birmingham zulus
birmingham have long enjoyed patronage from a mixed demographic. their renowned hooligan fringe, known as the birmingham zulus, sprung up in the 1980s and comprised youths with different ethnic backgrounds .
it is thought members of birmingham city' s hooligan gang, the zulus, might attend the event and after consultation with police the licensee cancelled it .
caroline gall, from birmingham, has recently had her book' zulus: a football hooligan gang' published. it has already sold several thousand copies ...
the sense of violence prompted by honour is added to further by the zulus' insistence that they were defending birmingham - their city - from the invasion of opposing firms .
gall had previously written the history of the zulus – the birmingham city hooligans – and was approached by leeds to put their own story in print for the first time .
so spotting a gap in the market caroline, who comes from birmingham, stepped in with
zulus
, which has been flying off the pre - christmas shelves in the city' s bookshops .
officers from liverpool and birmingham are also travelling to cardiff to help with policing .
police anti hooligan operation at birmingham city v aston villa - 30 oct 2016 .
police in birmingham have carried out a series of dawn raids on suspected football hooligans .
police made 16 arrests on saturday night as cardiff city fans met with supporters from birmingham .
caroline admits she was shocked by some of the tales she was told but insists that when she met the zulus they seemed like normal blokes .
the hooligan factions of the support are never far away when the two sides meet, with the ‘battle of rocky lane’ now something of a folklore, when villa hardcore and birmingham zulus fought before the first league derby for 15 years in 2002 .
bluebirds fans have reportedly been using the internet to arrange clashes with birmingham' s minority element .
the book details the history of aston villa' s hooligan element from the 1960s to the present day, including several clashes with their rivals, the zulus .
the fact the book has already sold several thousand copies since it was published in november suggests people agree and want to read about the zulus and their exploits .
a book launch about a birmingham hooligan group has been cancelled over fears of trouble with a rival gang .
the exhibition of living foreign peoples in 19 th century britain, ideas lab podcast, university of birmingham .
our russian friends from okolofutbola /
around the football
/ met the zulus and did video interview with them speaking about the story of the group and the present days .
there are several incidents of hooligan activity away from football, both in birmingham and elsewhere in the country. the zulus went looking for villa fans in different suburbs of the city, and some attended matches not involving blues just because there were teams with a good
firm
there .
the book' s mixed world of apparently decent guys turning into thugs when they fancy it is perhaps best summed up in the words of one of the zulus, david george .
birmingham city fans threw seats, coins and a lump of concrete during a match at cardiff' s ninian park last august .
birmingham city’s ground is situated in the bordesley area of birmingham, in particular the nechells ward. this is an area that has a typically mixed demographic for the city – 59% english, 7% pakistani, 4% somalian, 3% bangladeshi. the population is around 34, 000 with only 69% english speaking – birmingham, overall, is 85% english speaking .
caroline says she had no intention of glamourising the zulus and writes in her book' s introduction :
there is no denying the football hooligan his place in the annals of british social history .
the birmingham zulus have been quiet recently because of the arrest of dozens of their members since 2000, in an operation by west midlands police known as operation red card. many people believe they no longer exist, but you only have to look at the trouble caused at derby matches when you hear the chant of
zulu
.
they are being questioned by police in connection with serious disorders committed before the derby game between aston villa and birmingham city in september .
back in the late 1970s, the chant of “zulu, zulu! ” on the streets of birmingham could only mean one thing .
the most recent breakdown of birmingham’s shareholders reveals that 96. 64% (78, 769, 201 shares) of the total issued share capital in birmingham city plc is owned by birmingham international holdings limited (bih). these shares are traded on the hong kong stock exchange and 27% (some 22 million) are owned by carson yeung ka - sing and 15% by wang lei .
martin bowman, 36, of eastfield road, bordesley green, birmingham, was sentenced to eight months for breaking seats and throwing one .
mark brennan, 31, of tibland road, birmingham, who stamped on a seat but did not throw anything, was jailed for three months .
a short insight into the life of dave small, editor of the birmingham city football club fanzine the zulu. please rate / sub or comment .
amid a host of birmingham success stories in ref 2014, the department of history’s results stood out as being particularly exceptional. ranked first overall in the country by times higher education, birmingham’s history research scored highly for output, impact and environment – a rare example of across - the - board excellence .
demonstrating the cross - disciplinary nature of nineteenth - century show and exhibition studies, sadiah qureshi, from the department of history, also contributes a chapter to the same volume :
meeting the zulus: displayed peoples and the shows of london
.
