AWAYDAYS - KEVIN SAMPSON
Synopsis
It's 1979 and, in Birkenhead, smack and Maggie Thatcher are still less of an issue than Lois jeans and Adidas Forest Hills trainers. For Paul Carty, 19, life revolves around The Pack, a violent mob which follows Tranmere Rovers around the northern wasteland - but is he getting bored with it all?
Possibly the best football hooligan book / novel ever written? I think so....
From it's iconic front cover to it's pulsating finish, Awaydays is a modern day classic.
Once you pick up this book it's hard to put it back down, there's loads of cultural, clothing and musical references -from Bowie and Roxy Music, to Lois and Peter Storm, lots of things to relate to, being the supporter of a similar sized club it's very close to home, and we even get a mention along with Fulham as being one of the only other dressing up mobs of our time. I know it's part fictional but it's also based on fact.
Sometimes it's difficult to explain or at least get a real feel for what football 'lads' are all about, this nails it, and in great storytelling style, it's violent but once you're in their world you are part of it, like all good football books the football and the fighting is just a sideshow, there's in depth accounts of normal - or not so normal lives going on around the days with the Pack, family troubles, girl troubles all is covered, it's a right of passage and just as the quote on the cover points out - like the Catcher in the Rye but with Stanley Knives , I never really related to Holden Caulfield and his chums, give me Carty and Elvis and their wedges any day of the week.
Kevin Sampson has gone on the prove his worth with other acclaimed novels, but it's this, his debut that stands out for me, there's been constant on-off rumours of this story being adapted for TV or even the big screen, we can only wish, what a film that could be....
CASUALS - PHIL THORNTON
Synopsis
First came the Teds, then the Mods and Rockers, then Hippies, Skinheads, Suedeheads and Punks. But by the late 1970s, a new kind of youth fashion had appeared in Britain. Its followers formed violent hooligan gangs, wore smart designer sportswear and made the bootboys of previous years look like the dinosaurs they were. These gangs were sometimes known as "scallies," "trendies" and "dressers," but the name that stuck was Casuals. They were to change both the face of fashion in Britain and to influence international style. Yet for several years, this grassroots phenomenon passed by unnoticed by a media that didn't understand what was going on.
TRAINERS - NEAL HEARD
Synopsis
Trainers, sneakers or plimsolls, whatever you decide to call them and however you wear them, have become an essential fashion statement. Sports shoes are no longer designed simply for running or working out. It's no longer enough for a sports shoe to fit the wearer and be bouncy: it must have style, offer protection against injury and give the wearer enhanced performance potential, Adidas, Nike, New Balance or Puma, shoes that perform well, sell well, especially if they are endorsed by a cool sporting-world figure. In the late 1990s people who would never go running selected trainers as their casual shoe. True enthusiasts purchased two pairs at once - one to wear, the other to keep shrink-wrapped as a future collector's item.
The stand out book about this culture of ours, Casuals is the definitive guide to all things football casual, reading a new copy of this book was probably the highlight of a shite holiday to Kavos in 2003, finally a well written book was relseased about a subculture as important as mod, skinheads and punks, but seldom explained and never really written about with such accuracy.
The book features lots of contributions and viewpoints from different lads and goes a long way to explaining the whole culture of casual - the look, the origins, the labels, the music, drugs etc. It can be difficult to explain just exactly what a casual is - a massive part of British Youth Culture and tremendously important to British society, as far as fashion is concerned everything steals from casual, popstars, musicians and people the media would clash as stylish have probably taken their look from the terraces. Casual helped change the face of both British and International style yet went largely ignored by the media, often being totally misunderstood by pretty much everyone, Casual still exists today, at most clubs there's still plenty of lads dressing up, some a lot more than others and still trying to stand out from the crowd and discover new things.
