You are spot on mate, we met you, a really nice bloke, i also personally spoke to a lot of Fev fans on the day, young and old and found them all fine people, as you say you shouldn't tar every Fev fan with the same brush its just a few idiots that spoil it for the decent RL fans.

Hope to meet up again for a pint and a chat next season mate, take care.

Most folk with any intellegence will fully understand your position and fair plays to you for sticking your head above the parapet.

However there is a lot of emotion involved from the Fax people with it and rarely does rationaility meet with it. I can fully understand both situations.

What would help the Fev cause is if their fans spent as much time in trying to find the attacker rather than defend the clubs name by passing him off as an unknown lout on a daytrip.

The gang in question might not be regulars at POR but one thing is for sure, there will be some good decent Fev fans who know who they are by some kind of association, beit drinking in the same pub, playing rugby with them, going to school etc. Someone knows and as there hasn't been an arrest yet, that someone hasn't made much of an effort.

A lot of Leigh fans will know exactly who our day trippers are and who is likely to be in the thick of it if there is bother, even if it's such and such a lot from such and such a pub. I don't for one minute think Fev are any different. This mob of Fev lads didnt land from the Moon, they are from your area and it's not huge, even if you throw the likes of Pontefract or Normanton into the mix.

Until someone from Fev stands up and gives some names, the fans name will be in the shadows as far as your Fax counterparts are concerned.

The RFL must take some blame for this, having 3 GF's on one day at one venue just asks for trouble from some elements who think its their god given right to over indulge on alcoholic drink, that plus it devalues the games as surely each divisional GF is worthy of their own 'big day'. No club can point the finger at any other as all have their loutish element, which is worsened by the bandwaggoners.

Do you know Fred, you have posted almost verbatim my comments to a mate of mine when we were discussing the day!
A 5.30 K.O. giving everyone to get tanked up???? No, I'm with youFred - the RFL need to examine the timing and itinerary for finals day - if indeed we are to persevere with all the finals played on one day!

So once again the mass majority of well behaved fans have to lose out because of one or two idiots.
Can't agree with this.
Maybe they do need to start the first game earlier and shift the other games back down into the afternoon but it is a fantastic day whether you are there with one of the clubs taking part or just there as a neutral fan.
Having been to the day as both I don't think it devalues the comp at all to have all three games on the same day. It's terrific and all adds to the festival atmosphere. I agree something needs to be done and the stewarding and policing after the game should be looked at if both sets of fans were allowed to congregate in the same area.

Typically the RFL are called into question despite using a well tried formula that works and goes down well with the fans. There will always be incidents of this nature, fortunately very seldom are they so serious. This incident was perpetrated by one gobbin, not the police, not the stewards and certainly not the RFL.

Yes it worked very well in the past (like a lot of things in the sport that have been changed) but didn't then, so it must be looked at, if you bother to actually read whats there I call into question the RFL not paying enough respect to the divisions or the teams to 'lump' all three GF's into one day, why do the SLE and RFL not have the Academy GF's on the same day as the SLE GF, they used to but reviewed it as it didn't work, if you don't move forward you die its that simple - well it is to some.

its more a society problem than any fault of thr rfl........

these "scrotes" invariably have "previous" for this sort of thing, and usually get a slapped wrist, and maybe a bit of community service.

the 3 g/f 's in a day is a tremendous spectacle for the average well behaved fan, i'm sure york v oldham, with all due respect, wouldn't have generated a decent crowd as a stand alone fixture.

tackle the issues more severely, not move the goalposts for people who know how to behave.

I Went to the SL GF on Sat, saw quite a few of drunks but real bother and there was £75000 there, although that being a 6 o clock KO, means theres more chance of fans being tanked up.

What was that Lynda?

To be fair I did not think she had that many.

I was in the pub from 1-15pm and it was a very enjoyable day out. On balance I agree with posters who see nothing wrong with the evening kick offs.

We will not solve the problem of nasty people who cannot hold their drink by doing that. They would just drink at home and still turn up out of control.

I had just three drinks all day actually.
Teach me not to read my posts, before pressing the submit button.
I was trying to say that, I did'nt see any bother,although ,I did see a lot of drunken fans.
however there would be less chance of any trouble, in both GF s if the KO times were earlier in the day.

Another one who wants to penalise the majority because of a very small minority. The best KO times are the ones that are in place at the moment; there is no significant reason to change them.

I don't think it's a case of lumping them all together.
As I said above.. it all adds to the festival atmosphere on final day and it represents great value for money. Plus I think the clubs from the lower leagues enjoy it too.
In recent times Widnes have been involved in two of these GF days and on neither occasion did I feel like the comp was being devalued. It's always nice being able to cheer Oldham on every year as the Lancashire representative.

Except for one bloke nearly getting killed? the reason we have speed limits and drink drive law etc. etc.. etc...is because of the minority, thats life.

I honestly couldn't give a flying fig anyway as the only one I will attend is one where my clubs is playing in, some of us have a life outside of Rugby League the rest of you can go and have another daft reason to get pi$$ed, as if some need it.

I prefer spending my time away and on that note I'm off on up the m6 again.