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Congratulations You Have Just Met the ICF | 
 enlarge | Author: Cass Pennant
Publisher: Blake Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £2.65
You Save: £5.34 (67%)
New (33) Used (17) from £1.98
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 24708
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 400
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 1904034853
Dewey Decimal Number: 306
EAN: 9781904034858
ASIN: 1904034853
Publication Date: August 18, 2003
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new book. A little shelf soiled but otherwise new and unread.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 supermen .... or a blight on English football? November 26, 2007
Four Crests (UK)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Another West Ham 'aggro' book depicting that they were the top boys.
Yes, over a 30 year period they have always been there but have not always been the dominant force they would like everyone to believe.
Where were they at the Boleyn for Bobby Moore's testimonial when Celtic arrived in town? and yes they were the main firm in London, possibly due to Millwall languishing in the lower reaches for many a year, however the ICF's influence was never as wide Nationally as Chelsea's who took thousands on their travels, particularly during the Headhunters period when the club itself were in danger of going out of existence and the team was useless.
West Ham would arrive in numbers in the North for a big cup tie, but so would a Scunthorpe or Peterborough.
Even though each ICF book accepts that Chelsea at certain periods would give them a go most publications are full of tales that would make you think that West Ham walked into the Shed at every opportunity?
They did in 1975 albeit by turning up in numbers as the turnstiles opened at 12.30 and filling the terrace. West Ham would mingle in the Shed prior to kick off, keeping very quiet, until the first Chelsea chant then all hell would break loose.
Ultimately either the Shed themselves or the Police would drive West Ham down onto the dog track where they were then escorted to the North Stand end of Stamford Bridge.
There were a few other occasions where the ICF managed to infiltrate either the East or West Stand enclosures, but they did not continually have their own way. In fact 'good afternon' Bill Gardner met many a greeting slap on his arrival at the top of the Shed terrace steps and was seen diving back over the turnstiles to safety.
It's strange to note that these 'top' guys meet for a pint and a chat prior to matches nowadays.
Now much older, and wiser, and looking back it is now a far more pleasant environment visiting a football match. You are not looking over your shoulder on the underground or in the streets waiting for the next ruck to commence and all seater stadiums have stopped these idiots from infiltrating the areas for other supporters (including Upton Park)
Lets also not run away with the idea that these guys were gentleman or supermen, they would slap anyone in their path. "They would leave the scarfers alone" .... don't make me laugh!
I for one am glad to see the back of these days.
Yes, a good read if you were there or if you are not old enough to appreciate what the football 'experience' was like in those days, however a little more honesty wouldn't go amiss.
 dont believe the hype August 31, 2007
Alyn (Merthyr Tydfil)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this book after reading several reviews all saying how great it is.... how wrong I was. This is the only book that I have ever failed to finish.
 First hand football hooligan reports June 20, 2007
Shaun (The Netherlands)
This is a great book if you want to know more about the actual hooliganism going around in the '80's. It tells the story of Cass Pennant who has been there seen it done it for West Ham. I really enjoyed reading it. Although it shows only one side of the story it remains a great book.
Interesting, though not brilliant May 15, 2006
M. V. Clarke (Durham, UK)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is an interesting concept: one ex-West Ham terrace gang leader telling some of the stories of the exploits of West Ham firms, along with the recollections of many of his comrades. In some respects, it's an enlightening, if disturbing read: the organisation, closed-rank mentality and range of social backgrounds of the various terrace firms is far from the generally accepted view of a bunch of mindless, unemployed, drop-out thugs. The clear message that comes across is not that this was something that came about in any sense as a rebellion against their social situation, but simply out of the pure enjoyment of inflicting pain and shame on rival gangs, and establishing their own position as the premier firm. I don't think it's a glorification of football hooliganism, more an honest account of why and how they did it. To be sure, there are disturbing accounts, and one can only be glad that this is no longer the general state of football these days. However, it wasn't the best read - once you've read a few chapters, you begin to get the general theme: travel to club x, fight with their firm at the station/on the streets/outside the ground - get into the ground, attempt to 'take' the home end, more fighting during and after the game, police involvement - escorted back to the train/coach. The author's own comments add rather more - he takes some time to reflect on the mentality that underpinned all this, and the chapter on the demise of the ICF is very well thought out. It would have been more interesting to hear similar reasoning from the other contributors too, though.
Soccer violence in question March 17, 2004
James Wood (SCOTLAND)
11 out of 21 found this review helpful
I have given this book a low rating due to the hypocrisy of the subject and people in question with regards to “the game they love”. The author gives the impression of soccer casuals at the forefront of fashion with statements like: “the violence and thuggery was never mindless – it had culture, it was the fashion, it had an addictiveness not easily shaken” and “in the seventies, football fans – so often the leaders of new trends and fashions”.
“You had the ICF with its unwritten rules, codes, honours”, there are loads of quotes like these scattered within the contents of this book which portrays the ICF and other firms as cultured trendy superheroes. I don’t know if people believe this along with the clearly exaggerated numbers we are talking about.
The book is obviously intended for a certain section of the community, and not the casual reader or follower of football. It makes depressing reading if you are a parent. The book is also written in a child like context and is probably aimed at the under fifteens. If you do enjoy reading about mindless violence with music, fashion and politics thrown in, and a bit older, a better book is “the rise and fall of combat 18”.
I don’t want to be too disrespectful to the author as he is clearly writing about his past, where the grass will always be greener, and is intended as I have said for a minority readership. I did enjoy the last 2 summing up chapters thu.
There is also a chapter on the authors favourite West Ham songs, if your interested.I’ll finish with a quote from the book that possibly sums up this era of the 70s & 80s, “it was the original Birmingham Zulus that we had to respect. They never went to a Bhics game”
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