People have said the books only downside is the lack of photos, I'm sure I've heard it's a tricky business adding photos to books, there are a fair few anyway. This is the best insight into terrace culture and I couldn't reccommend it highly enough.
a very decent a well put together book here, with hundreds of colour photographs to boot, this is a trainer collectors bible you could say, obviously there'll be the debatable additions of trainers and questions over the one's not included, but if you're what they call a 'sneaker freak', or like your 'trainer porn' (sorry) if you are into your footwear  then as a coffee table style pictoral book it takes some beating. The book also features interviews with trainer colloectors or people who jsut like their trabs, There's a few different write ups on trainers in general, the culture that follows the certain trainer tribes, casuals, trendies and hip hop types. All in all a very good little book with 300 pictures of mainly vintage deadstock models too.
A CASUAL LOOK - LORNE BROWN & NICK HARVEY
 a photodiary of football fans.
"I liked the scene the people the clothes and the exitement surrounding it. Soon after I started taking my camera out with me, I'd always taken pictures of friends so saw little difference in taking shots of my days out at football"
-Lorne Brown.
"Like it or nor groups of fans up and down the country meet up every match day to have a go at the rivalteams firm. This book covers the pictoral events of these clashes from the 1970's to date. In the early days the fight was on the terraces with scarf clad fans. Then the Skinhead in Doc Martin bootsand now the casual in toen centres."
- Nick Harvey
I reckon this book could have been a bit better, well if it wanted to live up it's  casual title, the casual aspect is pretty thin, swerving in favour of England fans abroad and hooligan photos such as escorts and people attacking the pubs of English Market towns. That's not to say it's no good, there's not a lot out there of this ilk, so it does make for fairly interesting reading, well viewing - there's not a great deal of text or anything as such in depth.
The majority of the book is based around Brighton and Hove Albion and their exploits off the pitch over the course of a few seasons, fighting and getting rowdy along the way at places like Fulham, Aldershot, Lincoln, Hereford and Shrewsbury, all caught on camera. There's also 'vintage' pictures of England and a few other clubs thrown in for good measure. Interesting to see the England fans of the 80's all covered in the Union Jack.
There are a few pictures of vintage clobber on show towards the front of the book, some of which can be seen below, more would have been welcome though.
left; Liverpool fans in typical mid 80's clobber and seating arrangements above; Motherwell's 'Saturday Service' sport the early casual look 1983
"...As our train pulls off again, two lads emerge from the shelter giving it 'wanker' signs. They're pure Wrexham shite, these two, the sort who'll jump on your head when it's six-onto-one. I heave down the window and start shouting at the nearest and bigger of the two. buck teeth. scuzzy little bumfluff moustache. Laughable attempt at dressing like us. what did he think? We were going to start respecting Wrexham for trying to dress the part? See them in a new light? What a complete cunt he looks. shit harrington, shit, nondescript Wrangler drainies, shit, dirty Green Flash. Utterly shit attempt at a wedge, obviously done by his big sister from a drawing. "
Stone Island coat 1986 and Navy Arctic goggles, Stone Island flying hat and coat.
Ellesse ski hat and jacket 1984
THE NEW ENGLISH DANDY - ALICE CICOLINI
Synopsis
At once a fashion handbook and a treasure trove of ideas tailored to the modern male or metrosexual, this book is destined to be the bible of men's dressy style, its accoutrements and lifestyle accompaniments. Six chapters define six takes on the 21st-century dandy, each featuring a specially commissioned 16-page fashion shoot, and eight pages of bespoke inspiration, instruction, interviews and insight. "The New English Dandy" sets the standard for today's new man about town.
Not a 'casual' book by any stretch, but a very well put together coffee table style book. Really the majority of this book is about clothing and dressing up in a way that wouldn't interest your average football dresser one iota, and I'm not too sure exactly what a Dandy is and if there are any Dandy's dressing up like him on the cover, but what does interest us, is the chapter on so called 'Terrace Casuals', apparently it's not brilliantly written - I have to admit to not yet owning a copy of this book so that'll have to be judged at a later date, but  I have included it here as the 'casuals' photoshoot is a worthy addition. Pictured in the book are several different lads a few familiar faces too, including our mate Kerso as seen on this site, in allsorts of different clobber, from vintage Fjall and Stone Island to Mille Miglias and modern day Saxon, there's deerstalkers and tweed and Nike Omega flames galore! granted it's not really an exclusive casual themed book but the photoshoot is as good an example as anything for the upper rankings of this subculture.
photographs from the New English Dandy (the important bit) taken by Anthony Crook.
