Chelsea are another team who have in the past been synonymous with football hooliganism and as such have had numerous books written, some good and some absolutely crap. However this site isnt about a personal opinion, its solely as a point of reference so heres the Chelsea hooligan books Im aware of.
Hoolifan – Martin Knight
Official Synopsis.
Hoolifan is the story of one man, Martin King, and his experiences spanning three decades with the country’s foremost soccer gang. Chelsea have always been at the cutting edge of football violence, and King himself was at the heart of the evolving Chelsea mob for some 30 years.
From his first visit to a football ground in the early 1960s, he charts his development from a rattle-waving child through to a fully fledged member of the notorious Chelsea Shed in the 1970s and finally to his exploits as a key player in the most feared football gang of the 1980s and 1990s – the so-called Chelsea Headhunters.
King describes the leading characters of the various eras, not just from Chelsea but from across the country. He also records every clash, ambush and act of revenge in vivid detail, as well as the camaraderie and style of this most infamous soccer gang.
This is not just another book on the well-trodden subject of football hooliganism, as, unlike so many authors, Martin King makes no attempt to distance himself from the violence and leaves readers to draw their own conclusions. At times provocative, often humorous and always honest, Hoolifan places the phenomenon of football hooliganism in its true social context.
Armed For The Match – Colin Ward
Official Synopsis.
Throughout the 70s and early 80s English football hooligans wreaked havoc throughout England and Europe until the authorities decided that enough was enough.
Chelsea supporters were targeted, and one man in particular, Steve ‘Hickey’ Hickmott, was deemed to be public enemy number one and arrested.
This explosive story, told in Steve’s own words, reveals the humour, camaraderie and escapades of life on the terraces and charts his fight for justice in the face of a system heavily biased against him, but where his battle to clear his name was eventually won.
Who Wants It? – Colin Ward
Official Synopsis.
Chris Henderson formed the Chelsea Headhunters as well as the band Combat 84. Violence surrounding Chelsea fans was around long before Chris came on the scene. Told in Chris Henderson’s words, this is the dramatic story of the era of music and football.
Bully CFC – Gaetano Buglioni & Martin King
Official Synopsis.
I cant find an offical review of this book, the elongated title though is Bully CFC – The Life And Crimes Of A Chelsea Head-hunter so Im guessing that gives you an idea of what its about..
Life as a Chelsea Headhunter: It’s Only a Game – Jason Marriner
Official Synopsis.
Optical illusions are the stuff of magic – harmless entertainment conjured up to both enthral and amaze, arent they?
Well, maybe not, as its not quite so amusing if the stunt takes the form of an episode of the BBCs groundbreaking documentary series MacIntyre Undercover on organised football hooliganism, the wizardry is conducted by unscrupulous investigative journalists posing as big-time drug dealers, and as a result the unwitting participant in the trick, avid Chelsea supporter Jason Marriner, is charged with conspiracy to commit violent disorder and affray, together with his friend Andy Frain, and Jason ends up with a six-year jail sentence for a crime he didnt commit.
This is Jasons chance to put the record straight, present the facts from his own perspective and challenge the reader, who may well have been one of the 7.4 million documentary viewers, to decide whether the programme actually revealed the ugly face of football violence, or indeed showed him plotting or committing any violence whatsoever, or whether the original 344 hours worth of footage, secretly filmed over a period of 18 months, were distorted beyond recognition by cutting, editing and stitching together clips from the original sequences to achieve the programmes aim at any cost.
Jason would be the first to admit that in the past he had been a nuisance on the terraces, but this was the late 1990s and, with a wife, children and his own business, he had done a lot of growing up and moving on. Fortunately, he had also developed the strength of character needed to survive in prison with humour, dignity and determination, and he shares his insights of life behind bars as he tried to work with the system, despite the knock-backs, in order to make it work for him in return.
Good will always follow bad is Jasons admirable philosophy about his experiences, but this shocking real-life story serves as a warning to all: this could so easily happen to you.
Ive got a feeling the book below is the same one as above, however its got a different ISBN and a different synopsis so I could be wrong, best check before spending your money though !!
It’s Only a Game – Jason Marriner
Official Synopsis.
Presents the view of the football fans on the culture surrounding the game.
As well as Ebay and Amazon we do occasionaly have copies of these, and loads of other football hooligan books, for sale on our own Footybooks site here.