Post by admin on May 14, 2005 2:17:27 GMT 1
Details:
Martin King first went to see a football match in the early 1960s at White Hart Lane. Immediately hooked, he soon became an avid Chelsea fan, or as the title of his book suggests, a Hoolifan, as over the years he became one of Chelsea's "top boys", a ringleader in orchestrating the violence on the terraces and city streets which made Chelsea so notorious throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.
This is a tough and compelling account of how, according to King, football violence was and always has been, part of the fabric of male, working-class life. Page after page describes the adventures of King and the Chelsea fans as they follow Chelsea across the country, taking "ends" (the area of the ground usually reserved exclusively for the home team's fans) and engaging in organised fights, often on a terrifying and brutal scale. There are some wonderful sections on the vagaries of football fashion throughout the 70s and 80s and the cameraderie which unites the guild-like groups of fans is evoked with great skill. But King is often too quick to hide behind claims that innocents were never hurt in the violence he actively pursued and that the media has blown the problem out of all proportion. Nevertheless Hoolifan raises some uneasy and still unresolved questions about the nature of football violence. --Jerry Brotton
Customer Reviews:
amazing
I genuinely read this book in one night. Couldn't put it down. The harshness, humour and insight into football violence spanning over 3 decades is second to none!
'Simply Superb'
Hoolifan gives you an insight into the world of soccer violence. Martin King and Martin Knight together present you with a no holds barred account of their times in one of the most feared sets of fans - Chelsea. Martin Knight and Martin King explain their times on the terraces; the fashion, the leaders, the tactics. This is incredible book it's hard to sum it up... BUY IT. However, on a serious note do not read this book at night or you may find you won't beable to put it down, resulting in no sleep!
Zigger Zagger, Zigger Zagger Oy Oy Oy
This book was rivetting from start to finish and detailed the rise and 'decline' of large scale football violence. Martins King & Knight are followers of Chelsea FC and were at various times affiliated to the main Chelsea 'Firms'. Being a Chelsea fan myself I found many of the games I had attended included in the book and was refreshed by the honest approach these authors had taken. All the Chelsea 'Legends' of old Greenaway,Babs,Eccles & Icky are included. I still find it hard to believe that a one armed man was the leader of one of the most feared gangs of the time. If you have been a football fan over the last 20/30 years then this book is definitely worth a read
Martin King first went to see a football match in the early 1960s at White Hart Lane. Immediately hooked, he soon became an avid Chelsea fan, or as the title of his book suggests, a Hoolifan, as over the years he became one of Chelsea's "top boys", a ringleader in orchestrating the violence on the terraces and city streets which made Chelsea so notorious throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.
This is a tough and compelling account of how, according to King, football violence was and always has been, part of the fabric of male, working-class life. Page after page describes the adventures of King and the Chelsea fans as they follow Chelsea across the country, taking "ends" (the area of the ground usually reserved exclusively for the home team's fans) and engaging in organised fights, often on a terrifying and brutal scale. There are some wonderful sections on the vagaries of football fashion throughout the 70s and 80s and the cameraderie which unites the guild-like groups of fans is evoked with great skill. But King is often too quick to hide behind claims that innocents were never hurt in the violence he actively pursued and that the media has blown the problem out of all proportion. Nevertheless Hoolifan raises some uneasy and still unresolved questions about the nature of football violence. --Jerry Brotton
Customer Reviews:
amazing
I genuinely read this book in one night. Couldn't put it down. The harshness, humour and insight into football violence spanning over 3 decades is second to none!
'Simply Superb'
Hoolifan gives you an insight into the world of soccer violence. Martin King and Martin Knight together present you with a no holds barred account of their times in one of the most feared sets of fans - Chelsea. Martin Knight and Martin King explain their times on the terraces; the fashion, the leaders, the tactics. This is incredible book it's hard to sum it up... BUY IT. However, on a serious note do not read this book at night or you may find you won't beable to put it down, resulting in no sleep!
Zigger Zagger, Zigger Zagger Oy Oy Oy
This book was rivetting from start to finish and detailed the rise and 'decline' of large scale football violence. Martins King & Knight are followers of Chelsea FC and were at various times affiliated to the main Chelsea 'Firms'. Being a Chelsea fan myself I found many of the games I had attended included in the book and was refreshed by the honest approach these authors had taken. All the Chelsea 'Legends' of old Greenaway,Babs,Eccles & Icky are included. I still find it hard to believe that a one armed man was the leader of one of the most feared gangs of the time. If you have been a football fan over the last 20/30 years then this book is definitely worth a read