Product Description

Aston Villa 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, 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, and have been involved in some of the fiercest battles of the past four decades. VILLAINS traces their gangs from the 1960's up to the present day. Through first-person testimony, it reveals for the first time the antics of the Steamers, who achieved nationwide infamy, led by a band of colourful and fearless characters such as Pete the Greek, who famously once headbutted a police horse and took on the Millwall leader in a one-on-one brawl.

Eventually they were superseded by the C Crew, a multi-racial gang who brought together youths from different areas of Birmingham during the 2-Tone era. This was the heyday of hooliganism, and the Villa Park faithful clashed with the toughest and most violent mobs around, often led into battle by co-authors Paul Brittle and "Black" Danny Brown, who was jailed in 1981 for one of the most infamous football-related attacks.

They went on riotous trips to Europe, fought at service stations and in nightclubs, and conducted bitter rivalries against foes from across the Midlands and beyond. The story is brought up to date with tales of the Villa Youth and accounts of the notorious Battle of McDonalds Island against their Birmingham City rivals the Zulus.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #344645 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Customer Reviews

Villains review
As a Villa fan, and knowing most of the guys personally it would be easy to write a biased review, so will try and be as unbiased as possible, firstly, the humour portrayed in here is a first compared to anything in any other book Ive read.

Ive read most of the football violence books and most of them are the usual " 5 of us went to Millwall, and smashed 300 of them", no you didnt !! they are mickey mouse bull**** stories, these lads have as many stories of getting the wrong end of a result as well as the good days at the office.

The lads concerned put their stories across well, and are brutally honest, Paul Brittle takes more slaps in once incident at Leicester than the whole West Ham firm take in their book. Dannys chapter about Liverpool at home is harrowing, as it takes you into another world of violence that most people can only have nightmares about, never mind being involved in.

What I did like was the way the sub chapters within each chapter are told by a different lad with a different angle, and the story flows nicely, without you getting bogged down as if one person alone had written it.

The chapter about Blues is good, as it gives them credit for being a class firm in the mid 80's and only a fool would not acknowlege that, but also ridicules them as a club, Brittle is so funny(and spot on)when he describes the differences between the 2 clubs .

All in all one of the best books Ive read on this subject, along with Naughty by Mark Chester of Stoke, and The Frontline by Boro.

Excellent book on friendship and loyalty to a club
A very honest account of what actually went on in the 70's and 80's in a solid multi-racial football crew. None of the fantasizing which is so frequent in other books of the genre. Excellent on friendship and the love of a football club through good times and bad. A superb read.

An honest account
Having read most of the books within this genre, it was refreshing to read an honest of 70's and 80's football violence. No claims of being a superfirm who never got done, no badmouthing other firms, just an honest account by lads who were first and foremost mates. Top read.