Sports
Ex-Chelsea Hooligan Named 2 Toughest Rival Firms in English Football
Although he has admitted to maturing in the later years of his life, Jason Marriner – formerly a top hooligan for Chelsea‘s ‘Headhunters’ firm many years ago – was once one of the most feared football fans in the country. Having endured many a battle over the years, the 58-year-old of Feltham snubbed all capital clubs when naming which one had the toughest firm to face.
Nicknamed ‘The General’, he travelled home and away with the Blues on his way to becoming one of Britain’s most prolific football hooligans. No longer involved with Chelsea’s firm, he now spends his days basking in the Thai sun but has always got time to reminisce over his days of dotting around the country to watch the famous Blues in action.
Greater London-born Marriner and some of his pals were, however, famously infiltrated by journalist Donal MacIntyre for an undercover BBC documentary sting. He was sent to prison for conspiracy to commit violent disorder and affray at the turn of the milennium – and the judge determined that he was a “dangerous” man, that he “relished violence” and showed “little, if any, regard for other people and the law”.
Ex-Chelsea Hooligan Marriner Snubs All London Clubs When Naming Two Toughest Firms
Alongside writing books about his previous experiences of being on the terraces and fighting with rivals supporters, Marriner has also hopped on a few podcasts to reveal all about his former life as a hooligan. Speaking on the Liam Tuffs podcast, the hooligan-turned-author spoke about which firms were the toughest to face – but, first, he touched on Tottenham Hotspur.
Asked about the biggest rival of the Chelsea Headhunters, Marriner didn’t give it a second thought. “Tottenham, you know, without a doubt.” Spurs’ firm, however, were not the toughest of the lot. “Were tthey the toughest fights as well? Liam asked in response.
“We’ve had some good gigs with Tottenham. Fantastic gigs,” he said before naming the two English clubs who possessed, in his eyes, the toughest opponents: Grimsby Town and Birmingham City. “But I’ve got to tell you, there’s places, the Grimsbys if you like, and the Birminghams…”
Over the years, Marriner would’ve locked horns with fans from all across the capital – from Crystal Palace to Arsenal to Queens Park Rangers – but none of them were tougher than the fans of Grimsby Town, who are currently competing in the fourth tier of English football and Championship side Birmingham City.
Further along in the conversation, Marriner detailed a meeting with Sheffield United fans back in the day. “We was in a place called Berlins in Sheffield and it was a big place. If I tell you there was 70 or 80 of us, there as,” he said before claiming that a member of the Bramall Lane faithful noticed that he was of a Stamford Bridge persuasion and, thus, caused a bit of trouble.
“A lot of our lot were up the back. I’ve come to the bar, geezer’s half recognised me from away games, knew I was Chelsea straight away, said something to me, and I said ‘f*** off, who are you ya’. Next thing you know it’s off, bang bang bang, we’re off. Bottled me, stuck the bottle on me eyebrow, that’s opened up, boom boom boom, all of the sudden the squirmish, they’ve all come down and it has gone ballistic.
“Doorman don’t want to know, we are sent out, they (Sheffield United fans) are all outside. We’ve put their beloved team down ain’t we?” Marriner continued before adding, “In the middle of the road they have fences, but was like sort of bushes over the fence, they are coming out of the bushes and all sorts, if it is in the middle of the road.
“My pal from Sheffield, who is Wednesday (Sheffield Wednesday fan), used to come to Chelsea, the dog has bit him on the thing (points to side) and I mean it has gone ballistic, absolutely.”
Sports
Why Arsenal Will Not Lift Premier League Trophy During Bus Parade
Details have emerged about the upcoming Arsenal bus parade to celebrate their Premier League title. Interestingly enough, it has been confirmed that the club will not lift the trophy during their nine-kilometre celebration route.
The Gunners were able to put to bed 22 years of hurt as they finally lifted the Premier League on Sunday. Their success was confirmed after Manchester City drew against Bournemouth earlier that week, making a trip to Crystal Palace a formality.
Mikel Arteta’s men were still able to pick up a 2-1 win, to finish the season with 85 points, seven points and one place ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side, but the main focus was on the trophy lift at the end of the game. Martin Odegaard led the celebrations, becoming the first Arsenal captain to hold the trophy aloft since Patrick Vieira in 2004.
However, he will not do the same on the title bus parade.
Arsenal Will Not Lift Premier League Trophy at Emirates
The event is scheduled to happen in north London on 31 May. A club statement has already explained: “We are delighted to announce that we will come together with our supporters and community for a special parade around our home borough of Islington, starting from 2pm on Sunday 31 May, to celebrate our title.”
The Gunners, of course, could have two trophies to celebrate with if all goes to plan. Indeed, the night before, Arsenal will take on Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest as they aim to win the Champions League final for the first time in their history.
