That is a sad indictment of the current state of affairs I'm afraid.
Sheffield United away days have for me personally been the best day out going, there has been nothing finer than being up early on a saturday morning, go on a trip to a far flung town or city, with a group of mates, having plenty of beer all day, seeing a football match and then having a few more beers on the way back and rolling back in to Sheffield hammered late at night having had a good day out. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. On these day outs, i know which pubs to go to on away days because i have been there before and been welcome visitors, i have struck loads of friendships up on the away days, friendships that are still live and valid these days, from meeting some of my best friends years ago on away trips, to a casual nod and hello with someone i might have had a beer with 10 or 15 years ago. You know what, in that time i can only remember one occasion where i have felt the need to throw a punch (and that was warranted as i chinned a knobhead i know as the 'racist tash man' who tagged on to me and my group of friends and used the fact that he had tagged on to us as a perfectly valid reason to racially abuse and threaten a couple of black teenagers on the underground on the way back from Palace 10 or 11 years ago), i never felt any requirement for being generally abusive to opposing fans and families, i never felt the need to rip down air conditioning units, the urge to steal pitch covers was never an itch that needed scratching, but the desire to enjoy a good day out, a few beers and enjoying myself without acting like a total cunt was a pre-requisite.
The problem is that the kids nowadays have a clear definition of what an away day should be. It is based on a loose hybrid of Football Factory and Green Street splashed with a soupcon of the Lad Bible. They are all coked up to the eyeballs because it is seen as the done thing (without any clear thought to the long-term consequences), they think it is acceptable to engage in acts of random criminal damage and don't really care about who they threaten or intimidate because in their warped view 'We're Sheff Utd, we do what we want'. They film it all on their mobiles to show off and try and outdo others, and similar retards for other clubs, because social media is now some sort of proving ground rather than the terraces of the 1970's (I bet SYP football intelligence unit love seeing these videos as they are just giving the authorities evidence). Gone is the days when they gained respect for impressive standards of beer consumption and gaining the respect of their elders. That is something that any regular on Shreds old coach would attest to. It will not be long to these idiots have completely fucked their long term lives up by being the proud owner of the dual drug habit and criminal record. They are all followers because when you look at them, they are all part of a group, but i look at them individually and think to myself that if it came down to a one on one fight with any of them, then they would absolutely shit it. They are nothing but immature children in an environment where they have got all the freedoms of being in an adult world and making childish, immature choices.
I don't think it is right and fair that people like me and yourself who have got young children should be forced away from the away games. I've took my 6 year old lad to a handful of away games over the last few years, he asks now 'when can we go and watch United at another teams ground', and I'm afraid that now it might be some time until he goes away with me again. It's a shame because effectively he, and other children who have an equal and unequivocal love of the game are being driven away from the game, by what, a set of immature children fuelled on Cocaine and Alcohol who live and die by the mantra "We're Sheff Utd, we do what we want?"
Fucking arseholes, the lot of them.
