No One Likes Them: The Bloody History of Millwall

This isn't just a story about hooligans.

This is a story of a team that has definitely left its mark in modern football. Below you will find everything about Millwall FC from the very beginning to what they can have by the end of the 2024-2025 EFL Championship season.

So let’s find out the story of the Lions and their current performance.

It all started in the docks

The team was born in the same year as Benito Mussolini—1885. Both experienced a meteoric rise and a painful fall. And let’s face it — Millwall’s ultras always had their share of outright fascists. In the 1970s and 80s, The National Front's supporters were openly selling fascist literature outside The Den Stadium. Ah, Elon Musk, you were born in the wrong era.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Europe’s working class had limited options: you were either with the communists or the fascists. And Millwall was the epitome of the working class, founded by dock workers from London’s East End. This was the very place where Dickens' characters wallowed in grime, and Jack the Ripper prowled the streets. You’ve already guessed this was no place for wimps or mama’s boys.

Labourers from Morton's Jam factory, dockworkers, and other proletarians — many of Scottish descent, which explains the blue-and-white kits — founded the team Millwall Rovers in the Isle of Dogs. Over time, the name changed a few times, as did their nickname. Originally, the players and their fans were called “The Dockers,” but a new name stuck — “The Lions.” The players fought like lions on the pitch, and their fans did so off it.

Bygone Glory

And so it began! In its early days, Millwall, believe it or not, was the best team outside the Football Association. Despite reaching the FA Cup semifinals several times, the club remained strictly amateur. Millwall was also the first London team invited to join the FA, but they declined, as the Southern League was considered the strongest at the time.

The move to professionalism and relocation to the legendary "The Den" initially promised a bright future, though the top divisions remained far out of reach. For nearly a century, Millwall bounced between leagues like a yo-yo. At times, it seemed like the club was cursed. In early 1930s, yet another relegation came after a true tragedy: midseason, during a relatively successful run, head coach Bob Hunter passed away. The team followed with seven consecutive defeats and dropped to a lower division.

We Fear No Foe.

Yet credit must be given to the fans. They never caused drama in the stands, never took offense, and never stopped supporting the team. In return, the club occasionally delivered unforgettable moments, living up to its motto, fearing no rivals and respecting no authorities.

Millwall’s Major Achievements

Season

Competition

Result

2003/2004

FA Cup

Final

1988/1989

First Division

10th place

1982/1983

EFL Trophy

Winner

But more often, fate tested "The Dockers" for resilience. Once, they counted their chickens before they hatched — and did it so epically that the moment became etched into the Den folklore forever.

The 1971-72 season. Millwall stood on the brink of promotion to the First Division for the first time in their history. All they needed was to win their final match against Preston North End and for their main rivals, Birmingham City, to lose.

Millwall scored two unanswered goals. Then, allegedly, someone in the crowd heard on the radio that Birmingham had lost. The news spread across the stadium like wildfire. Fans stormed the pitch to celebrate with players and coaches.

Only later did the correction arrive: Birmingham had drawn their match. So, tell me again how you cried watching Hachiko.

Hooligans and Enemies of All

Among 92 clubs in the English league system, Millwall ranks eighth for the number of rivalries. But if the measure were sheer hatred and violence, "The Dockers" would undoubtedly top the chart.

On the pitch, Millwall players approach matches against Crystal Palace, Leeds United, and, of course, West Ham with extra intensity, especially in the fiercely contested South London derby. But it’s off-pitch brawls that have "immortalised" Millwall fans worldwide. Here are some of the most infamous “performances” by their ultras.

1965 — A Grenade on the Pitch

An away match against Brentford at Griffin Park took an unforgettable turn. From the Millwall section, someone threw a hand grenade toward the Bees’ goalkeeper, Chic Brodie. Newspapers of the time reported that it was "American-style, pineapple-shaped."

Accounts differ as to what happened next. According to one version, Brodie's composure proved stronger than the grenade. He picked it up and tossed it behind the goal, where stewards placed it in a sealed sandbox and carried it off the field. Another version claims that Brodie simply threw away a tin can that was hurled at him simultaneously, while the grenade had already landed behind the net.

In either case, it was later revealed to be a dummy. But imagine such an incident happening in today’s world.

1978 — The Attack on Ipswich Fans and the "Millwall Brick"

Ipswich Town was on their way to their only FA Cup triumph under the legendary Bobby Robson. On the pitch at The Den, they dominated with a 6:1 victory. But on the terraces, chaos erupted once again. Radical Millwall fans launched an attack on Ipswich supporters.

For this clash, the notorious "Millwall Brick" came into play. This improvised weapon consisted of a rolled-up newspaper, packed with coins, turning it into a knuckleduster or bludgeon. Allegedly, sturdy publications like The Guardian and The Financial Times were perfect for this sinister creation.

Stadium security had already been confiscating anything resembling a weapon, including combs and packs of mint sweets. But who would have guessed that the fans' apparent passion for reading could turn into such a violent innovation?

After the bloody brawl at The Den, Bobby Robson declared that police should have used lethal force on Millwall's hooligans.

Set the flame-throwers on them.

