A former Spurs hooligan and ex-leader of the London Ulster Defence Association Frank Portinari named some of the toughest firms in England but said one stood out for a key reason
A former Tottenham Hotspur hooligan named the best firm in the country – saying he was honest enough to say their top rivals had a “psychological edge”.
Frank Portinari is a convicted gun smuggler who was a leader of the London Ulster Defence Association. But before getting involved with the loyalist paramilitaries in Belfast, he was a football fan from North London. His team of choice was Spurs and he spent the 70s and 80s travelling the country where he would scrap it out with rival football fans.
He spoke about his days on the terraces on the Criminal Connection podcast where he credited firms up north for being “tough blokes” who came from big industrial towns. Frank added that those “dangerous” away days were like “taking your life in your hands”.
However, he said the mobs closer to home were the most spiteful, and asked to name the best firm, he mentioned a number of rivals.
He said: “If I focus on London, I am honest enough to say this now that the late 60s, early 70s, I don’t think people gave them credit, Arsenal had a naughty mob of fellas. And it changed because I remember when Tottenham eclipsed Arsenal so to speak and we would regularly go their end of the ground and take the p*** really to be honest.”
However, as for the standout firm, he said: “Probably West Ham. I think West Ham because what they are always attributed with is being organised and they did seem to always be organised.”
Hammers aside, he claimed Millwall always deserved a mention, but caveated it with the fact that Spurs did not play them much because they were in different divisions.
But there was one occasion, on boxing day in 1977, when Millwall welcomed Spurs at the infamous Den. And remembering it, Frank said: “That is some of the worst violence I ever seen. Probably the worst violence in England that I have seen.
“There had been a documentary before (BBC Panorama) and it kind of built it all up. After the game it was crazy. I seen a fella put a screwdriver through someone’s cheek and they were kicking down walls, throwing bricks at each other, and wooden fencing. And there were even railings and they got the rails and the frames of like spears.
“I will make no bones about it. I think we gave a really good account of ourselves but I was glad to get back home and get in the local pub to be honest.
“It is the worst, definitely the worst, and I have seen some mad ones over the years, but how somebody didn’t die that day, I am genuinely shocked they didn’t.”
And referencing back to the original question, he concluded: “But no, I would have to say West Ham. They always kind of had it over us psychologically.”
Frank, author of Loyalist Paramilitary Gunrunner, added: “We have had our times with West Ham but consistently over the years, I will probably have to credit West Ham.
“But you could say Manchester United, they had thousands of supporters, they weren’t called the Red Army for nothing. They had fans all over.”