I hate Western Sydney Wanderers now after seeing their fans riot in Surry Hills.

I'd been shopping in Penrith, ironically enough to trawl the charity shops for football shirts, and when I got back to Central, I thought I'd pop into The Royal Exhibition, which is one fo my local pubs. It's also one of Sydney Football Club's locals and there were a few fans in there.

I was sitting in one of the window booths texting a friend when I heard some noise, looked out of the window, and saw a huge mob of fans, shouting and suddenly they were fighting/rioting, chucking chairs around, on the road. I saw a copper get his spray out, then he must have accidentally sprayed himself in the eyes. There was a 'thump' on the window when one of them put a sticker on it. I'm sure that if there'd be no coppers about - not really enough of them - and bouncers, they might have invaded the pub.

They were out for trouble. That is what ****ted me. Some of them were wearing masks - 'Ultra's' style? If I'd chosen to sit on the footpath outside the pub I could have been hurt.

Anyway, I hate the club now, which I did not before this happened. I'm sure there's more than a few tossers following Sydney too but I've never felt frightened of them around Surry Hills.

It's hard to blame it on the football club, they've only been in existence for 3 months.

What i find unusual is that they targeted Western Sydney as a location because of the big catchment area and the large immigrant background from traditional football supporting nations....but it's only taken these fans a few months to start rioting over nothing. I think they've done it before at meaningless friendly matches too.

I used to think in Britain it was because of long-standing rivalries over many years and past arguments to be settled, but these people have got none of that as an excuse. Maybe it is just because they're born idiots and every country has them..because this lot seemed to be a mix of Italians and Middle Easterns aping what goes on in their native countries.

I watched the game last night on TV and the difference between other sporting crowds in Oz is obvious. Dumb and stupid arseholes, giving the one-finger salute to the TV camera's and grinning like idiots....glad to say they can keep it, I'm done with football like that and so much happier that i broke the addiction when i came here.

Hi, I'm a producer in the Sydney newsroom at Channel 7. I'm looking into the brawl. Can you give me a quick call on 8777 7864 or email me at mmckeown@seven.com.au? Mark

I have always had a clear idea of what should happen to these useless oxygen theives. Shark bait. And yes, i do mean that litrally. Let the ploice open fire on them, then any that are left, shark bait

I watched the game last night on TV and the difference between other sporting crowds in Oz is obvious. Dumb and stupid arseholes, giving the one-finger salute to the TV camera's and grinning like idiots....glad to say they can keep it, I'm done with football like that and so much happier that i broke the addiction when i came here.

I really don't think it's fair to judge the whole of the A League on the actions of 'supporters' at one match. I have seen very little trouble at the matches I've attended - a couple of times people have been thrown out for letting off flares - from memory that was Sydney ** fans & Adelaide fans. But I've never seen or experienced any serious bother over here We often have supporters of the away team sitting in the same stand as us, and there's no drama with that. (We're just grateful if we get a crowd of over 6,000!)

I really don't believe the football code makes a difference - behaviour of the sort Maryrose is talking about has very little to do with football, and everything to do with tribal behaviour of the most mindless sort.

I would also argue that generalising people who follow a sport as 'dumb and stupid a***holes' is rather unfair to the majority that enjoy watching football and like to support a code that is still in its formative years in Australia. The vast majority of A League matches go without a hitch, and the overwhelming majority of A League supporters are law-abiding individuals who just enjoy watching a game of football peacefully.

Hi, I'm a producer in the Sydney newsroom at Channel 7. I'm looking into the brawl. Can you give me a quick call on 8777 7864 or email me at mmckeown@seven.com.au? Mark

No doubt we can expect a balanced piece about the A-League from Channel 7 because of this incident.....not.

I really don't believe the football code makes a difference - behaviour of the sort Maryrose is talking about has very little to do with football, and everything to do with tribal behaviour of the most mindless sort.

 

I would also argue that generalising people who follow a sport as 'dumb and stupid a***holes' is rather unfair to the majority that enjoy watching football and like to support a code that is still in its formative years in Australia. The vast majority of A League matches go without a hitch, and the overwhelming majority of A League supporters are law-abiding individuals who just enjoy watching a game of football peacefully.

Nope, don't agree. Not seen anything like it at league or union. In a NRL finals game this season, my mate was astonished that with all the banter flying about between two sets of mixed fans, he hadn't heard a single swear word all day. Contrasting that to his former days watching Liverpool he couldn't believe the difference.

As for the rest, I've just spent 30 years watching live football at all levels in England and abroad, seen the lot. You get to know the type and there were plenty there last night. Perhaps it's just a Sydney thing and wouldn't happen elsewhere, I don't know...so it's wrong to generalise yes.

