- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Pennant Books Ltd; revised and updated ed edition (30 Sep 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1906015678
- ISBN-13: 978-1906015671
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,644,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
The two authors . . . manage to convey in very human terms the profound sense of injustice that many travelling English fans have felt at their treatment . . . Football Hooliganism is page-turning stuff, and readers will find themselves emotionally engaged with the story. --Dr. J. Drury, Department of Psychology, University of Sussex
Product Description
Hooliganism among English supporters road has blighted international football for over 30 years. Over the last few decades, whenever an international match took place, news reports would carry pictures of English fans embroiled in scenes of violence. In order to address this problem, a vast amount of far-reaching legislation and policing measures were put in place. But has the war on hooliganism been won? Drs Stott and Pearson take an engaging and critical look at the various tactics and strategies that have been employed to combat this ugly phenomenon. From the use of robocops , teargas and water cannons to the less aggressive imposition of football banning orders and the utilization of self-policing, this book examines the efficacy of these diverse measures. This updated and revised edition looks at current strategies for policing hooligans abroad at future European Championships, and analyses the policing of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa for its intercontinental implications.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting backstory to real-world research,
By
This review is from: Football ''Hooliganism'', Policing and the War on the ''English Disease'' (Hardcover)
This powerful book presents the hidden story of English football `hooliganism'. This account differs from the plethora of hooligan autobiographies currently on the market, however, in two important ways. First, it is not an account of personal `glory', but the backstory to an ambitious research project carried out by social scientists. Second, it serves to challenge the very notion of `hooliganism' as it is used in common sense, media accounts and by the authorities.
One of the most impressive features of the book is the way that a scientific project is described without the usual jargon and dry turgid prose of a scientific text. The two authors, Cliff Stott and Geoff Pearson, manage to convey in very human terms the profound sense of injustice that many travelling English fans have felt at their treatment when travelling abroad to watch their teams play. `Football "hooliganism"' is page-turning stuff, and readers will find themselves emotionally engaged with the story. Cliff and Geoff have been with and in these crowds of travelling fans. They are able to understand their experiences from the inside, as well as to explain how such fans sometimes come to be defined and treated as `hooligans'. But what makes this book a must-read for anyone interested in football `hooliganism' is the authors' radical view of the nature of such `hooliganism'. The problem for the common sense representation of the problem is encapsulated in the following facts. On the one hand, banning orders have prevented known hooligans from travelling abroad, yet have not prevented mass violence involving English fans abroad. On the other hand, when known hooligans have been present at matches abroad, hooliganism, or mass disorder, doesn't necessarily follow. Over fifteen years of research on crowd-police interaction in and around football matches has suggested that the presence or absence of `hooliganism' is explicable in terms of policing styles. The book documents how `heavy-handed' policing, which presumes that fans are hooligans, can operate as a self-fulfilling prophesy, creating the very problems that the authorities fear. While the book presents a critical perspective it is also a constructive one. The ultimate test of the authors' `hooligan' hypothesis was what they describe as `the biggest social psychology experiment ever carried out'. When the European championships were held in Portugal in 2004, the researchers were able to brief half of the local police forces involved with the principles derived from these research. Fan behaviour at events policed by these forces showed almost a complete absence of hooliganism, whereas in other areas the `English disease' was still evident. The intervention was judged such a success that Cliff and Geoff's research later came to inform the European Union handbook on the policing of football fans abroad. This fascinating book will be of interest to football fans, social science students and researchers, and anyone interested in the risks, possibilities and excitement of real-world research.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An eye opening book,
By
This review is from: Football ''Hooliganism'', Policing and the War on the ''English Disease'' (Hardcover)
Anyone expecting another typical book on the 'antics' of the football hooligan (or as it's called in this book 'hoolie porn') will be disappointed.
