Hibs Boy: The Life and Violent Times of Scotland's Most Notorious Football Hooligan

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The Hibs Baby Crew (HBC) were youngsters who, in 1987, were involved in hooliganism and seeking full membership. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Capital City Service (CCS), who aligned themselves with Edinburgh team Hibs, were among the most violent football hooligan groups in British football. Born in Edinburgh, raised over the Forth in Rosyth by his father – his mother left home when he was six – and now living in Inverkeithing, Blance's name has been linked with the scourge of Scottish football hooliganism since the eighties. Blance also claims in the book that his links with CCS put him in association with leading Edinburgh gangland figures.

The Shamen also performed at this venue and towards the end of their set a Hibs boy climbed onto the stage and started dancing, As the security went to remove him Will Synott of the band stopped them by saying just let the guy dance. In later seasons the information for the meeting point was often communicated by the use of party invitation cards that detailed the venue and time.All he got was a burst nose and swollen lip after getting attacked by 50 Hearts fans on one occassion. The scene had been set in March 1985 when Aberdeen casuals pounced on their rivals in the shadow of Easter Road. By the early to mid-1990s this system had expired and was replaced mainly by two protagonists who arranged most battles and who were also striving for control of the mob.

But a 10-strong group decked out in T-shirts with CCS insignia came off worst when they clashed with Leeds fans. Twenty-two were arrested during incidents on the High Street, Rose Street and outside Waverley Station while a Leeds fan was hospitalised with head injuries. Word of mouth was the usual method of relaying to gang members of the where and when to meet though in the 1984/85 season the section in the local evening paper put aside for football fans travelling into and out of Edinburgh was also used on occasion. Still heavily-intoxicated from the night before, the Edinburgh soccer casuals rocked up that following morning at the Soccer AM studios where they were about to embark on a live telly event reminiscent of the Sex Pistols on the Bill Grundy show. They also fought running battles in the streets against rival casual gangs from Aberdeen, Motherwell, city rivals Hearts and Rangers and Celtic thugs.I think it's pretty obvious which early 90s Hibs player bampot case turned Scotland star bigger bampot case it is we're talking about here. Blance, a one-time nightclub bouncer whose more recent business interests include running a suntan parlour and internet cafe, is slightly bemused that even now, when he insists he's left his hooligan days behind, his notoriety precedes him. He claims to be a passionate Hibs fan, but it appears what happened off the pitch was often more exciting for him than events on. Its offices were allegedly smashed up by casuals while its boss, body builder Chris Sneddon, was threatened and several bouncers assaulted. His passion for the team is obvious, yet at club official level the likes of Blance – who once sponsored winger John O'Neill – are scorned: "These people are animals, they are not real fans and we want nothing to do with them," former Hibs chairman Douglas Cromb once declared.

Off it however, a certain section of the Easter Road support were busy transforming themselves from a small hooligan element to the most feared casual gang in the UK. The episode that focused on Scottish hooligans included a segment on the CCS and there were interviews with two of its former members as well as a journalist who had reported on them during the emergence of Scottish casuals in the mid 1980s. Whenever possible they tried to ambush another crew and strike them at the weakest point which was usually in the middle of their mob, the perception being that this section contained few if any of their adversaries' more competent fighters. One hooligan was quoted as saying that "We'll be doing it for Hibs, for pride of the club, for pride of Edinburgh". This left the area at the back of the opposition firm open to attack by the expectant Hibs mob positioned there.Andy Blance was one of the first football casuals, and as a leading light of Hibs Capital City Service (CSS) he was right at the heart of the mayhem that swept through the Scottish game in the 1980s and 90s. Not that I suggest turning a blind eye to such stuff, but to me there's a lot of possible problems can arise from either someone in the know trying to direct the topic or alternatively, someone who has no idea just joining in for the sake of it with some made-up ideas of those involved. I skipped to the Hearts chapter after the first couple and he celebrated Mercer's death "like winning a trophy". For example, during the 1994/95 season, for a visit of Dundee hooligans, it was a public house in a quiet white collar part of the New Town area [53] and against the Rangers mob it was at a suburban railway station in Slateford, which was regarded as deep within Hearts fans territory.