work. And now time is running out.
Martins missed a great chance just before the break but blazed over from close in.
The home side had a lucky escape just after the interval when Fabio Coloccini appeared to trip Peter Crouch, and Pompey’s Richard Hughes hit the post with nine minutes left.”
Three Leicester City fans banned over Coventry street clash
Coventry News
28 April 2009
By Duncan Gibbons
“THREE Leicester City fans have been given suspended jail sentences and banned from all football games for five years for their part in a violent street battle with rival supporters in Coventry.
Jade Crick, aged 31, Charles Knight, aged 20, and Mark Barnett, aged 50, were part of a baying mob who clashed with Coventry City fans in Earlsdon in February last year.
CCTV footage showed innocent bystanders fleeing for cover as gangs armed with pool cues, pool balls and road signs brawl for nearly five minutes before riot police arrive.
The three defendants were the last of 36 people to be sentenced for affray for their part in the ugly scenes.
Warwick Crown Court heard the trio were not actively involved in the fighting, but were seen at the front of the group taunting, gesturing and threatening the Coventry fans.
All three were given suspended sentences and ordered to carry out unpaid work in the community.
Judge Marten Coates said: “Inevitably in cases such as this, people involved in hooliganism play different parts.
“There is no doubt that this conflict was planned, it did not happen by accident. There is no evidence that any of you was engaged in the organisation of that violence, but clearly you knew it would occur.
“There is no evidence that any of you three had weapons and did not use any particular violence.”
But the judge said the three men had contributed to the “disgraceful scenes” which affected innocent residents and passers-by.
“It could have been your families caught up in this violence,” he told the trio.
Barnett, from Enderby, who was seen grappling with a Coventry fan, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 300 hours of community service.
Judge Coates told him: “I cannot understand why a man of 50 has to get involved with hooligans.”
Both Crick, from Thurmaston, and Knight, from Weston Park, received nine-month prison sentences suspended for 18 months and ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service.
All three were banned from all Football League grounds for five years and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £622.”
Pool ban vow after father’s pub death
Fans Online
27 April 2009
By Emma Harris
BLACKPOOL FC bosses have vowed to ban fans if they were involved in the pub brawl that lead to the death of a father-of-two.
Rival Blackpool and Preston fans are believed to have been involved in the fight that led to the death of Dave Bolton.
The 45-year-old was found unconscious with serious head injuries at the Sir Richard Owen Wetherspoon pub on Spring Garden Street in Lancaster on Thursday afternoon.
Mr Bolton, from Bamber Bridge, died in Royal Lancaster Infirmary at 8pm on Friday.
A post-mortem has revealed he died from head injuries, but police said further tests would need to be carried out to try to establish exactly what caused Mr Bolton’s death.
Police have confirmed some of people involved in the brawl were believed to be Blackpool FC and Preston North End fans.
Blackpool FC club secretary Matt Williams said: “We condemn violence of any kind and we work hard to eradicate it from the terraces. It has no place in football, or society.
“As a club we work closely with Preston North End and Burnley and we’re extremely disappointed to hear this incident could be connected to football violence.
“We will be speaking to the police about a ban for any fans who are found to have been involved in this incident.”
A total of 17 men – 12 from the Blackpool area and five from Preston – have been arrested on suspicion of affray since the incident.
They have all been released on bail.
Mr Bolton’s devastated family have paid tribute to him.
In a statement, his wife, Michelle, and sons, Sam, 21, and Jake,19, said: “Dave was a fantastic husband and best friend to Michelle. A loving and devoted father to Sam and Jake and a wonderful son to Jack and Kath.”
Club and police aim to catch offenders
Oxford Mail
28 April 2009
By Thom Airs
“OXFORD United officials and police are studying CCTV footage and photographs from Sunday’s pitch invasion to identify those involved.
Anyone arrested over the incident could be taken to court and face a football banning order.
