Football fans

Generally speaking, football fans have a pretty poor reputation. Yesterday I was one of then, travelling by train to Wembley, along with thousands of Portsmouth fans. Being a Manchester United follower, I kept myself to myself and sat reading a book to while away the journey.

There was much banter, a great deal of noise, and even at 8 something in the morning, a lot of alcohol consumed. There was however nothing in the way of bad behaviour or even unpleasantness. This continued on the London Transport system as 84,000 fans, half in red and half in blue, converged on the Mecca of English football, to witness the fundamentally friendly game that heralds the start of the season.

I met up with my son and we joined the masses heading for North London. Fortunately we had been given tickets, and very good were the seats. Arriving in plenty of time, we were able to spend ridiculous amounts of money on food and drink - (Non alcoholic!), while watching the stadium fill. We were on the halfway line and had an excellent view of the entire pitch. The reds to our right and the blues to our left. I have to say that the Portsmouth fans made the most noise - until they lost of course, and then they went quiet - in fact most of them went home very swiftly, while the red fans, including yours truly stayed behind to watch the presentations and all that goes with it.

Leaving the stadium is an experience not to be repeated. It is hard to describe what it is like to be in a column of 84,000, all heading for the same tube station, all being herded onto the same trains. I guess it is quite close to being a sort of hell on Earth, and it is as close as I ever want to come to the great British public. At least being taller than most I didn't have my nose in anyone's armpit, and i did feel sorry for those vertically challenged.

At no point was there any sign of aggression or of friction between the fans. Ok they are loud, crude and devoted to their teams, but what is wrong with that? I felt no shame for being a part of the day.