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Millwall's hooligans turned on each other. Their support from Bexley Heath and Kent doesn't get on too well with Millwall's traditional support base from the South East London area.
This was the cause of the trouble. It isn't that rare to see these two groups going at each other. I was travelling back from a QPR game into Kings Cross and Millwall fans were involved in similar fighting based upon these regional grudges. I spoke to a Millwall fan and he explained this rivalry to me when the commotion died down.
I hid my matchday programme during the fracas just in case they decided a QPR fan might make a more worthy target.
Because I thought to myself if this is how they treat each other just imagine how they treat their enemies.
That's right in this case mainly because some hardcore hooligan Millwall supporters from South East London tend to view supporters hailing from Kent as "fake" or not authentic because they live outside London.
To be honest though if you were to see the two groups it would be very hard to tell them apart if you weren't from these areas.
The only way I could describe it in an American context is that it's a little like the old New York/New Jersey rivalry. Maybe they have similar rivalries in other cities too between those who have moved to the burbs and those who have remained in the city. In this instance Millwall supporters from the city taking umbrage with the fact that supporters from outside the city are trying to act in a way that they perceive to be annoying, like they are trying too hard to be city wide boys even though they come from "the sticks".
They don't exactly come from the sticks but you catch my drift. This is the exaggerated implication and these sets of fans from different areas do not get on.
They had a massive brawl on a train I was tarvelling on once and a Millwall fan told me they had a big fight in another fixture abroad in what was a Europen friendly I think.
Dundee United FC have support from Angus, the county surrounding Dundee, and they also have support from north east Fife, Dundee FC supporters are mainly from Dundee city. A lot of similar examples exist.
Well away supporters were banned from the Newcastle v Sunderland fixture for quite a few years at one time because of the trouble associated with this fixture and the outbreak of violence in Newcastle town centre on Sunday is something that has been a recurring theme at this fixture, possibly accentuated by the humiliating 3-0 home defeat by their arch rivals.
The chances of the two rival sets of fans coming into contact with each other though is minimal given the police intelligence that goes into this type of fixture. Invariably angry youths are left with the police as the main focus of their ire.
As for hooliganism it will never be stamped out completely. As long as there are young men (and quite a lot of older men coming to think of it) looking for a slice of minor celebrity status and a punch up at the football there will always be some who are attracted to the adrenalin rush of this kind of activity. They hear the terrace tales from the older generation down the pub and they want to live up to these reputations and forge their own memories they can one day reminisce about.
Shrewsbury have long had a very tough hooligan firm. Even QPR have an active hooligan element and I have witnessed many fights especially in big games against Cardiff, Pourtsmouth or Millwall.
Many clubs have at least a small hardcore of hooligans of varying degrees. They are usually kept under control and the worst violence takes place in town centres well away from the grounds themselves.
In high octane atmospheres where emotions run high other supporters who would usually distance themselves from such actions often get dragged into the fray.
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