Sothall_Blade
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http://mentalfloss.com/uk/sport/35574/football-and-the-infamous-battle-of-bramall-lane
<< The Saturday 16th March 2002 tie between Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion was not anticipated to be particularly special or memorable. West Bromwich Albion were assured of a play-off spot but had little chance of catching second place rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sheffield United were comfortably mid table and had nothing to play for. Both teams were known for tight defences and scoring few goals, so this one had 0-0 written all over it.
By the end of the afternoon two players were out of a job, three were injured, three received red cards, one finished the match with a bleeding head, two had to be restrained by police, the referee was in tears and not even 90 minutes of football had been played. The match became so infamous that it has since been dubbed The Battle Of Bramall Lane, after the home side’s ground.
Sheffield United were in trouble after just nine minutes, when goalkeeper Simon Tracey misjudged a clearance and was sent off for a deliberate handball outside the area and denying a goalscoring opportunity. This also used up the first of United’s substitutions. The first half was otherwise unremarkable, save for West Brom’s first goal courtesy of Scott Dobie. The second half began no better, and after 62 minutes Sheffield were down 2-0 after West Brom captain Derek McInnes scored a 20 yard screamer. Then, the violence started.
United manager Neil Warnock used his remaining two substitutions in bringing on George Santos and Patrick Suffo. George Santos had a history with Albion midfielder Andy Johnson, who had broken Santos’ eye socket the previous season in a collision during a match with his then-club Nottingham Forest. While Johnson maintained that the collision was accidental (as did the football league, who took no action), Santos and Sheffield United saw it as a deliberate elbow to the face, and Santos actually sued Andy Johnson for damages (although the case went no further due to this very match). The incident left him needing a five hour operation to reconstruct his face and save his eye, and needing a titanium plate to hold his skull together. Being the first time they had played each other since then, Santos was out for revenge.
After coming on in the 64th minute, George Santos' first action was to tackle Andy Johnson by taking a running dive with both feet in an attempt to break Johnson’s legs, a decision which not only saw him immediately sent off, but also ended his Sheffield United career. The resulting melee, which involved all 20 men still left on the pitch, left Sheffield United with another red card. Substitute Patrick Suffo, in an apparent attempt to support the dismissed Santos, got into an argument with Albion captain Derek McInnes and headbutted him in the face. Contemporary reports suggest he also headbutted Albion defender Darren Moore. No matter how many players Suffo assaulted, he too was dismissed, and he too never played for Sheffield United again.
By this point the match was out of control. Sheffield players ended up fighting Suffo just to get him off the pitch and stop him causing more damage. The captains of the two sides engaged in a fist fight in which United captain Keith Curle is alleged to have repeatedly punched McInnes. While the incident was out of view of all the officials and the TV cameras, McInnes required several stitches and was visibly bleeding until the end of the match. Photos also seem to show Albion defender Larus Sigurdsson kicking Patrick Suffo up the backside, and a separate altercation between Scott Dobie and Keith Curle being broken up by the referee. Albion player Adam Chambers also complained to the FA after claiming to have been racially abused during the brawl.
The fighting spilled off the pitch and into the rest of the stadium. One Sheffield United fan rushed the stewards and made it into the away fan area in an attempt to steal a West Bromwich Albion flag. And a fight even broke out in the press box between rival reporters. One reporter was so stressed by the incidents that he was unable to file his match report.
In the tunnel, Johnson and Santos met again. Johnson was suspected of having a fractured leg, but Santos had waited in the tunnel to jump Johnson and finish the job. In the resulting melee Santos was rugby tackled by the Albion physiotherapist before being restrained by police, and Johnson was locked in his dressing room after trying to attack Santos with crutches. In Johnson’s words: “I’ll hit him with this big metal stick”.
A third goal for Albion was inevitable, and another red card was narrowly avoided when Sheffield midfielder Michael Brown, already on a yellow card, decided the best way of tackling a bandaged McInnes was by pulling him to the ground. After a couple more incidents involving Keith Curle apparently trying to get himself sent off (and another fight breaking out), Michael Brown walked off the pitch and decided to take no further part in the game. Manager Warnock claimed he was injured, although Albion manager Gary Megson disputed that, as Brown had left the pitch under his own power and without even the team physio.
As United had already used their three substitutes, they now had only seven men on the pitch, the minimum required for a match to continue. When United player Robert Ullathorne pulled a muscle in his leg and had to limp off injured, referee Eddie Wolstenholme was forced to abandon the match on the grounds that Sheffield United were down to only six men. He was reportedly in tears after the match, although to be fair to him he must have been suffering severe writer’s cramp at this point.
Albion manager Gary Megson was incensed by the scenes he saw. "I've been in professional football since 16 and I'm 42 now. I've never ever witnessed anything as disgraceful as that. There is no place for that in any game of football, let alone professional football.” When asked about his feelings on possibly having to replay the match, he said “"There will be no replay. If we are called back to Bramall Lane we shall kick-off and then walk off the pitch.” Megson also accused Warnock of trying to get the match abandoned by instructing his players to feign injuries, or even get themselves sent off, in the hope of forcing a replay. Warnock strongly denied these accusations, and later gave a television interview in which he said the 3-0 result should be allowed to stand.
The FA decided that there should be no replay and the match should be recorded as a 3-0 West Bromwich Albion victory. Patrick Suffo was fined £3,000 and given a six match ban, and was transfer listed by Sheffield United. Georges Santos too was transfer listed and given a six match ban. Keith Curle was fined £500 and banned for two matches (had the referees seen the fight it would have been more; he was only charged with improper conduct towards a match official). Neil Warnock himself was charged with improper conduct and fined £300. The club were fined £10,000 for failing to ensure the proper conduct of their players.
