We’re the red & white army

There was a lot of lamenting about Addicks’ fans behaviour at The Den last weekend. Many used to the happy clappy sit down crowd were taken aback by the whirlwind of noise and jingoism witnessed from the away end. As I have said I have spent many a moment at Millwall unsure if I was going to make it home in one piece, my Dad getting attacked whilst holding my hand leaving the ground when I was was 10 was just the beginning of it.

I grew up like many with Millwall neighbours, school friends and mates. We were of the same stock, but different. At my school you were either a follower of one of the big clubs or you went with your Dad to watch Millwall or Charlton. Palace were nobodies around my way.

I still have Millwall mates and although none of them as far as I know are the sort of people that get involved in any kind of hooliganism, they will not deny that they have and do glorify in it.

And that maybe is the difference. I am embarrassed to hear and even worse watch the video (now deleted) of an idiot smashing up a seat and then lobbing it at goading Millwall fans. I don’t have a problem with the red flare because from what I can make out, despite what some others who weren’t there say, it was thrown onto the pitch miles from anyone after the game had finished. Yep, I know, throwing anything on the pitch is bad, even programmes.

Many have laid blame at the newly-formed Red Division, but I asked a couple of lads involved and they deny they had any involvement in anything unsavoury and that they were all sat at the very back of the upper tier. I hope they manage to avoid the wrong-type of hangers-on because I think these lads have already evoked a much better atmosphere at games, which has co-incidentially been met with better results.

I do accept that if so called Charlton fans want to provoke Millwall’s loons then they need to be prepared to go toe-to-toe and with the best will in the world, that would be ugly. One person threw the chair, one person threw a flare. There was 3,500 Charlton fans at the game and 99.9% of them were giving the team the ultimate backing and enjoying themselves whilst they were at it.

The days of cowering in the corner behind a floodlight, frightened to say let alone sing anything and invariably letting in a last minute goal are gone.

Anyway, let’s put a lid on that and move on. Tomorrow will be a special occasion at The Valley, just over 20-years since Portsmouth came as invited guests to a remarkable day. Brighton are perfect opponents and I hope they and their loyal fans get treated with respect.

Earlier this week Hungry Ted begun a move to get The Valley to stand and clap at 3.07 tomorrow afternoon, the exact time 20-years ago that Colin Walsh’s left foot striked the ball into the net in front of the re-born Covered End. Other Addicks and Chris Powell have taken the idea on and it should be a very moving moment.

Brighton sold their allocation out ages ago and it should be another noisy atmosphere with hopefully 20,000 plus. I hope that we see Frimpong and Haynes in the team and Powell and his players look to take the game to our visitors. Come on you reds!