I can`t believe it`s taken this long to realise what finals have been like for the last 20 years .I always pay over the odds for tickets on the half way line .the tribal mentality is getting just like football,i go into most finals as a neutral half expecting a riot

That's funny because I've been to 12 major finals to follow leeds and not once have i had a bad experience in terms of fan behaviour.

Maybe you should pick the more expensive seats?

Maybe you shouldn't have to

You shouldn't.

But i read these type of posts every year after the finals and I've honestly never experienced anything like it. Maybe I'm lucky.

I must second this... me and my gf were sat in the top left corner on top tier at Wembley (looking down to where the Rhinos played to in second half) and there was about 6 or 7 who constantly spilt lager deliberate or not, our jumpers & coats were soaked at the end and they clearly couldn't handle their beer. So what the couple and there daughter thought sat next to us god only knows!! Ridiculous behaviour, more stewards were desperately needed.

I was as close to real trouble as I've been at a final yesterday and it sickened me. Pure vermin causing trouble, fighting and throwing beer with young children sat around them. A few European police officers with batons and 10 minutes outside the ground would seem an appropriate punishment.

Quite.

We shouldn't have to.

Same here -for last 20 odd years we have bought expensive seats & I can honestly say I have never seen any trouble !

I've not seen any instances of unpleasant fans for at least 11 years now.

Although watching a wheelchair riot would be pretty funny.

I've registered on RLFans to let you (Leeds) know how well the fans I met were behaved.

Myself and two others, met two Leeds fans in the Crock of Gold pub and we got talking to them about Rugby League and the Grand Finals. We got on our way and exchanged handshakes with the couple and wished each other well.

We then grabbed some tins from an off licence and went to watch the world go by on Wembley Way as we do most years. We happened to stop next to three Leeds fans again. They were excellently behaved Again we exchanged handshakes and wished Leeds the best of luck.

Sadly, the same couldn't be said for the Wire fans. We had no trouble till after the game. We had no reason to hang around after the hooter and left. As we walked up the stairs we had one bloke in his 30's give us a mouthful before two more climbed from their seats and chanted "Shit Helens" at us as the Wire players were going barmy on the pitch. They seemed more interested in us than actually celebrating their success.

The fans we met from Leeds were fantastic and a credit to your club.

Best wishes for the season.

It's nice to hear stories like this. Most of us are decent human beings. We just get fed up of the idiots letting us down.

It's a shame that all clubs have idiots that can't behave properly. But it is a minority not all fans. We had 8 leeds fans behind where we were sat (block 512 row 23) and they were a credit to your club. Enjoyed a drink, without the need to swear and be offensive. Fair play to them they even made a point of shaking hands with my kids after the game and saying well done.

They contributed to a great day out with fans mixing, drinking, enjoying the occasion, and not acting like total s. Your fans made it easy to explain to my kids what a sporting occasion should be like.

I was unfortunate enough to be sat behind the trouble in 2010 bit I was Lucky this year as I got 52 tickets all together and had friends all around me all the Leeeds fans I spoke to were nice and friendly we all have a d%%khead element unfortunately

I drank plenty from the morning till night, enjoyed the day, the game and the pub afterwards and not once did i want to fight, banning alcohol is not the reason, life ban any idiot, that will send the message out.

I was in the top tier, just slightly right of the sticks. I could see abit of trouble right at the front, as Im sure most other people could.

Then just a few seats above me, there was a right royal punch up. Some big lads in there, just wearing vests. A few ripped up shirts too. A man with his family needed a new leeds shirt by the looks of it. around 8 minutes later, the men in blue jackets finally turned up. Surely some steward could have reported it alittle quicker. I was half tempted to get someone, but why the heck should I? No one could really leave and use that stairway either

I then ventured into the green man pub afterwards. All good natured, plenty of warrington fans. One was rather too excitable. He wasn't banking on his mates stopping chanting, when he then said "yer f00k off leeds priicks. He hid into the pack with his head down. I always say people like this, it doesn't matter, drink or no drink, they're just like that. I just laugh and pity them.

Walking out of the green man however was the saddest part for me, where I saw something that resembled something off Green street. There was a mini bus around (it was unclear if these people had just got off the bus, but it looked as if they all just descended off the bus and started scrapping), and then everyone was rolling on the floor. A good 15/20 of them. Couldn't tell what went on, but it looked to me like alot of Leeds fans at first, but then saw a few wire fans around also offering people out. I wasn't sure if everyone was just wanting some action in the end. A few girls were involved too, but it didn't look very pretty, as I couldn't pick it out if anyone around was actually trying to stop it. Very sad indeed.

2 minutes after walking down the hill, I saw the flashing cars speeding up the hill. I am presuming as usual beer was involved. Beer doesn't make everyone a complete and utter idiot though. I always maintain the stance that, if you're a half decent person, 99% of the time, you're not going to start causing a riot just because you drink alcohol.


