West Ham v Millwall anyone?

[angelic upstart]

I must agree with the New Den being a rat trap. If you go definitely get the train, the Wall kids would smash our naughty boys.

 

[malcolms]

I would never park the car anywhere near the Old Den, always a mile away and walk. The first time I went to the New Den I thought, bright new stadium should be ok to park close by. Guess what? when I returned to the car, passenger side window smashed.

Doubt there will be any real interest for Millwall bad boys in coming to Exeter but they monitor rival sites and if you get any silly provocation b*ll*cks from the computer bound idiots from East Devon then you never know.

 

[SimonBB]

Wouldnt surprise me if West Ham get thrown out of the Carling Cup for all the pitch invasions alone. Maybe a wise thing to do.

The real fans don't derserve to miss out on a good opportunity of a cup run, I can't see that problem happening with other teams they will face in the cup.

 

[cuzman1977]

Hopefully not, but it only takes a little nudge from someone in that direction, either up there or down here. Also, the hard-core are a pretty formidable threat and they probably will travel. I don't say don't go, just be especially careful and maybe take a safer route to the game, stick with the crowd and try not to get isolated, especially up there. The new Den is like a rat trap with railway tunnels and alleyways surrounding it. The Old Den was more open with wider escape routes!!!

The City v Millwall game is a Tuesday night in November, so I wouldn't expect their element to come down en masse in numbers which the police can not handle in Exeter.

As for the away game, I live five minutes walk from The Den so I see all the police operations going on most weeks. I also went to Millwall v Leicester with a couple of Leicester mates in March so I've seen the operation at The Den first hand, and for a much higher category game than Exeter will be. The worst that happened that day were a hundred or so Millwall lads getting horse-marched down Ilderton Road and Verney Road to get them away from South Bermondsey station after the game, and that was more of a street clearance operation than a need to quell trouble. The police numbers were probably higher that day than they will be in February. Nevertheless the precautions will be the same for any visiting set of fans, and I hope that we don't see many hundreds stay away just because it's Millwall.

Those travelling up should obviously hide or not wear their colours, and I would recommend taking the five minute overground train journey from London Bridge to South Bermondsey which will be heavily policed, and where there is a direct caged path from the station straight into the away end. The police will have sufficient numbers on the train and at the stations to stop any problems.

If the Jubilee Line happens to be closed that weekend then you might find it easier to get the number 1 bus towards Canada Water from outside The Wellington pub across the road from the main entrance to Waterloo station. You can take in the wonderful sights of Elephant & Castle and Southwark Park Road before embarking outside of South Bermondsey station. From there you can easily walk the short distance up the station path and into the away end without facing any trouble as the areas around the station entrance will be heavily policed.

After the game the away fans will be kept in the gated area behind the away end until the police are happy that any Millwall element has dispersed, before being marched back onto the train to London Bridge where they will let everyone go on their merry way once you are through the barriers there. Nine times out of ten it all goes down very peacefully around The Den, so I would expect the police to be sufficiently on top for the visit of a club which Millwall probably won't care about much at all.

Also, on another note, I was at the West Ham v Millwall game and the press are making it out to be worse than it really was. After all, parliamentary recess and Gordon Brown having been on holiday does make it the silly season.

 

[millwall reject]

That is good info cuzman, I hope people heed your advice. I don't really take to the new Den, I liked the old dilapidated one, Harry Cripps, Eamon Dunphy, Keith Weller etc. Almost as good as St James Park!!!

 

[Donna]

... there is a direct caged path from the station straight into the away end. The police will have sufficient numbers on the train and at the stations to stop any problems.

Had been told about that. Really instills a feeling of being safe & welcomed ... not! Will be a new experience for many, or at least something we've not had for a while - heavy police presence, locked into the away end and escorted back to the station. Not quite like wandering into the social club & having a chat with the locals.

Went to the Old Den during it's last season, just to see what it was like, and what my Millwall supporting colleagues had been talking about. Went in the away end (Derby, as it happens). Most unpleasant experience getting to and from the ground in the last half mile or so, and a very nasty atmosphere. Probably didn't help that Derby fans were chanting about an impending trip to Wembley for that old Serie B - League 1 Anglo-Italian cup thing.

At least in February I can hide in amongst the rest of the Exiles, not wander through on my own! Though the hard men of the Surrey Docks area could feel proud of themselves for being brave enough to shower verbal abuse on a short unaccompanied female. Maybe I needn't be worried after all ...?

 

[Jim Shepherd]

It did make me smile to myself though when during an ad break on SSN when they were reporting the disturbances there was an advert for the latest hoolie film "The Firm". :-O

And again during a break before Palace v Man City. You couldn't make it up.
Still, I expect SSN viewing figures went up as they gave the hoolies the air of publicity every half hour on the half hour.

 

[Oli]

Millwall will be fine with us. Don't be billy big b*ll*cks giving it all that. Be sensible and it will be fine. I have seen the cage, but I have only been in the home end.

Once you get back to London Bridge after the game head off on your merry way.