[Blowee]

Southampton Football Club and Hampshire Police were totally to blame for the inadequate planning of security measures. Dont think there will be an investigation by the EFL into the pitch invasion after the final whistle but the crowd trouble inside and outside the ground should be looked into. One last point the stewarding by the Albion stewards who were on duty down there was top class. They did identify a problem with one of our fans and a Southampton steward, they told the Steward in charge who had the steward removed from that section,

Southampton are actively encouraging their fans to behave in this way. Their website is carrying lots of illegal flares and smoke bombs being set off. The fact that they were whipping their support up for days and their antics on the night all point to very shoddy behaviour. How can they not be investigated by the EFL? Our club will hopefully back our supporters who were there with an official complaint to the EFL.

[hardtobeat]

Southampton Football Club and Hampshire Police were totally to blame for the inadequate planning of security measures. Dont think there will be an investigation by the EFL into the pitch invasion after the final whistle but the crowd trouble inside and outside the ground should be looked into. One last point the stewarding by the Albion stewards who were on duty down there was top class. They did identify a problem with one of our fans and a Southampton steward, they told the Steward in charge who had the steward removed from that section,

Totally agree Kev ! I have e mailed both Southampton and Hampshire & Isle of Wight constabulary saying pretty much the same . If and when I get any kind of reply I’ll try and post it on here !

[kc56wba]

I hope you didn't put too much money on that Alex as you'd be clean out of pocket. Speaking as someone who was there I can assure you Southampton's support base has no shortage of gimps across a wide variety of age groups.

The woman in her 30s who was stood next to me attended the game on her own. She was verbally abused and threatened as she made her way to the stadium before the game from where she was staying over night. It wasn't adolescents who tried to steal the Albion flag she had wrapped around her shoulders either.

I've also read reports online of trouble by the coaches. None of which was witnessed or perpetrated by myself or anyone I know (of course) but it's fair to say Southampton came off second best several times while giving it large outside the stadium after the game too.

We don't have much history with Southampton beyond helping to send them down to the delight of both ourselves and Portsmouth during the Great Escape season but I can definitely see that history being rewritten in the future. They have a Vile type arrogance about them and I can perfectly understand why Pompey feel the way they do.

Dan I did see the skirmishes by the coaches and it wasn't just young un's from Southampton having a go it was chaps in their late 30's early 40's having a go.  I am not to steady on my feet these days and ended up on my bottom when a fight broke out by me luckily enough there were two police who helped me up and sat me on a wall so I could put my leg back on ( Yes I have an artificial leg ) cause it become loose. A senior copper came to the two police who were standing by me as I was reattaching the leg and said leave him and join the line we have not got enough offices on duty.

Dan you are correct they do have a type of the Vile arrogance about them. 

[alex1]

All I'm saying Dan is that I've come across Southampton fans many times and never had any problems with them. I can think of at least 20-30 other clubs where the same could not be said. As for being 'arrogant', what does that mean? Yeah, they're up for the game and celebrating an important victory. In some ways the more gentlemanly celebrations of cricketers, well played sir etc, are to be preferred, but that era is well gone for football fans. I do think Albion fans are generally well-behaved, which is one of the reasons I'm proud of being one, but even we have some idiots, albeit a very small minority.

[SmethDan]

All I'm saying Dan is that I've come across Southampton fans many times and never had any problems with them. I can think of at least 20-30 other clubs where the same could not be said. As for being 'arrogant', what does that mean? Yeah, they're up for the game and celebrating an important victory. In some ways the more gentlemanly celebrations of cricketers, well played sir etc, are to be preferred, but that era is well gone for football fans. I do think Albion fans are generally well-behaved, which is one of the reasons I'm proud of being one, but even we have some idiots, albeit a very small minority.

Having spent time in and around Hampshire on a number of occasions, not always football related, I've come across Southampton supporters a number of times and never had a problem I couldn't deal with Alex. For arrogant I mean snotty condescending and generally fairly patronising in roughly equal measure. Not a good combination really.

They weren't celebrating victory before the game when they verbally abused and threatened the lone female Albion supporter I referred to earlier. And as far as I'm aware KC who's somewhere in his 60s (I think) didn't offer anyone out before his prosthetic leg dropped off outside the ground afterwards either. That said I do appreciate those incidents aren't indicative of an entire support base.

Southampton supporters don't really have a reputation to speak of and they're certainly not a Millwall although it appears a good few of them thought they were before finding out they weren't the other night. As far as I know you weren't there and know nothing about the incidents described on the night beyond anecdotal reports on here or from what you've seen online.

I'm not really bothered whether their celebrations were gentlemanly and like most clubs we have some complete tools who haven't done us any favours over the last couple of years, but more than a minority of Southampton supporters were utter weapons on Friday and I'd rather be a Baggie than a member of the Hampshire Gimp Posse any day of the week.

[alex1]

Having spent time in and around Hampshire on a number of occasions, not always football related, I've come across Southampton supporters a number of times and never had a problem I couldn't deal with Alex. For arrogant I mean snotty condescending and generally fairly patronising in roughly equal measure. Not a good combination really.

They weren't celebrating victory before the game when they verbally abused and threatened the lone female Albion supporter I referred to earlier. And as far as I'm aware KC who's somewhere in his 60s (I think) didn't offer anyone out before his prosthetic leg dropped off outside the ground afterwards either. That said I do appreciate those incidents aren't indicative of an entire support base.

Southampton supporters don't really have a reputation to speak of and they're certainly not a Millwall although it appears a good few of them thought they were before finding out they weren't the other night. As far as I know you weren't there and know nothing about the incidents described on the night beyond anecdotal reports on here or from what you've seen online.

I'm not really bothered whether their celebrations were gentlemanly and like most clubs we have some complete tools who haven't done us any favours over the last couple of years, but more than a minority of Southampton supporters were utter weapons on Friday and I'd rather be a Baggie than a member of the Hampshire Gimp Posse any day of the week.

You were there Dan and I wasn't, and indeed anyone picking on loan females or someone with a prosthetic leg, is pathetic and deserve every bit of grief which comes their way. Indeed anyone looking for trouble with innocent able bodied males is almost as pathetic.
Its disappointing reading what you and others have said about Southampton fans general behaviour and maybe I'll I've to re-assess my view of them. But up until now its been one of the places I like visiting, also for a certain music venue there, and I still hope they get past Leeds (who I have far more negative memories of). 

[SmethDan]

You were there Dan and I wasn't, and indeed anyone picking on loan females or someone with a prosthetic leg, is pathetic and deserve every bit of grief which comes their way. Indeed anyone looking for trouble with innocent able bodied males is almost as pathetic.
Its disappointing reading what you and others have said about Southampton fans general behaviour and maybe I'll I've to re-assess my view of them. But up until now its been one of the places I like visiting, also for a certain music venue there, and I still hope they get past Leeds (who I have far more negative memories of).

It was a bit of a perfect storm to be fair. The weather was good and large numbers had clearly been on the pop for hours. I imagine quite a lot of nose powder had been consumed as well.

Despite there being a lot of stewards and quite a few police about they clearly underestimated the potential for trouble and were poorly organised. I hate overhanded stewarding and policing but there's a sweet spot which was clearly missed.

For what it's worth at no point did I feel remotely threatened so much as irritated. That said things could have taken a very swift turn for the worst for anyone stupid enough. I'll leave it there  .