Soccer hooligans? No, we're real men

Every season, there are problems with soccer hooligans who take inter-club -- or inter-country -- rivalry too far, and match days explode into violence. But who are the people involved ? Here, Frank Elson talks to one local man who admits to taking part on a regular basis WE are not football hooligans, we are 'ruckers'."

John, not his real name, may well suffer a serious injury this weekend, although he is hoping it will be the other way around.

He is hoping to cause a fairly serious injury to someone else.

But if he arrives at work -- in an office in Bolton -- on Monday with any visible cuts and bruises he will tell his colleagues that he fell off his mountain bike.

He will not tell them that he was somewhere in the country, or possibly even abroad, rucking -- that is fighting -- with other "crews" allied to one or other football team.

The National Crime Intelligence Service has just announced that football-related violence increased slightly last year. And added that today's hooligans are getting more sophisticated, with mobile phones and e-mail being routinely used to arrange fights.

The reports were true but, during my interview with John in a Bolton pub, I found that there was much more to it than that.

"It is a game, it's an extreme sport if you like," John told me, with a smile.

"We are organised and we are unbeatable, at least by the police.

"We've even moved away from the grounds now because they have spotters in the crowds.

"We were on the way back up the motorway after one match in the Midlands last year. We'd fought an honourable draw, lots of bloody noses on all sides, had a few beers and something to eat when one of our crew asked if anyone knew the match result!

"We were laughing like crazy, nobody knew!"

John still denies that he is a hooligan. "That gives the impression of mindless violence, marching up the road to the ground shouting and chanting and all that.

"Most of us were hooligans once but it has developed into something much more interesting. The headbangers have dropped away or still go and cause 'ag' (short for aggro which in turn is short for aggravation) at a match but the 'crews' are the real stars.

"I suppose we're the premiership and they're the first, no, third division really."

But just what is the attraction of this violence and if it is not mindless what is it? I asked.

"It's the buzz, the adrenaline -- yes, the fear in a way -- like I said, like in extreme sports.

"Every weekend people are out hang-gliding and mountain biking and chasing foxes on horses. Prince Charles got knocked out the other day playing polo. I got knocked out last year by a Geordie. What's the difference?

"We don't harm 'civilians' only other crews. All right, a few windows might get broken, and the odd chair, but that's all.

"It's what men, real men, do. We are hunters - we hunt the other crews.

"The bobbies hunt us, some people hunt little foxes and even the hunt saboteurs obey the hunting instinct -- they hunt the hunters."

John was quiet and well-spoken. I tried to get over the idea that most people would consider his behaviour to be, at the least, not quite normal.

"Course they would, just as I would think that their stupid little lives, mowing the lawn, washing the car and watching Australian soaps is not for me," he laughed.

"Look, you 'straights' have to realise that we don't really care if you wash your car and mow your lawn and write letters to the papers about villainy and vandalism.

"We are what we are, you are what you are, that's cool."

I tried to take the moral high ground again by bringing the conversation back to football. I asked John which team he supported.

"Yes, well, it's the Whites isn't it? I think this is where it gets complicated," he replied.

"You see, I support Bolton Wanderers first and foremost and England next . . . but I ruck with a Manchester City crew -- the fixture list can get really interesting at times!"

Wanderers and City?

"Wanderers are my team, my football team, and always will be but they don't have an even half-decent crew -- just hooligans.

"So in order to have a proper ruck I had to find myself another team's crew -- although they still know that I am a Wanderers fan. In fact my nickname in the crew is Whitey because I am a White.

"I feel out of it now at a Wanderers match. I just watch the game and laugh at the posers chanting and posturing at opposition fans. They don't know the half of it."

I asked John if the rucking scene was anything like that portrayed in recent episodes of The Bill?

"The stuff about standing together, not running and being able to rely on your mates was spot on," he replied.

"And the stuff about not having a leader was spot on. Nature always throws out a pack leader and, while most of our decisions are based on a Chinese parliament, there are a couple of guys in our crew who always seem to have the best ideas and who most of us defer to. For instance, it's nobody's business but mine but I called one of the two before talking to you and asked what he thought.

"Crews throughout the country are organised along the same lines although there are some that are a bit like the personal armies of some strongmen. We taunt them about not being able to do things without asking for permission, stuff like that.

"Rucking is organised as well, there are rules like not going tooled up, although the foreigners have spoiled that by knifing that guy from Leeds.

"Crews all over the country sent e-mails and messages of sympathy to the Leeds crews after that.

"We hate the guys from Leeds and will happily ruck with them at any time but they're English.

"Players from different teams get together in the national team so crews from different clubs can get together in a national crew. You see, it's not personal -- it's never personal -- it's just having a good time."