Aaron, those are horrific pictures!! Assuming Neil Best isn't there...big mistake - he's up there as the eye candy of the Ulster team as I've been saying for years!
Anyway, back to the subject in hand...it is pissing me off something shocking this attitude towards Ulster fans, the assumptions, generalisations and photographs with no explainations. We shouldn't have to try and defend a supporter who was severely beaten up by a professional sportsman after shouting some banter down at him (thinking whatever you may about what level of 'banter' is acceptable)
And I can't believe his comment about Julian Fowler!!!
I AM AGAIN SO INFURIATED BY FRANCIS'S CRAP I FELT COMPELLED TO FORWARD SOME FACTS - SUGGEST OTHER WITNESSES DO THE SAME;
Good Afternoon Neil;
I was right beside the incident, sober, & heard & saw all that went on. Trevor flipped at someone having a go at his pub - end of story therefore you like too many media people have defended the indefenceable. I too met Trevor at Barnhall 7yrs ago & found him too be a most hospitable & warm chap. However, he lost it big style & has told lies to attempt to redeem a very bad situation. Neil - I would ask that you, as a close friend of his, would encourage him to come clean, tell the truth as should have at the outset & regain our respect for an individual I had great affection for before but unfortunately is now way off the radar! Please find attached the true version of events as was Julian Fowlers which you chose to dismiss so easily.
I attended the match with my wife & we were seated in row 6 having purchased tickets through the internet direct from Toulouse. In the 1st half a group of lads were seated 1 row behind us,amongst whom was Patrick Bamford. They were in good spirits & had obviously taken drink but were humourous without being annoying or abusive. Patrick was probably the most boisterous of the group & moved beside my wife to row 6 in the 2nd half. He had a peculiar trait of calling bad play or his less favourable players 'very average or average' which showed his demanour not to be abusive in any way.
T Brennan started warming up in front of us & the 'banter' started - I feel by his positioning directly in front of our support, he was looking to attract attention. Some people booed, others shouted Trevor or big T but it was low key banter. He did a few pressups & a section of the crowd counted out & gave him a bit of 'stick' about their lack of quality. Patrick & several others were giving him 'stick' about his pub which they had obviously been in previously. Comments made by PB were 'your bar's very average', 'worst Friday night Ive had in my life Brennan', 'your bars crap' (a few people chanted this at him). Having appeared to having enjoyed the banter initially Brennan seemed to take exception to this & shouted to PB - 'what did you say' to which PB replied 'your Guinness is the worst I've ever tasted'.
At this stage Brennan stradled the wall took several strides over seats before unleashing 5-6 really heavy blows into PBs face - each 1 connecting viciously. My wife has been photo'd beside PB & had to take evasive action. The whole crowd were in a state of shock before it turned to anger when he went onto the field. My wife literaly shook the rest of the game & still can't take in what happened - like the rest of us.
A security person arrived & seemed to want to eject PB before I intervened by explaining how he had been assaulted. He was subsequently looked after by the local authorities before returning to his seat totally dazed, cut up & in obvious shock.
As for sectarian, abusive or family related remarks - utter lies & nonsense which makes the situation worse from peoples perception of Brennan.
YOU don't know me, so let me fill you in. I'm a 49-year-old civil servant, not a Burberry-wearing hooligan. I'm a former rugby player that has played at Thomond, Ravenhill and Donnybrook. I'm a massive Ulster supporter. I've missed three away European games since 1998. I see about threequarters of the away games in the Celtic League each year.
I've missed three games in total this season. I've been to Paris three times, Bourgoin, Biarritz twice and this was my second time to Toulouse.
The day before, I even went down to Castres to see them play Wasps and ironically, the home fans there were much worse than anything we witnessed in Toulouse. Now you know my background and where I'm coming from.
But you want to know about the game. The facts.
What really happened with Trevor Brennan and the Ulster fans last Sunday.
