I dunno Johnny.

One time a few years ago, I was doing a bit of supply teaching in Derby and i had to take some kind of civics class where a woman police officer came round to talk to the kids. ( for our American friends the Rams Derby's football team has apparently about the same status as the New Orleans football team - hapless was a good word!)

after the class I was chatting to the officer and her colleague and they were telling me that after a match their coats were covered in spit. they had to have another coat ready from the dry cleaners after every saturday.

and when you go round and you see the away fans being escorted en masse from the train station with police horses and stuff and they're half pissed and singing - its a far from edifying sight, and you think why the hell should the tax payer be paying to protect these assholes from themselves.

Near where I live is the railway station of Alfreton. Every Saturday they stop football trains there to take people off the train who are tired and emotional.

I think you're a fan of Derek Brimstone. check out his son Eddy's book about his life as a soccer hooligan. In fact Eddy's on the telly every time they want someone to talk about skinheads and hooligans.

I'm not saying ban the bloody game, but it needs to get its act sorted out and turned into decent family entertainment rather than a sort of weekly truculent bastards reunion party.