Despite my negative post, great banter in Reflex Watford. For around 10 minutes, all you could hear was Leeds and Warrington songs. Always a good laugh on the friday evening, and always great banter wherever we stay. Just seems to the "pack element" on match day that go on busses and get fueled up on cans. Not everyone obviously, but out of 80,000 people, you're always going to get a minority, just the miniority is becoming more prevalent by the looks of things.

Will I stop going to challenge cup finals though? Will I Heck.

There are idiots who can cause problems sober.

There is alcohol which can make some normal people cause trouble.

Put the two together and the chances of trouble are hugely increased.

I maintain my stance. Anyone who can't string a coherent sentence together or walk in a straight line shouldn't be allowed in the ground.

Are you for real?

Yeah, some people get a bit boysterous after a few drinks, sometimes, oh my god, theres even swear words and spilt beer between rival fans

But football tribal mentality, rioting? Get a grip. Don't ever go to serie A football game. You'll kill yourself.

Soemtimes i think people on here expect the atmosphere at a game to be like watching old age pensioners play bowls down at the green.

Ah, that clears up the mystery, was in the Green man until they kicked us out, walking down the road there was two massive pools of blood, i was completely oblivious to it all though. Shame really as the atmosphere was great in the pub, the Stanningley lot and Notts Outlaws just having a laugh.

We as fans do like to go on about incidents but considering the amounts of alcohol consumed and a majority of fans being working class (we are more prone to fisty cuffs than the middle and uppers) i think we do well.
If this was football and only the small amount of arrests that occurred on Saturday and same amount of scuffles was exactly the same people wouldn't even bat an eyelid in fact Police would probably boast on a job well done.

Yes, using stewards is cheaper than having fully trained, full time employees BUT dealing with trouble-makers and public order offences is NOT within the role of a steward. That is why stadiums have police presences and SIA trained staff on hand. Your "normal" stewards are there to assist and ensure the safety of the public. This argument comes up on the Warrington boards often when "Stewards are heavy handed" when in fact people are talking about the SIA licensed staff called in by the stewards when its necessary to be heavy-handed.

Don't blame THAT steward unless you are 100% sure that he has not reported it to somebody who is supposed to deal. I've been at games when people have gone back to a "crap" steward and said "so what did you do about that person, you ain't moved since I complained" and the steward has replied "you don't see them do you.......but you will if you go outside".

Must also add though that before the game we were in Crystal bar (by the coach park entrance) and had a laugh a joke with a few groups of Leeds fans. All was jovial banter (often set around the fact that Leeds cant win a CC final and Warrington doesn't know what a GF is!), interspersed with very level-headed discussion about how we thought the game would go, and not a hint of trouble from any fans. Alcohol doesn't breed idiots, but it can (and often does) turn idiots into complete d###heads!

Totally agree, I'd also like to thank a so called leeds fan the goes to every match named Craig, who was so drunk he decided to continually shout out obsence remarks about Bailey, ie Fuc(), cun(), etc while children as young as 4 were sitting close by.

Not intent on that, then the brave man, when told to shut up, decided to threaten his fellow fans sat around him "I'm going to punch you when this match as finished" was one of his remarks. Even his friends tried to calm his down, but to no avail.

So Craig, wearing the Leeds away kit of 2012, sat on row 22, block 130 in the south west corner, you really did yourself as a leeds fan proud on saturday.

Another major cause of trouble at these finals, is that fans of other clubs are allowed to sit in the designated area for one of the finalist teams.

We had several Wakefield fans sat near us, and as Wire pulled away in the game, they made a point of running right up into my face doing loser signs and calling us "Leeds Wayne-kers". He was politely asked to stop, but carried on doing the same, gradually getting worse and worse. When he was warned again, he offered to go out onto the concourse with me for a fight, something I didn't particularly want to do, as I'm an England football member and didn't want barred from Wembley Stadium! Things would have kicked off had it not been for those around us helping to shut up the Wakey fan and defuse the situation.

I wonder, how many of these fracas on final days, are caused by "neutrals" behaving in such a manner when they've had a few too many beers!

Perhaps the RFL need to keep the clubs' allocations and neutral sales as seperate.

That would be a sad day for rugby league were it to happen

Already happens on an "informal" basis in many grounds, including Headingley.

as i said on the wire board i was sat near enough front row next to 2 leeds fans and we had good banter and good laugh and were having a laugh with the steward infront of us as he didn't have to do anything.

everyone i spoke to were very nice to talk to and gave good representations for their club this includes leeds fans 2 of which were sat behind us on the warrington chartered train, halifax fans, wigan fans, cas fans, saints fans probably others that i have not mentioned.