Instead you'll find a serious attempt to understand how and why acts of disorder happen around football matches, and the way policing, the media and government have affected it, and tried to prevent it happening. The book looks at various high profile events, including the Roma V Utd game in 2007, Liverpool in Athens for the Champions League final, the World Cups of Italia90, France98 and WM2006 and European Championships of 2000 and 2004. The thing that struck me when reading the book was the wealth of studies into crowd dynamics (not just at football). As a former sociology student, I hadn't realised how much work had been done in this area. Clifford and Geoff attempt to compare and contrast these various studies and use them to back up their own research, both as observers at the various championships listed above, and from interviewing others present. The book highlights the attempts to legislate against football related disorder, sadly seemingly driven by hysterical (and often totally inaccurate) media reporting. The high profile banning of known trouble makers is contrasted with the fact that those arrested abroad generally have no history of being in trouble with police at all, and the book explores the way people's behaviour in a large crowd can differ greatly than if they were alone or in a small group. You may have a different opinion on 'the English disease' after reading accounts of those present, although the book never suggests that English fans are innocents abroad. But the interesting thing is the various methods used by police to prevent disorder in the first place, and controlling it as it kicks off. The baffling thing is that, even when presented with firm evidence of what works well and what doesn't, there seems little enthusiasm to implement the good methods uniformly. The European Championships in the Netherlands and Belgium highlights this, with the Dutch based games being relatively peaceful, comparing with the infamous plastic chair throwing and water canons competition in Belgium. Guess where the good methods were employed? A parallel is drawn with the poll tax riots (at which Clifford was present). Again, police handling is seen as helping create the tension that resulted in the mass disorder that day, again turning people in a large crowd into something completely at odds to their normal, individual behaviour. The book doesn't try and suggest solutions, but lets the evidence speak for itself. They by no means suggest that the hooligan has disappeared, but have produced a book that tries to explain why some games experience trouble and some don't, and the contributory factors that breed the problems. Should be recommended reading for every police chief, home secretary and newspaper editor.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long, detailed, but thorough and enlightening,
By
This review is from: Football ''Hooliganism'', Policing and the War on the ''English Disease'' (Hardcover)
First things first, there appears to be a mix-up on Amazon around this book and another non-related book. So the "paperback" link, and one of the negative reviews are unrelated and should be ignored.It should be said that this book is not a light read. That is a good thing considering the depth that the authors go into to justify their research and subject, but it does mean that if you need to make a commitment to reading it. A light read on the coffee table this is not. The authors are both academics, and that is reflected in the book style, and although it is certainly not written as a paper or with endless references, is feels weighty rather than light. This is not a criticism but simply something to be aware of. The book explores the authors' own research and first-hand experiences around abroad football hooliganism--that is, when England are playing abroad--and makes the consistent point that the entire notion of "hooliganism" is outdated. Specifically, the claim is made that both the mad-mob and gang-leader theories are not correct, despite constant media portrayal. Instead, the book explores the idea that the primary contributing factors are a misunderstanding of English football culture, fear and inaccurate reporting, and indiscriminate (unjust even?) policing due to those misunderstandings and fears. This is very similar to the conclusions reached by one of the same author's in a more recent book "Mad Mobs and Englishmen", albeit within a different context. Personally, I found the book enlightening and fascinating, and I ended up agreeing with all the authors' conclusions, not least due to the sheer amount of good quality evidence they have amassed. However, I suspect that not all will enjoy this book, especially those who come with fairly traditional views of policing and crowd dynamics. It really is a bit of a Marmite interpretation and theory, and you'll either lap it up or find it highly repulsive! I would also mention that although this book focuses on football hooliganism, the ideas and conclusions reached have far wider implications that just 'soccer'. As such, I would also recommend this book to anyone with an interest in crowd behaviour, policing (and poor policing), and how social identity within the crowd can dramatically effect the risk assessment. Buy this book, and sit down somewhere where you can concentrate on it properly ... and buy it whilst you can, as it looks like it is now out of print unfortunately.
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