Independent Rs Messageboard

[Steve Russell]

6th August 2005 at the KC Stadium: “It changed what had been a great Atmosphere”

On 6th August 2005, the R’s travelled to the then KC Stadium, for the opening match of the season.

‘The Times’ reported on the infamous chanting that afternoon from a section of home fans to our left:

‘Adam Pearson, the Hull City chairman, had pledged to conduct a “full and thorough” investigation in
conjunction with Humberside Police into allegations that his club’s supporters taunted rival Queen’s Park Rangers
followers at the weekend with sickening chants about last month’s London bombings.

Pearson has vowed to ban for life any supporters found responsible for the events that marred Hull’s opening
fixture of the new Coca-Cola Championship season at the KC Stadium on Saturday.

It is understood that sections of home supporters mocked their rivals about the atrocities that took place in
London on July 7 and 21.

Travelling supporters who had made the long journey to East Yorkshire were so incensed by the mindless chorus of
abuse that several hundred left the ground before the game had ended.

Others, however, tried to tear down a fence outside the ground separating the two sets of supporters, prompting police
to intervene as the situation threatened to turn into violence.

Pearson will meet police today to study video footage from inside the ground with a view to identifying those responsible.
Hull’s profile is at an all-time high after successive promotions and Pearson, a former director of Leeds United, has
spent millions improving the status and image of the club.

“I’ve been told the fans chanted, ‘You’re a town full of bombers,’ but I didn’t hear any of the chants,” he said.
“We will be conducting a full and thorough investigation into this matter. Obviously, if the allegations are true then we,
as a club, completely abhor this sort of behaviour and those responsible will be dealt with accordingly – and that means
banning them.”

One travelling supporter, Adam Barford, who attended the match with his twin daughters, said: “The first chant was,
‘You’re just a town full of bombers’. I thought the police were slow in reacting. It was terrible. Even the police admitted
they were embarrassed by it.”

A Hull official said last night: “I heard it and it was sick. It changed what had been a great atmosphere.”

Superintendent Andrew Street, the match commander said: “I would like to offer both my personal apologies and those
of Humberside Police to the QPR supporters present at the match and also to the relatives and friends of those caught
up in the London atrocities last month.”

“We will study CCTV footage to ascertain if it is possible to identify who is to blame. The whole incident took us by
surprise, to be honest, but then again how can you anticipate such despicable behaviour from people who set out to go
and watch a match.”

“Some of the QPR fans reacted in the wrong way and tried to have a confrontation with rival Hull fans, so we had to deploy
officers to defuse the situation, but there were no arrests.”

As for me, the moment I heard it, I started to sing: ‘Maybe It’s Because I’m A Londoner’. As for the match, it finished goalless.

[Steve Russell]

From our Facebook group....

Terry Millichope
I was there that day and it did kick off outside afterwards

Myself and 3 mates went to a local pub afterwards to meet someone who lives up there when we walked
in the pub a fella asked me if I was QPR I replied yes expecting it to kick off again but instead he apologised
for what happened and offered me a drink

I told him there was 4 of us but thanks anyway for the offer and he replied no problem I’ll get a round in.

As the drinks were being poured his mate then offered to buy another round.

Our train was booked for 8 pm and by the time we left the pub we’d been bought 5 rounds each one complete
with an apology.

Certainly a day I’ll never forget where I got to see the good and the bad in the people of Hull.

[Steve Russell]

And this....

Barry Callan
I was there as well. Great before the game drinking in one of their social clubs enjoying the day but after
that chant things changed. Bloke next to me was screaming out that he lost someone in the terror attack.

Went outside and it started kicking off first at a fence that divided the fans then along the paths and roads.
Horrid chant.