Product Description

Burnley FC fans are famously the most loyal of all: their club claims the biggest support in the country compared to the size of its town. Such fierce commitment has also inspired ferocious - and sometimes misdirected - loyalty.

Out of the terrace wars of the 1970s came a gang known as the Suicide Squad - and Andrew `Pot' Porter was one of its leaders. Raised in the shadow of Turf Moor in a northern community of back-to-back terraces, he started watching matches as a cider-swigging ten-year-old and was soon a regular on the famous Long Side, where he saw the exploits of fearless terrace legends like Norman Jones and the crazy Bungalow Bill.

Burnley's rollercoaster history- from the old Division One to Division Four and the threat of non-league football - meant the Suicide Squad clashed with just about every rival mob in the country, from minnows like Bury and Wimbledon to giants like Spurs, Celtic, Birmingham and Manchester City, with Pot always in the thick of it. A successful amateur boxer, he was also a regular follower of the England national team, where he witnessed some of the most notorious incidents of modern times.

From raucous trips in Transit vans with carrier bags full of beer cans, to sleeping off hangovers in foreign train stations, to fighting with mad German skinheads, Suicide Squad is a gritty, realistic and vivid portrayal of the wild side of British football.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #211677 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 342 pages

Customer Reviews

Was i reading a different book?
I bought this on the strength of the reviews previously listed. And now i can only assume that the comments on this book were written by Burnley fans, because i found it a huge dissapointment.
The book is badly written, and boringly repetative. After reading how "we bounced up and down, chanting su su suicide", and "i said, i'm Burnley Suicide- do you want some?" for the umpteenth time, i really didn't think i would be able to finish this. But, working on the assumption that it can only get better, i did. Unfortunately, i was wrong- it got a lot worse. If you lived these games and these fights, then buy this book. If you didn't, save your money.

Suicide case
Having read the book i have come to the conclusion Mr Porter must be a 'winda licka' I have met Mr Porter on numerous occasions can of stella in 1 hand ciggarette dimps in the other, I find it laughable this pisspot of an excuse of a man has done alleged things, he is 6st (in the rain) getting on in age, i have made enquiries and since found out he was nothing but a backseat joe-egg and wants his son to be a better hooligan than he was (wont be so hard, just shout Su-Su-Sui-cide in Mcdonalds) job done.
better off reading sci-fi books

A sad tale
I am a Burnley fan and read this book to try and gain an insight into some of the idiots who also follow my team and have spoilt many a game by their self-indulgent behaviour. So what did I get from reading this, well, not much. All I ended up with was a reconfirmation that these people have a sad, narrow empty life. To read accounts of games I went to and the trouble that kicked off was a revelation only in the extent to which I simply do not believe the authors story. I think the book is full of exaggeration, perhaps an attempt to make him feel more 'important'. Is just seems ridiculous to try and turn a transient scrap in a car park into the a heroic battle, in my view its just all a bit pathetic. There are so many important things in life and what they do just is not. On a literary not- it is also just badly written and frustrating to read.

I think that we all need to make our own minds up on all matters but I strongly advise others not to read this nonsense, it tells us nothing on a sociological or psychological level and ultimately just puts money in the pocket of this author who one might have some hesitations in supporting.