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Fans view from Stuart Hughes

Last updated : 31 August 2009 By Stuart Hughes

Putting aside my loyalty and support for Derby County for a moment, I think any neutral would've been enthralled by the East Midlands derby game on Saturday in the Coca-Cola Championship. Played at a high tempo, two sides that attacked better than they defended, lots of goal mouth action, and five goals. A home win for Nottingham Forest, but almost an amazing comeback for a draw by away side Derby County.


A thrilling game of football though was marred by some unsavoury scenes after the the final whistle. If a total of 30-odd Nottingham Forest and Derby County fans had spilled onto the pitch for a mass brawl (instead of it being the players and team officials) then the book would be well and truly thrown at them - as it will be for any West Ham United and Millwall fans found guilty in the investigation into the trouble at their Carling Cup game earlier in the week. Fines, lifetime bans, and possible prison sentences could be handed out.


Robbie Savage
Robbie Savage gets some rough treatment at the City Ground
The unpleasantness started late in the game when Robbie Savage fouled Radoslaw Majewski in a routine bid to win back the ball. Majewski took it for what it was and was accepting Savage's hand to help him up when Garath McCleary raced over and shoved Savage high in the torso, almost in the face. Savage did go down like a sack of spuds but only because he had been shoved. As things started to get ugly, Savage had the sense to walk away, only for Nathan Tyson to come charging in and shove Savage again. With a 3-2 lead to protect, and precious time ebbing away, McCleary and Tyson were stupid to get involved. McCleary was booked, Tyson fortunate the officials didn't see his involvement, but neither would've been laughing had a red card left them a man short and maybe cost an equaliser.

But it didn't end there. As Nottingham Forest's players quite rightly celebrated their victory with their own fans, Nathan Tyson ran over to the Derby County fans, grabbed a corner flag, and started waving it in a manner that was clearly taunting the Rams fans. In the wake of what happened between West Ham and Millwall earlier in the week Tyson was incredibly stupid and very fortunate that his actions didn't invoke a pitch invasion. Seeing what was happening, Derby County players tried to take the flag off Tyson, and before you could say "Brian Clough Trophy" around 30 players and team officials from both sides were involved in a mass brawl. It may have only been handbags at dawn, but it was a mass brawl none the less.

Tom Glick, Adam Pearson and Nigel Clough have all gone on record to thank the 4,376 travelling Derby County fans inside the City Ground for their tremendous support throughout the game and for showing restraint at the end by not rising to Tyson's taunts.


I agree. For the most part I thought the vocal support Rams fans provided Derby County - even at 3-0 down - was incredible and there was a good atmosphere, but there were also times during the second half when I was ashamed to be a Rams fan.


We all know that football players, particularly opposition players, are fair game when it comes to derogatory chanting. It's comes with the territory. But that shouldn't, in my opinion, extend to the family of those players. The chant aimed at ex-Ram Lee Camp was very close to the line, but the chant aimed at another ex-Ram Robert Earnshaw most definitely crossed that line and was bang out of order in my opinion.


Yes, Nathan Tyson's actions at the end of the game were incredibly stupid. But before calling him for that stupidity, Rams fans should ask themselves whether they participated in the disgusting verbal abuse chanted about Robert Earnshaw's mother and father? There's no doubt in my mind that the disgraceful chant may well have been a contributing factor to Tyson's red flag waving taunts at the end...