|
|
|
About Black Danny
Football hooliganism has been called the English disease throughout the rest of Europe. It is difficult to speculate on why I became involved in football related violence there are so many possible causational factors.
 It is wrong to claim that all football hooligans are of a certain age, colour, class or possess a particular “psychological make-up”.
Myself being of West Indian origin puts that myth to bed. From my early teens I’ve always been intrigued by the smell of the streets and street culture.
When you are from the urban inner city jungle, violence is part and parcel of being young. To some extent that’s true, alcohol usually fuels the appetite for aggro on a Saturday afternoon although you might be surprised when I say I didn’t drink before a match preferring to keep a clear head. I was completely committed to my firm, the C-Crew nothing else really mattered to me.
I loved the rucks and the bravado that came with running with a top firm and the excitement that accompanies it. I know It’s not every ones idea of a good day out, but neither is the opera, horse racing or train spotting.
We toured the country like rock stars and brought terror to our rivals that dared cross our path. Just like drugs I became addicted to the violence.
When football Hooliganism Changed, notably with the 1990 Taylor report, Football clubs started to convert grounds into all-seated stadiums with closed circuit cameras.
When the rave scene kick in it totally bought football violence to an end, as we knew it then. Getting away from this lifestyle was probably the hardest thing I have ever done in my whole life, as only an alcoholic or drug addict could completely understand. The unfair thing is that they send football hooligans to prison, not to some cushy rehab clinic where they try to cure you.
What made me see the light at the end of the tunnel and say this isn’t the life for me anymore was watching other C-Crew members going in and out of prison, over the years.
Going to prison is something I’m not really proud of, it cost me my freedom, something I didn’t even realize I had until I lost it. Fortunately I’ve turn my life around, I’m no longer a gang member or football hooligan. For well over 15 years I have kept my nose clean, I don’t want to hide my past nor do I want to glorify violence.
In writing the book “Villains” and setting up my own website it as given me the opportunity to reflect on my life and say to others, “yes a leopard can change his spots”. I’m not trying to provide space as a Mentor for anyone. What I have come to realize is that people don’t change by reflecting on the lives of others, they change by reflecting on themselves. |
|
|
|
