PC Simon Chivers recalls worst night of football violence

Swimaway was a minor incident but it's all they got love em! They don't mention the days when Cardiff would go up to st Helens cricket ground to watch Glamorgan play and end up kicking the shit out of the jacks all day.This is fact as I was there-funny as f**k

Pointless going on about Swansea,they have got f**k all and never have.There's been much much worse violence than this,anyone can throw seats ffs.We took over their f*cking town centre unopposed-now that's how you do it.Look at the photo of their fans,all f*cking kids-nothing will ever change with them(shithouses).Even some of their old heads admit 1991 was an embarrassment for them,poor twats!

Still doesn't hide the fact of the swimaway truth that happened and is laughed about by every lad in a firm all across the country for the last 30 years. 1 nil to the jacks I say and wouldn't consider ripping out seats in the grandstand 91 is anything to brag about, but in fairness there was also a lot thrown back, so hardly just families in there was it

of course people threw back.....ANYONE would.. but who sat in the center of a granstand back in those days?
and just so you know......a lot of clubs do do the swim away as a wind up........but i think its you lot look ridiculous over it,NOBODY and i mean nobody gives you any credit for it..or any credit full stop.......most people { other fans } do realise that if it really had been a major incident..more than a couple of hundred jacks and the evening post would know about it..........how many arrests were there? bans? jail sentences? people in hospital?
the whole world thinks you are clowns

I support Newport county you thick c**t, just have a look at my username. I have met annis , mannings mikey(rip), that clown rawlings from Pontypool, not to shake hands with but we were like minded in the 80's , if we were honest ,and it goes off would still be up for it now regardless of cctv . As for the Swansea swimaway thing, I know it wasn't your top lads who ran into the sea, like f**k I would have, but the story is well known at most clubs in the country, and the story(truth) is that it happened and ridicules you. fact

Let's put all this to bed, the Jacks have never been rated by any club, where as Cardiff have always been rated by most clubs, also I would say Cardiff rate Newport a hundred more times than the jacks FACT

Let's put all this to bed, the Jacks have never been rated by any club, where as Cardiff have always been rated by most clubs, also I would say Cardiff rate Newport a hundred more times than the jacks FACT

well said by someone in the know

Pointless going on about Swansea,they have got f**k all and never have.There's been much much worse violence than this,anyone can throw seats ffs.We took over their f*cking town centre unopposed-now that's how you do it.Look at the photo of their fans,all f*cking kids-nothing will ever change with them(shithouses).Even some of their old heads admit 1991 was an embarrassment for them,poor twats!

Still doesn't hide the fact of the swimaway truth that happened and is laughed about by every lad in a firm all across the country for the last 30 years. 1 nil to the jacks I say and wouldn't consider ripping out seats in the grandstand 91 is anything to brag about, but in fairness there was also a lot thrown back, so hardly just families in there was it

of course people threw back.....ANYONE would.. but who sat in the center of a granstand back in those days?
and just so you know......a lot of clubs do do the swim away as a wind up........but i think its you lot look ridiculous over it,NOBODY and i mean nobody gives you any credit for it..or any credit full stop.......most people { other fans } do realise that if it really had been a major incident..more than a couple of hundred jacks and the evening post would know about it..........how many arrests were there? bans? jail sentences? people in hospital?
the whole world thinks you are clowns

I support Newport county you thick c**t, just have a look at my username. I have met annis , mannings mikey(rip), that clown rawlings from Pontypool, not to shake hands with but we were like minded in the 80's , if we were honest ,and it goes off would still be up for it now regardless of cctv . As for the Swansea swimaway thing, I know it wasn't your top lads who ran into the sea, like f**k I would have, but the story is well known at most clubs in the country, and the story(truth) is that it happened and ridicules you. fact[/quote

ooooooo youve met a few of our boys...give the man an ice cream...........im aware it happened...but im also intelligent enough like most people are to know that it wasnt even news worthy.....anyway cant you go on exeters board and name drop..they may b more impressed with that sort of thing..........

Pointless going on about Swansea,they have got f**k all and never have.There's been much much worse violence than this,anyone can throw seats ffs.We took over their f*cking town centre unopposed-now that's how you do it.Look at the photo of their fans,all f*cking kids-nothing will ever change with them(shithouses).Even some of their old heads admit 1991 was an embarrassment for them,poor twats!

