Villains: The Inside Story of Aston Villa's Hooligan Gangs Book

Aston Villa FC is one of the biggest and best-supported football clubs in Britain the giant from England's second city with a long and distinguished history in the game culminating in an unforgettable European Cup victory in 1982. ; ; The story of their terrace army however has never been told - until now. Like all major clubs Villa have had their hooligans and hardmen who have been involved in some of the fiercest terrace battles of the past four decades. ; ; VILLAINS traces their gangs from the 1960s up to the present day. Through first-person testimony it reveals for the first time the antics of The Steamers who 'steamed' away ends led by a band of colourful and fearless characters. Eventually they were superseded by the C-Crew a multi-racial gang who came together during Birmingham's Two-Tone period and the parallel casual era. ; ; This was the heyday of hooliganism and the Villa Park faithful clashed with the toughest and most violent gangs around. At the helm were legendary figures such as Pete the Greek who famously head-butted a police horse and took on the Millwall leader in a one-on-one brawl and 'Black' Danny Brown who was jailed in 1981 for one of the most infamous football-related attacks. ; ; Bitter rivalries against clubs from across the Midlands and beyond are recounted in depth including the notorious battle at McDonalds island against Birmingham City's Zulus in 2002. The story is brought up to date with tales of the Villa Youth one of the most active of the recent soccer firms.Read More