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Congratulations, You Have Just Met the Casuals | 
 enlarge | Author: Dan Rivers
Publisher: John Blake Publishing Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £2.11
You Save: £5.88 (74%)
New (25) Used (8) from £2.11
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 51551
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 1844543072
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.483094123
EAN: 9781844543076
ASIN: 1844543072
Publication Date: January 31, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New Unopened light shelf wear
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Some Redeeming Features March 14, 2008
Mr. Peter Steward (Norwich, England)
Firstly let me say I had no intention of reading this book. It was one of those you pick off the library shelf, look at and return. But because it has strong Norfolk connections I decided to take it out.
That same day I read the first chapter and within a couple of days I had finished the book. It was fascinating reading, but not necessarily for the right reasons. I'm certainly not saying it was a good book in any way and it poses as many questions as it gives answers, but it is highly entertaining and written in a very easy style.
For those who need to be enlightened, Carroll is Norfolk's self styled King of the Chavs who won 9.7 million on the lottery and blew most of it on a sex, drugs and rock n roll lifestyle and there's certainly plenty of the first two of those in the book.
The thought of Carroll writing a book could fill you with a clammy sweat induced horror. Having watched and read about his antics over the years it is difficult to imagine him putting a sentence together let alone over 250 pages. So enter friend Boru.
Now I remember this guy from a television quiz programme "In It to Win It" where he tried unsuccessfully to win money to make a cancer video. So the guy has something about him and that certainly comes over in the book.
Obviously the aim of any autobiography or authorised biography is to paint the main character as a "jolly fine person" who has been dealt with harshly by life and/or the media. Trying to sympathise with a character like Carroll takes some doing and I suppose the fact I finished with a fairly neutral view means the book has succeeded.
Plenty of the content doesn't really add up and there is much repetition. Essentially Carroll tells us that he is a reformed character. All we have to do is ask ourselves do we believe it? Does the fact that he keeps diaries and writes poetry mean that the bad old days are behind him or is this another cover up that will escalate into more bouts of violence and mayhem?
The proof of the pudding of course is in Carroll's own hands. Immediately he re-offends all claims he makes in the book will be null and void. The only way we will believe his claims of redemptions is if he stays squeeky clean from now on.
To be fair, if Carroll has had the savvy to attempt to improve his image he must be aware of how diabolical it has been. He must have thought about the effect his past actions have had on people. Whether he is genuinely contritious and keen to make amends or just wants to sell books only time will tell.
Obviously we only get one side of the story - his. It would make a very interesting book to include interviews with the people he criticises for using him and making his life a misery and I still feel that certain areas of the book fall into fantasy-land rather than the life of an ex binman lottery winner from West Norfolk. I once spoke to an hotel manager who had been the subject of some of Carroll's excesses. He painted a picture of an extremely rude individual, but one prepared to pay virtually any price to use the hotel's facilities. This of course is a picture that Carroll fully accepts.
Carroll claims that winning so much money was a curse as well as a blessing. I would suggest it's only a curse if you allow it to be. At the time of winning the money Carroll was quite obviously "a bad lot". The lottery win just gave him the means to become more excessive and more of a pain in everyone's arse.
The book contains contradictions. He openly boasts that he has had sex with hundreds of women but then professes his wish to settle down with his one true love who also happens to be in prison. He tells us he is a reformed character, but there are references throughout the book to just what he will do to certain people if he ever catches up with them.
Is Carroll misguided, misled or just a plain yob - read the book and make your own mind up. I would truly like to believe that the man has turned over a new leaf and will become a responsible person with money invested. At least he has started the process with this no holds barred book. Only time will tell whether Michael Carroll has the ability to become a real person instead of just a criminal.
WE ARE ASC! July 17, 2007
P. Scott (Scotland)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Missed out a fair bit... was an alright read... good enough for someone to get an insight.
Pictures could have been a lot lot better!!! As a few of the casuals carried cameras now and again.
A good story would have been at Kilmarnock where they stormed through the Auld Hoose pub near Rugby park. The only thing was the Killie Casuals were out front waiting while the Aberdeen Casuals tore in through the back door!... What a mess!!!!
The next day there were red inflatable balloons tied to the lamposts outside the pub!
 File under Fiction July 8, 2006
Son of 68
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
There is no doubt that Aberdeen along with Motherwell started off things in Scotland.
Many great rucks occurred but appear to be missing. Misses out on the great battles with Hearts.
Also appears far fetched.
congratulations, you have just met the casuals January 22, 2006
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Having followed Aberdeen, and been apart of the casual scene from 1984- 2000 i find this book a great let down.
Various HIGH points have been missed in the book regarding what made Aberdeen a force in British hooligan culture, the taking of AWAY ENDS (turning up at Hampden and taking it to the opposition) on the streets at Cup Semi's & Finals against Hearts,Rangers(3),Dundee and Dundee Utd were never mentioned in the book.
Trips to England for pre-season frendlies and other matches against Rotherham/ Sheff Utd, Hartlepool, Barry Town, Torino, Hertha Berlin and Bohemians of Dublin and Bradford were never mentioned also.
The 120 strong mob that we took to London for Euro 96 that took part in the infamous BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR ,the constant press headlines, the re-naming of the local paper THE EVENING CASUAL because of the amount of FRONT page HEADLINES that we made.
Various battles were omitted - THE AUTHOR missed SO MUCH its untrue, the book needs a cutting egde to it and this book just didn't have it compared to some that i have read recentlyFunny stories and a lack of names and dates in the book also make it hard to relate to the author.
A great book could have been written,with true facts and laughs that i think would have made great reading for lads interested in this scene, but now that 2 books have come out it would be stretching it a bit far to write more on what has happened,
The photos were pathetic , these should have been better thought out.
If he'd asked around plently of the lads could have given him photos for his book, so that people reading the book could have related the story to the press cuttings/photos thus making the reader feel more comfortable with the author and believing/understanding what he has written.
Fair play to the lad, i don't know him myself, for writing the book, but this hasn't given outsiders an true insight in to what went on when following the ABERDEEN SOCCER CASUALS around the country.
 Congratulations - You have just met the Casuals August 23, 2005
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a quality book about the halcyon days of the Casual culture that spread across Britain and Europe in the 80s. Giving insite into lads culture as a whole and all the elements of the soccer casual scene, through the eyes of an active participant.
Covering music and fashions that brought back many memories and also giving an insight into what it was like following Aberdeen Football Club, during the best period in the clubs history; this really is a must for any football/fashion conscious terrace culture obsessed reader. As the opening bid offers, "honest and forthright", I believe it is a very honest and personal offering, from an author who obviously embraced the scene for far much more, than the tabloid hogging violent reports of the time. I look forward to future work from this author!
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