Just A Friendly?
Well the game was pretty friendly. West Ham took things pretty easy as did the Crew, both teams playing plenty of reserves. Dean Ashton is great and Craig Bellamy is fast (but we already knew all this). A Premier League team can crush a Crew Reserve team, but we should have already knew this. I guess the only thing that surprised me was Robert Green looked much more shaky than I expected. Corey Elenio looked pretty good for the Crew and Jed Zayner shows flashes of skill, but he has some of the worst giveaways.
I suppose I should touch on the not so friendly aspects of the match. Yes, there was a bit of a skirmish between a few West Ham fans as they attempted to pick a fight with the entire Nordeke. Sadly, stadium security was glacially slow to react to the trouble brewing and both groups started yelling and shoving. No punches were thrown until after the West Ham supporters started tossing their beers and the shoving escalated. Security started moving the Hammer fans up to the concourse and the Crew fans followed. At this point someone threw a punch and the Columbus Police stepped in with the pepper spray. The trouble continued after the game, but the State Police made quick work of any post game trouble.
We just went over for some tea and crumpets and (the Crew fans) got mad. – Dave Simpson from London.
The quote above was in today’s Columbus Dispatch and was obviously not true from my vantage point. A few (and just a few) of the West Ham supporters came looking for trouble and found it, but the key question is what happened to CSC security. The Nordeke has had several problems with the heavy handed response from Crew Stadium security. A supporter with an umbrella was put in a headlock and punched by security. They seemed more interested in a show of force and intimidation than providing real security. They were nowhere around when the West Ham fans came into the Nordeke (forcing a response from the Crew fans in my opinion).
Crew Stadium management and the Columbus Crew should be feeling the heat after really not handling the latest issue to pop up with a newly vocal and large supporters section. Communication is inconsistent and CSC security seems bent on a show of force rather than keeping the peace. Crew management are facing a crisis. They have helped foster an environment that created the Nordeke, but are not reacting to the challenges a vibrant and passionate group of supporters present. I believe the Nordeke is a great addition and has made for a much better atmosphere at the stadium, even if I don’t stand among them. However, the frustration is building amongst the Crew Union, Hudson Street Hooligans, and La Turbina Amarilla. They feel that they have worked with the Crew on situations like streamers and the racism incident, but have very little to show for it. It is up to the Crew management and Mark McCullers to work to fix the situation before it breaks beyond repair.
Bill Archer has a more along the same lines.
