As a non-Tory I don't agree with Yed's next post in this thread, but I fully agree with this (although I actually left two minutes before the end). I was devasted and had zero desire to see Leeds celebrations. I couldn't care less if some uber fans have a problem with this. It was most definitely not my second game of the season.

As for the good old "trouble is caused by people in no colours" argument. Can you explain to me why the fight (or at least the aftermath of one) I saw outside Wembley was between Wires head to toe in primrose and blue, including grown men in face paint?

Can you explain why I saw a grown man in a wolf costume with full Wire away kit over it boo throughout the minute applause last night?

Can you explain why I then saw that same person, along with his equally adult aged mate in a yellow and blue jester hat end up embroiled in bother with Leeds and Widnes fans - all in colours - at half time, resulting in said wolf arguing with his Warrington shirted girlfriend throughout the second half?

I don't like wearing colours (although I did have a Wire badge on my Harrington jacket last night - big game and all that!) but I don't behave like those fully kitted out clowns did.

Was this the kick off before the match that took place in East Stand 30/40 rows up from the corner flag? I was sat front row of North Stand near the corner flag and it looked like a right melee. A good few thousand Leeds fans seemed proud of the behaviour as a noisy "Yorkshire Yorkshire" chant went up. FWIW, it's not the first time I've seen aggro at the GF. Wigan/Saints fans had a good tear up a few seasons ago and IIRC about 20 or so Hull/Saints fans were turfed out last year for a first half dust up.

As for the whole "it'll be football fans" comments some of you really should be ashamed. I'm a follower of both sports and I can honestly say I've seen more trouble at RL grounds than at Football grounds over the years. This whole "we're all gentlemen" in RL attitude needs to be dropped.

I agree with that, as I have mentioned in another thread.

Most people who go on about "football behaviour" have absolutely no idea what they're talking about.

I think we're getting close to the issue for me now. Wembley had some issues but they never seemed as bad. Last night had a "football away match" feel in the stands, and it wasn't comfortable at all for large parts. The whole reason I stopped going the odd football match was because it just stopped being enjoyable because of the intense animosity. I felt it again last night, and it felt very removed from a RL crowd.

Maybe fans from the two teams in the final (and the RFL) should learn from this and only allow certain tickets to be sold by the respective clubs and have them all together in their own section of the ground and keep the other RL teams fans away from them.
Having a group of 'neutral' fans in the middle of the losing fans and laughing in their faces = disaster

This thread has come up (on here and redvee) after most of the GFs that we've been in recently; there is clearly a problem.

Kick off time needs to be brought forward and better segregation...I don't understand why the RFL sell tickets behind the sticks as this should just be for the fans that have been assigned that end...keep the neutrals together in the corners/sides to avoid this from happening.

We pride ourselves on being a family sport, which it is, but there is a clear problem when it comes to finals and we need to police it in a different manner. We don't need lines of stewards separating fans, but the RFL just need to sell tickets in a better way.

If that doesn't fix the problem then the last resort would be to stop booze being sold in the ground.

I was quite astonished by the simmering air of beer fuelled menace in Sam Platts before the game and the western edge of the North stand during the game. Full of people who had no interest in the game and were seemingly there to goad whoever was in earshot. I am not a shrinking violet but it still came as a bit of a shock, never seen anything like it.

Like the people above I will not buy tickets from the RFL again and will think twice about taking the wife and kids.

That would only work if there was a very very strict policy of not allowing anyone who is already drunk into the ground. But then you would have thousands upon thousands trying to get in with minutes to go (having waited in the pub 'til the last possible moment) and police or stewards having to decide on a case by case basis who's drunk or who isn't. Some may get turned away after just a couple of beers because they smell of alcohol whilst others get in because that particular steward is unable, or unwilling to say no.

I am still so angry that, win lose or draw, last night should have been the highlight of 35 years of following the Wire, but instead I felt incredibley uncomfortable and exposed and I hated almost every moment inside the stadium from 15 minutes or so before kickoff until I got out.

btw lots of people around us openly drinking and smoking in their seats. Again none of them were wearing colours and some started off 'supporting' Warrington then changed when leeds went in front. Mind there were plenty of low rent Warrington supporters around as well, makes me cringe sometimes that I am from the same town.

It still blows my mind that there is no alcohol on the terraces at OT, yet it can still be purchased before the game and at half-time. How is 'forcing' people to blitz a beer or two in a few minutes more preferable than allowing them to drink it over a 40 minute period?

I'm not sure how to effectively enforce a 'no drunks to be allowed admission' fairly, but I don't think alcohol should be sold at games.

I saw trouble in the Leeds end prior to kick-off and in the Warrington end afterwards. The trouble in the Warrington end saw a guy in no colours kicking the living feces out of another guy while he was down, until Warrington fans (who I presume knew the victim) noticed and stepped in (this had occurred as a result of some verbals and shirt grabbing).

I think you must be very fortunate then. My friend had to leave early when Wigan were there a couple of years ago due to abuse to her 2 Children who were in Warrington tops, & lots of trouble around them. She went on a coach & had to get home by train & taxi. Wouldn't go this year due to that experience.

it was my first visit to o-t and maybe my last,the atmosphere was really nasty at times,unlike wembley,went into a pub nr the ground full of leeds fans who though it was hilarious to push and shove me at the bar and tried to rip my wire top off whilst singing w@nky wire in my face,having left the pub had to endure more leeds idiots on the way to the ground,inside the ground was just as bad ,where i was at,full of s, cept for a few saints fans who i had a good banter with and outside the ground waiting for my coach yet more abuse and leeds fans offering me out and spitting on me,i would not mind but they were middle aged and there women were just as bad! we all have our bad fans, but leeds fans are,-->> , imo ,the worst ive encountered, like i say,its just my own personal opinion,it just spoilt what should have been an enjoyable and memorable day.

All

First of all congratulations to Leeds on winning the game. I thought you deserved it on the night. Now, the thread. There are a lot of people commenting on the alcohol consumption of certain "idiots" as a person who also goes to army v navy games I think the banning of alcohol would be a bad idea. At these games most are well oiled before the game even thinks about starting. Would this ban affect us? May be, maybe not. Policing of these games is always well done with the sale of beer restricted. I think the RFL should look to this as an option and probably go to this day as well. Yes I know what most of you are thinking but I am a staunch wires fan and have held a season ticket since The formation of the wolf pack back in the 1990's hopefully the Army v Navy games will become a league spetical as apposed to an RFU one.

Is your 'off the cuff' name a reference to the fact that you are clearly an utter w**ker?