Running with the Firm: My Double Life as an Undercover Hooligan
£10.40£12.30 (-15%)
‘Of course I’m a f**king hooligan, you pr**k. I am a hooligan…there I’ve said it…I’m a hooligan. And, do you know why? Because that’s my f**king job.’
In 1995, a film called I.D., about an ambitious young copper who was sent undercover to track down the ‘generals’ of a football hooligan gang, achieved cult status for its sheer brutality and unsettling insight into the dark and often bloody side of the so-called beautiful game.
The film was so shocking it was hard to believe the mindless events that took place could ever happen in the real world. Well, believe it now…
Almost twenty years on, the man behind the film has explosively revealed that the script was largely a true story. That man, James Bannon, was the ambitious undercover cop. The football club was Millwall F.C. and the gang that he infiltrated was The Bushwackers, among the most brutal and fearless in English football.
In Running with the Firm, Bannon shares his intense and dangerous journey into the underworld of football hooliganism where sickening levels of violence prevail over anything else. He introduces you to the hardest thugs from football’s most notorious gangs, tells all about the secret and almost comical police operations that were meant to bring them down, and, how once you’re on the inside, getting out from the mob proves to be the biggest mission of all.
A disturbing but compelling read, this is the book that proves fact really is stranger than fiction.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Ebury Press, Reprint edition (5 Jun. 2014) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 336 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0091951526 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0091951528 |
| Dimensions | 12.7 x 2.29 x 20.32 cm |
by A. Customer
Based on true events, James Bannon is an undercover police officer who is tasked (with another 3 police officers) to infiltrate and gather intelligence about Millwall’s football hooligans and their gang, The Bushwhackers, over a 2-3 year period between 1987-1989. As Jim Ford, a painter and decorator from Wandsworth, South London, he infiltrates deeper, finding himself getting sucked into the world of Millwall F.C, hooliganism and the people around it.
Anyone who has seen ID will recognise Bannon’s story although there are many differences in the book that make it worth reading as well as seeing the film.
This book is different from most run of the mill football hooligan (my gangs tougher than your gang!/this book is how it happened!) books that I’ve read so far as it is written by an undercover police officer rather than an out and out hooligan, journalist or football fan, so will probably appeal to a broader spectrum of readers, as there is a different angle than just the violence that occurred in and around football games.
It is extremely easy to read and flows very well making it a straightforward read (I would’ve liked to give it 4 and a half stars).
It is also thought provoking, insomuch as, you question whether the resources spent on operations such as these, not to mention the dangers that the operatives were put under, were worth the overall result (you’ll understand when you read the book!), whether those making the decisions at the top did so because of political influence (which wanted to make an example rather than enforce the law without prejudice) and how the police at that time got away with their behaviour (Bannon paints the police to be as bad, if not worse, than the hooligans themselves, only in most cases, the police got away with it).
If you are a football fan and someone who’s interested in the subject of football or football hooliganism (and remembers ID), this book is definitely worth reading but I’d also recommend it to anyone who wants to read about undercover police work and the sub culture that existed amongst some football supporters in the late 80’s. It’s a good read.
by Ben
Having seen the Film ID this book is based upon a number of years and enjoying it at the time I was intrigued to read the story from the horses mouth as it were. It was quite different to the film, a few of the details in the film had been elaborated for shock value I guess.
It is a good book, well written in structure. Telling the potentially deadly story of a group of undercover agents tasked to infiltrate the merky world of the Millwall football hooligan firm the F-Troop I believe or The Bushwackers, one of the two…It documents two years of the officers lives and how deeply entrenched they became in the life playing a duplicitous deadly game of cat and mouse with their targets. The book goes into a lot of detail regarding events occurred and relationships formed which is good for the reader because it helps to give depth to the story. For me the conclusion wasnt what I was expecting having seen the film.
I would definately recommend this to anyone with an interest in true crime style undercover books it is a well flushed out interesting story.
by Craig Anderson
Fantastic book.Well written and, although a cliche,a genuine can’t put down read.I read it in a day.Totally recommend this book.
by Pete
A must read of football from the 80’s, a book you can’t put down
by RV
It was a good read. A lot of good information on being inside a gang. Not for the faint hearted.
by Kindle Customer
I remember watching the film I.D back in t he 90a when it came out on Video at the time and being amazed by it , never imagining that it was actually based on the events of this book.
I have read in the region of 70 Football Autobiographies which I love reading , thought I would try this as something different and so glad I did to be honest , it’s a real page turner .
The incidents that happened in the Film actually all pretty much all happened from , getting in with the Batman Paul who was played by Warren Clarke in the Film , getting close to the barmaid , charging after the coach that Reece Dinsdale did in the Film and even tipping over the quiz machine when pretending not to be able to read .
So many close calls and might have beens to always stay that one stage ahead and avoid detection . Amazing.
I have recommended this to my brother and even bought him the book too .
Truly excellent read !!
by Kenny Burns
We have watched I.D for years,and when l seen the true story was available l was in 2 minds.
But, despite being a slow reader I smashed my way through this in no time!
It rang so true to the I.D movie, if you’ve seen it you’ll know what I mean.
But the best parts were feeling how Jim/John was feeling about certain games etc.
Chris/Trevor has been summed up perfectly and to be honest,is exactly what you would expect an undercover officer to be like at a place like Millwall/Shadwell.
Without his partner he would have been useless.
Or worse, dead!
But I firmly recommend this book, some insight as to what went on.
Despite the author being deceptive and cruel,he was actually playing against himself through the whole book as opposed to battling anyone or anything.
My only struggle was l didnt work out who Gumbo was…..
Maybe it’s me!
Shadwell Army.
by Amazon Customer
Excellent couldn’t put it down both thrilling and exciting feeling that you were living it with them going through it all.