About
Carlton Leach‘s 2002 autobiography, the direct source material that Julian Gilbey adapted into the original 2007 Rise of the Footsoldier. Covers Leach’s life from the football terraces of West Ham through to the Essex underworld of the 1990s and the aftermath of the Rettendon murders.
Why it matters
This isn’t a film, but it’s included here because the entire ROTF franchise traces back to its pages. If you want the source material, Muscle is where the story actually starts. Co-written with Mike Fielder.
Available
In print and ebook from various UK retailers. Often paired with Leach’s later book Hooligan: West Ham and the ICF (2006).