Quote Originally Posted by Old_pie View Post
Football hooliganism was building up to its peak before Thatcher. In fact it must have been building up under a Labour government. Were those the years the UK was the "poor man of Europe"? I was in the land of oz so I don't really know except the UK was considered a bit of a joke over there.
24th February 1965 BBC1 broadcast the "The Football Fan"
Programme description "Is he a hooligan? or just an ordinary harmless fellow who goes beserk on Saturday?"
So the word hooligan was being associated with football that early.

The first real problems on a large scale began around 1968 with Leeds and Sunderland apparently, but it exploded in 1973/74 with Spurs banned from Europe at the end of that season and Newcastle having to replay an FA Cup Quarter final with Fword after a riot was deemed to have effected the result. Man Utd took it to another level in 1974/75.

Here's an image from February 1978.....