Well there goes my weekends. I live not too far from the other Claret and Blues - West Ham United (in dire trouble thanks to an overspend on the new ground and some really crappy playing the last two years).

It is a sad fact that there are some people who use the match as an excuse to drink, fight, swear, puke and piddle in the street. Worse is the amount of traffic (although this has been reduced in the last year, due to their relegation to a lower league). Of course, the same happens on Indian and Pakistan independence days (August 14th and 15th.... I'm not driving anywhere this weekend!), and other auspicious occasions such as the opening of an envelope.

Most of the crowds I see are well behaved, but only those I see within an hour of the match - they tend to be the families who come together, have a happy day out and then go home immediately after. It's the single, uncommitted people (male AND female) who cause the trouble. WHU played Chelsea in a grudge match a few years ago, on a Monday evening with a 7.30pm kick off, ending at 9.30pm. The sirens started less than 10 minutes after the final whistle and went on until 3.00am. And that is not uncommon.

As far as I'm concerned, Elizabeth I had the right idea!

LTS

(She banned football, in case you didn't realise).