Living in Brussels I have witnessed some of the behaviour of these louts. Alcohol may well have something to do with it but that's not the whole story. I have watched Ireland play several times where the fans (true fans in this case) have had plently to drink but without the slightest hint of any trouble or unpleasantness. Mrs McMoo took a school party to Ostend last week and had the misfortune on their return to be sharing a carriage with some so-called English fans. These individuals distinguished themselves with a barrage of beer swilling (stuff they brough with them in this case) belching, farting, shouting, insults to the locals, e.g "...If it wasn't for the English you'd be Krauts..." before picking on and intimidating a half-Belgian, half-Japanese female student in my wife's group and scaring half to death a couple of young asian moslem girls who'd just made their first visit outside Brussels.

Up in town on Saturday many hundreds of English fans arrived during a very hot afternoon. There were high spirits and a lot of drinking and chanting but no trouble that I saw then. I'm sure the majority were perfectly genuine and normal fans although a clear minority were already out of their heads at this stage. This however was probably five or six hours before the match on a very hot day.

I'm quite sure the vast majority of fans are quite innocent. However it is also clear that there is a significant minority who come looking for trouble. The same element can be seen in almost any decent-sized English town late on a Friday or Saturday night around pub closing time.

Solutions? I don't really know but would be interested to hear suggestions. It seems to me that there are many countries where this football thuggery seems much less prevalent. However it seems to have become an integral part of the English football scene.

Peace

mcmoo

(expatriate Irish Londoner and QPR supporter - no don't mock the afflicted as Frankie Howard used to say!)