1985 — The Riot at Luton Town: Britain Loses the Euros

Before the match between Millwall and Luton Town, the home side’s supporter group, MIG (Men in Gear), made the grave mistake of challenging Millwall's notorious Bushwackers. The chaos began before the game in the streets near the stadium and escalated during the match itself. Players had to be evacuated to the safety of the locker rooms.

When the final whistle blew, revealing a Millwall defeat, nothing could stop the enraged fans from storming the pitch. For half an hour, chaos reigned, with dozens of police officers and their dogs unable to regain control. Thirty-one officers sustained serious injuries during the riot.

The most significant international consequence of this brawl was Britain’s failed bid to host the 1988 European Championship.

A true fan legend is the tactical (almost military) operation carried out against opponents from Bristol. Knowing the route of their enemies’ bus, the "Dockers" altered road signs to confuse the driver and lure them to a deserted area, where, according to rumors, they unleashed fighting dogs on them.

Compared to this, the incident where Lawlor Maxwell from Brentford got beaten by "The Lions" fans on the field seems almost anecdotal. But he had no business confusing the stands and running to celebrate a goal scored against Millwall in the Bushwackers' section.

Many ultras view brawls as the ultimate way to demonstrate loyalty to their club. Added to this is a social resentment toward "wealthy" and "well-off" rivals, such as those living in areas like Chelsea. Millwall have always been a team for factory workers. Back in the early days of football, when most other clubs started their matches at 3:00 PM, the Dockers began at 3:15 PM to allow workers to finish their shifts and make it to the stadium.

But it's not just a game of "cops and robbers," as tragic episodes remind us. Losses — literal ones — occur on both sides. For instance, in 1976, during a fight with West Ham fans at a London train station, a Millwall supporter, Ian Pratt, was pushed under a train.

Films, Charlie Hunnam, and Gary Oldman

References to the tragedy with Pratt, the ambush of the buses, and many other bloody chapters in Millwall's history feature in all the major films about football hooliganism. Most notably, in the popular Green Street, which introduced the world to Charlie Hunnam. He portrayed the leader of Millwall’s fiercest rivals—West Ham’s fans.

They say it's now hard to recall how the rivalry between the "Dockers" and the "Hammers" began. But the stakes and the level of hatred skyrocketed in 1926. That year, a general workers' strike was declared in England. The labourers who sympathised with West Ham supported the strike. However, the residents of the Isle of Dogs, many of whom were Millwall fans, went against the Marxist slogan and did not unite with their fellow proletarians. For a long time, the Dockers carried the stigma of being traitors.

But we digress. Amusingly, in Green Street, The Football Factory, and The Firm, Millwall fans are portrayed as the villains, the malicious goblins of the story. If there were one face to represent them all, it would undoubtedly be Vinnie Jones'. No offense, Vinnie.

For the ultras themselves, this perception is just fine. Their self-identity is summed up in their iconic chant:

No one likes us, no one likes us

No one likes us, we don't care!

We are Millwall, super Millwall

We are Millwall from The Den!

It’s fitting that among Millwall’s famous fans is Gary Oldman, one of Hollywood’s ultimate bad boys, from The Fifth Element to Léon: The Professional.

A New Hope: Modern-Day Millwall

The route from New Cross Station to The Den is often called the “Path of Death.” For years, many fans dared not venture to an away day at Millwall. Fan groups like The Treatment, F-Troop, and of course, The Bushwackers struck more fear into the hearts of their opponents than Boris Johnson’s hair ever could. Backed by the relentless roar of their home crowd and facing nearly empty away sections, Millwall became a fortress.

From 1964 to 1967, the club went unbeaten at home for an incredible 59 matches. Superstitious fans believe the move from the old Den, rebuilt after the German bombings, to the new stadium in 1993 brought a shift in fortunes.

Fans protesting to move to a new ground
http://sport.img.com.ua/

Well, first of all, let’s be honest—talking about results in Millwall’s case is somewhat misplaced. Second, they remain as stubborn as ever at home. In the past five months, only once has an opponent managed to score more than one goal past the Dockers at their own ground. If anyone had placed £5 on the under total for each home match, they’d now be up by a thousand.

Currently, Millwall, as usual, finds itself struggling in the middle of the table, closer to the lower half. However, they’re about 10 points off the playoff zone. This is largely due to their strong start, which even had skeptics discussing the possibility of a Premier League promotion. Naturally, now getting into the playoffs feels almost out of reach.

Even the odds for the Lions dropping to League 1 are lower. However, that won’t happen. Screenshot this.

Millwall, even in its current form, still has its strengths. They’re in the top 7 for goals conceded this season. Fifth in the league for interceptions and in the upper half for successful tackles. In short, if they can find a top playmaker in the offseason to fix their catastrophic passing game (Millwall has the fewest passes in the league), more serious objectives could be set.

You can't rely solely on fierce fans to go far. Margaret Thatcher tried to tame them, but this isn't the case with miners. It didn’t quite work out that way. However, now the atmosphere at the stadium is much more peaceful, and visiting fans aren’t afraid to come to The Den. So, dear Dockers, look for sports ways to instill some fear in your opponents.