And people wonder why gates dropped down to the levels they did in the 80's.
I remember leaving Field Mill with my wife at the end of a game - must have been the late 80's.
On the opposite side of the road cars were going over and a couple of hundred fans of both clubs were getting properly stuck to each in with assorted improvised weapons including a lengthy metal bar of some description.
We carried on sauntering down the other side of the road, avoiding the trouble and barely batted an eyelid, only paying enough attention to make sure we didn't inadvertently stray into it. Certainly neither of us were shocked or surprised by it. People that went to football in those days were by and large immune to how out of kilter football and acceptable societal norms had become.
That said, paradoxically (if you read the papers) I would say society was generally more violent than it is today. I remember well the days in Hull when the pubs shut at 1030pm on A Friday/Saturday night and several hundred drunk revellers would congregate at the central bus station for the last buses home to the various estates. Almost without exception there were mass brawls between dozens of combatants kicking absolute lumps out of the youths from the 'other' lot.
The police would corral the perimeter. complete with a coach sized cell bus and observe to pick out those deemed to have committed GBH levels of injury. Eventually the buses would roll out and everybody went home until the next time.
It's only years later that I contemplated that level of violence at football wasn't exceptional and how de-sensitised people had become to it all.
As a young man I wasn't offended by the decaying stadiums and ridiculous levels of violence. I never got involved but I would be a barefaced liar if I said that I didn't love the air of absolute hatred and hostility that was generated around football matches. The nastier and more venal it was, the more it felt like a proper matchday.
As an older, wiser person I am so pleased those days are long gone and as oldgaurd highlighted the atmosphere in and around the Sincil Bank area is truly wonderful and inspiring for all the right reasons.