SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I was in two minds as to whether to post this topic, but thought I would anyway. I have just finished reading a book by Caroline Gall about the notorious Leeds Utd Service Crew and their activities in the 70's and 80's and to a lesser extene maybe in the 90's.What are people's thoughts about this? Is there anyone that would admit to being a member of the Service Crew and tell us their thoughts about what went on and looking back on it what they think now?It is a darker part of secret goings on in Leeds, but it is a part of the history of the city non the less and should be talked about.    

YRA YRA YRA

Mick_SGC wrote: YRA YRA YRA mick whats going on with yer avatar mate???

Was never a memebr of the Service crew and never understood the need t pay shed loads of money to fight???? However, having said that I have, at times been very very glad they have been there.

Brandy wrote: Mick_SGC wrote: YRA YRA YRA mick whats going on with yer avatar mate??? It's brok, Give the' ammer ere' lad an al fix it.*makes a clinking sound*

Mick_SGC wrote: Brandy wrote: Mick_SGC wrote: YRA YRA YRA mick whats going on with yer avatar mate??? It's brok, Give the' ammer ere' lad an al fix it.*makes a clinking sound* that's better a good old 'WHACK' with the Manchester spanner soon sorted it out lol

Manchester screwdriver! Brandy!

Hullo LS1,Interersting post re SC Book. I read it myself a few months back, and having followed the mighty Whites home and away from 1965 to 84, I reckon I'm well qualified to comment. I found the book quite nostalgic in that I remember and knew quite a lot of the original protaganists. I think the name Service Crew was a generic name invented by the media. I don't think it was ever a gang, as such, withe members, heirarchy's etc, more a media cult , scenr type thing that the fans embraced. The point was, we had a massive away following which got bigger in inverse proportions to the clubs success. I would say Paris75 was the turning point. After that game we started to attract a lot of fans just there for the aggro and by 80/81 we were taking thousands even to places like OT and Goodison. What happened is, a lot of lads started going on the service trains to escape the [edited for content] from home fans and local plod that came with being herde on to specials and Wally Arnold coaches. There was nothing new about this concept, my mates and I did it in 68/69 for the same reasons, the only difference was in 1980, there were thousands at it, so of course, the media get hold of it, a story is born, myths perpetuate, and then you have a cult with a cult following.Unfortunately, there are victims of this, namely the poor lads who got stitched up in Operation 'Wild Boar' in 87. These lads, who got four years apiece, were unlucky. It could have any of 2-3 thousand lads who were only doing the same thing, namely following their team and getting in a few rucks. You didn't have to go looking for it, it often found you. I'll admit, there were a few hard core thugs involved with Leeds as there still are, but these lads got away.Another cause of the violence in the 80's and we are seeing this repeated now in Div 3, was the hopelessly inadequate stadiums and the incompetence and aggression of the local plod in dealing with what they perceived as 4-5 thousand drunken, plundering Yorkshiremen, onley too eager to rape and pillage, when the reality was just a bunch of lads wanting to watch their team and have a few beers and a laugh. I have seen more riots caused by the police than I care to remember and this was the main reason I stopped going away. Remember, violence breeds violence.I do believe, though, that football violence is very much a part of our social history, and reasons for it need to be looked at closer than the treatment it gets in the press and courts. Why someone can be locked up for 4 years for wanting to fight with like minded individuals, when a gang of teens walk free from court after kicking seven bells out of a female shopworker in an unprovoked attack(as happened recently) is beyond comprehension.

Ruffarse wrote: Hullo LS1,Interersting post re SC Book. I read it myself a few months back, and having followed the mighty Whites home and away from 1965 to 84, I reckon I'm well qualified to comment. I found the book quite nostalgic in that I remember and knew quite a lot of the original protaganists. I think the name Service Crew was a generic name invented by the media. I don't think it was ever a gang, as such, withe members, heirarchy's etc, more a media cult , scenr type thing that the fans embraced. The point was, we had a massive away following which got bigger in inverse proportions to the clubs success. I would say Paris75 was the turning point. After that game we started to attract a lot of fans just there for the aggro and by 80/81 we were taking thousands even to places like OT and Goodison. What happened is, a lot of lads started going on the service trains to escape the [edited for content] from home fans and local plod that came with being herde on to specials and Wally Arnold coaches. There was nothing new about this concept, my mates and I did it in 68/69 for the same reasons, the only difference was in 1980, there were thousands at it, so of course, the media get hold of it, a story is born, myths perpetuate, and then you have a cult with a cult following.Unfortunately, there are victims of this, namely the poor lads who got stitched up in Operation 'Wild Boar' in 87. These lads, who got four years apiece, were unlucky. It could have any of 2-3 thousand lads who were only doing the same thing, namely following their team and getting in a few rucks. You didn't have to go looking for it, it often found you. I'll admit, there were a few hard core thugs involved with Leeds as there still are, but these lads got away.Another cause of the violence in the 80's and we are seeing this repeated now in Div 3, was the hopelessly inadequate stadiums and the incompetence and aggression of the local plod in dealing with what they perceived as 4-5 thousand drunken, plundering Yorkshiremen, onley too eager to rape and pillage, when the reality was just a bunch of lads wanting to watch their team and have a few beers and a laugh. I have seen more riots caused by the police than I care to remember and this was the main reason I stopped going away. Remember, violence breeds violence.I do believe, though, that football violence is very much a part of our social history, and reasons for it need to be looked at closer than the treatment it gets in the press and courts. Why someone can be locked up for 4 years for wanting to fight with like minded individuals, when a gang of teens walk free from court after kicking seven bells out of a female shopworker in an unprovoked attack(as happened recently) is beyond comprehension. Have to say I agree with you. Football hooligans in general only fight each other, they do not fight with passers by or the public going about their business. The law regarding football violence seems very silly to me. So what if two sets of lads want to kick seven shades out of each other ! Let them get on with it, why fill our overcrowded prisons with these when people commiting real crimes get a slap on the wrist and sent home. Give me a football hooligan any day rather than the gangs of chavs that hang about our streets causing misery for literally thousands of people up and down the country.

true....i loved the crew..