support - wise, birmingham’s attendances have slumped down the decades and from enjoying the fourth best average in england in 1973 (36, 663), they are now running at around half of that figure. but birmingham’s crowds have recovered from the 1980s when they fell to alarming levels for a club of its size .
risk supporters, as they are officially called, consider themselves tribal families who pass on the taste for fighting to their sons and grandsons, and will probably never be removed despite the continuing efforts of the government, police and football authorities .
the normal paying public wouldn' t understand it ,
says wally, a 46 - year - old who was once a prominent force in birmingham city' s firm the zulus .
we class ourselves as family. the zulus have been together for over 25 years now. we go out together, drink together, go to weddings and funerals, and are in business together. we look out for each other .
but caroline has spent the past year immersed in the world of one of england' s most notorious football hooligan
firms
- birmingham city' s zulu warriors .
' meeting the zulus: displayed peoples, british imperialism and the shows of london, 1853–1879', in joe kember, john plunkett, jill sullivan, eds, popular exhibitions, science and showmanship, 1840–1914 (pickering and chatto, 2012), pp. 183–198 .
villa sold him to birmingham shortly afterwards, where hopkins made over 100 appearances and was even inducted into the hall of fame at the club formerly known as small heath alliance .
“you could tell it was a proper, proper derby. every derby has its own edge, every derby is special in its own way and the birmingham derby was special. ”
lee devine, 32, of chisholm grove, acocks green, birmingham, who has 22 previous convictions and was given a football banning order in may, was sentenced to four months .
there are also fears that hooligans attached to cardiff city, who have one of the worst reputations in the uk, may seek confrontations with birmingham' s notorious
zulu warriors
.
when you consider that central birmingham has a population twice the size of manchester and almost three times as big as liverpool, it certainly puts the city’s modern day footballing struggles into perspective .
since the start of the premier league, birmingham city have spent seven seasons in the top flight, including three in the past decade. they enjoyed three promotions: in 2002, 2007 and 2009, and although in 2011 - 12, the parachute payments probably benefitted birmingham and almost resulted in a quick return to the premier, the club has been in something of a slow decline .
there is one tale of a group of zulus hitting a visiting chelsea fan in the eye with a stick with a nail on it. the gang ran away in panic, but waited around the corner for an ambulance to arrive because they
wanted to make sure the lad made it to hospital
.
despite bearing the name of england’s second largest metropolis, birmingham city football club has invariably been in the shadow of local rivals aston villa, an infinitely more successful club over the decades. with a population of 1. 1 million in birmingham itself, and an urban catchment of over two million, the city should, arguably, have been more competitive than it has been over the past half century .
in recent years, birmingham’s crowds have fluctuated, but their average attendances have not climbed above 20, 000 since they were relegated from the premier league in 2010 - 11. in the championship, they have averaged crowds from 15, 000 - 18, 000. in 2015 - 16, gates at st. andrews averaged 17, 603 which showed an increase of 9. 3% . within the birmingham area, crowds are remarkably consistent, with total attendances across the four clubs (aston villa, birmingham, walsall and west bromwich) reaching more than 1. 6 million during the season. birmingham’s share of this market has also been stable over the past five years, ranging from 19% to 23% , often dependent on the performance of their neighbours as much as their own on - pitch displays .
“i' ve never experienced it before, it was amazing, ” said arsenal’s on - loan spanish midfielder jon toral to fft, after he played for birmingham city in the most recent encounter last september .
in may 1985 – on the same day as the bradford city fire which killed 55 people – a riot at a game between leeds and birmingham city saw an innocent teenage boy crushed to death when a wall collapsed .
one tells how he turned his back on violence for a while to go to games with his wife, visiting local beauty spots before and after away matches. and there are many tales of the zulus taking great pride in their clothes, which over the years varied from doc martens and drainpipes to trendy casual sportswear to smart blazers and designer gear .
top boys tv: the chant of
zulu! ... zulu !
echoing around the streets of birmingham meant only one thing - - the zulu warriors were in town. famed for its multi - racial mix, the birmingham city firm was one of the most feared of the 80s, and they remain the cause of major ructions. barrington patterson, a former cage fighter and one - time zulu, talks candidly about the firm' s exploits
midlands news dad endris mohammed loses bid for shorter prison sentence after murdering his children a birmingham taxi driver who killed his two children by smothering them with a petrol - soaked cloth has lost a bid for a shorter time in prison .
looking ahead to ref 2020, history at birmingham is well placed to maintain its position as the number one department in the country – and, through a potential dynamic investment fund from the university, to continue its successful recruitment strategy .
