Hooliganism In Football Factory

“Football Factory” is a raw and powerful novel by John King depicting football hooliganism in Britain. The center character is Tom Johnson; he in his late twenties, and a white Anglo-Saxon working class male. He is a hooligan who supports Chelsea, the South London football club. For the protagonist, Tom Johnson, and others like him, Chelsea football matches, both home and away, provided the opportunity to vent their pent-up rage and fight ‘wars’ against what they view as a repressive society in Britain. In their minds, this repressive society is represented by the police, politicians, the press, armchair fans, the middle class, intellectuals, communists, women, and in terms of football related violence, opposing firms or fans. The hooligans refer to almost everyone as the “the scum of the earth" (King, 31). The book gives detailed information about brutal fights and violence. The novel does not follow a classic narrative structure. There is no character development and no attempts at redemption. “Football Factory” is not really driven by plot or character development as would be expected in a classical narrative, but uses characters and circumstances to make a statement about society, the welfare state, and poverty. The book also provides an inner look at the class divide from the perspective of working class British society, as well as providing an inside look at hooliganism in general, without prejudice or judgment, which enables the reader to make their own judgments and engage with the frustrations of youth in Britain.

The novel “Football Factory”, by John King, follows a group of Chelsea hooligans in England. Tommy is an almost 30 years old male, a Chelsea fan, and a football hooligan. He has no other relatives than his gr...

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... and not like it is derived of a sub-plot to make a further point.

“The Football Factory” is a story about working class youth in Britain, and does not aspire to be anything else. It is a raw, real and often cringe-worthy look at life. It does not judge or overtly try to point the reader in one direction, instead it just lets the reader scope the decisions and actions of the characters on their own. The book focuses mainly on British society, the welfare state, and the divide in classes. The characters represent the white working class in Britain and the choices made by those enveloped in its sociological structure. Tommy is stuck in a circle, with no options or desire to get out. Both the state and the classes have helped mold this cycle that everyone perpetuates. This is the understanding the book provides, an honest look at white, working class youth in Britain.