FURTHER READING
The original football Hooligan book from as far back as 1987, which paved the way for so many - an honest account of the 80's running with Aberdeen's Soccer Casuals.
Jay Allan has long since turned his back on hooliganism, this is as good an insight as any into the violent world of the hooligan, and the notorious ASC Scotland's first casual firm.
The definitive account of Britains Hooligan firms, almost every club has one, as this book by Andy Nicholls and Nick Lowles goes to explain, featuring all the mobs of England in two parts, this being A-L with their tales of trouble over the years and key incidents, some of it you may well have read before but there's a chapter for most clubs.
For 20 years, Steve Cowens kept a diary of the violent exploits of The Blades Business Crew - one of the country's most actie hooligan gangs. As leader of the BBC - he visited 91 of the 92 football league grounds - and fought at most of them. A decent and pretty honest account of a proper Northern firm.
part two of Andy Nicholls and Nick Lowles account of British firms, this time featuring the firms from M-Z a decent enough write up with some honest and some ridiculous contributions from every firm included some clubs  you never even knew had one, also features several photographs, some unseen. Worth a look for a reference at least.
The Cardiff Soul Crew are recognised by police intelligence officers as the most violent football hooligan gang currently active in Britain. Their 400-plus members have been involved in mass disorder at matches for more than twenty-five years. Yet they have largely escaped the notoriety of their English counterparts - until now.
the Naughty Forty are both renowned and feared on the football terraces. This shocking inside story, written by one of the gang's central figures for two decades, takes readers inside the gang from its origins to its present day.  Britain, a decent account of hooliganism from someone who's been there, seen it, done it, that also delves into other more personal ground.
THE LIVERPOOL BOYS ARE IN TOWN - DAVE HEWITSON
Synopsis
With Liverpool’s triumph in Istanbul still fresh in the memory, the market for nostalgic tales from red-tinted yesteryears of the late 70s and early 80s may at last be superseded by a new improbable tale of glory and a vision for the future. Certainly Liverpudlians will be able to afford the odd cocksure swagger once again as they visit the likes of Highbury, Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge as Champions of Europe. But as Dave Hewitson explains in his new book, the ability to use fashion as a visual expression of that new found confidence just ain’t quite the same as it was the last time around.
There have of course been several recent publications celebrating the birth and growth of casual culture - Phil Thornton’s Casuals and Nick Allt’s The Boys from the Mersey chief amongst them. Hewitson’s endearing personal account does contain the occasional pre-match fight and much blagging and bravado but his contribution to the genre is primarily concerned with the styles and trends of this ‘last great revolution in men’s clothing’
The beginning of casual culture is pinpointed to the Charity Shield match against Manchester United in August 1977 which witnessed a small group of innovators sounding the death knell for the scarf and flared jeans look that dominated Liverpool’s first European Cup victory in Rome earlier that year.
For the next five years the movement went largely unnoticed by the national media and with no men’s lifestyle magazines to drive the agenda, the ‘casual’ moniker was actually only applied retrospectively. Before then it was just Scousers proud of their appearance and daring to be different.
FURTHER READING
PERRY BOYS
The Casual Gangs of Manchester and Salford

Synopsis
The Perry Boys are one of the great untold stories of modern youth culture - a mysterious tribe of football hooligans and club-goers from inner-city Manchester and Salford whose appetite for obscure designer gear and amphetamine-fuelled excess transformed their cities into clubbing and style capitals of the world.

While Phil Thornton and Dave Hewitson both point squarely at Liverpool when explaining the origin of what has now come to be quaintly defined as 'Casual Culture' Ian Hough presents a slightly different, less straightforward view. Being brought up in Salford, and later Prestwich he writes from an understandably biased point of view when looking back to the birth of what he calls 'the nameless thing'. While Ian and his friends were up to no good at Old Trafford I was taking my first tentative steps in the world, wearing those shorts that looked like they were inside out, but weren't, so I can't really judge whether his memories are particularly accurate. What he makes clear is while Liverpool was most definitely doing it's thing, Manchester was too. Not that it matters really. Well, not to me anyway.