Still doesn't hide the fact of the swimaway truth that happened and is laughed about by every lad in a firm all across the country for the last 30 years. 1 nil to the jacks I say and wouldn't consider ripping out seats in the grandstand 91 is anything to brag about, but in fairness there was also a lot thrown back, so hardly just families in there was it

of course people threw back.....ANYONE would.. but who sat in the center of a granstand back in those days?
and just so you know......a lot of clubs do do the swim away as a wind up........but i think its you lot look ridiculous over it,NOBODY and i mean nobody gives you any credit for it..or any credit full stop.......most people { other fans } do realise that if it really had been a major incident..more than a couple of hundred jacks and the evening post would know about it..........how many arrests were there? bans? jail sentences? people in hospital?
the whole world thinks you are clowns

I support Newport county you thick c**t, just have a look at my username. I have met annis , mannings mikey(rip), that clown rawlings from Pontypool, not to shake hands with but we were like minded in the 80's , if we were honest ,and it goes off would still be up for it now regardless of cctv . As for the Swansea swimaway thing, I know it wasn't your top lads who ran into the sea, like f**k I would have, but the story is well known at most clubs in the country, and the story(truth) is that it happened and ridicules you. fact[/quote

ooooooo youve met a few of our boys...give the man an ice cream...........im aware it happened...but im also intelligent enough like most people are to know that it wasnt even news worthy.....anyway cant you go on exeters board and name drop..they may b more impressed with that sort of thing..........

exeters board?? why would I want to do that you feckwit. TALKING ABOUT EXETER , I do know a few lads from London who met you in a night game in Exeter. I WAS WITH THEM

Pointless going on about Swansea,they have got f**k all and never have.There's been much much worse violence than this,anyone can throw seats ffs.We took over their f*cking town centre unopposed-now that's how you do it.Look at the photo of their fans,all f*cking kids-nothing will ever change with them(shithouses).Even some of their old heads admit 1991 was an embarrassment for them,poor twats!

Still doesn't hide the fact of the swimaway truth that happened and is laughed about by every lad in a firm all across the country for the last 30 years. 1 nil to the jacks I say and wouldn't consider ripping out seats in the grandstand 91 is anything to brag about, but in fairness there was also a lot thrown back, so hardly just families in there was it

of course people threw back.....ANYONE would.. but who sat in the center of a granstand back in those days?
and just so you know......a lot of clubs do do the swim away as a wind up........but i think its you lot look ridiculous over it,NOBODY and i mean nobody gives you any credit for it..or any credit full stop.......most people { other fans } do realise that if it really had been a major incident..more than a couple of hundred jacks and the evening post would know about it..........how many arrests were there? bans? jail sentences? people in hospital?
the whole world thinks you are clowns

I support Newport county you thick c**t, just have a look at my username. I have met annis , mannings mikey(rip), that clown rawlings from Pontypool, not to shake hands with but we were like minded in the 80's , if we were honest ,and it goes off would still be up for it now regardless of cctv . As for the Swansea swimaway thing, I know it wasn't your top lads who ran into the sea, like f**k I would have, but the story is well known at most clubs in the country, and the story(truth) is that it happened and ridicules you. fact[/quote

ooooooo youve met a few of our boys...give the man an ice cream...........im aware it happened...but im also intelligent enough like most people are to know that it wasnt even news worthy.....anyway cant you go on exeters board and name drop..they may b more impressed with that sort of thing..........

exeters board?? why would I want to do that you feckwit. TALKING ABOUT EXETER , I do know a few lads from London who met you in a night game in Exeter. I WAS WITH THEM

right im going...youve run me off.........IMAGINE,ive been arguing with someone that KNOWS a few boys from LONDON.....are they related to the Krays?........so youve met a few Cardiff fans, know a few cockneys, would never have gone in the sea.........i get the picture....

How anyone can claim a result chucking old wooden seats at the old and family is beyond me. You probably done us a favour, those seats needed replacing.
but when City ran across the pitch the gypo scum sang at us. They did not want to know fact

The Swim away bollox is jusr that a bollox story and anyone who is anyone knows this was not any main lads.

