I named the first 7 that came to mind in the 5 seconds as I was typing, but I could go on forever naming pro-footballers who show nothing but negative traits. The truth is, I could probably count on 1 hand the number of premier league footballers that are 'good' role models.
Of course, some RL players have done wrong, and there have been some issues with crowds over the years - but these are few and far between.
In my own personal point of view, looking at sporting role models for my kids, there are probably a dozen 'good' role models at every super league club - I doubt there are even a dozen in the whole premier league.
For me, football is generally played by low lifes, supported by low lifes, and teaches young kids all the negative aspects of playing sport.

I'm really not condoning the actions of this moron but I had to laugh at the way Chris Kirkland went down like a sack of spuds after getting 'shoved'.

Big girl.

If a policeman or steward was stood 2 yards from a supporter making racist or homophobic comments I would expect him/her to be arrested. The same police and stewards were stood 2 yards from supporters mocking Leeds fans about 2 murdered lads, and did nothing. The lads that were murdered were well known to a lot of Leeds fans, some who no doubt were present, and watched on while stabbing gestures and vile songs were aimed at them. If the police or stewards had detained the supporters inciting trouble it wouldn't have escalated. I don't think that's a weak defence, you don't need to be Clouseau to work out how to prevent a situation escalating.

You're running the danger of almost sounding like you're trying to make excuses for the acts of a few tools. The truth is, the Sheff fans and Leeds fans are one and the same - VILE.

All this garbage about racism in football, and certain players not wearing kick it out t-shirts before a game, to make a point (although it's not really to make a point is it) - its all pathetic.... Footballers are so out of touch with the real world, they could almost be mistaken for politicians.

Was it just one or two making these chants? No hundreds if not thousands. Please tell me how it would be possible to arrest that amount of people. Leeds fans dish out plenty but cant take it. Dont try and defend the idiot!

You had to be there..........you obviously weren't. Songs have been sung at various times towards various people without any provocation, in my opinion last night that wasn't the case. The Dave Jones abuse wasn't meted out until a constant barrage of abuse from the Sheffield fans was reacted to by the Leeds fans. Yours is the "pathetic" attitude, commenting on something you weren't present at while trying to take the moral high ground. I stand by what I initially said, had the stewards and police nipped things in the bud we wouldn't be talking about this now. It's not a question of who was right and who was wrong, it's why it was allowed to escalate in the way it did.

What a load of rubbish!

Played by low lifes and watched by low lifes!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get a grip. These idiots are very much in the minority.

You're not Dave Jones son are you? Not all Wednesday fans are vile, not all Leeds fans are vile. It would appear that you are daft enough to believe that so I'll leave you in your own little world.

Blaming the trouble on wednesday fans is laughable really, any chants about istanbul etc was disgusting but yet leeds fans seem to think chanting vile stuff about dave jones, stuff that has been proven to be wrong,is also disgraceful and as jones himself said he's had it for 12 years from leeds fans, no other fans but leeds fans,is it any wonder he was upset and said what he thought of them, then to glorify what savile has been accused off is even worse,those chants were sang long before anything kicked off. Both sets of fans were guilty of chanting horrible stuff but only one set of fans broke seats to throw at people,only one set of fans ripped down advertising boards which injured their own,only one set of fans entered the field and assaulted a player, wednesday fans were out of order singing about the 2 leeds lads but to use that as an excuse of the behaviour of leeds fans is pathetic.

And please enlighten us as to how the police or stewards are supposed to stop 30,000 people chanting. It was a vile atmosphere all the way through, Wednesday fans not blameless, but Leeds do have a larger than most section of morons.

After a wonderful year of sporting headlines from many diverse sports the football season starts, and football makes it's own inimitable headlines. Just this week ignoring last night's events we've had Serbia, Cole and terry,

Boring, soulless sport, played by spoilt prima donnas and throughly ruined by money throughout.

Don't Leeds United fans sing about being 'Champions Of Europe' when the only legitimate 'Champions Of Europe' from our fair city just happens to be Leeds RL (Vs Perpignan circa 1969 ?)

Sad moment not just for Leeds United but all of Leeds.

The thing that gets me, and not just this game because it was talked about in the aftermath of the Hillsborough findings, is why people think its acceptable to sing about people dying at a game. I'm not going to slag off everything to do with football because there's a lot of good that comes out of it. But it seems to be the only sport that consistently has episodes like this. Leeds fans singing about Munich, Man U fans singing about Hillsborough, other fans singining about Galatasary. Why is it so hard for them to draw the line?

One of the reason I'm proud to support rugby league is because the majority of our fans see it as just a sport. We get into the action and want our team to win, but we know that if we lose it isn't the end of the day. Like someone said before, after a great year of sport, it's football that once again makes the wrong headlines.

I'm happy to remain a 'minority' sport if it means we don't have to put up with this sort of thing

Perfectly summed up there Gareth. It is a vile game from top to bottom, I know of a few football coaches who still follow the game but feel the same.

If these supposedly grown men can't keep their anger in check then perhaps they should start extending Broadmoor to accommodate the numb feckers. Take some responsibility for yourselves. Presumably then you believe the wife-batterers aren't to blame for their actions because they can "only take so much before they vent their anger"? Pathetic!

