Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #267599 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Synopsis
Here, the founder of Celtic Soccer Crew sets the record straight. John O'Kane delivers a gripping tale of a life dedicated to football violence and gives an unparalled insight into the reality of being a career hooligan. With 33 criminal convictions against him, plus a further 33 cases either dropped or with a not guilty verdict, O'Kane has been remanded nine times including one charge of attempted murder when he was aged just 18. He became rapidly embroiled in a life of violence and was in and out of prison just as many times as he was in and out of a hospital bed. His was a life dedicated to the gang he founded, the Celtic Soccer Crew. O'Kane describes the extraordinary struggle of a gang of football hooligans to survive, despite discovering an unexpected enemy: the indomitable Celtic support - a support that guarded its reputation and good name with a passion O'Kane hadn't reckoned with, even as a Celtic supporter himself. But out on the streets and causing mayhem, the "Celtic Soccer Crew", including, incredibly, their girlfriends, showed they were not taking grief from anyone.

Customer Reviews

Celtic Soccer Crew
An excellent read which will surprise a few who were probably expecting the author to make CSC out to be invincible. A very honest and balanced account of the authors life as a "football casual" make this THE best Scottish book about this scene so far. Refreshing to read not just about the highs, which so many of these books only concentrate on, but the lows too.Excellent

An Honest Hooligan
Not what you might expect from the genre, this account actually talks about more than just victories over other mobs. It bucks the trend for hyped-up, testesterone driven accounts of gang fights and instead gives an insight into some of the downsides of being a thug. The broken relationships, the stitched wounds, the time spent in hospital beds; all as a result of the unquenchable addiction to football violence. There are many highs and lows, funny and sad moments throughout. One of the best books I've read on the subject for years.

Celtic Soccer Crew
One of the best I've read on the subject of Football violence. The chap has had a rollercoaster life and has had a lot of bad luck in his years also.

His assesment of other Football firms are good. He also has enough courage to admit the downside.