‘throughout the 1800s foreigners, from ‘aztecs’ to zulus, were imported into london to perform cultural rites. beginning as small entrepreneurial ventures, such shows became vast complexes of ‘native villages’ that were seen by millions of visitors to world fairs. performers sometimes created careers and settled abroad. many histories assumed that ethnic difference alone underpinned commercial success and ignored their scientific legacies. my book, peoples on parade, argues that even in an ethnically diverse metropolis, patrons were willing to pay to interact with unfamiliar and politically relevant peoples, such as farini’s friendly zulus during the 1879 anglo - zulu war. anthropologists also used performers to theorise about race and train new practitioners. thus, the shows underpinned new conceptions of being human in the modern world. ’
in 2016 - 17, birmingham will come up against aston villa, which may give the blues the chance to tip the local balance of power in their direction. city are now considered to be the birmingham’s third club, after aston villa and west bromwich albion. but they can claim to be the last team from the city to have won a major trophy, lifting the football league cup in 2011. it was only the second major honour that the club has secured since its foundation in 1875 .
i didn’t…. in 2016 - 17, birmingham will come up against aston villa, which may give the blues the chance to tip the local balance of power in their direction. city are now considered to be the birmingham’s third club, after aston villa and west bromwich albion. but they can claim to be the last team from the city to have won a major trophy, lifting the football league cup in 2011. it was only the second major honour that the club has secured since its foundation in 1875 .
no, i didn’t…. in 2016 - 17, birmingham will come up against aston villa, which may give the blues the chance to tip the local balance of power in their direction. city are now considered to be the birmingham’s third club, after aston villa and west bromwich albion. but they can claim to be the last team from the city to have won a major trophy, lifting the football league cup in 2011. it was only the second major honour that the club has secured since its foundation in 1875 .
others went along with the crowd to games but after a fight or a spree of thieving, came home without going to the match. the hooligans caroline speaks to also admit that along with millwall, birmingham' s hooligans are most likely to turn on the police .
robert hopkins is a rare breed amongst footballers. it' s not uncommon for players to support a local team in their childhood, only to forge a career for their nearest rivals, but hopkins uniquely maintained his loyalty to birmingham city throughout his time at aston villa .
by 2013, birmingham’s turnover in the championship, at £24. 2 million, was the fifth highest in the division. the wage bill was 95% of turnover and the club’s net debt was £ 24. 6 million. turnover and wages both dropped a year later to £20. 1 million and £18 million respectively, but losses increased from £4. 1 million to £ 5 million. in 2014 - 15, birmingham’s revenues were still around the £ 21 million mark, but £ 8 million was derived from parachute payments. the wage bill had fallen significantly since the premier days and totaled £ 14 million – 67% of turnover. debt had come down to around £ 10 million. although on the field birmingham supporters may continue to be frustrated, the club seems to have some momentum in making itself more financially resilient. certainly, messages coming out of st. andrews suggest that the club is now living within its means .
carson yeung ka - sing was imprisoned for money laundering, but is currently on bail. in 2011 when he was arrested, shares in bih were suspended and in the continued absence of reliable financial information, a transfer embargo was pinned on the club. yeung resigned from his positions with birmingham and the past few months have been dominated by a proposed takeover by paul suen cho - hung’s trillion trophy asia group .
paul suen cho - hung is known as the “king of penny stocks” and has a reputation as a troubleshooter. some sceptics believe he will restructure the club and then move on after turning a profit, but generally, the takeover is being viewed as a big positive. director panos pavlakis said: “this is one of the most important and significant steps for birmingham city football club which could lead us further in the right direction. ”
the other notorious birmingham based firm, the aston villa hardcore are affiliated with the club otherwise known as the villains. although, like other firms, they have found themselves marginalized today, the hardcore have a fierce reputation built on a foundation of causing major carnage. the “battle of rocky lane” in 2002 witnessed some serious disorder in the aston area after a match between villa and birmingham city which led to 15 arrests. then in 2005, firm member, steven fowler, who had already been jailed for six months in the 2002 fight, was sent down for a further twelve for his part in organized bit of aggro between the villa hardcore and chelsea’s headhunters at london’s king’s cross in 2004. also in 2004, several villa firms were involved in a running battle with qpr fans outside villa park in which a steward died. dangerous to know; even more dangerous to cross .
