Trying to remember the title of a book about football hooligans.

kitakyushu

Hi. Just now a book I read popped into my head and I've decided to try track it down again. Problem is I can't remember the title and I was hoping someone here might have read it also and can remember what it was.

I can't remember much about the book except that it was non-fiction about a guy who went undercover with a group of football hooligans to find out about them. I think the guy was a journalist rather than with the police.

Regarding what club he was with I've an idea it might have been ManU he was with but I'm not even sure about that much. Timeframe wise I've a feeling it was probably set about events during the 1980's. I think I read it during the mid 90s anyway and that it was set some years prior to that, but not too many.

One aspect of the book I remember is that the writer was amazed to learn that many of these hooligans had respectable lives during the week and had jobs and careers once their Saturday afternoon activities were done. He'd presumed that they would all just be inherent yobs and that's why they were drawn to hooliganism.

Anyway, All I know is that it was definitely published prior to that documentary Donal MacEntire did with Chelsea (in 1999) because I remember watching it and thinking his idea had already been done years earlier. I've checked Amazon and I can't really find anything that ticks all the right boxes so I thought maybe someone here might know what it is.

Thanks.

Washington Irving

Among The Thugs, maybe?

kryogen

Was it the one about the Zulu Warriors? the Birmingham hooligans?

Was written in the 80's by a journalist called Caroline Gall, book was called Zulu.

Quick search

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heres some info on it

http://www.realhooligans.com/?p=6

Sasquatch76

If it was Man Utd, it might be Men in Black? Remember a cousin reading it.

Edit: Scratch that - first published 2005 :-/

tim_holsters

OP the book you're after is definitely Among the Thugs by Bill Buford.

Jelle1880

tim_holsters wrote: »

OP the book you're after is definitely Among the Thugs by Bill Buford.

Definitely that one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Among_the_Thugs

kitakyushu

Thanks all who replied.

Most of you seem to think it's 'Among the Thugs' and from reading up on it I would tend to agree. I'd say I'm about 90% certain it's that book, so that's good enough for me.

Plus, don't ask me why but I do remember the jacket had a colour scheme of black yellow red and this edition/cover below certainly seems familiar to me for some reason.

http://www.footybooks.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=107&products_id=1379

(interestingly that link says the book is fiction, but I'm almost certain it was non-fiction)

Anyway, that's another of life's mysteries solved. Thanks.

kryogen

Among the Thugs is a good read, and inspired much of what you see in the recent footie hooligan films if you like the subject matter then Zulu would also be a good one for you, the one I posted earlier Also Cass

Jelle1880

kitakyushu wrote: »

Thanks all who replied.

Most of you seem to think it's 'Among the Thugs' and from reading up on it I would tend to agree. I'd say I'm about 90% certain it's that book, so that's good enough for me.

Plus, don't ask me why but I do remember the jacket had a colour scheme of black yellow red and this edition/cover below certainly seems familiar to me for some reason.

http://www.footybooks.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=107&products_id=1379

(interestingly that link says the book is fiction, but I'm almost certain it was non-fiction)

Anyway, that's another of life's mysteries solved. Thanks.

I think there's been about 4 or 5 different covers for this book.

kryogen

Yeah it was reprinted a couple of times.

Jelle1880

Would be nice to use this thread as a recommendation for football books in general perhaps ?

I recently finished Calcio: A history of Italian Football again, by John Foot (An apt name, if there ever was one).

Brilliant read for anyone who is remotely interested in Italian football.

blahfckingblah

wow that Among the Thugs book looks really interesting might give it a look myself.

fryup

do you not think that these books and movies gloriify these scumbags

tim_holsters

fryup wrote: »

do you not think that these books and movies gloriify these scumbags

If you read Among The Thugs you'll see that that's not the case.

The books that Kryogen mentions, well there a different kettle of fish.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

fryup wrote: »

do you not think that these books and movies gloriify these scumbags

They're interesting and the stories are from 20-odd years ago mostly, not today, so who really cares?

fryup

baz2009 wrote: »

They're interesting and the stories are from 20-odd years ago mostly, not today, so who really cares?

well i'm sure the poor innocent by-standers who got their heads kicked in care...also the bar owners and the cafe owners who had their premises smashed up care

and it hasn't gone away..hooliganism is still prevelant esp in the lower leagues in england

kryogen

tim_holsters wrote: »

If you read Among The Thugs you'll see that that's not the case.

The books that Kryogen mentions, well there a different kettle of fish.

Disagree, Zulu is a pretty well written account and doesnt glorify it in my opinion anyway, Cass is slightly different alright because that is coming from an actual hooligan himself, so its all from his perspective.

Depends on what your into I suppose, I find the psychological aspect of it fascinating so will pretty much read anything relating to it, psychological impacts of situations or circumstance interest me greatly!

Currently reading a book about the Stanford Prison Experiment, brilliant read for anyone interested, apologies for going off topic!

Rise of the Footsoldier is another good read actually now I think of it

Zebra3

kitakyushu wrote: »

Thanks all who replied.

Most of you seem to think it's 'Among the Thugs' and from reading up on it I would tend to agree. I'd say I'm about 90% certain it's that book, so that's good enough for me.

Plus, don't ask me why but I do remember the jacket had a colour scheme of black yellow red and this edition/cover below certainly seems familiar to me for some reason.

http://www.footybooks.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=107&products_id=1379

(interestingly that link says the book is fiction, but I'm almost certain it was non-fiction)

Anyway, that's another of life's mysteries solved. Thanks.

Buford, iirc, was an American. Hung around with Man Utd fans from London one of whom was a sparks.

Long time ago since I read it.

falan

Another soccer hooligan book, i really enjoyed was called Booted and suited, the real story of the 1970's by Chris Brown...

Great read..

Jelle1880

fryup wrote: »

do you not think that these books and movies gloriify these scumbags

Some of them do, but not all of them.

Most of the books relating to the subject of casuals and hooligans give the reader a view in days gone by.

The days off the terracing, going on the train to away games with mates, beers on the terrace,...

tim_holsters

kryogen wrote: »

Disagree, Zulu is a pretty well written account and doesnt glorify it in my opinion anyway, Cass is slightly different alright because that is coming from an actual hooligan himself, so its all from his perspective.

Depends on what your into I suppose, I find the psychological aspect of it fascinating so will pretty much read anything relating to it, psychological impacts of situations or circumstance interest me greatly!

Currently reading a book about the Stanford Prison Experiment, brilliant read for anyone interested, apologies for going off topic!

Rise of the Footsoldier is another good read actually now I think of it

Granted as hooligan books go Zulu’s certainly ain’t the worst but it glorifies violence as the vast majority of these books do and they have too really if they want to garner a decent readership. Zulu’s just happened to be the last one I read.

I’m not saying the Zulu’s aren’t interesting because they are especially when all the social and racial angles are factored in but Gall’s book with all the best of intentions just ends up doing what almost every other book in the genre seems to do, and that is just become a morass of repetition. We done them, they done us. But we did them better. I did get a laugh out of the Cass film mind.

Maybe Buford’s book isn’t even as good as I remember it but it certainly has a different cut and thrust than what typifies the norm on this subject. You’re right though the whole psychological aspect is fascinating, I remember reading Dougie Brimson and thinking never again but alas I did.

In saying that all the characters you end up reading about you can’t help but have respect for a lot of them. It was a different time a different cultural landscape, if a casual has never harmed a scarfer who can say that he is not an honourable man?