Why Millwall Isn’t The Club You Think It Is
There are many inaccurate stereotypes and opinions surrounding Millwall football club. As someone who goes to every game, every week, I am here to tell you my perspective.
I have lived in Bermondsey and supported Millwall for all my life. I have a strong love and passion for the football club. This is my perspective on the controversies the team and supporters have been involved in.
What do people think of Millwall?
Many people see Millwall as a violent club with a violent fan base. I’m not saying that Millwall are 100% not violent and in the past, yes, there have been incidents where supporters have been involved. But, not everyone that supports Millwall is violent, and not everyone that supports Millwall fights every weekend.
I feel like the opinion of Millwall and how we are presented in the newspapers is extreme and unfair. Here is an example: I was at the Millwall – Wigan FA Cup Semi-Final game in 2013. Reports of the game covered a large fight, and rightfully so, as it was bad. That said, they failed to mention how the outbreak started: there was an old man at the game, sitting down, and a man accidentally barged into him and sent him flying. All the fans stood up for the old man and it kicked off from there.
Does Millwall FC deserve its reputation?
As a fan of Millwall, and a fan that goes week in and week out regardless of whether we are winning or losing, I know the atmosphere. I am not trying to be biased, but I honestly don’t think the club deserves the reputation it has. In 2017, Millwall won the family club of the year award, out of 72 teams in the EFL. Millwall was seen as the club that did the most for their fans and community.
Another example of Millwall as a club doing the right thing was during the summer of 2018. Then, England fans were celebrating a 2-0 win against Sweden in the world cup, and a few idiotic drunk England fans felt the need to jump on an ambulance and caused £5000 worth of damages. The Millwall fans came together to raise money for the trashed car and paid for the repairs.
While I acknowledge that this article won’t change opinions of Millwall’s supporters or the club overnight, hopefully, it offers you some insight into what it is like growing up as a Millwall fan.