Notorious football hooligan Pat Dolan has revealed that Upton Park was a far worse ground to visit than The Den despite its reputation – revisiting a particularly terrifying incident in the 1980s
A notorious Chelsea hooligan has explained why West Ham was a scarier place to visit than Millwall, despite The Den’s fiery reputation.
Pat Dolan aka ‘Fat Pat’ was one of England’s most infamous hooligans throughout the 1980s, and recalled his days spent on the terraces in Cass Pennant and Martin King’s 2003 book; Terrace Legends. Dolan admits that he found himself in numerous scraps with rival fans over the years, rarely backing down. However, he noted that West Ham’s former home Upton Park was one stadium that he seldom enjoyed visiting.
Revisiting a particular instance, Dolan said: “West Ham’s the scariest ground I’ve ever been to. In 1980/81 we put leaflets out in the Shed to get everybody to go together for the game at West Ham the following week. A mob of us got off at Upton Park and walked down to the ground.
“As we got outside the back of the South Bank we could hear, ‘Hello, hello Chelsea aggro’ followed by an even louder, ‘Hello, hello West Ham aggro’ as we were queuing to get in.” Dolan then explained a ruthless exchanges as the two sets of fans came together.
He added: “A mob of West Ham steamed into us and we were run into the ground, many jumping the turnstiles without paying. Inside, it was mental. A few West Ham were on the pitch down by the corner flag. Nearly everyone there had the green or blue flight jackets on so no-one really knew who was who.
“West Ham was one hell of a place to go to in those days.” The admission will no doubt come as a surprise to many football fans due to Millwall’s reputation of hooliganism throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s. Football Factory actor and former hooligan Frank Harper also revisited a particular brutal encounter between the Bushwackers and Leeds United elite in Terrace Legends, citing: “Leeds at home in the league.
Upton Park in the 1990s (
Mirrorpix)
“I was in a pub and suddenly it emptied. The ones that couldn’t get out the door were climbing out the toilet windows to get out on to the street. Thousands of Millwall came out of nowhere as bottles and glasses rained down on the Leeds lot. The Old Bill pulled a transit van across the pub doorway to try to stem the flow of Millwall fans. That day Leeds were dead lucky to reach the ground.”
Despite his dislike for visiting Upton Park, Dolan did however enjoy many other trips away – most notably, a trip to Turin to watch England play West Germany in the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup. He explained: “Turin, when England played Germany and we lost on penalties.
“That was some stadium. And also Wembley, because I was there when Chelsea beat Man City in the Mickey Mouse Cup [the Full Members Cup which ran between 1985 and 1992 after English clubs had been kicked out of Europe]. Still, it was a nice feeling to win a trophy after all those years.”