rowett has a better win rate than both bruce and mcleish, although he has yet to be tested at the highest level. there is talk of a bid for the play - offs in 2016 - 17 and the highly - rated rowett has been adding to his squad in the summer of 2016. in fact, birmingham spent some £ 2. 5 million in the close season, more than they have paid out in some years .
surprisingly, birmingham’s consumption of managerial talent is not as short - sighted as many clubs. current manager, gary rowett was appointed in october 2014 and he has been in charge for 86 games. the club’s average over the past 20 years is 174 games. they have had a couple of long - servers in that time – steve bruce was in charge from december 2001 to november 2007 and alex mcleish was manager between november 2007 and june 2011 .
the club was originally called small heath alliance and then dropped the last part of that name. they have never been champions and have just reached two fa cup finals, losing in 1931 and 1956. their only other piece of silverware was in 1963, when they beat aston villa in the two - legged football league cup final. it is often overlooked, however, that birmingham city reached two inter - cities fairs cup finals in 1960 and 1961 .
history research at birmingham is organised into a number of centres, including the centre for the study of the middle ages, the centre for reformation and early modern studies, the centre for modern and contemporary history, and the new centre for modern british studies. this, says professor hilton, gives researchers the sense of being part of a community and of ‘belonging to something bigger’ – an important feeling to create in a large department with a strong focus on teaching .
wally, who has now retired from the frontline and says he prefers to watch birmingham city from an executive box, concurs .
it is coke now – that' s always about. there is a younger firm coming through ,
he says .
they are 15 -, 16 - year - olds who want to get into it. they' ve read the books, want to buy the clothes and they' ve heard the reputations of their dads and uncles .
birmingham’s history submission was initially led by dr francesca carnevali, who sadly passed away in 2013. ‘francesca, and subsequently professor sabine lee, did a lot of the hard work in preparing our ref submission, ’ says professor hilton. ‘we also had superb support from the research and knowledge transfer office and the planning office. our success was down to the sheer amount of hard work that was put in – but we also made some tough decisions about what was worthy of submission and what wasn’t .
st. andrews dates back to 1906 and has a capacity of 30, 000. at current levels of support and on - pitch success, this is more than adequate for the club. there has been talk of the club moving and of major modernisation programmes. in 2010, an ambitious revamp was tabled, but was subject to public appetite for the club. the scheme involved a £ 20 million redevelopment that included more seating and a hotel, but comments made at the time suggested the club lacked confidence that it could attract more fans to make the project viable. a few years earlier, a proposal was put forward to build a sports village in the form of the city of birmingham stadium, which would have been partially funded by the sale of st. andrews. in 2013, the birmingham city supporters’ trust applied for the listing of the stadium as an asset of community value under the localism act of 2011. it seems unlikely that the club will move in the immediate future .
compared to the top premier clubs, birmingham’s digital following is relatively low. their combined social media following is under 500, 000 which is higher than other midlands clubs like nottingham forest, derby county and wolverhampton wanderers, but trails city rivals aston villa (3 million) and west bromwich albion (1. 1 million). these figures pale into insignificance when compared to chelsea’s 46 million and arsenal’s 36 million, underlining the awesome power of the premier league and gulf between the top two english leagues .
the malaise that has affected midlands’ football for so long received a boost in 2016 when leicester city won the premier league, but at the same time, aston villa were relegated and west bromwich albion were only six points clear of the same fate. nevertheless, in the past year, there has been a growing interest in the region’s clubs, with aston villa, west bromwich and wolverhampton wanderers all benefitting from chinese investment. with the very top clubs difficult to take over and firmly established with stable ownership, the midlands may offer foreign investors the ideal platform to enter the lucrative world of english football. birmingham, with its significant regional presence and crowd potential, sits among the second strata of the game that could be ripe for expansion .
less than 24 hours before england’s bid to host the 2018 world cup failed, rival west - midlands fans from aston villa and birmingham city clashed in december 2010. 14 people were injured as missiles were hurled onto the pitch, a rocket flare was released in the stands, and there were also scuffles in nearby streets. by this stage, football hooliganism was rising dramatically, with 103 incidents of hooliganism involving under 19’s in the 2009 - 10 season compared to 38 the season before. cass pennant, a former football hooligan, said that the rise in football hooliganism was the result of rising unemployment, poverty, and social discontent in the aftermath of the recent recession – a similar situation which had affected britain for much of the 1970s and 1980s when hooliganism was at its peak .
