I was saddened by the whole affair. The more I think of it though, the more saddened is turning into sickened. Imagine the cost of policing that debacle. Yet look here for details of how local schoolgirls were told they could not march in protest at the closure of their school because the cost of policing was too high!

Somehow a group over over-paid and over-rated people kicking a bag of wind around for 90 minutes are more important than the education of our children. You are quite right, Giok, education is the key. But while the new religion of football tribalism holds sway over the media and government, they are going to rule us as surely as the Spanish Inquisition did or, more recently, the Taliban did in Afghanistan.

While ordinary people, some just like you and I, think it is perfectly acceptable to intimidate bystanders by chanting tribal slogans walking down the public highways then we will have a problem. Sorry - Not just acceptable according to some TV pundits and the advertising magnets, possitively encouraged! While the players on the pitch think it is OK to dispute every authoratative decision and behave like lunatics when the score a goal then the people watching will also believe it acceptable. While the local and police authirities are willing to turn a blind eye to the kind of carnage we saw yesterday and put it down to 'a few' troublemakers and high spirits then theses things will continue.

Zero tollerance of bad behaviour on and off the pitch. Reinforce what is acceptable to everyone concerened. Educate people to realise that there are people not interested in what team you support. If all that doesn't work then, yes, go ahead and ban drink altogether. I'll see you outside a cafe bar in a more civilised country...:-)

Cheers

Dave