Die-hard Ultras / Hardcore Supporters

Matthew Foster8 said:but that isn't "Jazovka," or if I remember correctly, I think it's officially called "Club K" or something like that... behind the cinema in that lower passage in downtown...
unbelievable, but I actually finished up right there the day before the game. Honestly, how and why that happened remains one of the wildest stories of my life. 🙂
J., I don't think we were formally acquainted back then, but I doubt we would have missed each other, even if Zanzi had been around... I was with an older candidate who had just been deported from a European country to the States that morning... better not get into the details... 🙂

There wasn't anyone from Dalmatia here that night at that cafe, Twilight to Dawn; it's likely you're thinking of different people. Still, it's an interesting story—it just shows how everyone was vibing the exact same way back then because those experiences are universal.
@Marginalac1950 - you basically answered your own question. You said you didn't know any of us NFL fans and that you were just out on your own during away games. That's how the Boysi treated you; the US is a great place, and they were looking for groups, not some lone wanderer. No offense intended.

http://upload.slike.com/slike/2014/0...28890588_n.jpg

Rest in peace...

Matthew Foster8 said:but that isn't "The Ditch," or if I remember correctly, I think it was officially called "Club K" or something like that... behind the old cinema in that lower passage in downtown...
Unbelievable, but I actually finished up right there the day before the big game. Honestly, what happened, how it all went down... it remains one of the wildest stories of my life... 🙂
J., I don't think we were formally acquainted back then, though I doubt anyone would have missed each other even if Zanzi had been around... I was with an older candidate who had just been deported from a European country to the States that morning... better not get into the details... 🙂

You're right, Matthew Foster8, 😲 now that I think about it, I realize J... meant Flower beach, not Flower settlement... the way they described people "shoving through" and that pool hall with both pockets open really threw me off.
Both spots were famous for their sketchy underground scene; you'd cut through the alleyways and courtyards past the main drag to get to Zanzi (which is a restaurant now), whereas at Flower beach in the passage by the old cinema—specifically in the courtyard past the side exit—there was "The Ditch."

Back then, I was finishing up culinary school over in the Frankopan district, and we used to hang out at the old Libido od Dvornikovih in Dalmatia, which only stayed open for a short time. Danijela, Dina's friend, would make us coffee in the mornings with Ell working the counter 🙄 at the main illegal "coffee shop" where you could light up some weed in peace. Even girls from the nearby vocational school hung out there, and there was a peep show in the passage over in Frankopan... I went to that nasty "Ditch" a few times; besides the pool tables, the only things you could catch there were hepatitis or a heavy dose of marijuana. It was mostly the older crowd hanging out, the ones who were truly going through hell...

Thanks for the correction on the name of that dump, Matthew Foster8. 🙂

briskmarlin said:You're right, Matthew Foster8, 😲 now that I actually think about it, I realize J... meant Flower Beach, not Flower Settlement... the phrase "shoved in" and that pool table with both pockets open really threw me off.
Both spots were notorious for the junkie scene. You'd cut through the alleys from the main drag and pass through building courtyards to hit Zanzibar Night (which is a restaurant now), while over at Flower Beach—in the old cinema courtyard behind the side exit—there was that "swamp" of a place.

Back then, I was finishing culinary school near the Frankopan district, and we used to hang out at the oldLibido od Dvornikovih in Dalmatia, which didn't stay open long. Danijela would make us coffee in the mornings while working the counter with Ell 🙄 at the main illegal "coffee shop" where you could light up some weed in peace. Even girls from the nearby vocational school used to go there; there was even a peep show in the alleyway near Frankopan... In that disgusting "swamp," I went a few times—besides the pool table, the only things you could catch there were hepatitis or a heavy dose of marijuana. It was mostly an older crowd hanging out back then, people who were just going through hell.

Thanks for the correction on the name, Matthew Foster8. 🙂

Those were some good years. I can only imagine what those two cafes were like back then, haha. Plus, having Danijela behind the bar and Dino dropping by whenever he felt like it... man, those days are gone. Everyone is just running on the fastest, stupidest drug ever invented now.

The bad guys took a bit of a hit last night in the heart of the territory.