I don't bother with football (soccer) anymore. AFL is a much better game anyway, and you don't have to put up with violent, moronic half-wits.

I'd been shopping in Penrith, ironically enough to trawl the charity shops for football shirts, and when I got back to Central, I thought I'd pop into The Royal Exhibition, which is one fo my local pubs. It's also one of Sydney Football Club's locals and there were a few fans in there.

 

I was sitting in one of the window booths texting a friend when I heard some noise, looked out of the window, and saw a huge mob of fans, shouting and suddenly they were fighting/rioting, chucking chairs around, on the road.

 

I know this is old news but it's still worthy of a response. I was around before the game too and the reason you saw Western Sydney Fans throwing chairs is because the chairs were thrown at them in the first place in response to their chanting (or shouting if that's the preferred term).

 

They were out for trouble. That is what ****ted me. Some of them were wearing masks - 'Ultra's' style? If I'd chosen to sit on the footpath outside the pub I could have been hurt.

 

No they were'nt out for it they were "ready" for it. Major difference. Masks aren't worth explaining here if you know nothing about active supports getting into particular characters. They would be happy to show their face. Could have been hurt? So, you weren't hurt then, just paranoid about it possibily happening?

 

Anyway, I hate the club now, which I did not before this happened. I'm sure there's more than a few tossers following Sydney too but I've never felt frightened of them around Surry Hills.

Totally logical, you hate the club because of your misconceptions, I'm sure you totally support the Sydney ** fan's action which was spitting at the ground in front of me and my 9 year old daughter and saying "Westie scum, where's your Mum?" Simply because we were minding our own business walking along to the game wearing Wanderer shirts. I ignored the guy and I in no way judged a whole club on this idiot's action. And when my daughter asked I had to tell him that he was just spitting some chewy out and accidentally did it in front of us saying he didn't mean it sweetie, because I didn't want her making judgments, like you do. Should I judge the whole Sydney ** club by him? Well I don't and I'm sure there are plenty of them who would be disgusted. I hate the club on the field and that's where it stays.

Totally logical, you hate the club because of your misconceptions, I'm sure you totally support the Sydney ** fan's action which was spitting at the ground in front of me and my 9 year old daughter and saying "Westie scum, where's your Mum?" Simply because we were minding our own business walking along to the game wearing Wanderer shirts. I ignored the guy and I in no way judged a whole club on this idiot's action. And when my daughter asked I had to tell him that he was just spitting some chewy out and accidentally did it in front of us saying he didn't mean it sweetie, because I didn't want her making judgments, like you do. Should I judge the whole Sydney ** club by him? Well I don't and I'm sure there are plenty of them who would be disgusted. I hate the club on the field and that's where it stays.

If it had just been a couple of indviduals, I probably would have agreed with you, but this was a mob who got off the train at Central intent on rioting.

Mob? Group? You still can't judge a club on such a small number. My youngest son and a number of his mate, all grads and in senior management positions, are members of WSW. So you can't judge a club by the few.

But this wasn't just a 'few', it was a large group of fans who all got off the train at Central. Maybe the police ****ed up because there wasn't enough of them to marshall the fans through Surry Hills to the stadium.

I am telling you how I felt, sitting in the Royal Exhibition (which is a Sydney Football Club pub) although there weren't all that many fans there. I was sitting by one of the windows, having a quiet drink when I heard and saw this riot outside the pub - chairs thrown, punches thrown, a guy gave one of the windows a huge thump as he put a Wanderers sticker on it. A policeman started trying to capsicum spray them and it must have blown back into his face. For a few moments I was scared. What if these blokes were intent on invading the pub? Why were some wearing masks? (aping the Italian Ultras I was told later) I was shocked, the licensee of the pub likewise. I thought of my nephew who is a member of Sydney and how I'd feel if he had been beaten up just for being outside the pub at the wrong time.

It was enough of a 'riot' for Channel 7 to take an interest. Sure, there are probably just as many tossers who follow Sydney but I've never felt frightened in my own suburb the way I did that day and it has turned me against the Wanderers.

But this wasn't just a 'few', it was a large group of fans who all got off the train at Central. Maybe the police ****ed up because there wasn't enough of them to marshall the fans through Surry Hills to the stadium.

