Post by admin on May 14, 2005 2:18:24 GMT 1
Customer Reviews:
Excellent
The original and possibly the best book on terrace culture. If you want to know what it was like to at football in the 70s & 80s then this is the book - you will feel like you are there. No bias like certain other books, it is excellent. As a follow up go for Armed for the Match by the same author.
The first and probably best in this genre
Colin Ward published this in the early years before any of the other 'lads' jumped on the band wagon. If you watched football in the 80's I guarantee you will be laughing or crying by the end of the first chapter. Colin was there and portrays what it was like to be football supporter before it became 'fashionable'. A classic on par with Fever Pitch for the humour and quality.
Required Reading
The cover of the edition I read is emblazoned with the phrase "The Classic of Football Writing," and for once I'm almost inclined to agree. Ward's book was the first (that I know of) to write of soccer hooliganism from the insider perspective. Ward's account is important in that he was neither an outsider to the violence, nor a central provocateur, and thus perhaps best represents the "average" hooligan of the '70s and '80s. Ready for a punchup if the situation called for it, ready to run if outnumbered, and disdainful of the more excessive violence (knives, etc...) and crazies who were attracted to the hooligan scene. He writes honestly about what he did and saw going to see Leatherhead, Arsenal, Chelsea, and England. It is in the "England Away" chapter that he really gets indignant about the behavior of his fellow fans, sharply critiquing their behavior abroad (see John King's novel England Away). By the end, one gets the impression he's fed up with the new, more organized system of hooligan gangs, police crackdowns, and has gotten out of the violence. It's an excellent and quick reading book for understanding the terrace culture of the '70s and '80s. For a great fictional insight into this area, try The Football Factory by John King or for an academic study, see Football Hooligans: Knowing the Score by Gary Armstrong.
Excellent
The original and possibly the best book on terrace culture. If you want to know what it was like to at football in the 70s & 80s then this is the book - you will feel like you are there. No bias like certain other books, it is excellent. As a follow up go for Armed for the Match by the same author.
The first and probably best in this genre
Colin Ward published this in the early years before any of the other 'lads' jumped on the band wagon. If you watched football in the 80's I guarantee you will be laughing or crying by the end of the first chapter. Colin was there and portrays what it was like to be football supporter before it became 'fashionable'. A classic on par with Fever Pitch for the humour and quality.
Required Reading
The cover of the edition I read is emblazoned with the phrase "The Classic of Football Writing," and for once I'm almost inclined to agree. Ward's book was the first (that I know of) to write of soccer hooliganism from the insider perspective. Ward's account is important in that he was neither an outsider to the violence, nor a central provocateur, and thus perhaps best represents the "average" hooligan of the '70s and '80s. Ready for a punchup if the situation called for it, ready to run if outnumbered, and disdainful of the more excessive violence (knives, etc...) and crazies who were attracted to the hooligan scene. He writes honestly about what he did and saw going to see Leatherhead, Arsenal, Chelsea, and England. It is in the "England Away" chapter that he really gets indignant about the behavior of his fellow fans, sharply critiquing their behavior abroad (see John King's novel England Away). By the end, one gets the impression he's fed up with the new, more organized system of hooligan gangs, police crackdowns, and has gotten out of the violence. It's an excellent and quick reading book for understanding the terrace culture of the '70s and '80s. For a great fictional insight into this area, try The Football Factory by John King or for an academic study, see Football Hooligans: Knowing the Score by Gary Armstrong.
