...By Lola Smith for TDPel Media.
Former Millwall hooligan, Ginger Bob, who was infamous in the 1970s and 80s, has revealed which football club he considers to have had the “toughest firm” that his group had ever faced.
He appeared on James English’s Anything Goes podcast and discussed his experiences of football hooliganism during his youth.
Although Millwall is now trying to leave its notorious past behind and earn a place in the Championship play-off, its legacy still persists.
Ginger Bob joined Millwall’s firm at the age of 15 and led the feared Millwall Bushwackers firm.
He pointed out that Cardiff City had an approximately 3-4,000-strong firm, which was the largest one he had ever come across.
In contrast, Millwall had around 300 members, so there was nowhere to run, and his friends thought they were going to die.
According to Ginger Bob, his best memory of a row occurred on March 18, 1976, when they had 300 members and Cardiff had 2,000, and some of his people were getting stabbed.
One of his friends was captured by Cardiff and was being beaten to death.
Ginger Bob returned to Cardiff’s firm and pulled him along the floor.
The adrenaline rush enabled him to bring his friend back, but when they arrived at the station, the Cardiff firm and the police were all laughing.
The police asked them to get on an empty train to London, but only 50 members of the group did so.
Ginger Bob then delivered a “Council of War” speech to the remaining members and told them to go back to Cardiff’s baying mob and “kick them.”
With only 250 members remaining against around 2,000 angry Welshmen, the groups once again faced off.
They kicked the gates in, ran riot, and smashed up all the pubs.
The police had to return and force them back.
According to Ginger Bob, it was just like the wild west and occurred a day before his 18th birthday.
Although Millwall is no longer as notorious as it was in the past, its legacy continues to exist.
