Playing Up with Pompey

Book excerpt: During the 1980s, a new youth phenomena swept across the football terraces in the UK: the casuals had appeared on the football scene. They formed style-conscious gangs who took the soccer wars to a new level. One of these gangs became known as the portsmouth 6-57 Crew, for the simple reason that enabled the main firm to get to London to catch the connection to various northern outposts. Author Bob Beech has followed Pompey all his life, took part and witnessed many of the events that made the Pompey 6-57 Crew one of the most talked about football firms of all time.