A notorious former member of Birmingham City’s Zulu Warriors football hooligan group previously revealed the one time he was scared of a rival gang.
The name One Eyed Baz – formerly Barrington Patterson – may bring back a few memories for those associated with English football in the 1980s.
Patterson was reportedly blinded when his sister threw a can at him as a child – hence his nickname.
Baz, who died of a heart attack in March 2022, aged 56, was a revered figure in the world of football hooliganism and travelled up and down the country with Birmingham City in the 1980s while firms were still commonplace in football.
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He was part of the Zulu Warriors, formed in 1982 in the Birmingham suburb of Chelmsley Wood.
According to Birmingham Live, the name is thought to be linked to the gang members’ skin tone, as their mixed heritage made them stand out among other firms usually made up of white males in their 20s or 30s, with some firms holding right-wing ideologies.
In 1985, the Zulu Warriors made headline news when 500 people were injured after a riot in a clash between Birmingham and Leeds United. 15-year-old Leeds fan Ian Hambridge died after a wall collapsed on him while several cars were destroyed by rubble.
The Zulus developed an infamous reputation and were widely considered as one of the “top five firms” of the 1980s.
But Patterson once met his match at an away ground, admitting that he ran back to the train station after being subjected to vile racist abuse ahead of an match against Coventry City.
Speaking on the James English Podcast in 2019, Baz explained: “One of the first scary ones I went to [was] when we played Coventry back in the early 80s.
“We played Coventry away. And I was running for my life…”
“Hey, I ran straight back to the train station,” he added.
“That one was scary.”
After turning his life around in the 1990s, Patterson was open about his previous endeavours as a hooligan and admitted that he had racked up “maybe 20” offences related to violence, but “none football-related”.
In 2013, he told Birmingham Live that he was “born to fight”.
“I’m not the kind of person who walks away. If you don’t want trouble, don’t lay it on me,” he said.
The Brummie later became involved with various anti-homelessness and knife crime charities while also mentoring young people. After his death, he was honoured by Birmingham City with a minute’s applause ahead of a match at St Andrew's.
Topics: Birmingham City
Luke Davies