from Shoot Monthly

BE WARNED this book is not for the faint-hearted. First of all, a history lesson. In the 1960s and 1970s West Ham's Mile End Mob were a group of football hooligans to be feared. Putting the later ICF to shame, these guys elevated brutality and intimidation to an art form, scaring even their own fans on the terraces. Pennant and Smith give the reader a taste of what it was like in those grim, grim days - but periodically and often unexpectedly add a splash of gallows humour.

The synopsis of this book tells us that co-author Micky Smith was in "the thick of it" suring this period and it shows. It's often as unsubtle as a knuckleduster to the teeth, but for me that simply added to the appeal. Not unlike some of the wince-inducing prose of Irvine 'Trainspotting' Welsh (without the accent), Want Some Aggro? is a snapshot of a period we would much rather forget.

from Newham Recorder, October 2000

Two former little and large boxing world champions ensured the launch of a new football book was a knockout success on Sunday. Former heavyweight ace Frank Bruno and flyweight Charlie Magri were at South West Ham Working Men's Club in Barking Road, Canning Town, for the launch of Want Some Aggro?

Authors Cass Pennant and Mickey Smith, who lives in Australia, have both written books on terrace culture but teamed up to concentrate on soccer violence among West Ham United supporters in the 1970s. The book focuses on hooligan group the Mile End Mob who struck fear not only into opposition fans but also other gangs of Hammers followers. It also tells how the Upton Park mobs combined under the banner of the InterCity Firm to make the West Ham fans feared nationwide.

More than 150 people attended the launch including Frank who has known Cass since 1981 when the latter saved him from a gang of skinheads at Stratford Station. It resulted in an amazing bond between the two which later saw Frank help Cass find the father in Jamaica he had never seen.

Said Cass: "It was a blinding turnout. I have known Frank and Charlie for some time and it was great they could get along."

readers' reviews on amazon.co.uk

October 23, 2002
Reviewer: Ashley from AUSTRALIA
I received my order for this book from Amazon and read it through cover to cover. As one who grew up in those times I could relate to the book in every way and it made me feel quite homesick. This writer tells it as it was and is not scared to admit to getting a kicking from rival fans unlike some of the books on the subject I have read. It tells how the East end was and the fans of the time, tough uncompromising lads who stood together from the Mile End area and took no backward steps. Many might be shocked with its honest brutality as the book pulls no punches. It is simply a West Ham fans story, as seen by the author who doesn't claim any fame or big man role and openly says so - just one of the lads from the area who followed West Ham. For me this book has got 'movie' written all over it and I would love to see it on the big screen in its entirety.The best on the subject around - honest, violent and sometimes funny, what more could you ask? It reads as though you were hearing the author speak and the rough edges of his writing style only enhance that feeling. For anyone wishing to buy this book dont hesitate, it is well worth the money and the photos show what the old skinhead scene was really about. 5 stars A MUST