Its been mooted in the book that Denis Clifford should have led the Manchester squad. Well he would have if he'd been more reliable. He got a bad rep for not making events due to either being hungover or just too lazy. Its clever to say that the Rocdale 8 lads shouldnt have gone up there but iif theyd have waited for Clifford to turn up theyd still be sat there now. Its great hindsight isnt it. You can call Tilzey many things but he was never a coward.(Harrogate) Your source is fuddled...too much you know what. Loyalty to Manchester was what was important and most of the twats posting about him were either from outside or cleared off to London. You know fuck all about the place.
Hello Steve,
Lets clear up the insults first. Coward. I certainly would not describe you in those terms. When I joined the squad it was because of lads such as yourself, big Steve, Roy, who were prepared to go the extra mile and risk the nickings and the kickings for what you believed in.
Harrogate. There were three sources of information for that story. Dessie Noonan’s recollection of the events in the park after the pub battle are retold in the book, and the story is not new to you. Perhaps this story reflects your move away from street activity, as you stated in No retreat.
There was only one leader of the squad and that was JP as we both know. When JP and the Rochdale lads were in prison, the streetwork continued with its own leadership which wasn’t well received by 2 members of your organisation. When JP was released, he issued a statement signed by all including you, ending relations with Searchlight. A strange course of action to take in defence of a lazy unreliable drunk, don’t you think?
Unreliable and lazy? Honestly Steve. Next you will be telling people that I smell.
I find this (and the nonsense you were posting on Indymedia) extermely sad really, especially as when you appeared unexpectedly, in a pub where I drink, I did not have a problem talking to you. We had a reasonable conversation, and when, almost immediately, you raised the matter of the book you co-wrote, saying it was the one thing you wished you hadn’t done, I actually told you I had no issue with you writing the book. In my view you were fully entitled to do so, but you should have wrote your own (full) story of your days in the squad and what you got up to with searchlight, rather than teaming up with someone who we both knew was damaged goods. You could have been Searchlight’s Andy McNab.
And again when you appeared the following week, I was cordial and prepared to have a drink and a chat with you, albeit somewhat bemused as to why you suddenly found my company so compelling after a 12 year hiatus, But when you appeared for the third time, I had to draw a line under it and shoo you away.
When you rang me regarding Dave Hann and the fanzine, following his departure from AFA, I met you in Didsbury at your request and resolved matters with you.
Steve, if you have issues with me, I don’t have a problem sitting down with you to go through them, but let’s make it mutually convenient next time.
You have written your book and had your say. I have been asked about events that I was allegedly involved in, and have commented accordingly like many others who were involved. Some have been included in the book, some haven’t.
This book is a long overdue and comprehensive (if not complete) history of AFA, where it came from, what happened on the way, and where it went. That’s all a bit bigger than you and me and a bit more important too. Just be glad you got a mention and move on.
