No comments about Ian Rush: An Autobiography.

No comments about Cobi Jones: Soccer Star (Reading Power).

No comments about Kaka (World Soccer Stars / Estrellas Del Futbol Mundial).

5 comments about Congratulations: You Have Just Met the I.C.F..

1. as a reader of many hooligan books, this has been done well enough by cass pennant, it keeps u interested and concetrates on the violence and what these guys got up to. there is still a bit of the old, there was 700 of them and just 2 of us and we still gave em a slap, but not too much (woulda have got 4 stars if he left some of that out). the ICF are a very proud bunch, from reading other books they were a well respected firm in their time, he gives a good account.



2. This guy was really there versus some of the tripe you see coming outy about soccer.



3. The title of the book is their business card, I think it's brilliant on their part though I can't say I'm sorry I was never handed one. Or perhaps I am. There are probably large cardboard boxes full of what's written about football hooligans. They analyze the why and the how; violence seems to attract a sort of fascination and I admit I am not immune to it. And I am not immune to a level of admiration for anyone like Bill Gardner who could walk up to the mob of another firm and say "Good afternoon gentlemen. The name's Bill Gardner." And then the ruck's on. It's a sort of utter fearlessness and abandon, and this book won't analyze anything, it'll bring it to life for you through the words of all the right faces in the Inner City Firm. It's stories of the West Ham supporters through the height of violence in the 70's and the 80's, along with a glimpse into the meaning of the violence from some of the most feared men of the I.C.F. You'll find no academics or reporters talking about hooligans here, I love it because here people get to speak for themselves.
   
   Interestingly enough, though, there's very little said about West Ham or football itself. A great book with a lot more about football is Eduardo Galeano's Soccer in Sun and Shadow, highlighting the great games and the great players and the politics behind it all, a great counterpoint to give context to a book like this one...



4. Its not unusual to see black people at
   football matches these days but back in the 70's and early 80's there
   were a lot of skinheads on the terraces and they were mostly extreme
   right wing racists. I didn't go to football at all in the UK in the
   70's but I remember going to see my first England match in 85 and
   being quite shocked by some of the racist chanting from some sections
   of the crowd at our own players. In short if you were black and
   standing on the terraces behind the goals (where all the hardcore
   fans gather) then you were seriously hard. Cass Pennant was that, a feared man as well. His writing is clear and focused, and this book is a great account of West Ham United's main firm, the Inter City Firm. Their rucks with rivals are still spoken of with awe, and one didn't venture into their turf on a game day without expecting to catch a beat down! Wild tales, especially to us Yanks!



5. Cass wasn't there a lot of the time.
   Too much 'secondhand' knowledge, to keep me gripped for long. But an easy read and entertaining all the same.
   I'd like to read more of what these people are thinking and feeling, than just related events.
   Cass, Gardner, Swallow, Leach and co, write your stuff 'first hand' - it would be facinating.
   No doubt these books are the life breath of DVDs like 'Green Street' or 'Football Factory'; both of which bear no resemblence to what really went (goes) on.
   Buy 'Good Afternoon, Gentlemen, the Name's Bill Gardner' by Bill Gardner and Cass Pennant - good read. Gardner is a diamond. Totally loyal to WHU and all it stands for. He certainly has my resect.
   West Ham usually win in their battles. A tough bunch indeed.
   They are definitely the second hardest firm since the Great War.
   The hardest being Millwall of course. Always outnumbered, never outdone. Sounds like a good title for a MFC book.
   If you REALLY want to know about WHU, buy Bobby Moore: By the Person Who Knew Him Best by Tina Moore. A GREAT read. He is WHU.
   Lord Moore of Dagenham, I refer to him as.

No comments about Pele: A Biograpy.

No comments about The Magnificent Obsession.

No comments about David Beckham (People in the News).

No comments about Hail Cesar.

1 comments about Martin O'Neill: The Biography.

1. If you like biographies of footballers or managers this one's a must. A fascinating look at a very private and incredibly successful man, both as a player with Nottingham Forest under the enigmatic Clough where he won 2 European Cups and as a manager with non-league clubs where he cut his teeth and then with Leicester City and Celtic. The book was written before O'Neill left Celtic so is not current. What's not inc.is much information on his private life. The book was written without O'Neill's permission so does not inc. accounts from current friends or family. As a Forest fan from that era I would've liked more Forest/Clough information as well.But for all that it is very well written & a great read.

No comments about John Paul II: Legacy and Witness.