The Aggro Archives

[BushBlade]

As a result of Armstrong's work United are mentioned in a major book on social science research. Unfortunately the guy writing it clearly knows nothing about football:

Very often, research participants develop a sense of the kinds of events the ethnographer wants to see or encounters that it would be beneficial to be present at. Armstrong (1993) says that, while doing research on ‘The Blades’, a group of supporters of Sheffield United Football Club who were engaged in hooligan activity (see Chapter 17 for other references to this research), he would sometimes get tip-offs:

‘We’re all gonna’ Leeds in a couple o’ weeks . . . four coaches, Pond Street, town centre. If you’re serious about this study you’ll be down there on one of ’em.’ I often travelled on the same coach as Ray [an informant]; he would then sit with me at matches and in pubs and point out Blades, giving me background information. Sometimes he would start conversations with Blades about incidents which he knew I wanted to know about and afterwards would ask ‘Did you get all that down then?’ . . . There was never one particular informant; rather, there were many Blades I could ring up and meet at any time, who were part of the core and would always welcome a beer and a chat about ‘It’, or tell me who I ‘ought to ’ave a word wi’. (Armstrong 1993: 24–5)

More embarrassingly, he obviously hasn't properly read the book he's referencing.

 

[Canterbury Blade]

As a result of Armstrong's work United are mentioned in a major book on social science research. Unfortunately the guy writing it clearly knows nothing about football:

Very often, research participants develop a sense of the kinds of events the ethnographer wants to see or encounters that it would be beneficial to be present at. Armstrong (1993) says that, while doing research on ‘The Blades’, a group of supporters of Sheffield United Football Club who were engaged in hooligan activity (see Chapter 17 for other references to this research), he would sometimes get tip-offs:

‘We’re all gonna’ Leeds in a couple o’ weeks . . . four coaches, Pond Street, town centre. If you’re serious about this study you’ll be down there on one of ’em.’ I often travelled on the same coach as Ray [an informant]; he would then sit with me at matches and in pubs and point out Blades, giving me background information. Sometimes he would start conversations with Blades about incidents which he knew I wanted to know about and afterwards would ask ‘Did you get all that down then?’ . . . There was never one particular informant; rather, there were many Blades I could ring up and meet at any time, who were part of the core and would always welcome a beer and a chat about ‘It’, or tell me who I ‘ought to ’ave a word wi’. (Armstrong 1993: 24–5)

Saw him get out of an 8 series BMW with the reg S5 UFC at a couple of away games not long after his books started to come out. Not the usual vehicle of a member of the BBC or indeed, an undercover copper... Who says writing about hooliganism doesn't pay!

Only kidding, as we all know it isn't his car..