Hibs Boy: The Life and Violent Times of Scotland's Most Notorious Football Hooligan

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Paper to the Annual Conference of the Scottish Branch of the British Psychological Society, Glasgow, September. The only time I ever say the word is to warn my Son about the "Hearts" on the pavement: that is the dog ****.

During the latter part of the 1990s, a split in their ranks caused by the formation of a nationwide hooligan firm made up of casuals from different teams and a general decline in football hooliganism in Scotland saw activity of the gang diminish. Blance reveals all about his criminal past, terrace thuggery and jail terms in Hibs Boy: The Life And Violent Times Of Scotland's Most Notorious Football Hooligan. One of the original members of the Hibs Capital City Service he has been at the heart of every CCS encounter, apart from those he missed while in prison.By the time the CCS was first active around 1984, many of the city’s street gang members would be among its ranks as hooliganism became a major problem in both Scotland and England. If practicable, the venue for the brawl to take place had to be sufficiently far away from the anticipated area of police surveillance on the day.

Blackley’s Baby Crew (BBC) were formed around 1985, principally by siblings and associates of original members. A friendly fixture against the south London side Millwall in 1990 threw up a completely new challenge of getting to know the lay-out of the area where the game was to be played, transport links and crucially, where the opposition mob's favoured pubs would be. Brawls in England with the likes of Leeds United, Manchester United and Millwall’s firms saw dozens arrested while a Uefa Cup meeting between the Hibees and Belgian outfit Anderlecht resulted in pubs being turned into battlegrounds in both Amsterdam and Brussels.This decision was vindicated as this emotionally charged game was played in what was described as a volatile atmosphere.