Cheers purpelnose and Machiavelli firstly how old are you? I remember Chelsea turning up at Maine Road in the eighties when they were banned.All dressed the same they marched in formation chanting ''The Chelsea united will never be defeated.'' The cockney firms had the underground stitched up too,leading away fans into ambushes and they hit them just as hard and viciously as those 'Invincible' Russians,also using weapons,flares and tear gas.That was almost 40 years ago before the Russians had a clue.By the time they were copying these tactics all the old England firm had retired,died or been banned. They are doing stuff our hooligans were doing 30-40 years ago and against much tougher opposition.They are no supermen or tactical geniuses they are just fighting young drunken lads out of their depth,or old men,women and kids,easy pickings.
Secondly don't put fucking words into my mouth.I said nothing of what you are insinuating in any shape or form.I was simply stating the truth as most people who were around in the bad old days will identify with.Scenes as bad or similar were happening on an almost weekly basis over here just there wasn't all the camera phones around filming it then then to be splashed all over the internet...that didn't exist either. As for it being the English disease as some so called experts call it,when British clubs first went into Europe and before hooliganism was happening on a large scale over here,fans coaches were bricked and fans attacked over there.
I tell you something I was proud of.That finally except for the odd drunken loon England fans had been getting praise for their behaviour abroad in tournaments. We had got our own house in order unfortunately in many foreign police eye's we hadn't,now the rest of Europe has to do the same.I fear this won't happen in Russia for years as their mindset is 40 years behind and that is at government level too.