Regardless of the result, however, there will be no official trophy lifting moment on the parade route. As explained by the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, this is due to the huge numbers expected during the celebrations. They said:
“The parade is over 9km long. No trophy lift at the end or at town hall due to expected numbers. Therefore, there is no advantage in crowding into one area and you are advised to spread along the whole route.”
Police Expect at Least 500,000 People to Attend Arsenal Bus Parade
Both Arsenal and local police are expecting at least 500,000 people to show up for the event. For context, there were an estimated 100,000 gathered at the stadium last Tuesday after Man City drew with Bournemouth, confirming the win. Aston Villa had approximately just 50,000 at their parade after winning the Europa League, while the official estimate for the City parade – celebrating Pep Guardiola and the two domestic cups they won this season – was 6,000, plus a further 14,000 in the Co-op Arena later.
It would not be a surprise if figures were actually well over that 500,000 mark either. The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust also revealed that there will be road closures near the Emirates Stadium from 4am Sunday morning, due to the number of attendees at the title parade. Fans are advised not to park anywhere nearby if they want to access their car later on the same day.
They then added that there will be no event at the stadium on the day of the parade. What’s more, the club’s official shop, the Armoury, will also be closed.
Sports
Man Utd Eye £100m Aston Villa Forward Morgan Rogers
Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox and manager Michael Carrick both want to sign a Premier League forward in the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils have been heavily focusing their recruitment on signing a new midfielder in the summer, but there’s no doubt they’ll be looking to strengthen in other positions.
Qualifying for the Champions League was a huge achievement for the club, but it comes with the need to spend significantly in the market.
Not only do United need better players in order to deal with the stronger opposition, they also need a deeper squad.
Signing a versatile forward could be a useful option for them, and it appears multiple members of the team are keen on signing one player.
Man Utd Eyeing Move to Sign ‘Special’ Tottenham Star in £60m Deal
Manchester United are looking to take advantage of Tottenham’s difficult last few years.
Man Utd Want ‘Superstar’ Forward
According to a fresh report from talkSPORT, Manchester United are interested in signing Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers ahead of the summer transfer window.
Director of Football Wilcox is known to be an admirer of the England international, but he’s not the only one.
A previous report claimed that if Carrick was appointed as the permanent manager of United, their number one target could change to Rogers in the summer window.
With multiple figures at United who are involved in the recruitment strategy in favour of signing Rogers, it will be interesting to see if they make a move.
Rogers Could be Expensive Addition for United
Although Rogers would be a huge signing for United if they can get a deal over the line, it’s certainly not going to be cheap.
The report from TalkSport claims that a bidding war could drive Rogers’ price up to around £100m, which is a huge fee even in the modern era.
Rogers, described as a ‘superstar’, is attracting interest from a host of clubs this summer, so it’s never going to be an easy deal for United to complete.
It will be interesting to see whether the England international does leave Villa in the coming weeks and months, as the £100m asking price could put people off.
Sports
Liverpool Open Talks to Sign Yan Diomande
Liverpool are in talks over a deal to sign star forward Yan Diomande this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Reds had a disappointing campaign in the Premier League and Champions League, finishing fifth in the top flight after conceding a record number of goals and losing 13 games, while they were eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals by Paris Saint-Germain, losing both legs of the tie.
The Anfield club are now planning major upgrades during the summer transfer window as they look to replenish their squad, and talks have begun for their first big signing.
Liverpool Open Talks for Yan Diomande
Diomande, who has been described as ‘lethal’, has been one of the breakout stars of the 2025/26 season with RB Leipzig, registering 13 goals and eight assists in all competitions in his first season with the club.
The 19-year-old has emerged as one of the most sought-after attackers in Europe ahead of the transfer window, and the Bundesliga club have slapped an £87m asking price on his head as a result, while they have also offered the Ivorian a new contract to boost his wages and include a release clause, in order to keep hold of him for another season.
But Liverpool are keen to get a deal done to bring him to Merseyside as they search for long-term replacements for Mohamed Salah, and they have now opened talks with the player’s camp to find an agreement.
Diomande has previously revealed that it is his dream to move to Anfield, having grown up as a Liverpool fan, but the club are also looking at alternative options just in case a deal cannot be done.
Paris Saint-Germain also have a strong interest in Diomande, and have also opened talks over a deal.
Diomande a Legend in the Making
While it may be early in the career of Diomande, he has all the attributes and quality to become a true legend at Anfield.
Liverpool fans love having tricky wingers who can get them off the edge of their seat and provide excitement, and Diomande is someone who can do just that, and more.
The massive transfer fee may prove to be a bit of a hurdle, but the club showed last summer that they are not afraid to splash the cash if they feel it’s the right thing to do. Diomande would be the spark this squad needs, and it could be a huge statement signing this summer.
Fabrizio Romano: ‘World-Class’ Liverpool Transfer Collapses After Decision Made
Liverpool have made their decision.
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