angieram

When we played Forest in February we had 6 shots, two on target. So 11 shots, 7 on target is improvement of sorts. I think our team lacks confidence rather than skill.

I was probably at some of those matches in the 70s, to be fair! I remember some great away days but also some very scary ones. The final straw for me was when I saw a Norwich fan run up from behind and drop-kick an older woman in the back as we were all being escorted away from their ground. Not sure what year exactly maybe around 81 or 82 but I didn't go to another away match for over 30 years. I realise that I am probably older now than that Derby supporter was then. What had she done wrong other than follow her club? And who had riled up that Norwich supporter enough earlier in the day to make him think that doing that was acceptable? We'll never know. However, as you do get older you realise if you don't do things now, you never will, which is why I started attending away games again. Things are much improved, of course and I generally enjoy them but there are a few grounds I don't like visiting and now two that I won't be returning to - Millwall and Forest. It's not a long list to date.

I will answer your question with a few more. Is there a right to attend if you're a man? What about if you're a woman? What about if you're a child? What about if you're disabled? What about if you're older and a bit less able to stand up for yourself if things get rough? Who decides exactly who is tough enough to go to away games? You stray on to very dodgy ground when you start to make judgements based not on the behaviour of the fans but on the ability of the recipients of that behaviour to accept it, no matter how out of order it is. I personally like to watch the game, get behind my team and try to spur them on rather than spend my time goading or responding to the opposing fans. I care not about the odd hand gesture or swearing, accept that people do it and try to ignore it unless it is impacting on me physically, when I will express my feelings to those around me. Usually there is nothing inside the grounds that makes me feel threatened, but I was too close to the home fans to be comfortable yesterday as a sizeable majority around me were constantly venting against the home fans and getting a load of abuse back rather than supporting their team. Also that walk of shame back to the station with home fans goading us from behind very thin blue lines I did find intimidating. Anyway, as you say, it's an interesting discussion and one I suspect neither side will win.

I thought you were one of the ones trying to turn the debate back to the football, actually. I have given up on the match report this weekend.

Agree. We walked back to the station with our friends, whose 16 year old daughter pointed out that all the disgraceful behaviour from our fans were from people old enough to know better!

I don't know and maybe they have but they don't normally behave so badly. I think that I am rather naive and thought that because it was Forest we would all get behind the team and sing our hearts out for 90 minutes but we didn't. There were pockets, but not the wholehearted support I hoped for. Instead a lot of our collective energy was directed to both sides and even above, trying to wind up the Forest fans.

The thing that I find most frustrating is when you get back from a match and would like to read some constructive debate about how we played and you have to wade through pages and pages of petty squabbling from people who are just here to annoy or pick an argument. It just makes me turn away and not bother to post. I'm sure given the quietness of the match day thread for such a big game that others feel the same.

There was a "suggestion" on their big screen that we wait behind in the stadium, but it was at the far end of the ground and only up for a few seconds. We did stay in the ground, as I hate crushes, but when we did exit we still got funnelled into the convoy, which was moving by then. To be honest, I found the whole situation between the two sets of fans all afternoon very frightening and quite vile. I was standing quite close to the Forest fans at the game and there were fans on both sides who were clearly there just to goad and spit vitriol at each other with no interest on what was happening on the pitch. I expected the Forest fans to be happy at the end as they'd won, but they were even more venomous. I also suspect that there were a lot of "Derby" fans there who don't usually go to away matches. Some certainly weren't there to sing and get behind the team. Strange behaviour. I have been to Leeds many times and find their support of their team loud and intimidating but not felt any of the hatred that I experienced yesterday. I won't be going back.

I agree. The whole situation with the contrived police escort of fans back to the station (even if you didn't want to go there!) with pockets of baying Forest fans similarly being held back at junctions en route was what created the toxic atmosphere. In the main the police were pleasant but one or two were handling us quite roughly. I got a shove from behind when I apparently strayed too far into the road but the policeman concerned changed his attitude when he came around the front and realised how old I was. It all rather reminded me of the 80s!

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Forest 1 - 2 Rams FRGS Martin

Back to bed? Some of us have a game to go to!

Holbrook, Heage, Ripley then down the A610. Stick to the high roads.

Me neither and I stand in the middle of the chants at every away game. Our fans really need to improve their diction!