Source: Daily_Mail
Nethercott: FA would shut Millwall down if Cup riots had happened there
Former Millwall skipper Stuart Nethercott expects West Ham to be let off lightly after last month's Carling Cup riot at Upton Park - but feels the FA would have hammered the south Londoners had it been at the Den.
Stuart Nethercott
Lion heart: Stuart Nethercott believes Millwall would have had the Den closed if the West Ham riots had happened there
Both teams are set to be charged with failing to control their fans after pitch invasions and fighting outside the ground marred the Hammers 3-1 extra time victory but Nethercott does not expect the punishment to fit the crime because there is one law for Premier League teams and one for smaller clubs.
Former Spurs defender Nethercott said: 'If this had happened at Millwall, the FA would be clamoring to close the ground down. But as it happened at a Premier League ground - which is a one-off these days - they won't hit them anywhere near as hard.'
Both clubs are expected to be fined after the orchestrated violence, an outcome that Nethercott fears will harm hard-up League One Millwall far more than their illustrious rivals.
He added: 'It was certainly no surprise to me that it went off - but being hit in the pocket won’t bother West Ham financially yet a big fine for Millwall wouldn’t help the club at all.'
west ham fans
Boxed in: The police try and prevent West Ham fans invading the pitch again during the match with Millwall
Nethercott, 35, who was sacked as manager of Ryman League Maldon Town last week following a takeover from local rivals Tiptree, made 233 appearances for Millwall between 1997 and 2004 before joining Wycombe Wanderers.
Following his sudden dismissal at Maldon, Nethercott said: 'The new chairman has come in and he’s got his own ideas on how things should be done and I didn’t figure in them.
'That’s his decision and I’m not going to be bitter about it.'