No West Bromwich Albion players were charged. >>
<< The Saturday 16th March 2002 tie between Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion was not anticipated to be particularly special or memorable. West Bromwich Albion were assured of a play-off spot but had little chance of catching second place rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sheffield United were comfortably mid table and had nothing to play for. Both teams were known for tight defences and scoring few goals, so this one had 0-0 written all over it.
By the end of the afternoon two players were out of a job, three were injured, three received red cards, one finished the match with a bleeding head, two had to be restrained by police, the referee was in tears and not even 90 minutes of football had been played. The match became so infamous that it has since been dubbed The Battle Of Bramall Lane, after the home side’s ground.
Sheffield United were in trouble after just nine minutes, when goalkeeper Simon Tracey misjudged a clearance and was sent off for a deliberate handball outside the area and denying a goalscoring opportunity. This also used up the first of United’s substitutions. The first half was otherwise unremarkable, save for West Brom’s first goal courtesy of Scott Dobie. The second half began no better, and after 62 minutes Sheffield were down 2-0 after West Brom captain Derek McInnes scored a 20 yard screamer. Then, the violence started.
United manager Neil Warnock used his remaining two substitutions in bringing on George Santos and Patrick Suffo. George Santos had a history with Albion midfielder Andy Johnson, who had broken Santos’ eye socket the previous season in a collision during a match with his then-club Nottingham Forest. While Johnson maintained that the collision was accidental (as did the football league, who took no action), Santos and Sheffield United saw it as a deliberate elbow to the face, and Santos actually sued Andy Johnson for damages (although the case went no further due to this very match). The incident left him needing a five hour operation to reconstruct his face and save his eye, and needing a titanium plate to hold his skull together. Being the first time they had played each other since then, Santos was out for revenge.
After coming on in the 64th minute, George Santos' first action was to tackle Andy Johnson by taking a running dive with both feet in an attempt to break Johnson’s legs, a decision which not only saw him immediately sent off, but also ended his Sheffield United career. The resulting melee, which involved all 20 men still left on the pitch, left Sheffield United with another red card. Substitute Patrick Suffo, in an apparent attempt to support the dismissed Santos, got into an argument with Albion captain Derek McInnes and headbutted him in the face. Contemporary reports suggest he also headbutted Albion defender Darren Moore. No matter how many players Suffo assaulted, he too was dismissed, and he too never played for Sheffield United again.
By this point the match was out of control. Sheffield players ended up fighting Suffo just to get him off the pitch and stop him causing more damage. The captains of the two sides engaged in a fist fight in which United captain Keith Curle is alleged to have repeatedly punched McInnes. While the incident was out of view of all the officials and the TV cameras, McInnes required several stitches and was visibly bleeding until the end of the match. Photos also seem to show Albion defender Larus Sigurdsson kicking Patrick Suffo up the backside, and a separate altercation between Scott Dobie and Keith Curle being broken up by the referee. Albion player Adam Chambers also complained to the FA after claiming to have been racially abused during the brawl.
The fighting spilled off the pitch and into the rest of the stadium. One Sheffield United fan rushed the stewards and made it into the away fan area in an attempt to steal a West Bromwich Albion flag. And a fight even broke out in the press box between rival reporters. One reporter was so stressed by the incidents that he was unable to file his match report.
In the tunnel, Johnson and Santos met again. Johnson was suspected of having a fractured leg, but Santos had waited in the tunnel to jump Johnson and finish the job. In the resulting melee Santos was rugby tackled by the Albion physiotherapist before being restrained by police, and Johnson was locked in his dressing room after trying to attack Santos with crutches. In Johnson’s words: “I’ll hit him with this big metal stick”.
A third goal for Albion was inevitable, and another red card was narrowly avoided when Sheffield midfielder Michael Brown, already on a yellow card, decided the best way of tackling a bandaged McInnes was by pulling him to the ground. After a couple more incidents involving Keith Curle apparently trying to get himself sent off (and another fight breaking out), Michael Brown walked off the pitch and decided to take no further part in the game. Manager Warnock claimed he was injured, although Albion manager Gary Megson disputed that, as Brown had left the pitch under his own power and without even the team physio.
As United had already used their three substitutes, they now had only seven men on the pitch, the minimum required for a match to continue. When United player Robert Ullathorne pulled a muscle in his leg and had to limp off injured, referee Eddie Wolstenholme was forced to abandon the match on the grounds that Sheffield United were down to only six men. He was reportedly in tears after the match, although to be fair to him he must have been suffering severe writer’s cramp at this point.
Albion manager Gary Megson was incensed by the scenes he saw. "I've been in professional football since 16 and I'm 42 now. I've never ever witnessed anything as disgraceful as that. There is no place for that in any game of football, let alone professional football.” When asked about his feelings on possibly having to replay the match, he said “"There will be no replay. If we are called back to Bramall Lane we shall kick-off and then walk off the pitch.” Megson also accused Warnock of trying to get the match abandoned by instructing his players to feign injuries, or even get themselves sent off, in the hope of forcing a replay. Warnock strongly denied these accusations, and later gave a television interview in which he said the 3-0 result should be allowed to stand.
The FA decided that there should be no replay and the match should be recorded as a 3-0 West Bromwich Albion victory. Patrick Suffo was fined £3,000 and given a six match ban, and was transfer listed by Sheffield United. Georges Santos too was transfer listed and given a six match ban. Keith Curle was fined £500 and banned for two matches (had the referees seen the fight it would have been more; he was only charged with improper conduct towards a match official). Neil Warnock himself was charged with improper conduct and fined £300. The club were fined £10,000 for failing to ensure the proper conduct of their players.
No West Bromwich Albion players were charged. >>