 

I am telling you how I felt, sitting in the Royal Exhibition (which is a Sydney Football Club pub) although there weren't all that many fans there. I was sitting by one of the windows, having a quiet drink when I heard and saw this riot outside the pub - chairs thrown, punches thrown, a guy gave one of the windows a huge thump as he put a Wanderers sticker on it. A policeman started trying to capsicum spray them and it must have blown back into his face. For a few moments I was scared. What if these blokes were intent on invading the pub? Why were some wearing masks? (aping the Italian Ultras I was told later) I was shocked, the licensee of the pub likewise. I thought of my nephew who is a member of Sydney and how I'd feel if he had been beaten up just for being outside the pub at the wrong time.

 

It was enough of a 'riot' for Channel 7 to take an interest. Sure, there are probably just as many tossers who follow Sydney but I've never felt frightened in my own suburb the way I did that day and it has turned me against the Wanderers.

Where have you been for the last 100 years regarding football in this country? Channel 7 and 9 were always going to be there no matter what, scrounging around for any dirt they could pick on the game, even if it meant they had to make things up which eventually they did, taking exaggeration in the sports news to new heights. They had to this year considering the popularity levels of football starting to rise again. If you have turned against the whole club based on what you saw, plus a whole bunch of what ifs? then I have no problem with that, you were never a fan of them in the first place anyway so no love lost.

Where have you been for the last 100 years regarding football in this country? Channel 7 and 9 were always going to be there no matter what, scrounging around for any dirt they could pick on the game, even if it meant they had to make things up which eventually they did, taking exaggeration in the sports news to new heights. They had to this year considering the popularity levels of football starting to rise again. If you have turned against the whole club based on what you saw, plus a whole bunch of what ifs? then I have no problem with that, you were never a fan of them in the first place anyway so no love lost.

You weren't there but I know a mob when I see it but next the time the police might get their act together and organize the train from Parramatta to be shunted into a separate siding then the fans escorted onto a fleet of buses. We don't want them in Surry Hills.

You weren't there but I know a mob when I see it but next the time the police might get their act together and organize the train from Parramatta to be shunted into a separate siding then the fans escorted onto a fleet of buses. We don't want them in Surry Hills.

Such an old thread but isn't it interesting to see how things are still panning out, especially when the truth came out about the Surry Hills incident. But nothing much has changed since then, certain SFC fans still throwing coins into the WSW family areas, people dressed up in black shirts over their sky blue scarves causing trouble near train stations. Thank goodness the police haven taken your advice and got their act together, hopefully once again bagging another lot of scum that should have been shunted onto a bus straight back to Surry Hills. We don't want this filth in Western Sydney.

In before someone points out I typed "haven" instead of "have."

Such an old thread but isn't it interesting to see how things are still panning out, especially when the truth came out about the Surry Hills incident. But nothing much has changed since then, certain SFC fans still throwing coins into the WSW family areas, people dressed up in black shirts over their sky blue scarves causing trouble near train stations. Thank goodness the police haven taken your advice and got their act together, hopefully once again bagging another lot of scum that should have been shunted onto a bus straight back to Surry Hills. We don't want this filth in Western Sydney.

What was the truth about the 'Surry Hills incident?' The fans who caused the trouble were actually Sydney fans disguised as WSW fans? I just remember sitting in the Royal Exhibition hotel and feeling very frightened.

Regarding the lastest game, according to the Sydney Morning Herald today, three Sydney fans were attacked, and hospitalised by a mob of Wanderers fans. According to The Australian, Wanderers fans were letting off flares.

I've no doubt there are yobs amongst the Sydney fans too.

I saw a Western Sydney game on the TV a couple of weeks ago and the fans were trying to get over the fence to have a brawl with their own player. :rolleyes: What a bunch of complete tossers, they don't deserve money being spent on a team to try and give them something to follow and be proud of. That surely must have been the idea when they put them in West Sydney.

To be fair I've been to a couple of Perth Glory games and the atmosphere has been fine. Guess you're not going to get many visiting fans for an A league game, there have been a few but it's been friendly banter between supporters. Any sport I've been to in Perth has been a good atmosphere TBH. Even Eagles V Dockers games. The only time I've seen a bit of trouble and that was next to nothing was an AFL game between East and West Perth. A bit of a shoving match between two older guys. Their kids stepped in to stop it and they all had a laugh when it died down.:laugh:

There is something about soccer that seems to attract some brainless idiots that like to get together with other brainless idiots, jump up and down with their arms waving in the air, singing a song from 1960. That's just the players.

I know that most clubs have their nasty element. I'm not going to argue that Spurs fans are all 'saints' whilst WHU, Arsenal, and Chelsea, all 'sinners.' I hate to see English and European violence being 'imported' to the A League. I'd be scared to wear a Sydney shirt to a Sydney v Wanderers game. I would not be scared to wear a team shirt to an AFL/NRL/Super Rugby game, and at most of those games, fans of both teams can and do mix before, during and after the games.