“All we want is people who really want to die for the shirt” – Danny Dyer talks West Ham, football agents and the toughest firms in the game

“All we want is people who really want to die for the shirt,” Danny Dyer pulled no punches on West Ham’s relegation battle, football hooliganism, and playing a troubled football agent in an unfiltered interview with SPORTbible.

Whether you know him for his starring role as Tommy Johnson in the iconic 2004 British football hooligan film The Football Factory, playing Mick Carter in EastEnders, or maybe even due to his long-time association with being a fan of Premier League side West Ham United, there’s no debating that Dyer is a household name.

And despite rubbing shoulders with famous actors, the 48-year-old has not forgotten his East London roots, which of course led to his lifelong affiliation with West Ham United, who are currently fighting for their lives to avoid Premier League relegation – but more of that later.

One of the 48-year-old’s most well-known works was his 2006 docu-series Danny Dyer’s Real Football Factories, during which he met some of the most fearsome football hooligans from around the country, with firms going in-depth into their matchday battles.

Speaking exclusively to SPORTbible ahead of the release of his latest film, One Last Deal, Dyer revealed who he feels were the toughest firms he came across and why hooligans do what they do.

One Last Deal is in cinemas now (Credit:OneLastDeal)

The Londoner explained how “back in the day, West Ham were a proper little outfit” before suggesting that Everton and Liverpool’s firms were particularly fond of a scrap, while also mentioning the infamous Chelsea Headhunters.

“It's all about, you know, feeling disenfranchised and, you know, not liking politics and everyone feeling a bit f***ed over,” Dyer said.

“So it sort of comes out on the terraces somewhat. You know, it's dying down now, as it should, of course. So you find out there are all these lower league teams that are sort of getting involved in it, you know, so it's still fascinating to me.”

When pressed on the most fearsome firms outside of London, Dyer looked back on his exchanges with Birmingham City’s ‘Zulu Warriors’ and Cardiff City’s ‘Soul Crew’.

“Any firm can have a tear-up,” he added. “There's no two ways about it. It depends on how game you are. So, you know, as I said, it's a good thing that it's dying out now. Do you know what I mean? It's becoming a bit more, I'd like to think, of a family thing now. Although, you know, the sort of corporate side of it is really getting in the way now.”

Despite Dyer admitting that the activity of firms dying out is a good thing, it’s fair to say he’s not overjoyed with all aspects of modern football – namely ticket prices, which he described as “f****** extortionate”, while also labelling the corporatisation of the game as “slightly irritating”.

And something that he may find more than just slightly irritating is the prospect of his beloved West Ham playing their football in the Championship next term, but he believes there’s reason to be positive.

As you’d expect, Dyer was particularly complimentary of Hammers captain and his son-in-law Jarrod Bowen, labelling the attacker as a “success story” who doesn’t “cut any corners”, while praising his unwavering loyalty to the Irons – something others such as Declan Rice and, more recently, Lucas Paquetá, who “didn’t fancy the fight”, have not shown in recent times.

So what needs to change at West Ham?

“I suppose, really, all we want is people who want to wear the shirt, who really want to die for the shirt," Dyer replied. "And so, you know, I know that Bobby Moore was a Dagenham boy, a local boy, and the same with Mark Noble. So, you know, it's trying to incorporate that back into the side, really."

Rather surprisingly, Dyer was quick to praise Chelsea loanee Axel Disasi, who arrived at the club in the January transfer window, with the actor suggesting that it seems the Frenchman has solved West Ham’s defensive woes by “commanding the other defenders” and sticking his “nut” on balls that “other defenders will shy away from”.

Dyer was speaking to SPORTbible ahead of the release of One Last Deal, which is in cinemas now.

Dyer plays an immoral football agent named Jimmy Banks, who is struggling with addiction, which has impacted his relationship with his family. But domestic issues are the least of his problems when he is blackmailed for millions of pounds after his star player faces allegations which, if proven true in court, may destroy his reputation.

Banks makes several calls to lawyers, journalists and an array of dodgy contacts before, ultimately, the chickens come home to roost when the situation goes west, leaving the deal and his reputation in tatters.

“He's not a very nice person,” Dyer told SPORTbible when discussing the idea behind the film.

“And really, there's a lot more to it than him just being an agent. This is a man who, you know, has been a shit husband, a shit dad, you know, just completely driven by the dollar.

“All these chickens are coming home to roost. And he just has the worst day of his life.

“So it was just about someone who has earned a lot of money over the years, spunked a lot of it, loves going to nice restaurants, you know, looking the bollocks, drinking champagne, smoking cigars – and then you just start to see it slowly unravel. All that stuff actually means nothing, you know, if you're not a nice person.”