Hardcore

Michael Lutwyche

Description

Since the early 1990s Aston Villa Hardcore has been arguably the most prolific football hooligan gangs in the UK. Described by the police and press as one of the worst two hooligan firms on the England international scene. There are currently 80 Villa Hardcore members subject to football banning orders and sentences totalling over 80 years have been handed out to participants in a series of high profile incidents.Gang member Michael Lutwyche reveals how Villa Hardcore - led by Category C football hooligan Steven Fowler - became one of the most highly organised and notorious football hooligan gangs in the country. Known to police forces the world over Fowler first came to the notice of the world media when he was thrown out of France during the World Cup in 1998. He is now subject to one of the longest banning orders in British football.

Informations

• Publié par: Category C Publishing
• Date de parution: 19 février 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783010509
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

HARDCORE
© 2013 Michael Lutwyche and Steven Fowler
Michael Lutwyche and Steven Fowler have asserted their rights in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
Published by Category C Publishing
First published and printed in 2008 by VHC Publishing
First published in eBook format in 2013
eISBN: 978-1-78301-050-9
(Printed edition: 978-0-95613-020-4)
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Publisher.
Holte Enders in the Sky
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers - he that sheds his blood with me today shall be my brother....’
Ray Barnes,
Steve Barnes,
Paul ‘Beebo’ Beard,
Pete Bishop,
Malcolm ‘Coke’ Costello,
Patrick ‘Black Pat’ Edwards,
Gary Exton,
Des Gallagher,
David Garner,
Steve Groves,
John Haynes,
Gary Harwood,
Chris Hassan,
Paul ‘Paulie’ Heath,
Andy Kitson,
Gary Lyttle,
Kevin ‘2 Stone’ Maloney,
Andy ‘Spike’ McGachie,
Gary Morgan,
Dave Moore,
Kevin Murphy,
Simon ‘Simmo’ Hanley,
Steve Norton,
Steve Powell,
Adam Powers,
David Rammell,
David Ravenhall,
Luke Reid,
Mickey Rivers,
Barry Sheery,
Michael ‘Spoon’ Somers,
Dougie Thompson,
‘Bunny’ Weir,
Paul ‘F-Man’ Yates
REST IN PEACE
Contents
Holte Enders in the Sky
Acknowledgements
MADE IN BIRMINGHAM: Introduction
Chapter One: Villa Youth
Chapter Two: Villa Hardcore. Plotting Up
Chapter Three: Villa Hardcore. Landing on Them
Chapter Four: Villa Hardcore. Having It
Chapter Five: Villa Hardcore. All Abroad
Chapter Six: Villa Hardcore. Mud Sticks
Chapter Seven: You Know the Score - We’re Villa Hardcore
Chapter Eight: Villa Hardcore. On Top
Chapter Nine: Villa Hardcore: The Battle of Rocky Lane
Chapter Ten: Villa Hardcore. Doing It
Chapter Eleven: Villa Hardcore. Battle at the Uplands
Chapter Twelve: Villa Hardcore. The End?
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the following people in the compilation of this book: Aaron, Aggie, Alcoholic Andy, Alex, Allen, Asda Gary, Banbury Boys, Bash, Bayo, Barry Peck, Biddle, Big Brett, Big Dave Smith, Big Dean, Big Irish Jim & John Paul, Big Paddy, Big Paul & Terri, Big Simon, Big Trev, Big Tony, Billy, Blockhead, Bob, Boot, Botch, Bourney, Brick, Brett Clarke, Brillo, Broffy, Bruno, Bungle, Burkey, Cana, Carl and Russell C, Carl M, Carl Salter, Casey, Charlton, Chemical Chris, Chester Phil, Chris D, Chris W, Clinchy, Clive, Cookie, Craig B, Craig Fowler, Crazy Steve, Cridgey, Crooky, Dave Nealon, Dandy, Danny Hutton, Danny O, Dave Brown, Daz, Deakin, Dean Garrington, Dec, Denzil, Derby Paul, Dino, Dog, Dominic, Don, Duncan, Eddie the Bluenose, Eddie Norton, Farmer, Fat Wayne, Fleety, Gav, Gaz C, Geoff, Ginge, Greenie, Gregg, Gypsy Terry, Handsy, Harold, Ian and Mark C, Jake, Jamie Wellings, Jason R, Jason W, Jez, Big Jimmy, Joe Jordan, Johnny Moo, Jonesy, Justin, Kasim, Kev J, Keeny, Kitty, Lewis, Liam McCarron, Linnie, Little Gaz, Little Jay, Liz, Louis, Loz, Mac, Mad Andy, Mark Baker, Fordey, Mark Hammond, Matty, Melvin, Millsy, Moggo, Nacker, Neil McEwan & Brian ‘The Lion’ Bailey, Neville from Nechells, Nobby, Nostrils, Oldy, Oz, Paddy, Page, Palm, Panic, Paul H, Paul M, Pembo, Pete, Pete Mc, Phil, Pip, Postman, Powelly, Ray, Reidy, Richie S, Rob S, Roly, Ross, Russell O, Sally, Scooby, Scraggy, Screwdriver, Sedge and Dave, Seth, Shrek, Skinhead Neil, Snake, Solo, Spenna, Stan, Steamy, Steeley & Blounty, Andy, Pat, Buzz and Kung Fu Billy, Steve Baker, Steven Murtagh, Steve White-Jeans, Stickman, Shanna, Spiky Dave, Steff, Stokesy, Suntan-Sam, Swiggsy, Sweeney, Tate, The Brothers Grim, The General, The Loon, The Webb Brothers, The Worcester Lads, Tic, Timmy L, Tom, Tucker, Little Tucker, Two-Man, Victor, Wattsy, Waz, Wilf, Wilson, Yowey, Yob, Youngy, Young Ginge, Young Clarkey, Young Greg, Zak, Zack, Trudy Lutwyche, Ray Scrivens and family, Jan Reid, Simon, Terri, Ian and anyone who we forgot.
Special thanks to Mr Bob Busby.
Photography by Simeon Thaw. Additional photographs supplied by Danny Hutton and Michael Lutwyche.
MADE IN BIRMINGHAM Introduction
