Football Factory, The

Blurb

The Football Factory is the controversial debut novel of author John King, and is based around the adventures of a group of working-class Londoners who follow Chelsea home and away, fighting their rivals on the streets of England’s cities.
The principal character/narrator is Tommy Johnson, whose internal monologues allow the reader an inside view of football hooliganism and the adrenaline highs involved. Major battles take place with Chelsea’s traditional enemies, among them Tottenham and Millwall, and the book’s authenticity has often been commented upon. The language used is hard-hitting but imaginative, as Tommy’s frustration and outspoken views on life in modern-day Britain delve into a range of subjects including class, patriotism, prejudice, poverty and the political system. Tommy Johnson is a white, English male who is fed up of being told he is a loser.
Equally as important to the novel’s structure is the presence of pensioner Bill Farrell, a former soldier who fought in the Second World War and was decorated for his bravery. After the war he married a concentration-camp survivor, and is trying to cope with her recent death.