Ex-Man Utd hooligan says 'nightmare of all nightmares' firm ambushed him with knives

Former Tony O'Neill has chillingly shared a perilous away day where, he says, rival fans attacked with bricks and Stanley knives.

Once dubbed Britain's most infamous football troublemaker, Tony rose to prominence in the 1970s as a leading figure within notorious firms Red Army and later the Casuals, earning himself the moniker 'the general'.

On April 23, 1974, then just 15, he ventured into enemy territory to witness a United side on the brink of relegation clash with at Goodison Park. Reflecting on the violent events for his 'Fan Culture' series on the channel, he recalled the anarchic scenes.

Despite his mother's initial prohibition, Tony defied her wishes and linked up with The Red Army for the trip to Liverpool.

He remarked that there had been a buzz about this encounter for weeks. Tony recalled: "We knew what we was up against. This was going to be war. And I mean war. We were going to take on the scousers."

As numerous United supporters swarmed the trains, chaos erupted upon their arrival at Lime Street Station, according to Tony. The group stood firm in the face of hostility but were met with a barrage of bricks as they commenced their march to the ground.

"Bricks came flying over at us while we were on the march," he said. "What a solid march, but a frightening walk if you were on your own or in small groups. But not this gang, this gang was massive and it was solid. There was no moving it."

He described the incident as a triumph for the firm, but highlighted that the true violence erupted post-match, where Everton emerged as 1-0 victors in an evening fixture.

"I was depressed because I knew we were going down," Tony said. "But we knew what we had to do. The gates open and we have got to be at the front. We knew the rules going there. This has always been the motto, go out there and whatever happens, happens. Take it to them. Don't go hiding, don't be sneaking off, especially in Merseyside."

Clashes ensued outside Goodison Park, while disagreements among United supporters arose over whether to board coaches back to Lime Street or to march.

Tony, who chose to walk, labelled it as "absolutely stupid" and the "daftest thing you can do in the dark at Merseyside". "You are taking your life in your hands," he continued.

Aware of the impending ambush, Tony and the now diminished group made it to the end of Stanley Park, where they encountered severe peril.

"That was the nightmare of all nightmares," he remembered. "They all were Liverpool fans. They just come screaming down the side street, straight into us.

"Oh my God, I just bottled it. What is going on here? This is a nightmare. They had the street and they were running down it straight into us and people just bottled it straight away.

"There is no disgrace in it whatsoever, you were outnumbered, in the dark, you were ambushed. And they caught us. I just legged it straight down.

"I didn't look behind me to see what is going on because this is now your life and you also know you are getting robbed, you are getting slashed, you are getting beat up, you are getting done in, there is no mercy here. They were out to get you and they were everywhere. I just kept running and didn't look back. It is every man for himself."

Confronted about the presence of weapons during the skirmish, he confirmed: "Everyone was up for a fight, that's what was happening up and down the country. But these took it to a different level and that was what you were fearful of."

Tony spoke of having bricks hurled at him as he fled, explaining how at one point he lost a shoe and had to kneel down to retrieve it while his companions charged ahead.

Relief washed over him as he made it back to Lime Station unscathed, which he described as the longest run ever: "I got away with my life, and I mean got away with my life," he expressed.

Reflecting on the camaraderie after the ordeal, he noted: "We were all made up. This is the blueprint of how we are going to go to Liverpool or Everton in the future. We knew we could take it to them - it just needed a little more organising."

Tony, the acclaimed author behind works such as Red Army General and The Men in Black, stated that within 18 months to two years, Manchester United rose to become the top firm in the country.

His lifestyle has since undergone a radical transformation, and in 2017, he embarked on a new chapter working at Hotel Football, owned by Manchester United legends and Ryan Giggs.

Chosen personally by Neville for a security role, Tony shared insights into his job: "I've stopped going to games. Me and my wife Debbie do the rooftop at Hotel Football on a match day.

"The whole idea is to make it about the supporters' clubs. The Hotel is a four-star, but the intention of the hotel was to be where the fans could mix.

"The whole idea was to make it accessible, near Old Trafford, for the fans. I get the supporters clubs in. I get the right people in. People love to mix and see proper United fans."