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the launch of aston villa' s book, villains, was due to be held at sensations club in the balsall heath area of the city on sunday .
but police said it had been cancelled because of
health and safety fears
.
over 200 people planned to attend the event and following consultation with the police the licensee has decided not to open for health and safety considerations ,
west midlands police said .
a member of the zulu gang told bbc news that some had planned to go to the launch .
because they were holding the event in that area we didn' t want it to happen as that' s still our territory, so no way ,
he said .
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flack has amassed more than 1. 6 million instagram followers on the back of her teases for love island stories to come
tortured and poppy - impregnated, craig rang his mother minutes before the fatal cocktail of illicit drugs swept, like fire, through his body .
around 100 police officers carried out the raids on thursday and 15 people were arrested .
detective chief inspector clive burgess, from stechford police station, said more arrests would be made .
he said :
the operation was set up to identify and arrest people believed to be involved in serious and frightening disorders in the rocky lane area of aston before the game .
we hope that it sends a sure message out that this sort of behaviour won' t be tolerated .
we hope that the vast majority of decent law abiding fans will be able to attend football games in peace without the fear of the hooligan element .
the message is clear; if you cause trouble before, during or after football matches you will be arrested .
the world of football hooliganism is not a natural home for young women, as caroline gall herself admits .
there can be few less lady - like pursuits than kicking the crap out of each other after a football match on a saturday afternoon ,
the journalist writes in the introduction to her new book .
football hooligans have been the subject of a number of books in recent years, but the zulu warriors were yet to be immortalised in print, despite their claim to be one of england' s
top five firms
.
caroline knew some of the figures on the edges of the zulu scene through a previous job in a clothes shop where they came to buy the threads which were always a big part of fitting in as a zulu .
she got them to put her in touch with two of the firm' s biggest leaders - cud and wally - and spent the next 10 months interviewing them, and other characters they introduced her to, about two or three times a week .
i was pretty freaked out ,
caroline said ,
i really didn' t know what to expect at all .
but actually he turned out to be quite different to what i thought, he was quite laid back, quite fair and reasoned, fairly sort of measured in what he said. he was just a normal guy who was quite honest and quite open .
she says :
a lot of people are going to criticise me, they might think i' m making them into folk heroes. but i tried to be impartial and honest .
none of the other books seem to admit when they have been turned over, it' s a running thing that other gangs refused to admit when they' ve been beaten. but i impressed onto the lads that i had to be honest and they were in complete agreement .
the book features tales of stabbings, squirting ammonia into the faces of opposing fans, throwing security guards from the tops of escalators, trashing pubs and nightclubs, stealing mob - handed from shops, setting fire to refreshment stands in stadiums, countless fights with opposing
firms
and even deaths .
but the violence is sometimes mixed with a sense of honour - almost bizarrely so .
caroline says :
it seems an odd situation but that' s the logic they had and the reasoning was the same if they got arrested, you didn' t make statements against other fans. there' s a code of conduct that most lads in most firms respect .
caroline writes :
by day they were eminently respectable, law - abiding citizens; at the weekend they turned into hardcore soccer thugs .
and she says now :
they are from the city i live in and i like to think i' ve made some good friends and i' ve formed a relationship with them .
looking at our old pictures, you can see that there were no scary - looking people, just young, working class lads who were willing to stand up and be counted and defend themselves against people who wanted to cut them up or knock them out .
six football fans have been sentenced for their part in violence at a match which left a steward permanently blinded in one eye .
five men were jailed for up to eight months and a sixth given a suspended sentence after they admitted affray. all received lengthy banning orders .
cardiff crown court heard the men were identified from footage recorded at the match .
in a statement, mr llewellyn - mortimer described how his left eye was hit with an
unbelievable
force .
they paid no regard to the terrified men, women and children around them ,
he added .
peter davies, prosecuting, said one woman at the match with her children for a birthday treat was physically sick after leaving the ground .
james mccarthy, 24, of lapworth oaks, lapworth, warwickshire, was jailed for three months for stamping on a seat .
billy whiteside, 18, of addenbrooke road, smethwick, was sentenced to three months in a young offenders' institution .
martin morgan, 52, of st helens road, solihull, was given a three - month sentence, suspended for 12 months .
bowman, brennan, devine, mccarthy and whiteside were given six - year football banning orders, while morgan received a three - year ban .