Club spokesman Chris Williams said: “We’re ex-tremely disappointed with the actions of a few on Sunday. Their actions meant that a celebration of an exciting climax to the season was soured.
“The club condemns the actions of these individuals and is in discussions with Thames Valley Police to ensure that those who went on to the pitch receive the appropriate punishment.
“The club will also complete its own investigation to ensure that scenes like this are not repeated.
“We expect more big games in the future and we need to ensure that this element isn’t allowed to spoil things for the majority of our well-behaved fans.”
Supporters’ trust OxVox said it would welcome banning orders for those involved in the invasion.
Spokesman Mark Sennett said: “It came at a really bad time, because it upset the momentum of the team.
“We don’t think it’s usual fans. It’s a very, very small number out of an extremely large crowd, and they’re not regular fans of Oxford United.
“The rest of the fans in the ground made it very clear they weren’t happy and that it wasn’t acceptable. We certainly hope it’s not repeated.
“We hope these people are caught and dealt with.
“We would support banning orders. We’re sure the club will deal with it swiftly and effectively.”
One fan who admitted running on the pitch after James Constable’s equaliser condemned the actions of those who ran up to the Northwich players, but insisted most people were true supporters who were caught up in the goal celebrations. The 29-year-old, from Abingdon, said: “The abuse we took from Oxford fans was disgusting.
“I’ve missed three home games and been to 15 away games this season, so for people to say we’re not loyal supporters is wrong.
“Most of the people were loyal fans who got caught up in the moment. Maybe when you think about it, you shouldn’t have done it, but no-one has been hurt.
“I think it’s a bit of double standards from some people, because if Oxford had got promoted they would have run on the pitch. People in front of me were jumping on in the heat of the moment and I followed – I didn’t even think about it for a second.”
Referring to the fans who appeared to abuse the Northwich players, he added: “People are linking the two incidents, but they’re totally separate, we were just celebrating the goal. It wasn’t great and from some people an apology is needed, but we weren’t being violent.”
The Football Conference said it was waiting for the referee’s match report.
Thames Valley Police said no arrests were made at the ground”
Police chief claims Burnley fans provoked Southampton hooligans
Burnley Citizen
27 April 2009
By Chris Hopper
“BURNLEY fans must shoulder some of the blame for the disorder that marred their team’s weekend clash with Southampton, a police chief has claimed.
Supporters from the Clarets’ 2,000-strong travelling army were showered with flares, bottles and coins after the sides’ 2-2 draw condemned the home team to relegation to League One.
Hundreds of home supporters flooded the pitch but only three were arrested by police.
However, the man in charge of Saturday’s police operation said Burnley fans should share some responsibility for the trouble after taunting rival fans with relegation chants.
Chief Supt Matthew Greening, from Hampshire police, said: “Burnley fans were being quite provocative and they were taking the chance to wind up Southampton fans about being relegated.
“We did not get anything in terms of violence from the Burnley supporters but I do think if there had been no provocation at all the Southampton fans would not have approached them at the end of the game.”
Yesterday, videos of the disorder on YouTube, including scenes of flares being hurled at Burnley fans, were attracting thousands of views.
And there were also claims that some of the trouble began after fans of Southampton’s south coast rivals Portsmouth bought tickets for the Burnley section.
Police confirmed one of the arrests followed the ejection of a Portsmouth supporter from the St Mary’s Ground, while the other two were pitch invaders.
However, a Burnley FC spokesman said: “We are not aware of any Portsmouth fans being in the Burnley end on Saturday.
“Tickets are sold all over the country to Burnley fans, including in Portsmouth.”
Meanwhile, Saturday’s scenes have also raised the prospect of possible sanctions by football chiefs, including fines being dished out.
An FA spokesman said yesterday they were making enquiries about what had happened.
Chief Insp Jeff Brown, match commander for many of Burnley’s home games, said Clarets fans’ behaviour had been “great” all season.
He said Lancashire officers had received no reports of disorder from Hampshire counterparts.”
Click below to watch YouTube footage of the trouble.