Í þá gömlu góðu daga!!!!

Vona að þetta fari nú ekki að halda innreið sína aftur í enska boltann!!! Reyndar hafa nú aðdáendur Millwall oft verið taldir létt grillaðir - ljót sjón en feliri myndir er hægt að sjá á the sun.co.uk

Bloody battle of Upton Park

Return of bad old days ... scene outside ground

By RHODRI PHILLIPS

Published: Today

TWO fans were stabbed last night as hundreds of thugs battled in a terrifying return to 70s-style soccer hooliganism.

Bricks, bottles, chairs and darts were thrown in the planned clash between West Ham and Millwall supporters.

Up to 1,000 cops struggled to keep the rival "firms" apart outside West Ham's Upton Park ground in East London.

Police and football club officials were today scouring CCTV footage in a bid to pinpoint those responsible for the mass violence.

Cops have arrested 13 people.

Witnesses described seeing an officer kicked as he lay on the ground.

Cars were turned over and a pub was trashed.

Another fan had serious head injuries after being hit with a brick during running battles between gangs of yobs, many of whom had no tickets for the match.

There were three pitch invasions during the Carling Cup game between the London clubs and some Millwall players sought refuge in the tunnel.

Helicopters buzzed overhead as police in riot gear lined the streets.

One witness said: "There were supporters trying to kill each other."

 

Threats ... stewards struggle with home fans

ACTION IMAGES

Resident Mansoor Haider, 24, said: "It was carnage. I saw a man being pelted with bricks. Blood was pouring from his head but they didn't stop. They were going at each other like wild animals. The Millwall fans surrounded the police on horses and tried to push the animals over.

"I've never seen anything like it in all my life. It was like a war zone."

The game between the clubs has long been seen as high risk for hooliganism. Police described it as the worst soccer violence in years.

A spokesman said: "It was an organised fight. Several arrests were made."

John Davidson, who lives close to the Upton Park stadium, described the violent clashes that unfolded in the streets near his home.

He said: "There's been riots running through the streets. It's been really terrible.

"They tried to kick down my front wall, and also my neighbour's. We thought we were going to lose our windows. They were throwing bricks, tin cans, debris, whatever they could lay their hands on."

Today FA director of communications Adrian Bevington said it was too early to condemn either of the clubs involved.

He said: "We have to understand exactly what measures were put in place last night.

 

Ready for trouble ... fans on walls outside ground

"I'm not going to condemn West Ham or Millwall football clubs for any of their actions - certainly not at this stage, because we don't know exactly what's been put in place.

"And we know there have been huge efforts on the parts of all our clubs to try to eradicate the problems and we've had a history of success on that.

"However, we have to make sure that the individuals concerned face such tough actions that they can't go to football again.

"We all want a big atmosphere at matches - that's part of football, part of the passion.

"However, we also want to make sure it's a safe environment to watch games and we've just spent the best part of 20 years working towards that."

Mr Sutcliffe said: "I completely back the FA's call for any person identified as involved in the violence to be banned for life and urge full and swift co-operation from all parties in the investigation into what happened.

"We have made great progress in the past 20 years in tackling football hooliganism in this country and we will not tolerate any return to the dark days of the 70s and 80s when it plagued the game.

"We will never be complacent in the fight against football violence."

A dedicated police team will examine CCTV footage from inside and outside the ground in a bid to track down people involved. Thirteen people have already been arrested.

London mayor Boris Johnson posted a message on Twitter to condemn the violence.

He said: "Shocked by last night's images from Upton Park - Absolutely appalling."

The shocking scenes echoed sickening football hooliganism of the 70s and 80s. The game ended with a 3-1 victory for West Ham after extra time.

Millwall fans were kept in the stadium for around an hour after the final whistle.

The stab victims had neck and chest injuries. One, a 44-year-old man, was in a stable condition last night. The other was a man of 40.