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nine football fans have been charged after clashing on the streets of cardiff before the worthington cup final .
in a night of sporadic outbursts, one person was assaulted and nine were taken to hospital with minor injuries .
seven were charged with public order offences, one with criminal damage and another with posessing drugs .
they are to appear before cardiff magistrates next month. three more remain in custody .
the violence closed st mary street in the city centre for two hours ad, in one incident, the street' s philharmonic bar was smashed up when rivals rioted. three nearby pubs were forced to close .
a south wales police spokeswoman said :
there have been pockets of disorder involving rival fans across the city as they come out of pubs .
incidents are not concentrated in one place. the most serious so far have been assault .
police have been preparing for the possibility of large - scale riots breaking out on sunday .
the bluebirds were playing at kidderminster on sunday, buts fans are expected to return home as the worthington cup clash ends .
hopefully it will not get worse on sunday because most people will be going home after the match .
drivers are being asked to avoid the city centre, as key routes will close in preparation for the arrival of up to 70, 000 football fans .
police expected 4, 000 to 5, 000 fans to arrive in cardiff by train. the vast majority are expected to arrive in minibuses or specially - hired coaches, most on sunday .
chief supterintendent gerald toms said :
there will be 700 officers in cardiff - quite a substantial number .
the worthington cup and fa cup finals are being played outside england for the first time because of the closure of wembley stadium, which is due to be rebuilt .
the millennium stadium has staged a number of football fixtures - including two during last year' s rugby league world cup - but the quality of the surface caused concern when wales tackled norway in a world cup qualifier last november .
but stadium bosses have relaid a new pitch and believe the playing surface is in pristine condition for the showpiece occasion .
it was announced earlier this year that the fa cup and worthington cup finals would be played at the 73, 434 - seater stadium for at least the next four years while wembley is rebuilt .
the fa cup final will also be staged at the stadium on 12 may .
they’re as british as page 3 girls or fish and chips – but they’re far from tasty, except when it comes to a brutal scrap. in fact, gangs of vicious soccer thugs leave a decidedly bad taste in the mouth. and if, while wearing the wrong colors, you chanced upon a troop of these yobbos after an english football match, you might soon be savoring the taste of blood and a gob full of smashed teeth. football hooliganism may not be the problem it once was, but the names of some of its firms are enough to strike fear into the hearts of opposing supporters and bystanders alike. here’s our list of seven of the most notorious .
a gang of hooligans mainly active from the 1970s to the 1990s, the feared inter city firm was tied to well known london club west ham united. named after the trains they traveled on for away matches, the inter city firm became identified by their habit of leaving a card on the prone bodies of those they attacked, reading: “congratulations, you’ve just met the icf. ” despite such practices, cass pennant, a black londoner and former general of the inter city firm, maintains that, unlike many other groups of its kind, the icf was neither racist nor neo - nazi. still, nice folks they most certainly were not. numerous instances of their extreme violent behavior have been documented, often against rival london firms such as millwall’s bushwackers, with tear ups and attacks on pubs being the disorder of the day. vicious thugs not to be crossed by anyone unless they happen to like hospitals .
linked with english premier league team portsmouth f. c. , and named after the 6. 57am train they would take to london’s waterloo station on a saturday, the 6. 57 crew were one of the major firms during the 1980s, causing mayhem across the country. spoiling for fights has remained high on the agenda for this squad of south coast louts. in 2001, they fought with coventry city fans at an away game, ripping up seats and throwing missiles at their rivals. in 2004, 93 were arrested – including a 10 - year - old boy who became the uk’s youngest - ever convicted football hooligan – for their part in mass riots before and after a match against rivals southampton, where police were attacked and shops looted. over one hundred portsmouth hooligans were banned from traveling to the 2006 world cup in germany because of convictions for football - related crime. firm but far from friendly .
with a name like the headhunters you know this gang of thugs mean business. linked to famous london club chelsea, these mean geezers are notorious for their racism, with links to far right groups like the national front and the paramilitary combat 18. in 1999 the headhunters were infiltrated by an undercover bbc reporter who posed as a wannabe member but got the wrong lion tattoo – a risky mistake that raised eyebrows among the hardcore. former firm dieharder kevin whitton was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1985 after an attack seen as one of england’s worst incidents of football hooliganism. after chelsea had lost, whitton and others stormed a pub chanting: “war, war, war. ” when they left minutes later the american bar manager lay close to death, with one of the hooligans shouting: “you bloody americans. coming here taking our jobs. ” nuff said .
half the video is in english, the other half with added eng. subs .
