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After the Match, the Game Begins | 
 enlarge | Authors: Kenny Mccall, John Robb
Publisher: John Blake Publishing Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £17.99
Buy New: £10.50
You Save: £7.49 (42%)
New (20) Used (3) from £10.50
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 25065
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 337
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 1844544516
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.48309224127
EAN: 9781844544516
ASIN: 1844544516
Publication Date: July 31, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. Shipped from UK Mainland. Delivery is usually 2 - 3 working days from order by Royal Mail, International Delivery is by Airmail.
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| Customer Reviews:
In the Thick of It and Swinging June 1, 2008
The Conductor (EverywhereAtOnce)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this book largely on the strength of the other two reviews that were in place here on Amazon; both reviews described the book as being "so much more" than a "standard" hooligan book. When it arrived on my doorstep (I live in the USA) I happily ripped the packaging apart before tearing into the book with focused eyes. I read the first 70 pages in what felt like an hour, which was quick even for me. McCall's description of his city, plus what I imagined to be his enchanted Scottish homestead close to the Dundonian centre - and its two football grounds - had my nostalgia sense clicking into overdrive. I myself am a writer (author of "Perry Boys", a book in a similar genre) and I lapped up the images of little Kenny McCall peeping over the window-sill of his modest Dundee home, as armies of Glaswegians flowed down his street drunkenly trashing the place. The early accounts of Dundee United's growing presence in League and Scottish Cup and Premier League glows with an unvarnished pride, as young Kenny attends his first Hampden Park final, as well as what McCall refers to as the rise of the "New Firm" - Dundee United's rivalry with Aberdeen.
But then the story turns a strange corner. The drunken chaos of the 70s becomes the mid-80s, and Scotland's Casual era makes its presence felt. McCall does well to draw out his own development as a fighter on Dundee United's front lines - beginning with a chapter entitled "The Debut". It also becomes clear at this point that Dundee's Stobswell housing scheme was among its trendiest, as well as cosmopolitan enough to agree to an alliance with the casuals from Dundee's other football club, Dundee FC. McCall easily convinces the reader that he is some kind of big lovable "Bungle Bear" of a mate, who will protect you in a scrape. This is undoubtedly true - if you're a member of his firm. But he also mentions (without making a meal of) the fact he's a big lad, and as he grows older, Kenneth McCall obviously weighs into most every important battle the Dundee Utility had with any opposition worth its salt. He is in the thick of it and swinging every time it kicks off. He is clearly an Old School hooligan, and one to be respected.
McCall's introduction to Scotland's version of Manchester United - the curiously named Aberdeen Soccer Casuals - generates a lot of tension, and it was a pleasure to read of his trepidation when faced with this giant-sized mob of clobbered-up hooligans. Several accounts are detailed in the book, and I doubt there's anyone in Aberdeen who cares (or dares) to rewrite this most objective history; McCall is an engineer, and his truthfulness and lack of partiality are apparent throughout.
The phasing into the "second generation" via John Robb's excellent and intelligent contributions are a welcome shift in the tale; Robb outlines the exquisite degree of planning inherent in the Utility's invasion of places like Aberdeen and Glasgow, when the younger casuals were struggling to keep the culture alive, and some dramatic battles are described, with weapons, flare-guns, and many arrests.
Robb's consequent "third generation" is a timely report on the state of football (or "soccer" if you're an Aberdonian) casualism today. The diminished numbers in the mobs, and the increased football intelligence presence fighting to keep it that way, are described in honest and interesting sojourns, such as the trips down south to fight alongside Stoke City's Naughty Forty.
Finally, the game against England for the '96 Euro Championships sees some interesting accounts of how Scotland's top boys all met in advance in Dundee to discuss strategy. The resultant mayhem in Trafalgar Square says it all. I disagree with the claims that this isn't a hooligan book. It is very much a hooligan book, but it is a book that gives you a proper fighter's opinion. The closer to the action you live, the more honest you tend to be, and this is one big honest story, just like its authors. I loved it.
happy days indeed..... May 30, 2008
b.milne (australia)
first of all i'm an ex dundonian living in australia, a mate of mine was over on holiday earlier on this year and he recommended it (probably because he was mentioned a few times in it!), a very well written book clever enough not to mention the boys full names but if you were going around dundee at that time you knew most of them anyway, it captures the feeling around dundee at the time, fatties,old bank bar,JD's and the unique situation where two teams supporters become one. in 88-89 most of us were turning 18 started work had a few extra quid in our pockets to buy the good gear, i also make the trip through to perth to valentino's ( all for a pair of pop 84 jeans!), so i can relate to that. the book is honestly written enough to say when things went pear shaped, and tell us when things went well. good effort kenny and john, look forward to the movie.....
Excellent Read. October 18, 2007
eberdeen loon (exile)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Iam old Aberdeen from the start of the scene through to the end of the 80's, I actually only lived a few miles away from Dundee in those days and it was were i had to change trains and attempt to do my shopping without taking a hit, i hated them with a passion, but age has mellowed my attitudes. Still i never thought i would be writing a recomendation for a Dundee book
I have read a lot of books covering the subject, ive found so many of them to be standardised my dads bigger than yours crap.
I thought this book was extremley well written, a lot more down to earth and honest, a bit of reality about the days before mobiles, when things happened and things did'nt quite work out as hoped. On saying that i also enjoyed the more up to date stuff when mobs got smaller and meaner.
The book is not all about that part of the scene, it puts into words the way a whole youth sub-culture moulded the way the UK dresses today. I might give the book to the wife to read as it relates and describes the way of life better than any other, something she has never understood and she was my Blonde back then.
Stand Free
This is not "another" hooligan book August 19, 2007
S. McGurk (Dundee, Scotland)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is not another ordinary hooligan book, this one stands out from the rest with a well written, sometimes amusing, no holds barred tales of the casual culture from schoolboy into grown men fighting on a saturday at the football in the guise of defending their town "Dundee" from any invaders and on other occasions invading other towns with the sole purpose of taking on other casuals.
Also written about is the expensive designer clothes they wear and how the fasions changed through the years and also their musical tastes. I'd urge anyone who likes hoolie books or wants to read about the unique friendship between the two Dundee sides "casuals" and how they formed one firm between them, the Dundee Utility to buy this book. You won't be dissappointed
Best book I've read in a while....... August 16, 2007
John Hall (Lancashire, England)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
If you're looking for a standard "hoolie" book I suggest you look elsewhere. After the match.......is so much more.
This book tells the true story of the Dundee Utility, a truly unique football firm, who draw their members from both Dundee football clubs.
Well-written and very easy to either dip in and out of or sit down for a long reading session, I found the book both informative and entertaining.
From the very beginnings of the casual movement in Scotland in the early 80s right up to the present day, the book tells all, from the changing fashions,the rival firms and the continuing efforts to stay one step ahead of the police. The accounts are far from the usual "we did them" boasts and the stories of run-ins with rival firms are at times both frightening and comic in their honesty.
If you are even slightly interested in this genre I would urge you to read "when the match...." for yourself, you will not be disappointed.
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