Yes, more Leeds supporters will be in the away end at Bolton than Hull supporters at Bury, but that doesn't in any way guarantee that on each of the trains there will be Leeds supporters outnumbering Hull supporters (which is what appears to be suggested, as we are talking about potential disorder on trains).
And even if you could be sure of that, the fact there are more of one group than another does not mean the outnumbered group will "keep quiet".
As for "no rivalry", it's unclear what is meant by this, but if the suggestion is that there is no prospect for trouble (which is what appears to be implied) then clearly that is very obviously false. Yes, there are many clubs Leeds hate more, but the fact is there will be people looking for trouble and it's down to what trains the respective groups catch, how well policed the trains are, and if anything happens to spark off an incident. If the aim wasn't to suggest there'd be no trouble then I'd have to question what point was being made...
There is good reason why Leeds Utd are one of the most disliked clubs in the country: the behaviour of a significant minority of their followers.
It doesn't guarantee anything, no, but if significantly more Leeds fans are travelling between Leeds and Manchester, then they are more likely to outnumber the Hull fans on the same journey...
As a season ticket holder for 18+ years and someone who went home and away with Leeds for 6 of those, there aren't many teams that Leeds fans
hate, we're arrogant enough to be indifferent about most teams. There's quite a few teams that 'hate' Leeds though (few opposition supporters can coherently explain why though). That said, most trouble tends to be for the first couple of seasons Leeds play a team, as Leeds being a big name (I'm not being arrogant, we regularly produce a teams biggest home attendance when we play them) tends to bring out the local idiots who don't get out much. But, the novelty soon wears off- as it has with Hull and Leeds. I don't think many people will be looking for trouble at a fixture against Bolton or Bury. They aren't the most exciting of draws.
In my opinion:
- BTP will be out in force.
- Leeds don't care about Hull. We've not played against each other enough to develop any animosity, and we've rarely being competing in the same part of the league table.
- For both fans going to fairly trivial games, it will be committed supporters that are travelling, not one off fans for a big game or idiots looking for trouble.
- The distances involved don't encourage the consumption of ridiculous amounts of alcohol.
- Any 'rivalry' is created purely by Sky TV looking to increase viewing figures and is purely derived from both clubs being in Yorkshire.
- A time of year when people are skint (fans either won't go and prioritise league games, or will moderate alcohol consumption)
...which in my experience all equates to a low chance of trouble. Even more so for normal travelling folk.
If I were on these services, I'd be more concerned about getting a seat.