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the hull city defender tells paul wilkes about playing on either side of the fiery rivalry, a clash that will again be on the football calendar in the championship next season ...
the winger always wore something blue at training - which his teammates reluctantly accepted, whilst his own father missed his debut for villa because he had gone to st andrews instead .
hopkins only featured once for the villains first team, which shouldn' t be hugely surprising given his under garments when begrudgingly forced to don the villa shirt. the self - proclaimed bluenose insisted on wearing the city badge underneath his claret and blue top .
this almost caused a riot, when villa fans spotted the emblem of their bitterest adversaries as he tussled with an opponent in the final minute of the away game with notts county .
transfers between the two clubs had happened numerous times in the past, although only five players have switched allegiances in the last 30 years .
the most recent to do so was hull city central defender curtis davies, when he made the move across the city five years ago .
“it was difficult at first, obviously crossing the divide was very difficult because i enjoyed good times at one club and then you' re trying to make your way at a new club, ” admitted davies to fft .
“i wasn' t playing at the end of my time at aston villa and i was looking for a move anywhere. in terms of leaving villa for blues it wasn' t too hard, but to be accepted by the blues fans was always going to be the hardest part for me. ”
the second city derby stands out as a particularly different contest to the rest of the near - rival encounters in the country due to the recent lack of success of the sides competing .
it hasn’t always been this way though, as villa and blues met regularly in the late 70s to early 80s in the old first division. when villa won their last league title in 1981, city finished a respectable 13th in the same division .
in 2010, martin o’neill’s villa qualified for the europa league, whilst city under alex mcleish recorded their best position in 51 years as they came ninth. neither club could have envisaged that just six years later they would be facing each other in england’s second tier .
the derby matches are often remembered for the individual mistakes of the villa goalkeepers in particular, with peter enckelman allowing olof mellberg’s throw - in to sneak under his foot and into the goal the most notable .
the ferociousness and passion between the two sets of supporters certainly became stronger when the so - called bragging rights took what seemed like an eternity to earn .
in the last 28 years, the two clubs have played each other just 18 times, which can be partly attributed to the meetings taking on a completely new complexion .
naturally the poisonous surroundings occasionally spilled onto the pitch, as dion dublin illustrated with his head - butt on robbie savage .
steve mcmahon’s knee - high challenge on blues skipper kevan broadhurst saw noel blake also retaliate with the use of his forehead as a weapon on the scouser, when he attempted to shake his hand at the final whistle in front of the witton end in the match dubbed ‘the horror show’ in 1983 .
“at the end of the game they will go home, but there’s obviously the few that feel this is the one game to face off against their hooligan rivals. ”
in 2010, the scene was described as a ‘war zone’ and the ‘worst for 25 years’ when flares were thrown and seats ripped up .
davies was an unused substitute in 2007, when on - loan at villa from west bromwich albion, the 31 - year - old can still remember the atmosphere .
“i had played in west brom vs wolves derbies, but the intensity of the crowd (was different). every single decision the crowd were up on their feet and so were the managers, ” explains davies .
“you could just feel the pressure, even though villa were a top - six side at the time and blues were trying to escape relegation. ”
twenty police officers were injured after that game as the fans clashed once more. “it’s not something we want to see in football, it’s best that the entertainment stays on the pitch. in the stands you can’t affect the game, so what’s the point of throwing chairs and injuring police, ” says davies .
that match saw the then local hero gabriel agbonlahor score a late winner, with davies understanding the importance to those that have grown up within the area. “gabby is a big villa fan, so it was a big goal for him. ”
the emersion of tension isn’t felt exclusively by those that have lived around the midlands for a number of years, with even foreign players taken aback by the sheer velocity of the occasion .
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hooligans: incidents jagiellonia fans at the stadium in bydgoszcz. 20. 07. 2013
a football firm is often the term given to a group of football hooligans who are travelling together often to engage in violence with the other teams firm. football firms often have ‘firm’ within their name for example ‘west ham icf’ the ‘inter city firm’
in a nutshell from the 1960s onwards, the uk had a reputation worldwide for football hooliganism was often dubbed the english disease. since the 1980s and well into the 1990s the uk government has led a widescale crackdown on football related violence. while football hooliganism has been a growing concern in some other european countries in recent years, british football fans now tend to have a better reputation abroad. although reports of british football hooliganism still surface, the instances now tend to occur at pre - arranged locations rather than at the matches themselves .
football hooliganism in england can be dated back to the 1880’s when individuals referred to as roughs caused trouble at football matches. derby matches between local teams would usually see the worst trouble, but in an era when fans travelling to away games were not common, roughs would sometimes attack the referees and the away team’s players. in the early 1980’s, to avoid being tracked by the police, firms started to wear expensive european clothing, this led to the development of the casual culture .