End

3 pages and Paul (Swansealad) hasnt seen the thread yet

He is going to explode when he reads it

We were 16 and the trains from Merthyr to Cardiff were off cos of flooding so my old man took me and my two mates down.

We used to go in the Canton end and I told my old man to go in the Grandstand as it would be safe in there, so he paid to go in Block C

He's old bill end of.

Well said, and Cardiff fan or not, he's still a prick

Wednesday 5th March 2014.

Police 24/7 is on BBC One Wales tomorrow night at 8.30pm

' PC Simon Chivers recalls worst night of football violence '

image.jpg

Simon Chivers says the Cardiff City of today is unrecognisable from the one he supported as a boy on the terraces

Trouble flares as seats are torn up and thrown at Ninian Park on a dark day for the derby in 1993

Simon Chivers shudders at the thought of Wednesday, December 22, 1993.

Then the young Cardiff City fan was witness to one of the most notorious nights in derby day history as warring sets of Cardiff City and Swansea City fans clashed inside and outside Ninian Park.

The game was marred by Swans’ fans ripping out seats, Cardiff fans invading the pitch and running battles between both sets of supporters.

“I remember it vividly,” says Chivers, who is now a football intelligence officer with South Wales Police. “That’s the worst violence I have ever seen anywhere in my entire life.”

More than 20 years later and the situation couldn’t be more different. There’s not been any notable issues between the two sides for 16 years and the officer from Church Village intends it to stay that way.

The self-confessed Bluebirds obsessive has been with the force for 15 years and is one of the stars of Police 24/7, which returns to our TV screens on BBC One Wales tomorrow night.

It all began in 1912 - the first ever derby between Cardiff City and Swansea Town. Here's the match programme from that historic day


The new series follows a week in the life of South Wales Police, the largest force in Wales. In the opening episode, the eyes of the world are on the Welsh capital for the first derby in the Premier League between Cardiff and Swansea.

We encounter the football intelligence officer and his team as they take on the enormous operation of policing the thousands of fans travelling from Swansea to the capital with the potential for trouble never far away.

For the 39-year-old, appearing in front of the camera was a unique experience – one he admits he had reservations about initially.

“It was completely different to how I expected it to be. I thought it would be quite intrusive and they would be on my shoulder the whole day but they weren’t, they were excellent.

“When I had to do my bits to the camera I did those, but when I had to do my job they melted into the background and I forgot they were there.”




Police and football have never been the easiest of bedfellows – the tragedy of Hillsborough tells us that – but the officer reveals he was happy to be involved as he was keen for the force and his unit to be seen in a different light.

“I want to promote a positive image of South Wales Police and the football intelligence unit. I’m very proud of what I do and passionate about the things that surround football because I’ve been involved in it for a such a long time with the club as a fan and latterly as a police officer.”

Chivers, who was taken by his dad to his first match – against Rotherham United in 1986 – had been a regular fixture on the terraces at Ninian Park throughout the ‘90s and witnessed the violence that dogged the clubs for many years – to the point where Cardiff City was almost stigmatised by its own unwelcome reputation.

When he started out as a part-time police spotter in 2002, providing intelligence on fans to the South Wales Police football intelligence unit he was more than versed in the ebb and flow of matches, and so it was no surprise when he joined the unit full-time in 2006.

In those years he’s seen the club transform its fortunes – on and off the pitch. Cardiff City Football Club is unrecognisable from those dark days in the ‘90s, twice winning family club of the year in recent times and projecting an image that is a million miles away from the snarling beast of yesteryear.




Chivers attributes this startling transformation to two major factors: “Before, fans were seen very much as the problem and not part of the solution,” he says. “That isn’t the way it should be.

“I can accept that there were times, certainly through the ‘90s, when fans did misbehave but the flip side of that was that there were many forces around the country that had a ‘meet and beat’ attitude rather than a ‘meet and greet’ attitude.

“They treated Cardiff fans poorly and behaved poorly which causes a degenerating level of behaviour at away games. The Soul Crew (Cardiff’s notorious hooligan group) were relatively small in number, but they would be involved in situations and act as a catalyst to start other Cardiff fans off. Then you would have a lot of people misbehaving in one place.

“What the current intelligence regime has done is to say that the majority of people who are going to come to your town and city to watch Cardiff City are law-abiding people who if you treat them well will behave well.

