At the end of the day away ends are not supposed to be some tranquil soccer AM haven. I have some sympathy with the kid from yesterday, of course - but as Caligula says above - why are small children going to away games at all? Ultimately our away ends should be absolutely fucking nuts, and that's down to the lads and lasses who stand in them, if it isn't your cup of tea, don't go, there are plenty of serene games at Anfield you can take your iPad to.
I think were looking at this wrongly with the suggestion of stopping kids going. I went everywhere with my old fella in the eighties.
Came out of Villa park and got legged (me old man running with me under his arm!). Got moved from the away section at Chelsea when the home fans invaded that section and it got a bit scarey. Came out of Portman Rd. and walked into a battle when a plant pot came flying through the air and twatted my old fella on the shoulder and we had to go the local hospital because he was in agony. Sat in the home stand at West Ham when Rush scored a hat trick and got accepted as a scouser because me old fella knew a few locals. I could go on with many more stories.
The fact is kids should be allowed to attend aways if the family and the kid themselves want to. These kids are the future of this club and no one had the fuckin right to suggest that kids should be fucked of so the adults can have a good time.
After all my nutty experiences as a kid following the Reds I wouldn`t have changed a thing and other kids now have that right to experience the more serene aspect of todays football.
Im all for these smoke bombs and flares as long as they are used in a controlled way. I think they help to bring a great atmosphere to what is half the time todays middle class,expecting to be entertained crowd, but only if used correctly.
A blue mate of mine took his kid to the Derby last week at Anfield in the away end. When the dickheads opened up their purple attempt at blue (!) they threw the cannister and it hit my mates kid on the back. He got a small burn on his back and had to go and see St. Johns to get it looked at. They went back to their seats but left minutes after returning because the lad was terrified (he`s only 6).
So like I say, all for them but in more controlled way. How we go about that I`ve no idea.