A cursory scan of a few well known websites and Facebook pages this morning tells me a few things.
1. Unlike Marseille, there are a considerable number of genuine English and Welsh hooligans now present. They are not interested in fighting the police, or the French or anyone except the Russians. The trigger for their arrival was the attacks on families and shirters in Marseille.
2. The French police very successfully it would seem prevented a clash at the train station yesterday afternoon by kettling the English hooligans whilst moving on the Russian group. I imagine this was on the advice of their British counterparts who are extremely good at fan management these days.
3. The problems in Lille last night stemmed from how the English and Welsh fans have decided to work. Rather than spreading out across the bars they are all sticking together. large groups of young men get bouncier than little groups.
4. The Russian ultras were conspicuous by their abscence yesterday, I suspect they haven’t gone home yet.
In that context I’d say that the French police did a pretty good job yesterday! With the potential for very serious disorder, 36 arrests is nothing and I reckon a number of those were preventative rather than responsive. If the English, Welsh and Russian hooligans do meet I think there could be fatalities as the talk is all of revenge. 🙁