That’s all I’ve got to say until someone actually posts a photo, if they're even planning on doing that.

copperharbor02 said:A bunch of those haters got their tails kicked last night in the suburbs.

That’s all I’ve got to say until someone actually posts a photo... if they even plan on doing that.

There were a ton of them, saw it on the broadcast—maybe 300 people hanging out behind the hoop. Word is it was mostly folks from Belgrade plus that Niš cartel crew that follows them everywhere, and then just a bunch of expats. If anything even happened, then 😁👍

copperharbor02 said:The haters got a little bit of an action last night over in Dairy Land.

That’s all I have to say until someone actually posts a photo if they intend to.

Don't write anything. The German police read everything while they wait for Perković.🙄

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dCJW...ature=youtu.be

Starting at 22:55—his take on the fans... 😢

Taylor Hughes61 said:@Jeremy Mitchell11/">@@Jeremy Mitchell11 - Well, I think you kind of answered your own question there. You mentioned you didn't really know anyone from the Chicago Blackhawks fans crowd back then and that you mostly just did your own thing during away games. That’s probably why the Bad Boys didn't really notice you; Washington, D.C. is a huge city, and those guys were looking for organized groups, not just some guy wandering around solo. No offense intended, though.

I think you might have misread me. It's not that I was out there flying solo; honestly, if I remember right, maybe once or twice I was actually by myself. Most of the time, I wasn't going alone—I don't know why, but back then my crew wouldn't miss a game in Washington, D.C. for anything. Even now, if you look at the derby stats between D.C. and ST, the edge belongs way more to the D.C. side—I'd say it's easily over 70%,

We usually went as a group. Sometimes it was just two of us, sometimes a small convoy of 6 to 8 people in two cars, and about 80% of the time we had a little squad of three or four.

I can't say for sure since I spent so much time hitting up concerts, and there's always some group of college kids hanging around D.C., so maybe that's why I don't view the games as this incredibly high-tension thing. See, back in those days, practically every time you stepped out in D.C., you'd run into some kind of brawl. I personally got into a scrap with some skinheads outside of a game once—I still remember what happened with Phil Bree and those early parties where things got messy. I even remember getting jumped by some bloody skinhead in ST whose crew had just beaten someone up with a kitchen knife (and I was just on a trip, oh man 🙂🙂). Every single night you went out to any damn cafe, someone was fighting. You'd stumble into it walking through the city too, especially near the Rotor Works area because of how popular SH was. So, when you take all those experiences and add the fact that everyone expects high energy at Real Madrid or Juventus games, I guess you can see why it doesn't feel like an "extra intense" situation to me.

Add to that the fact that I'm just a wanderer, like everyone else. I'm always out and about; I even walked through town once with a banner wrapped under my shirt... basically, even if they didn't recognize me, if things were as tense as people claim (which, in my opinion, is a bit exaggerated), seeing 3 or 4 unknown guys in their prime just loitering around, I'm pretty sure I would've ended up in trouble more often than I did.

Maybe it's just me. I know a lot of locals said it was easy to film the Chicago Blackhawks fans because they were walking around with their eyes wide open, like some smuggler crossing the border or something. But I'll tell you, the one time I actually had a banner, I walked right under their section and even asked some guys if they had any "supplies" 🤣

Jeremy Mitchell11 said:Maybe it’s just me. Everyone keeps saying it was easy to film the Chicago Blackhawks fans because they were walking around wide-eyed and clueless. You know the drill—some shady deal happening right at the border. I was there, just one single time, watching a banner pass right under their section. Some guys were even asking if anyone had any extra supplies. 🤣

😉

Jeremy Mitchell11 said:So, there’s this one lone instance where some guy with a dream manages to walk right under their section, and he actually has the nerve to ask some guys in red jerseys if they have any extra supplies on hand🤣.

