Sky Sports commentator Andy Gray has given his
opinions on the events at Ninian Park yesterday. Can I thank Andy also for
his comments on the SKY FA Cup round up on TV this evening. He was gushing
with praise for the achievements of Cardiff City in pulling off one of the
major FA Cup shocks. A thing overlooked by many journalists today both in
the written and broadcast word.
I believe his comments are spot on and I hope
the FA and FAW take such a common sense look at the proceedings.
Andy said
I was at Ninian Park on Sunday and I saw
nothing to suggest that the
vast majority of Cardiff fans were not very well-behaved indeed.
They were understandably excited to have beaten Leeds in the FA Cup
but, apart from a small minority of idiots, people were celebrating
rather than looking for trouble.
Reports are suggesting that there were full-scale pitch invasions but
there was never anyone on the pitch during the game, and the stewards
made the decision to open the gates and allow the fans onto the pitch
to celebrate as soon as they realised that a few would have been
determined to do that anyway.
The chief of police in Cardiff was satisfied with the way his
officers controlled the supporters, and I was satisfied that things
were being handled well from my position up in the TV gantry. If the
powers-that-be were sitting alongside me during the game, there would
be little talk of sanctions for the so-called pitch invasion.
I saw nothing in the way of fighting between the two sets of fans,
and there was certainly nothing like the rioting some newspapers
would have you believe took place. A few Cardiff fans did try to bait
supporters in the Leeds section but that was, like I said, a few
idiots, and any problems seemed to be controlled well by the police.
People are saying that Sam Hammam contributed to the problems, but
Sam was only doing what he has been doing for the last 20 years. I
watched him walk around the outside of the pitch and he didn't
gesture, he didn't taunt, he just walked around. If that is against
the rules then someone should have told him before now, because he
does that every week.
The only thing I saw that I wasn't comfortable with was the throwing
of coins and bottles at players - when they are only two yards away
from the crowd there's a real danger that they could get hurt. If
there's going to be any action taken at all, then it should be
against those responsible for those acts of violence.
The good thing about all the fuss is that it reminds you how unusual
scenes like Sunday's are in modern football. When I was at my playing
peak in the early Eighties that was how football fans behaved all the
time. But thankfully, the fans have been re-educated and most realise
that it is not the way to behave. That's something we can all be
thankful for.
When you get a big English club going to Cardiff there is always the
possibility there will be some trouble. Although the atmosphere
wasn't frightening, there was certainly an edge to it right from the
off. But the picture being painted in some quarters was a far cry
from what I saw - and I was at the ground for four or five hours.
What is sad to see is the sight of fans running onto the pitch during
a game, as happened at Villa Park, but I think the manner of the
comeback simply saw the Manchester United fans get a little over-
excited.
I was listening to the game on the radio as I drove back from Cardiff
and as soon as United's first goal went in, you knew that they had
enough time to grab a draw or even a victory because once they get
that momentum going, and with Ruud van Nistelrooy in such awesome
form, they seem to be able to score at will.
I now look forward to maybe seeing Paolo di Canio at Manchester
United. He is the rarest of things - a player good enough to play in
this United side who is not cup-tied in European football. I am a
great admirer of the man and at his age it will be good to see him
get one last crack at actually winning something.
Let's just hope that if he does - the fans celebrate off the pitch.
