 The origins of West Ham 's links with organised football @-@ related violence starts in the 1960s with the establishment of The Mile End Mob ( named after an area of the East End of London ) . During the 1970s and 1980s ( the main era for organised football @-@ related violence ) , West Ham gained further notoriety for the levels of hooliganism in their fan base and antagonistic behaviour towards both their own and rival fans , and the police . During the ' 70s in particular , rival groups of West Ham fans from neighbouring areas often did battle with each other at games , most often groups from the neighbouring districts of Barking and Dagenham . 