Not a chance. Much easier to blame the stewards/police/the other lot. Then again, if the decent fans (and I do believe there are some) did speak out they'd cop an unbelievable amount of abuse at best or a spell in the local hospital at worst. So they keep quiet, or make out it's only "banter".

Police and stewards are not supermen. They are not going to go into a volatile crowd and drag people out single handed. Infact they were probably told not to. A lot of public order situations not many arrest are made, they are usually made after the event.
Leeds utd have some of the worst fans in the country. They are not all bad obviously but they have more problems than most teams. Football in general is pathetic.
I had the "pleasure" of a corporate tickets to Leeds vs hudds a few seasons back. A large majority of both sets of fans did not watch any of the game but making jestures to each other.

As others have said a great summer of sport and then football returns

Footballers do cheat but all sportsmen cheat in one way or another. Rugby players reef the ball out then unashamadly claim a knock on. Batsmen know they have nicked the ball but stand there ground. Dont just label footballers as cheats then take the moral high ground. It happens in every sport at every level.lance armstrong is a great example.

Police don't usually go in and arrest because it can escalate a problem, that's the reason they film the fans isn't it? Identify and then pick them up later.

Correct, also if everyone chanting was arrested there would be nowhere near enough officers for arrests, cells etc.

I'd agree with that. There's plenty of cheating or attempts at cheating on the rugby pitch as well as the football pitch. Tomkins constant wriggling and flailing around at the ptb for instance is an attempt to gain a penalty, or players diving at the ptb.
If rugby league were scrutinised as closely as football then I think people would say rugby league players were diving cheats.
I do think though that there is a more respectful attitude on the rugby league pitch. Whilst not perfect, there is certainly a lot more respect toward the referee, and there certainly is toward opposing players and the fans. It is very very rare to see a player make gestures toward or antagonise opposition fans, whereas in football you regularly see players deliberately celebrate at opposition fans.

I just think that in general there is a less selfish attitude in rugby league than football. I think that goes for the fans too. Obviously there are incidents. Whenever you get thousands of people in one place there's going to be an idiot somewhere, but in general these incidents are far more commonplace at football grounds than at rugby league. Partly due to the nature of the game, every single score is vital and could easily be the winner, whereas it's unlikely to be in rugby league, but also I think that selfishness on the the pitch in football seeps its way into the crowd and creates or at least encourages an "us & them" attitude. You only need to see how when 2 clubs in Man Utd & Liverpool put their minds to it they can decrease tensions between 2 sets of fans. A few complimentary words for the opposition, a few pleas for sense to prevail from both sides and you get a far less intimidating atmosphere at the game.
I don't have figures for it but from my observations of crowds on tv and at games there appear to be proportionately far fewer families at football games than at rugby league games, and far more small groups of lads/men. This is probably part of the problem. If you're with your family you're far less likely to get worked up and shout/do stupid things and less likely to be tanked up before the game.
To put the 2 sports into some sort of, albeit anecdotal, context, on the way out of Wembley this year, despite the odd drunken group here and there, we were told "good luck for the rest of the year" by at least 3 different groups of Wire fans, got chatting about the game with some Wigan fans on the tube, and some Bradford fans in the train station.
Whilst I don't think it's some kind of carnal slaughterhouse, I can't imagine that happening to the same extent at the FA Cup Final between 2 rival teams.

At local level the respect isn't bad. You get the odd player and odd team but i found the same when i played RL. All in all its not bad. Football is so heavily scrutinised in the media every minor thing is blown up. When in sydney RL was the same. On all the front pages.

Yeah I've no idea what football is like at lower level, and I've found RL to often be terrible with regard respect toward the ref and opposition at lower level. A few years ago I was tempted to take the refereeing course, a few games watching Yorkshire & Pennine League games of varying age groups made me think I don't need the hassle.
You're spot on with regard the media scrutiny. We also have a habit of seeing players on the pitch and take their actions on the pitch and assume that's the kind of person they are, whereas I'm sure most of them are perfectly decent people. An example from RL would be Carl Ablett, on the pitch he can come across as a bit of a pillock at times (to opposition fans anyway), off the pitch he's the complete opposite.
I think the biggest difference is in the fans rather than the players. If the FA wanted to stop players disrespecting the ref and from diving they could do quite easily. But I think the nature of the game where every point is so important, often irresponsible players and managers, and the different proportions of families v groups of lads are responsible for a large part of the "problem fans" issue.
Having said that it doesn't help players image when vastly rich and privileged players like Cristiano Ronaldo come out in the press and compare themselves to slaves. Then you see the likes of Sir Kev getting knocked out on the pitch and carrying on or Paul Wood literally working his b@llocks off for half of a weeks wage given to that mincing Portuguese tart.

what a dunce - should have got some of this - search Keeper tackles fan from behind. Red card ref! on that well known video site



and one for all the leeds utd fans - Peter Schmeichel Gives a lesson to a Galatasray fan.flv

seriousley though the keeper made a real meal of that... but discraceful behaviour.

and can i add...search on that same well known site for----JAMES HARRISON TACKLES CLEVELAND FAN......a thing of beauty to watch hehee...........