BBC SPORT | Football | Teams | Millwall

BBC Sport Online examines the history and background to the history of hooliganism haunting Millwall.

Millwall fans first sang the symphony for a siege mentality that claims: "No one likes us - we don't care."

The sentiment remains half true, with chairman Theo Paphitis emphatically proving he does care about Millwall's image as football's premier home for hooliganism.

Paphitis has worked tirelessly in an attempt to transform Millwall's image from a club cursed by hooligans to a more homely image at The New Den.

It is, however, an image change that has lacked co-operation from a small hard core of Millwall fans who do not simply revel in notoriety, but encourage it at every turn.

The shameful - but sadly predictable - scenes of violence and wreckage at the conclusion of their First Division play-off defeat against Birmingham simply confirmed Millwall's image in the eyes of football.

Police attempt to control the crowd at Millwall
And the great sadness is that Millwall's moronic minority has conspired to over-shadow a magnificent achievement by the club and the team in almost reaching the Premiership.

Paphitis rightly said: "Once again, the thuggish element which sees football as a cover for their violent tendencies has sullied the name of football and Millwall, and brought deep distress to our local community with whom we have close ties.

"We also wish to express our sympathy to those police officers and horses injured.

"We have worked tirelessly over the past several years to rid ourselves of the mindless minority."

Millwall's night of violence

Millwall are not alone in harbouring a hooligan minority, but it is the unrepentant nature of the mob that demands attention and contempt.

No-one likes the Millwall thugs - and the Millwall thugs do not care.

Paphitis has spoken out on countless occasions with threats of life bans and punishment, and has fought to move the club's profile on to more acceptable ground.

Millwall are seen outside London as the underdogs to the capital's Premiership giants, the put-upon poor relations tucked away in a working-class corner in the south-east of the city.

Millwall chairman Theo Paphitis has worked tirelessly
It is now almost ingrained in the culture of the mob that they can at least cling to their superiority as hooligans to challenge their more illustrious neighbours.

And even the admirable Paphitis must have despaired on occasions such as that in March 2000, when a gesture of goodwill to invite Kosovan refugees to The New Den was abandoned amid threats of violence.

Arguably the blackest day in Millwall's history came when their fans laid waste to Kenilworth Road at an FA Cup tie against Luton Town in March 1985, tearing out seats and rioting in one of their worst examples of football hooliganism.

They were at the centre of more problems three years later at another FA Cup tie against Arsenal at Highbury - and they have scarred football ever since.

In May 1994, chairman Reg Burr considered resigning after fighting marred a game at Derby, while in February 1995 mounted police charged fans after an FA Cup tie at Chelsea.