two main events in 1973 led to introduction of crowd segregation and fencing at football grounds in england .
manchester united were relegated to the second division, the red army caused mayhem at grounds up and down the country, and a bolton wanderers fan stabbed a young blackpool fan to death behind the kop at bloomfield road during a second division match .
a full - scale riot broke out at the den in march 1978 during an fa cup quarter - final between millwall and ipswich. fighting began on the terraces, then spilled out on to the pitch and into the narrow streets around the ground. bottles, knives, iron bars, boots and concrete slabs rained from the sky. dozens of innocent people were injured. in march 1985, hooligans who had attached themselves to millwall were involved in large - scale rioting at luton when millwall played luton town in the quarter final of the fa cup. prime minister margaret thatcher’s immediate response was to set up a “war cabinet” to combat football hooliganism .
between may 1985 and 1990 english clubs were banned from all european competitions, with liverpool being banned for a further year. this was because of the heysel stadium disaster where 39 juventus fans were crushed to death when liverpool fans broke through a line of police officers and ran toward the juventus supporters in a section of the ground containing both english and italian fans. when a fence separating them from the juventus fans was broken through, the english supporters attacked the italian fans, the majority of whom were families rather than ultras who were situated in the other end of the ground. many italians tried to escape the fighting, and a wall collapsed on them .
in january 1988 41 people were arrested when the arsenal herd and millwall bushwhackers clashed and rioted at highbury .
after some 20 years of relatively good behaviour among english football fans in general, extreme scenes of rioting and hooliganism made a comeback at upton park on 25 august 2009, during a football league cup second round tie between london rivals west ham united icf and millwall bushwhackers. the pitch was invaded several times during the game and rioting in the streets came afterwards, with one incident resulting in a man suffering stab wounds .
there were minor disturbances during and after england’s 4 - 1 defeat to germany during the 2010 fifa world cup. a german flag was burned down amongst a mob of english supporters in leicester square in england, as well as damage to a haagen daz restaurant within the vicinity. one german fan amongst the crowd was confronted by the mob, but there were no injuries .
in a match between sheffield wednesday and leeds united on 19 october 2012, a fan of leeds united attacked sheffield wednesday goalkeeper chris kirkland during a pitch invasion to celebrate a goal. the hooligan had been identified on social media sites as someone who had previously been banned from every football ground in the uk .
sheffield wednesday manager dave jones said that leeds fans were “vile animals” and called for them to be excluded from away matches in future .
shortly after this incident a 44 - yr old leeds fan was attacked on a night out with is wife in sheffield by 3 wednesday fans and left in a critical condition and currently in a coma. tensions are running high for when wednesday return to elland road in april with the fixture already been made a 12: 30 ko. some leeds fans have said, “it will definitely be very tasty when the sheffield scum come to town”.
the birmingham zulus are a football hooligan firm associated with english football club , birmingham city . the zulus first appeared in the late 1980s and the name came from a chant of " zulu , zulu " which was aimed at manchester city fans in 1982 . the zulus have many members from different ethnic backgrounds ( in stark contrast to most other hooligan firms which emerged around the same time , were almost universally white , and contained followers of far-right organisations including the national front ) , their main rivals are the fans of fellow birmingham club , aston villa f.c. and there have been a number violent clashes before , during and after the birmingham derby between the two clubs . the zulus maintain that they are defending their city from invading firms . 
the birmingham zulus are a football hooligan firm associated with english football club, birmingham city. the zulus first appeared in the late 1980s and the name came from a chant of " zulu, zulu " which was aimed at manchester city fans in 1982. the zulus have many members from different ethnic backgrounds (in stark contrast to most other hooligan firms which emerged around the same time, were almost universally white, and contained followers of far-right organisations including the national front), their main rivals are the fans of fellow birmingham club, aston villa f.c. and there have been a number violent clashes before, during and after the birmingham derby between the two clubs. the zulus maintain that they are defending their city from invading firms.
the birmingham zulus are a football hooligan firm associated with english football club, birmingham city. the zulus first appeared in the late 1980s and the name came from a chant of " zulu, zulu " which was aimed at manchester city fans in 1982. the zulus have many members from different ethnic backgrounds (in stark contrast to most other hooligan firms which emerged around the same time, were almost universally white, and contained followers of far-right organisations including the national front), their main rivals are the fans of fellow birmingham club, aston villa f.c. and there have been a number violent clashes before, during and after the birmingham derby between the two clubs. the zulus maintain that they are defending their city from invading firms.