We are Villa ‘Hardcore’, Aston Villa Football Club’s hardcore support. We are football hooligans. Thugs, yobs, scum, hooligans, whatever labels you, the police or the press have seen fit to attach to us. Those labels haven’t deterred us, they simply made us endeavour to go one better. I don’t care what people call us. If any of us cared about public opinion we wouldn’t have done what we’ve done over the past 15 years. It is fighting for fighting’s sake. The approval of our peers has always been preferable to the opinions of the press or the public at large.
Since the early 1990s Aston Villa Hardcore has been arguably the most prolific football hooligan gangs in the UK. Described by police as one of the worst two hooligan gangs on the England international scene. There are currently 80 Villa Hardcore members subject to football banning orders. Sentences totalling over 80 years have been handed out to participants in a series of high profile incidents involving Aston Villa’s Hardcore. Amongst these hard men who have relentlessly taken on the top firms of other football clubs one man’s name stands out. He is Steven Fowler, who has been described by police and judges as a ‘hardcore ‘Category C’ hooligan leader’. The police identify football supporters in three categories, A, B and C. Category A supporters are normal fans who attend football matches with no intention of causing any problems. Category B supporters are people the police identify as people who may be prone to disorder on certain occasions especially when alcohol is involved. Category C fans are people who attend football matches with the sole intent of causing trouble usually in organised gangs. Fowler’s rise to prominence both nationally and worldwide has been meteoric. Known to police forces the world over Fowler first came to the notice of the world media when he was thrown out of France during the World Cup in 1998. He has since been denied entry into numerous countries during major football tournaments which were being staged there. He is now subject to one of the longest banning orders in British football.
In this book we explain how as Villa Hardcore, we developed our own matchless culture and how we became one of the most highly organised football firms in the country. You will read how we exported our own particular brand of football hooliganism to Europe and the rest of the World. We cover a series of incidents which include clashes with the cream of English footballs hooligan elite. You will find out how other gangs on the England scene reacted when we erupted onto the international scene and took them by shock and storm, and how they had to join forces to deal with us. Fowler’s boys took on everyone, from West Ham’s Inter-City Firm, Birmingham City’s Zulu Warriors, Chelsea’s Head-Hunters to Middlesbrough’s Frontline. All of them were notorious as some of the hardest hooligan gangs in English football, but we as Villa Hardcore showed them neither respect nor fear.
You will read about the triumphs, the losses and the disasters - because this is not a book like so many hooligan books which pretend that there were no losses. This is an honest book and we do not shirk from admitting to some uncomfortable facts. We’ll explain how and why we took on the press. How they attacked us and labelled us. How we reacted. How we stayed one step ahead of them and played them at their own game. And we’ll tell you how we took football rivalry with our local rivals Birmingham City to a new level by initiating and maintaining this attack on the ground, in the press, on the airwaves and in cyber-space.
We will reveal our constant battle of wits with the police and particularly the football intelligence officers. Discover why we were targeted by anti-terrorist police. Discover how the exposure of being in the media spotlight and plastered across every national and international newspapers affected some of us. You will read about false allegations, dawn raids, high-profile court cases and lengthy prison sentences - you will find out how all that happening to an individual actually felt. We were labelled scum and jailed as real criminals but in our eyes and minds we are ordinary hard working men who only fought others of the same mind.
Steve Fowler and I decided to write this book because we wanted people to know the truth. We wanted what has occurred to be recorded as honestly and as accurately as possible by ourselves rather than leaving it for people to rely on lies written about us in other books or the press.
Over the last decade football hooligan books have become quite common. Another common denominator has been that, in the main, the authors or the teams in question have never been done. They’ve never been run. They’ve taken mobs of 400 plus everywhere and generally taken the piss wherever they have gone. This book will be different. It will not be about bragging and pretending. It will be about reality.
As Villa Hardcore we adapted to the challenges of the 90s. We operated in smaller numbers than was the case in the 80s. Some people say the 80s was ‘when it mattered’ my answer to that is it always matters, circumstances just change. Also to read a lot of these books you would be forgiven for thinking Aston Villa fans are not a group to be taken seriously. They pretend that we’re nothing, and that you can come to Villa Park and stroll round the place like you own