“If you have a minority who don’t behave well, we’ll identify them and you can deal with the people who are not behaving and not have a problem with hundreds of people – just those few.

“The other side of that is the introduction of football banning orders has really worked when it comes to deterring people from violence at football matches. Many of the hooligans who used to follow Cardiff City are football fans first and foremost. They didn’t just go for a fight, they went because they loved the club.

“So the thought of first of all losing your liberty and secondly the thought of not being able to watch Cardiff for between three and 10 years (the varying levels of football banning orders) have put a lot of people off it.

“I suppose in the early ‘90s there was very little consequence unless you were very unlucky about being involved in that sort of stuff but it’s completely different these days.”

Chivers gives a stark warning to anybody thinking of misbehaving at a football match in 2014.

“We’ve had one Cardiff fan who threw a single punch at a match and spent four years in prison. The deterrents are so great now it just isn’t worth it.”

Police 24/7 is on BBC One Wales tomorrow night at 8.30pm

Trouble flares as seats are torn up and thrown at Ninian Park on a dark day for the derby in 1993

Well done Gav. A 3 page thread dragging up the same old shit and he didn't even mention it!

3 pages and Paul (Swansealad) hasnt seen the thread yet

He is going to explode when he reads it

He's too busy to read this forum as he's recently launched his new business - 'Thirrd Worrld Sex Tours & Plastrring Limerted'. He's asked Meerkat Recruitment to source employees whose finished plastering work resembles a grizzled Mau-Mau tribesmans mud hut.& also like to take it in the poo-poo.

Nowhere near the worst football violence seen at Ninian Park personally the worst I have seen was Spurs FA Cup game in '77 and Chelsea when we drew 3-3. With regards the Jerks bunch of seat throwing cowards who have NEVER turned up in Cardiff

All chivers looks to do is get you banned, any minor thing he looks to ban you.

Hopefully we have one massive off and the cocky filth see all there hard work disappear

All chivers looks to do is get you banned, any minor thing he looks to ban you.

Hopefully we have one massive off and the cocky filth see all there hard work disappear

He'd ban us for swearing if he had his way.
c**t

Came across as you,re average tosspot copper.

Any lad in to the scene back then if honest will give the jacks a small bit of credit for that night they certainly wanted it, Still it don't even come close to the amount of times we have put it on them down there and if they are honest they were never in our league for off the pitch shenanigans

Read some of the posts and what a load of shit.
I was in the stand long before the special pulled in as I and 30 others all young went up on the 5 pm train.
When we got in the ground it was empty and stayed that way for a good wile.
Cardiff fans to our left we're giving it large and there was no kids there then and the ob let them come right up to us with just a 3 foot barrier and a scattering of plod.
As time went on I started to think that it was going to be a shit night as only the odd few in vans and busses come in but in the mean time more and more of u lot made your way over towards our end .
When the special pulled in and the fans come in to the ground they went straight over to we're your lot were giving abuse .
Thats when it kicked of and coins at first started going in both directions then the seats.
No f*cking families we're there or at least next to the us.
Then u lot run across the pitch only to stop 10 yards from the stand and we allso made little attempt to jump down.
There was no ob stopping u at first as there was not for us.
But please stop saying there was kids next to us ffs as if a family would take there kids in to a mob of lads giving and taking shit.
And the video footage fron the event clearly shows seats going in both directions.

And I might add to this debate the fact every time we come to u it was basically straight to the ground in large numbers by train.
As u have ninian holt.
You on the other hand would be walked straight through the city center with 500 fans from the station making it much easier to cause problems and give the big one.
We never had the chance to walk from cardiff central to ninian .

I know of 1 kid who was injured that night. f*cking jack child beating scum!

Hope it was u.

