Service Crew: The Inside Story of Leeds United's Hooligan Gangs

Product Information

I told a couple of lads and went outside to be faced by two ugly twats, one a skinny wanker, who said, ‘I’m Hibs, who are you?

Journalist Caroline Gall spent two years interviewing participants from several generations to piece together the first ever history of the gangs, from the Shipley Skins to the youths of the present day. The apex of this hooligan army was the Service Crew, who adopted their name from the service trains they used instead of the heavily policed 'specials'. The fighting between Birmingham City and Leeds United fans was described by Justice Popplewell as more like "the Battle of Agincourt than a football match". Good accounts of days out at Old Trafford, White Hart Lane as well as riotous weekends in Blackpool. The 2007 game with the buses at Leeds a mate I worked with said his son referred to the Millwall there that day as 'Dads Army' because the core of our mob were in their forties and fifties.

Unfortunately, there are victims of this, namely the poor lads who got stitched up in Operation 'Wild Boar' in 87. Give me a football hooligan any day rather than the gangs of chavs that hang about our streets causing misery for literally thousands of people up and down the country. Victory in the game would give them the Second Division title and promotion back to the top flight after eight years away. The Service Crew were first brought to the forefront within 1974 and were named after the public service which brought the fans to the away games, instead of the heavily policed special football trains which were organised for such instances. Many of the most shocking incidents in British football history have involved the hooligan followers of one Leeds United.

The perpetrator was subsequently sent to prison for four months and handed a life ban from attending future matches in England. It's more likely that chavs wanting impress each other and possibly the old boys that are likely to be indiscriminate. On 28 April 2007, during the Championship game which took place at Elland Road against Ipswich Town, about 200 home fans managed to find their way on to the pitch and ended up forcing a 30-minute delay after a late Ipswich equaliser which all but sealed Leeds relegation to League One. The Leeds United Service Crew are a football hooligan firm linked to the English EFL Championship team, Leeds United F. After reading so many similar books on hooligan culture I have to say that the Service Crew book comes out as a fantastic read.Having previously read 'Muscle' by Carlton Leach, 'Cass' by Cass Pennant and 'Steaming In' by Colin Ward, this book seemed a natural continuation on the subject of football hooliganism, provided an in depth look at Leeds United's hooligan gangs (or firms) from around the 60's to the noughties, from the main firm, the Leeds Service Crew and moving on to the development of more recent firms such as the Very Young Team and the Infant Hit Squad. Its difficult as a football fan of leeds united to understand the culture of football hooliganism and why it spiked in the 80s when i was only a fan since 1990. As you say Leeds Service Crew were / are one of the top mobs in the country during the peak days of British football hooliganism, and I was even in London one Saturday around 1980, when you brought a huge mob of 300-400, to take it to Chelsea on their own turf. I don't think it was ever a gang, as such, withe members, heirarchy's etc, more a media cult , scenr type thing that the fans embraced.

One Leeds fan entered the pitch after Michael Tonge’s equaliser and assaulted Wednesdays’ keeper Chris Kirkland. For 40 years they have run riot across the country, punching their way to international notoriety, yet they have remained the most secretive of all mobs. They surprised the couple, who turned out to be two blokes who jumped up and ran away after being disturbed.James Dooley is an entrepreneur who founded Away Grounds as he loves travelling to watch football matches throughout the UK. This Leeds hooligans t-shirt has a full print on the front and one sleeve and is made from 100% cotton. I was expecting some explaination or personal stories of those involved, but it is simply the details of 20 years of fights loosely linked together. This incident occurred at the Parc des Princes stadium in France, Striker Peter Lorimer had a goal disallowed in a game which ultimately ended in a 2-0 defeat to the West German side,this came after two penalties were rejected by French referee Michel Kitabdjian.

C. [1] The Service Crew were formed in 1974 and are named after the ordinary public service trains that the hooligans would travel on to away matches, rather than the heavily policed, organised football special trains. Back in 1985 when football hooliganism was rife within England, BBC 6’O clock news ran a special report which listed some of the worst football hooligan firms that created chaos up and down the land, Leeds united were among the top five worst clubs. There in the middle of the argy-bargy, sat on a bench, was Kenny and partner in yet another passionate embrace, with his poor son looking thoroughly bored. This Leeds Service Crew hooligans t-shirt features the words 'When you're good no-one remembers, when you're bad no-one forgets'. On 28 April 2007, during the Championship game at Elland Road with Ipswich Town, about 200 home fans spilled onto the pitch and forced a 30-minute delay after a late Ipswich equaliser all but sealed Leeds' relegation to League One.By bidding on, or purchasing this item, you are agreeing to us sharing your name and address details with that 3rd party supplier to allow us to fulfil our contractual obligations to you. i always found sheff utd the most game in past years out of the yorkshire clubs only my personal opinion up at bramall lane. Was waiting for you to turn up Janx Leeds to be fair has a good town centre especially the posh clothes bit.