Young Guvnors

Book excerpt: The rise and fall of Manchester City's Young Guvnors mirrored the government's attempts to get to grips with the escalating violence at football matches throughout the 1980s. Here Rodney Rhoden, one of the youngest members of this feared group of supporters, recalls the police tactics that ended The Young Guvnors reign of terror. This is my story. The story of the Young Guvnors. The Young Guvnors fought not only on the streets of Manchester against their fellow hooligans but with other firms up and down the country. We sought out rival fans to fight - to say it is not a pleasant story is an understatement. From our formation in the mid 1980s when organized football hooliganism was at an all time high its a vicious account of how we operated our bloody battles with opposing mobs and ultimately about our demise.