Stop lying Paul

Read some of the posts and what a load of shit.
I was in the stand long before the special pulled in as I and 30 others all young went up on the 5 pm train.
When we got in the ground it was empty and stayed that way for a good wile.
Cardiff fans to our left we're giving it large and there was no kids there then and the ob let them come right up to us with just a 3 foot barrier and a scattering of plod.
As time went on I started to think that it was going to be a shit night as only the odd few in vans and busses come in but in the mean time more and more of u lot made your way over towards our end .
When the special pulled in and the fans come in to the ground they went straight over to we're your lot were giving abuse .
Thats when it kicked of and coins at first started going in both directions then the seats.
No f*cking families we're there or at least next to the us.
Then u lot run across the pitch only to stop 10 yards from the stand and we allso made little attempt to jump down.
There was no ob stopping u at first as there was not for us.
But please stop saying there was kids next to us ffs as if a family would take there kids in to a mob of lads giving and taking shit.
And the video footage fron the event clearly shows seats going in both directions.

the footage was when everyone was in the ground...much later.....the family enclosure was in front of your fans..if there early youd realise this.............

And I might add to this debate the fact every time we come to u it was basically straight to the ground in large numbers by train.
As u have ninian holt.
You on the other hand would be walked straight through the city center with 500 fans from the station making it much easier to cause problems and give the big one.
We never had the chance to walk from cardiff central to ninian .

try catching service train.

Read some of the posts and what a load of shit.
I was in the stand long before the special pulled in as I and 30 others all young went up on the 5 pm train.
When we got in the ground it was empty and stayed that way for a good wile.
Cardiff fans to our left we're giving it large and there was no kids there then and the ob let them come right up to us with just a 3 foot barrier and a scattering of plod.
As time went on I started to think that it was going to be a shit night as only the odd few in vans and busses come in but in the mean time more and more of u lot made your way over towards our end .
When the special pulled in and the fans come in to the ground they went straight over to we're your lot were giving abuse .
Thats when it kicked of and coins at first started going in both directions then the seats.
No f*cking families we're there or at least next to the us.
Then u lot run across the pitch only to stop 10 yards from the stand and we allso made little attempt to jump down.
There was no ob stopping u at first as there was not for us.
But please stop saying there was kids next to us ffs as if a family would take there kids in to a mob of lads giving and taking shit.
And the video footage fron the event clearly shows seats going in both directions.

sorry.........but more and more of you made your way over?.............Cblock to the left of you was center grandstand full of season ticket holders,...and its not like ANYONE thought youd be put in there,,,the grange was the away end.....in front of you was the family enclosure, whick you cleared, it was as the ground filled up,the enclosyre got filled by your lot..Cardiff as you say made no great effort to get into the stand, but you didnt move, only backwards......and during all this..the bulk of both sets of fans were outside the ground.......

There were approx. 10 Cardiff to the left of you, who returned some of the seats in your direction, one of them used to post on here, I won't put his real name, if I say his first name rhymes with Bean, and he is known as Tomato Man from Trealaw, then most older heads will know who I'm on about. The rest were kids with their Dads, women and old men. Well done to the Jacks, what proud Welsh warriors you are.

U are so upset that we did this to u in your ground its killing u.
Every thing I said was true and lads when entering the stand noticed we we're the ob put us made there way as close as possible.
10lads there? Shut up u clown as when I got in there soon after there was more then that.
As I said my self and 20 or so others were put in there over a houre before kick off .
Stop talking shit ffs as there was no family's standing next to us in that are .
Only lads giving the big one that was the reason why it all started.

Pointless going on about Swansea,they have got f**k all and never have.There's been much much worse violence than this,anyone can throw seats ffs.We took over their f*cking town centre unopposed-now that's how you do it.Look at the photo of their fans,all f*cking kids-nothing will ever change with them(shithouses).Even some of their old heads admit 1991 was an embarrassment for them,poor twats!

Still doesn't hide the fact of the swimaway truth that happened and is laughed about by every lad in a firm all across the country for the last 30 years. 1 nil to the jacks I say and wouldn't consider ripping out seats in the grandstand 91 is anything to brag about, but in fairness there was also a lot thrown back, so hardly just families in there was it

I'm sure the 15 strong newport firm wet themselves every Saturday in the pub over it.

Your a tiny irreverlent man for a tiny irreverlent club. We probably have more toilets in our stadium then you have fans. Go argue on the bury forum.

You are in no position to mock the size of amy club.
For years u have gone on about how big u are and could and should be pulling 40k upwards.
Yet now u are in the prem u can barley fill or sell out? Dont get behind your club and when down here stood in silence as if we pointed the remot at u and put u on freeze.
Atleast ncfc sing and show passion.
Your the worst fans to come to the lib.
Even my son who was excited about the game said your not very good.