European trips shouldn’t be a combat mission
It wasn’t quite Behind Enemy Lines but last week’s trip to Bosnia with Aberdeen had that feel about it.
Dozens of Dons fans were attacked with f lares, metal bars and bottles at a pub in Mostar on Wednesday night, leaving some bloodied and bruised.
Members of the Press were among the victims.
Sean Wallace of the Evening Express suf fered a deep wound to the head and burns to his legs before being assaulted again hours later by two thugs who commandeered his taxi.
When horrible incidents like these happen you have to file the story – but my hotel was put on lockdown as the trouble at the Black Dog pub raged a short distance away.
It triggered a few memories, Vietnam f lashbacks if you will. It’s almost three years since Aberdeen travelled to Groningen and had to run the gauntlet of Dutch hooligans.
There were hundreds of them and they ran amok in the city centre – one thug was even pictured using a bike as his weapon of choice.
That memory, the ter ror on faces and that walk towards the Noordlease Stadion with the hordes on the hunt for victims is scarring.
Being in P ra g ue wit h Hearts in 2006 was another example of the brutal side of following your club in Europe. Nutters dressed in black caused chaos in a boozer near the ground and a 64-year- old Lord Foulkes was booted in the head.
Wednesday was equally as scary. As I wondered if an early extraction was in order ahead of Dons’ Europa League clash against Siroki Brijeg, I heard Gene Hackman’s voice in my head: “Life is tough. I am very sorry. Now you pull yourself together.
“You do whatever it takes. Create some angles between