Is that supposed to be some kind of hilarious comedy routine or something? 🤷

I was basically following Jeremy Mitchell11’s trail through Washington, D.C. back in the late 90s and early 2000s—had a whole crew of students with me, hitting every single derby from the 98/99 season through about 2007. Honestly? It felt way more dangerous the night before a game than on the actual match day... I’d even go as far as saying a random Saturday night could be just as sketchy. Based on what some of the older guys told me, things used to get wild around Impotrane while Rotor Works was still running (pretty sure they shut down right when I moved to D.C.). You’d have these themed student nights, you know, "with the taste of the sea, with the taste of salt," that would end up tasting like blood instead. After that, everyone would head over to Kulušić—I actually saw two massive brawls break out in that area during the early morning hours. And the SH movement? At its peak, that crowd always hung out around Imortane.

neonhawk15 said:Is this supposed to be some kind of hilarious joke? 🤷

🤷

It was just life. That’s how things actually went down back then. ☕

So you’re comparing how things used to be back then to how they are now, when everyone is constantly whining about repression and how much the scene has declined. Nowadays, everyone just goes along willingly under heavy police escort for away games. I mean, what's really the point if there's zero adrenaline left? What's the purpose of any of this if you aren't actually stepping up on "enemy territory" 😁?!?!?

John Richardson5 said:So you're basically comparing how things used to be back in the day to how they are now, where everyone's constantly whining about being repressed and how much the scene has gone downhill. I mean, people just willingly go under police escort for away games now... what's even the point of any of this if there's zero adrenaline left? Like, what's the actual goal if you aren't out there pushing boundaries on "hostile territory" 😁?!?!?

🙏

John Richardson5 said:So you're basically comparing how things used to be versus today, where everyone’s whining about being repressed and how the whole scene has gone downhill because everyone just volunteers to stay under heavy police surveillance during away games, right? I mean, what's even the point of all this if there's zero adrenaline involved, and what kind of points are we actually scoring if we aren't out there braving the "hostile territory" 😁?!?!?

The only "tiny" difference is that back in the day, if you got busted, you'd be heading home that night or the next and you'd be right back in the stands by the following weekend, whereas nowadays you get slapped with six months of investigation and a two-year ban from the stadium.

Jonathan Anderson11 said:The only "tiny" difference is that back then, if you took a fall, you’d just head home that night or the next, and you were right back in the stands the following week. Nowadays? You get hit with a massive investigation and a two-year ban before you can even blink.

Man, look, I know you can't really compare how the police and the courts handled things back in the day versus now, but I think the point is probably more about those fan-on-fan scraps when the cops aren't even around.🤷
Let me try to paint a picture for you... honestly, in today's world, I think most people would actually prefer being outnumbered by just a couple of guys rather than getting caught by the cops—which is just how it usually goes. But man, if I were the one chasing you down, I'd be praying to God that the police showed up first.😁

Jonathan Anderson11 said:The only "small" difference is that back then, if you fell, you’d just head home and be right back in the stands by next week. Nowadays? You get hit with a massive investigation and a two-year ban.

I guess you're right, and what you're saying is true, but things can go any way they want. I mean, look at how the laws regarding pyrotechnics are handled—it's basically a free-for-all, more or less.😉

Honestly, it might be easier to just fly the flag and call it a day...

neonhawk15 said:Is this supposed to be some kind of hilarious joke or what? 🤷

The whole "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" tactic... 😉

I’m not saying wandering around with signs in small little groups was exactly the smartest move back then, but looking back at those old-school Ultras from years ago, there was at least a sense of adventure and a certain kind of romance to it, you know...
Now we've swung to the complete opposite extreme, and honestly, for a fan, this new direction might actually be even worse than that raw mentality we saw in the 90s...

wearyraven25 said:The old strategy: "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." 😉

I don't think wandering around with banners in small groups was ever the smart move, but looking back from where we stand now, there was at least a sense of adventure and romance to being an Ultras.
Now everything has swung to the other extreme, which might actually be worse for the fans than that 90s mentality.

🙄
It wasn't really about being smart or stupid; that was just how things were, and there wasn't much of a choice.
But I'll give you this: it was definitely romantic. 🙂

Honestly, if you compare the "weight" of the banners traveling around over the last decade to anything from back when people were touring for five or six years straight... 😉

The eras, the people, and the traditions are just incomparable. ☕

Everyone just fights with whatever tools they have at the time. 😁