He begins by reminiscing about his childhood in Salford and continues - with a few diversions - up to the present day, taking in the story of Manchester in the 80s in particular.
The book demonstrates Ian's ability to write anecdotally, factually and the bit I enjoyed the most proper fucking daftly. Some may find the way the book meanders back and forth off putting and challenging but I found it more refreshing than anything else. I believe his 'proper job' is something to do with science which explains his lengthy examinations of molecules, DNA etc. He somehow manages to link genes and evolution to 'the nameless thing', but somehow does it convincingly.
The standout bits in the book for me were the inspired piece on 'cockneys' as well as the stuff about Ian travelling, when travelling wasn't really the thing for young Brits to do...not on the scale of today anyway. The piece on adidas Black Shadow was also a highlight.
Like I said, at times it's an uneasy mix of science, nostalgia, comedy and opinion but that's what makes it so unique. If you can take the Scouse baiting and promotion of all things Mancunian with a pinch of salt it really is well worth getting hold of a copy.
The Dundee Utility stands apart from other football firms. Its members are drawn not from the supporters of one team, but from two - Dundee United and Dundee FC - all of whom share the same passion: their city. The two bands of fans stand united, except on derby day, of course! In this compelling book, authors Kenny McCall and John Robb present the complete inside story of the Utility from their unique positions, each supporting Dundee united nd Dundee FC respectively.
The story of the CCS, the Hibs casuals who became the most notorious gang in Scotland. The CCS was galvanised by the savage and cowardly beating of member Raymie Morrell by Aberdeen's firm. Enraged by this incident the CCS trained with chilling efficiency. Then they took their revenge in the most spectacular way imaginable: they attacked Aberdeen with a petrol bomb, right in the heart of Edinburgh's world-famous Princes Street.
COLLECTIVE DISORDER - SOLESEEK
Synopsis
Produced by Soleseek, this luxurious limited edition book is about trainers - and nothing else. In fact, there aren't any opinions or witty one-liners, it's just packed full of images of vintage and deadstock trainers. A full-colour wish list if you like.
There's 280+ pages of classic and rare trainers, with stylish hardback and box/sleeve to keep it in one piece. And that's something you'll need to do - just 100 of these being made, so certain to be a collector's item itself.
A highly collectable slick and stylish 'coffee table' book featuring 100's of photographs of original and deadstock trainers, with many contributions from fellow trainer obsessives far and wide, and a limited run of just 100. Produced by Soleseek
The story of the Mothewell SS - Saturday Service, one of the pioneers of early Scottish football casual crews, documenting the early skinhead days to the exciting new birth of the casual movement in the early 80's a story of football, fighting and fashion and everything that goes with it, Saturday is Service Day.
Birmingham's Zulu Army occupy a unique place in the annals of terrace violence: a mixed-race gang. BBC Journalist Caroline Gall was granted unprecedented access to the gang and spent a year interviewing Zulu leaders and footsoldiers. She uncovers their role in some of the worst football-related riots of modern times and looks in-depth at Operation Red Card, the successful police operation against them.
THE SUPERMODERN WARDROBE - ANDREW BOLTON
Synopsis
Transcending superficial concerns of mere stylishness, The Supermodern Wardrobe addresses the real needs of men and women navigating the urban landscape. Air pollution, physical assault, extreme temperatures, space restrictions: by utilizing multifunctional fabrics and technologically equipped textiles, innovative designers like CP Company, Samsonite, Kosuke Tsumura, and Vexed Generation respond to such contemporary challenges. Whether it's a bulletproof parka inspired by riot gear, a jeans jacket wired for an MP3 player, or a dress that turns into a travel pillow, the clothes are so pragmatic, they're revolutionary.
A decent coffee table style photo book, with any sort of interest in fashionable and functional clothing this is a good book to flick through, a nod towards CP Company's innovative stuff like the Metropolis, Move and Transformables range will interest those into their expensive designer Italian stuff. whilst other less familiar labels feature with their modern twists, the likes of Final Home, Vexed and Samsonite.
If yopu like jackets that turn into tents or armchairs, or jackets that might protect you in an unlikely nuclear explosion, or that have loads of pockets then this will interest you.