The County Road Cutters are a

hooligan firm Hooligan firms (also known as football firms) are groups that participate in football hooliganism in European countries. For groups in Latin America, see barra brava and torcida organizada. Belgium * Club Brugge – East Side *RSC Anderlecht ...

associated with

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

football club A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...

Everton F.C.

Origins

The County Road Cutters were, at their peak throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, one of the largest hooligan firms in England. Their name derives from County Road, the long road leading up to Everton's home ground,

Goodison Park Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area 2 miles (3 km) north of Liverpool ...

, in

Walton, Liverpool Walton is an area of Liverpool, England, north of Anfield and east of Bootle and Orrell Park. Historically in Lancashire, it is largely residential, with a diverse population. History The name may derive from the same origin as Wales. The inco ...

, and also from the firm's use of Stanley knives in fights with other hooligan firms.

History and rivalries

Members of the Cutters are known to be one of the first firms to adopt casual clothing and designer garments in the 1970s along with hooligan supporters of local rivals

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...

Andy Nicholls Andy Nicholls (born 1962), is an English former football hooligan, manager, and author of a number of books on football hooliganism. He has been banned from every ground in England and Wales. He was banned for life from the home ground of the ...

, a former 'general' in the County Road Cutters throughout the 1980s and 1990s, who was branded a category C football hooligan by the National Football Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the highest NFIU rating, claims that the Cutters had strong rivalries with hooligan firms of the two Manchester teams,

Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd), or simply United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The club competes in the Premier League, ...

and

Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club are an England, English association football, football club based in Manchester that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English football. Fo ...

, the

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

firm

Seaburn Casuals Seaburn Casuals are a football hooligan firm associated with the English football club, Sunderland A.F.C. The group's activity was prominent in the 90s and the early 00s, with the club being involved in some of the most violent incidents in Bri ...

, as well as with the

Chelsea Headhunters The Chelsea Headhunters are a notorious English football hooligan firm linked to the London football club Chelsea. Background There is widespread racism amongst the gang and links to various white supremacist organisations, such as Combat 18 ...

, a firm associated with

Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football ...

, and the Millwall Bushwackers, a firm associated with

Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club () is a professional football club in Bermondsey, South East London, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name ...

As of 6 October 2003, Nicholls was banned for life from Goodison Park. The Cutters have been involved in a number of high-profile clashes with other firms, most notably in 2005 with the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

, a firm associated with Manchester United. Hooligan supporters of the two teams clashed outside Goodison Park after the game, in which Everton triumphed 1-0 thanks to a

Duncan Ferguson Duncan Cowan Ferguson (born 27 December 1971) is a Scottish former professional footballer. Ferguson was the caretaker manager of Everton in 2019 and 2022. He began his career at Dundee United in 1990, and moved to Rangers in 1993 for what was ...

headed goal. The fight between the supporters is known as 'The Battle of Everton Valley', and is widely thought to be the worst incident of football related violence Merseyside has ever seen. Around 100 United fans were left bloodied and injured, and within hooligan circles, the 'battle' is widely regarded as a 'win' for the County Road Cutters. Some sources claim that Liverpool FC hooligans joined forces with the Cutters to battle against the Red Army. According to Manchester United hooligan Colin Blaney in his book ''Undesirables'', the Cutters have also come to blows with Manchester United's Red Army firm over disputes stemming from both firms' involvement in illegal ticket touting at pop concerts.

Origins

History and rivalries

References

Further reading