djaxster wrote:I dont really read alot of hooligan books as they all seem to be the same wether its a london firm or northern. But one i have read is Cass's book on short stories about all the clubs the ICF took on. In it he said that the North Bank was the hardest end to take as alot of the times due to the way it was laid out. Gooners would stand in the corners so the firms would'nt see them till they were in the middle trapped as the gooners in the corners would steam in just as more of us would be coming in from the top.
It's a kind of Arsenal thing, but nothing is ever mentioned nor will published in regard to it.
However, The North Bank as it was was heavily populated by us, we could cram pushing on 20,000 behind that goal. For the most part, those on the West side of the fence knew each other at least by sight, opposing fans tended to sneak in on the East side close to the East Stand, and move in after kick-off. But once they were spotted, it went off.
Most people never went there looking for trouble, it just happened. But it's a kind of drug, do it once, get a buzz out of it, you know what I mean.
Don't get me wrong, I was never part of any firm, I knew a lot of them by sight, I defended my corner, but I was never part of any "culture" group, but it was our end, our terrace, and we defended it!
but it is relevant when the question arises where does the word gooners come from 
)
