Red Army (football)
Encyclopedia
The Red Army is a hooligan firm who follow English
football club Manchester United
. Although today the term Red Army is used mostly to refer to fans of the club in general, the hooligan firm have been one of the largest and most feared firms in British football. Firm members – and the firm itself – are sometimes known as the Men in Black, due to the members dressing in all black clothing. The red army is lead by Salford's finest Lewis McCaffery
, the Red Army caused mayhem at grounds up and down the country, visiting stadiums where they would at times outnumber the home support. Together with a Bolton Wanderers
fan stabbing a young Blackpool fan to death behind the Spion Kop at Bloomfield Road
in Blackpool
during a Second Division match on 24 August 1974, this led to the introduction of crowd segregation and fencing at football grounds in England.
The Red Army were featured in the 1985 documentary 'Hooligan', based around West Ham United's
trip to Old Trafford
in the FA Cup
sixth round. It shows the Red Army fighting with the Inter City Firm
(ICF) around Manchester
. They were also featured in The Real Football Factories
documentary series. An episode of the BBC
drama, Life on Mars
centred on football hooliganism by Manchester United fans in the 1970s.
Joe Bedford the man behind the firm, a former member of the firm, has released two books about the firm, Red Army General in 2005 concentrating on the 1970s and early 1980s, and The Men in Black in 2006 which told the history from the mid-1980s until the present day.
Their activities have declined since the late 1980s as football hooliganism in general has become a less prolific problem than it was for more than a decade before that.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football club Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. Although today the term Red Army is used mostly to refer to fans of the club in general, the hooligan firm have been one of the largest and most feared firms in British football. Firm members – and the firm itself – are sometimes known as the Men in Black, due to the members dressing in all black clothing. The red army is lead by Salford's finest Lewis McCaffery
Background
The Red Army was the name given to Manchester United away support during the 1970s. Most notoriously in 1974–75, when United had been relegated from the top flight of English football and played one season in the Second DivisionFootball League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, the Red Army caused mayhem at grounds up and down the country, visiting stadiums where they would at times outnumber the home support. Together with a Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
fan stabbing a young Blackpool fan to death behind the Spion Kop at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
during a Second Division match on 24 August 1974, this led to the introduction of crowd segregation and fencing at football grounds in England.
The Red Army were featured in the 1985 documentary 'Hooligan', based around West Ham United's
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
trip to Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
sixth round. It shows the Red Army fighting with the Inter City Firm
Inter City Firm
The Inter City Firm is an English football hooligan firm mainly active in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, associated with West Ham United. The name came from the use of InterCity trains used to travel to away games...
(ICF) around Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. They were also featured in The Real Football Factories
The Real Football Factories
The Real Football Factories is a documentary series shown on the Bravo TV channel in the UK and created by Zig Zag Productions. The show looks at the in-depth life of football hooligans and hooligan firms. Interviews are conducted with past and present hooligans.The presenter of the show, Danny...
documentary series. An episode of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
drama, Life on Mars
Life on Mars (TV series)
Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007. The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural....
centred on football hooliganism by Manchester United fans in the 1970s.
Joe Bedford the man behind the firm, a former member of the firm, has released two books about the firm, Red Army General in 2005 concentrating on the 1970s and early 1980s, and The Men in Black in 2006 which told the history from the mid-1980s until the present day.
Their activities have declined since the late 1980s as football hooliganism in general has become a less prolific problem than it was for more than a decade before that.