Millwall hooligan pinpoints what police have done to stop thugs going to games
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Billy Bright is one of those characters that sticks in the memory.
The wannabe ring leader of the Chelsea firm in Nick Love’s The Football Factory was portrayed to a tee by actor Frank Harper. But people might not know that Frank didn’t just raid his rivals’ pubs with Danny Dyer and batter a few fictional Stoke City fans on the big screen, but he might've well done so in real life whilst following a very different team.
Harper was made to switch his beloved Millwall for the Blues of Chelsea, the side whose firm gave his character a heart attack in the film, and handed out a beating to his fictional mates.
READ MORE: 'I was a Millwall hooligan – these are the five toughest rival firms we ever fought with'
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Speaking in Terrace Legends by Cass Pennant and Martin King, Harper revealed what the police had to do to put a stop to football hooliganism in the 80s and 90s.
He said: “Cameras have stopped a hell of a lot of people from going to football. I had a copper chasing me around the pub at the first game of the season after the Millwall v Birmingham riots, and it wasn't for my autograph.
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“He had a photo board with all the suspects from that game on. He kept looking at me, looking at his boards, and all my mates made matters worse by telling him to arrest me and that I was scum and one of the ringleaders. He came right up close to me."
He added: “I turned away and went to the toilet, but he followed me in and tried to nick me. A sergeant turned up and led the young copper away.
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“As he got to the door, I could see the sergeant talking to him, and the young copper looked back and smiled. He now knew where he'd seen my face.”
It was his father that bestowed Harper with a love for the Lions, as his dad Dave played for Millwall in the 1960s for almost 10 years, leaving his son with little-to-no choice as to who he'd follow.
- Pubs
- Millwall FC
- Chelsea FC
- Danny Dyer
- Stoke City FC
- Premier League
- Championship
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