Arsenal firm
| Founding location | Holloway, London |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1978–1999 |
| Territory | Islington |
| Ethnicity | White, White Irish, Asian and Black British |
| Membership (est.) | 120-160??? |
| Criminal activities | Football hooliganism, riots and fighting |
| Allies | The Gooners |
There are two Arsenal hooligan firms, named 'The Gooners' (a mutation of the club's nickname, The Gunners) and 'The Herd'.
The Gooners were a violent football hooligan firm mainly active in 1980s. However the name is now used by most Arsenal supporters (non-hooligans) who now consider themselves to be 'Gooners'.
The Herd is one of the Arsenal firms and was mainly active between the late 1970s and early 1990s, although it still exists today but prefers to stay undercover.[1] The Herd are a violent football hooligan firm and have the distinctive war-cry E-I-E. The main rivals of The Herd in the 1980s and in the present day are West Ham's I.C.F., Tottenham Hotspur's 'Yid Army', Chelsea's 'Headhunters' and Millwall's F-Troop (later known as the 'Millwall Bushwackers'). Although The Herd was mainly considered to be a violent firm, a few members were not physically violent.[citation needed] Dainton Connell (aka Danton 'The Bish' Connell) was considered a folk hero by many Arsenal fans but died in a car crash in 2007, where 3000 mourners attended his funeral.[2] The Herd's two most notorious clashes were with Millwall fans at Highbury in 1988[3] and with Galatasaray fans in City Hall Square, Copenhagen in 2000.[4][5]