There was a carnival atmosphere in Toulouse, people were happy and the game was quite a good one. There was nothing resting on it so both teams were playing a bit of rugby. In the area we were sitting, there were about 1,000 Ulster supporters, mixed with a few home supporters. Obviously there was no segregation, it was just normal as one would expect.
Trevor Brennan came down to do his warm-up about 10 minutes into the second half, by himself and into the Ulster corner. Some people are saying he was provocative in doing that, but it's rubbish. Why shouldn't he come down there. He got a bit of abuse, a bit of "Who are you?" which is quite a regular thing strangely involving famous players.
Then of course he's one of our own and he has a bit of a reputation but it's a reputation of a pantomime villain. A lot of Ulster fans have huge admiration for the guy. He's done so well and his story is a bit like Vinnie Jones going to Real Madrid in footballparlance. It's a great tale and he's done a great job for them.
He did his warm up and he actually turned to the crowd and smiled. He put out his hands and lifted them like he was conducting an orchestra, asking 'is that the best you can do?'. That wasn't provocative, it was genuine bi-play. He then went to walk towards the dug out but quickly turned back to the crowd. I assumed someone had shouted out for an autograph or something. But he just walked up the steps, and started laying into this guy. It was astonishing, surreal.
I couldn't tell you what individuals might have been saying but he threw six, eight punches. Eventually security came along and a couple of supporters helped drag him off and thank goodness because he didn't finish his job. He was escorted to the edge of the pitch. At this point a lot of people, mostly Ulster supporters, threw their plastic cups towards him, most containing beer and wine. I know because I was in the second row and was soaked.
Liquid did go over him and that was wrong but the guy was lucky he wasn't lynched.
The crowd could have been on the pitch. I'm in the supporters club and I was trying to keep people back. We even pulled one guy off the wall surrounding the pitch.
Whilst this was happening Gareth Thomas had got into some trouble with supporters and was going to climb in. He didn't, he was held back by some people from the club.
Talking retrospectively, he saw Brennan with beer being thrown at him and reacted to help his pal. The way he reacted wasn't right but allowances are made and I understand what he tried to do. Some Ulster guys met him in the airport afterwards and asked what he was at and he said he was helping Trevor, but they got the phones and showed him what happened and he was astonished.
The presumption was there was provocation and it was sectarian. People were saying we have Linfield and Glentoran fans at our games. Of course we do. We play different days and it's the same across the world. But to say it's a thing we have against "Southerners" is lazy, abysmal journalism. People say the individual in question shouted "Your mother's a whore". I talked to a lot of people, friends of the guy who was attacked, Catholic and Protestant, and I can only take their word. But regardless, is Trevor's reaction good enough?
If only everyone had Neil McMillan's dedication....
El Diablo wrote:I, and a good number of Leinster fans have spent the week defending the reputation of Ulster supporters. However I have to say the photo in yesterdays Irish Times of Brennan being heckled and showered in beer in unacceptable behaviour by a number of Ulster fans. It is ugly and I would hope that most real supporters would condemn it.
It doesn't justify Brennans actions but it looks more like soccer thuggery than the "good natured ribbing" that has been referred to on this forum for the last week.
I appreciate that most of you haven't seen the pic. I will try and scan it (as Rooster will testify I am not very techie minded). The idiot showering TB (and other fans) in beer is clearly identifiable.
we've all seen the pic many times, el diablo. i don't know how you missed it until yesterday.
yet again, a paper printed it without making it clear that it happened after the 'incident'. which doesn't excuse it but makes it less of a red flag to those who want to criticise ulster.
The fact that the pic was taken AFTER the attack by Brennan does indeed change the perspective on that photo. The Irish Times should have stated this fact under the photo. I will try and send an email to the sports editor or the journalist who wrote the accompanying article.
I have read the read the reports above by le lapin and others. It's just a pity that some of the journalists reporting on this incident, haven't bothered to read them.
