Terrace Legends - The Most Terrifying And Frightening Book Ever Written About Soccer Violence. Cass Pennant
DESCRIBE THE BEST TAKING OF AN END YOU’VE EVER WITNESSED.
I was sort of at the end of the era when taking Kops was fashionable, but sixty of us took West Brom’s Kop and we had a beano on Barnsley’s once. The best taking of an end has surely got to be Lorraine Bobbit’s effort!
WHICH WAS YOUR OWN TEAM’S POPULAR END?
Sheffield United’s Spion Kop, the Shoreham End. I have preferred to sit in the South Stand since 1974 but the Shoreham saw some proper running battles – with Leeds, Arsenal and West Ham all coming on.
WHERE DID YOU STAND OR SIT IN THE GROUND?
At Bramall Lane, I’ve always liked the South Stand.
CAN YOU RECALL A BATTLE YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN, EITHER INSIDE OR OUTSIDE A GROUND?
Inside was Bristol City away, two years running, in the late ’80s. Outside was Leeds at home around 1985. The Bristol sessions were both end of season and had everybody going down, lagered up, and what have you. Proper beano, like. At one of them, I was wearing ’70s flares and platform boots. The day was mental.
CAN YOU RECALL THE BEST EVER MOB YOUR TEAM HAS PUT TOGETHER?
We turned a massive 600 out for a Leeds visit in 1983. The two clubs hadn’t played each other for years and leaflets had been distributed to urge United’s lads to turn out in numbers and give it to Leeds. We also took 600 to the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley against Sheffy Wendy. That was an absolutely awesome firm too.
WHO’S THE BEST RIVAL FIRM YOU’VE EVER SEEN?
Pompey in ’84 when the 6.57 brought around 300 lads who were well up for it, and they splattered us all over that day. Leeds also brought around 300 in ’85. The plod couldn’t keep things under wraps that day and it was mayhem. Leeds were well up for it.
WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST RIVALS TEAM-WISE?
Sheffield Wendy.
WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST RIVALS FAN-WISE?
Leeds United, although Wolves have, of late, become a hated mob because they attacked shirters at Molineux the season, 2002/3. Plus the Turks from Galatasaray, as an Englishman.
HAVE YOU EVER JOINED UP WITH ANOTHER TEAM’S FIRM?
No, but I’ve been out with Everton a few times and I’m very good pals with a few of their lads.
DID YOU EVER FOLLOW ENGLAND AND WOULD YOU PUT ENGLAND BEFORE YOUR CLUB?
I’ve travelled away with England, most notably to France ’98 for the World Cup, but England wouldn’t come before my club.
WHICH WAS THE BEST ENGLAND ROW?
Hampden Park in 1985. England took a massive firm up to Scotland and we took it to the Jocks who were shocked by the sheer size of the numbers we had out. We chased the sweats all over the place from the start of the day to the end. The Old Bill escort to the ground contained 1,000 to 1,200 proper boys – it was the cream of English firms up ’n’ down our green and pastured lands.
HAVE YOU EVER SUPPORTED OR LOOKED OUT FOR ANOTHER TEAM’S RESULTS?
I’m a Glasgow Rangers fan. It started at school. At the time I liked Celtic out of the two of them. On United’s Shoreham Kop I shouted ‘Celtic!’ when our fans went into the Rangers – Celtic chant. Soon after I saw Rangers on TV in Europe, and all their fans had the Union Jacks out and I realised they were British, and proud of it. My allegiance changed and I support them and buy my son, Jack, their kits. I’m not really into all the political aspect of it, but the Union Jacks did it for me.
NAME YOUR TOP FIVE FIRMS, IN ANY ORDER.
In any order, Pompey’s 6.57 from the ’80s and likewise West Ham’s ICF of that era. Another good firm from the early ’80s were Man. City’s Cool Cats/Mayneline firm. Then two mobs who have been good for two decades, Boro and Millwall. Respect goes out to the following, though: Chelsea, Leeds, Lincoln, Birmingham and, of course, the Soul Crew.
WHICH IS THE WORST GROUND YOU’VE EVER BEEN TO AND WHY?
Without doubt that’s Millwall’s old Cold Blow Lane. Everything about the place was intimidating, – the flats and surrounding areas, the clueless Old Bill, and every man and his granny wanted to rip your ‘norven’ head off. I went down there five times and they were at it, every one of them. So it’s Millwall by a country mile.
WHICH IS THE BEST STADIUM YOU’VE BEEN TO?
The Olympic Stadium in Rome. I was lucky enough to be invited over there by my good pal Paul Heaton. He’s an expert on Italian football and is an avid Inter fan. Channel Four had invited him over to commentate with James Richardson, the expert.
Lazio were playing Inter and the atmosphere was brilliant. The game itself was a great 2–2 draw and we went for a meal after with ex-Chelsea skipper Paul Elliot, who is a boss geezer, by the way, but one greedy cunt. He can eat two potatoes more than a pig. Cheers, Mr Heaton. On the English front, Old Trafford is a brilliant ground to visit.
WHO ARE THE FAIREST COPPERS YOU’VE COME ACROSS AT A MATCH?
It’s got to be the Met in London. In the early days they didn’t have a fuckin’ clue. No wonder the London firms built up good firms with them in tow.
AND THE WORST OLD BILL?
I used to think South Yorkshire Police were pretty fair. You fucked them about and they fucked you, but now my opinion has changed. Lately our plod are no more than legalised thugs themselves. They have hidden agendas and take great delight in mullering anything that moves, guilty or not. The mufty squad [riot police] take off their ID numbers so they can’t be identified before they dish out their treatment. As football lads know, that’s the gamble, but when innocent fans are getting twatted by the Old Bill then there’s something seriously wrong.
WHAT WOULD HAVE STOPPED YOU GETTING INVOLVED WITH THE BOYS AT MATCHES?
Apart from a 12-inch cock, I think the only thing that would have stopped me is if I had received a jail term after the birth of my first child. I think that when you have a youngster your priorities change and you start to think, what if I go down? Will my little ’un be okay? Fatherhood definitely changed me as a person and it probably came at the right time.
DESCRIBE SOME OF THE METHODS AND TACTICS USED BY THE POLICE AND AUTHORITIES TO STOP FOOTBALL VIOLENCE, AND DO YOU THINK THEY WORK?
I think this new Section 60 law is total bollocks. [Section 60 of the Crime, Justice and Public Order Act, 1994, introduced by Tory Home Secretary Michael Howard to tackle noisy ravers and football hooligans]. How can the bizzies stop you on the strength that they think you’re going to do something? Lads should read up on the facts of Section 60 because the plod are breaking the rules of it with regularity. They don’t have the rights that you think they have. The best, but most alarming police tactic, use is football grasses. They get lads on a bad charge, offer them a deal, then pay large amounts of cash for information about where a firm’s meeting and who’s doing/done what, but all the time the informers are usually up to things twenty times worse than proper