I initially thought you were simply antisocial with a problem relating to people, but now I realise you're just trying to be helpful and comprehensive.

Maybe there was less fighting than expected at the game as there was fighting here in Basel on Sunday morning in preparation of the game...?

Hubby's co-worker's commute was a bit overly long as his tram line was held up due to FCB / FCZ fans fighting across the tracks.

Mmmkay.....
So your posts are full of "quotes" eh? Can't say they're from any book I've read, and I've read quite a few in my time. Off the top of my head, the only semi-famous footy book I know of (but haven't read) is Fever Pitch. I've tried to read a couple of Hornby's, but to me they were just meh.

You might be quoting from books, old chap, but most of us don't read Mills & Boon, so please don't be disappointed if we don't get your references.

I'm impressed, though. Before I found this thread, I'd never encountered anyone from Moss Side who could read...

Menace,

When I read your posts, in my head I see this

I went to the GCZ vs Young Boys game on Tuesday evening. It was great. It was my 5th visit to watch GCZ at Letzigrund and I always have a brilliant time.

I go with some very loyal local GC fans and the atmosphere is always great, especially if you're in the stand with the young, loud & vocal supporters. Lots of singing, lots of chants & taunts and lots of beers and illegal smokes. After the game, riot police, all 12 of them , were rushed in, in a van with sirens blaring and then were rushed back out. A sad attempt at trying to scare the crowd. I found it quite amusing and the GCZ supporters who lingered after the game all had a good laugh.

I was also shocked the first time I went when I realized we were allowed to drink and smoke in the stands. I like this about Swiss football. As long as people behave themselves, why not! Having been to English Premier League games where drinking in the stands is banned and the stewards & police are very strict, it's kind of nice having this chilled out atmosphere in CH.

OK, so the Swiss football standard is nothing compared to the EPL, but I just go for a **** up with the boys and a good time out. I've learnt quite a few of the GCZ songs and it's good fun joining in.

p.s. Do you know that Grasshoppers was founded by an English student in 1886.

Just for the record: The riots typically do not happen in front of the stadium, so it is pretty safe to visit a game. Depending on where you sit, it is completely normal to have fans from both sides in your sector... this video shows nicely where you should or should not sit... and has some great US expats comments as well:



and if the OP takes the tram or a walk from there to the city center, he will obviously miss the action: The basel fans are walking from the stadium to Bahnhof Altstetten, so the opposite direction and in that area are typically the confrontations. I have seen way more than five or ten gentlemen and ladies of the riot police there with not only one water cannon either... (and depending of the severity of the riots, they might "enrich" the water) and plenty of folks I would describe "football socials" rather than fans.

Why was it quiet this time? In the last five years, FC Zurich was the most successful club usually fighting with Basel for the title. They were both at the top of the chart and one game won or lost regularly meant you win the title or not. So emotions were very high on both sides.
What does it currently look like? You did not watch a cup game and the FCZ is trailing with more than 20 points... I am not surprised it was relatively calm

1. BSC Young Boys 68
2. FC Basel 65
3. Grasshoppers Zürich 53
4. FC Luzern 45
5. FC Sankt Gallen 43
6. FC Sion 42
7. FC Zürich 41
...

Big game today, and I'm stuck here because of a pesky volcano! I'll be in the pub shortly, don't worry about that. In the meantime...

Again, with the geography (sigh). I doubt you've ever met anyone from mosside, and with your attuitude to people based on where they come from, probably a good thing for you that you haven't!

Author's I've read recently: Jared Diamond, Phillip Ball, Malcom Gladwell. Oh, don't go and look them up on the 'net. If you don't know who they are, there you go. Its nothing to be ashamed of.

Mills and Boon, indeed. I've never been so insulted in my life, apart from when people try and categorise me based on where I come from.

Why would they have to be football related?

If you want to read a decent footy book, try the damn united. or the young guvnors.

