No One Likes Us, We Don't Care: The Myth and Reality of Millwall Fandom

Description

'No one likes us, we don't care' is the anthem of the most notorious fans in British football. But little is known about the actual people who generated and continue to maintain this most infamous of working-class subcultures. In addition to the voices of the fans themselves, this book provides a rich and original account of the historical background, social sources, expressive culture and ritual practices of Millwallism, a far more complex, meaningful and anthropologically compelling phenomenon than the media stereotypes suggest. The author argues that Millwall functions in the popular consciousness as a powerful symbol: specific understandings of 'football hooliganism', working-class masculinity, and violent 'neo-fascism' are triggered by its use in the media and in everyday social interaction. There are, it follows, few social groups as heavily mythologized as Millwall fans. Further, the generation and maintenance of this myth has significance far beyond the club itself, and is rooted in the meanings attached to working-class identities and modernity, masculinity and the body. This book will be essential reading for anyone interested in Millwall, the issues of 'football hooliganism' or working-class masculinity, sociology, anthropology, or sports studies. Shortlisted for the Philip Abrams Memorial Book Prize 2001

Garry Robson

'An immediate classic.' Culture, Sport and Society 'Garry Robson does his subject proud and in coining the term "Millwallism" has surely achieved a sociological first.' Philosophy Football 'A fine piece of sociological work ... which anyone interested in this field of so-called 'football studies' should read immediately.' Sociology 'A fine piece of work.' Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 'With the partial exception of the work of Anthony King, it is, in my opinion, the single most penetrating, insightful, and original contribution to the understanding of soccar hoologanism in the United Kingdom to have been produced since the 1980s.' Cognitions, Emotions, and Identities 'There aren't too many sociological books that make their way into the Christmas stocking. In this, and many other respects, Garry Robson's study of Millwall football culture is exceptional.' Les Back, Reader in Sociology, Goldsmiths College, London