I'm glad you can see me in the pub through the internet!

and I've been to them both! And there was no segregation and no voilence at either. In fact Oz was quite like Switzerland in that regard, very little voilence. Which is a good thing.

Again, geography (sigh)

Ha! Nice one ar kid

Many thanks for this. A useful, interesting, inciteful post from someone who knows what he is talking about rather than an ignoramous with opinions based on geography. I'd love to come with you one day, that sounds like a good laugh. And I agree entirely about the drinking and smoking, even if it is p!$$water. Although you can still get away with it in Britain, surreptitiously.

I didn't know that, but found out recently Barcalona was founded by a Swiss ex Zurich and Basel player. He also played for a school in Crosby, Liverpool. Now there is a claim to fame.

Yes, I saw the league table. By the same token you might expect it to be quiet most of the time in the Manchester derby (12pm GMT today). Never the case. Why is it on early? Because the police don't want fans sitting in pubs half the day getting loaded and then kicking off. All bars in town will be closed until the evening, too.

Let's be clear: I don't think football voilence, or any other type of voilence, is a good thing, or anything to be proud of, although I'm not sure that opinion is shared by all across this post. And I was not trollong in anyway, I was merely trying to tell a few home truths from the benefit of experience. Swiss football is tame compared to England, and any talk of voilence and atmosphere has to be taken with a pinch of salt when looking at it from this perspective. Like many things in Switzerland, it is different. But that is ok, and nothing to be ashamed of. Not a good thing, or a bad thing. If I came across as too critical, sorry for that. But for those of you who insist that Swiss football is full of thugs, well, the smoggy said it right in his post. I mean, who lets smoggys take over your bar. There are 3 big teams in the North East, and they all travel on the same roads and railway lines when playing away. Who does most of the fighting in the cafes and service stations and car parks and train stations? Maccums and Geordies. Smoggys are generally pretty relaxed fans, you can go drinking in their pubs before the game, and generally have no bother at all, in fact you get quite a bit of friendly banter. I wouldn't be so keen to do that in Sunderland.

Anyway, I'm off to the pub. Come on City!

Oh, I can assure you that I've met plenty of people from that benighted corner of the world. We're not all from Surrey, you know.

Ooooh! Pop science! Just my thing!

Nah. I prefer Samuel Johnson, Henry Fielding, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Alexander Kinglake... but each to his own...

I'm sure the southerners to whom you made frequent reference in your first few posts feel the same.

If you hadn't spent so much time banging on about being a Manc, perhaps other people wouldn't have taken so much delight in throwing it back at you...

Is Letzigrund considered a bad designed ground or good?

It is considered a multi functional stadium with a running track and stuff between the fans and the field. This can only suck. Additionally is the very wide and open design terrible for acoustics, so you cannot hear well what others are signing. So I would call it a poor design if you want atmosphere at a football game.

I went inside one morning when no one was there. No one was around to stop me so I just walked around the track. It felt like a hole in the ground but still I was fascinated by it. Could be because I have not been to many stadiums.

Simple game. Simple minds

I live just down the road from the stadium. Outside my window water canons were hosing down, group of youths who were baiting police. A few minor incidents around Albisriederplatz tram stop. Nothing serious ever really happens only every now and again. Personally me and my friends only had one minor incident but a local old boy came out from nowhere gave them some abuse and they dispanded! Swiss Hero prehaps!

Fair enough! I don't remember...but it seems likely. Pop science, eh...well, we can't all be super scientists. Better than pop music, I guess...mercy buckets. And respek...

Jimmy Bee? Simple minds? Jim Morrison and the doors, more like...

'Awesome'...'This is Swittzerland baby'...'green zone'...'central bargdad'

Where these the great expat comments you were referring to?

Was exactly the same atmosphere and story in the game I saw, i.e. not much. Only fireworks were off the pitch. And those probably because its the only way they know how to try and create some. More mither when Rotheram play Doncaster. And more atmosphere too.