Meet West Ham fan ‘Knollsy’ that fought off AZ Alkmaar hooligans alone

The West Ham supporter who was seen fending off a mob of AZ Alkmaar supporters on Thursday night has been identified as ‘Knollsy’. A friend of the fan has revealed that the Hammers supporter jumped into action as he was concerned about the well-being of the players’ families.

Following West Ham’s 1-0 away win at the AFAS Stadium (3-1 on aggregate) in the European Conference League, tempers flared wildly within the crowd. Alkmaar supporters broke free from their stand and stampeded towards a small group of pitch-side Hammers supporters – which was later revealed to be where the players’ families were sat.

However, the hooligans were unable to break into the area as West Ham supporters fended off the group – with some players also getting involved. Footage also emerged of one Hammers’ fan single-handedly ‘holding down the fort’ at the top of the staircase, throwing punches and kicks to fend off the hooligans and prevent them from breaking in.

That individual has now been identified as ‘Knollsy’ and his friend has shared some information about him on Twitter and revealed that he would do ‘anything’ for fellow fans.

Alongside three photos – one of Knollsy fighting, another of his damaged attire and one of him smiling whilst making the trademark ‘Hammers’ symbol, @freddiebonfa tweeted: “Knollsy the legend. Stopped the home fans from getting to the players’ families. Give him a ticket for the final.

“A bit of context: we were sitting behind Thilo Kerher’s girlfriend. Knollsy was worried about her and walked to the top of the stairwell, fending off the storming Alkmaar fans.

“He’s a lovely bloke and did what he felt was right at the time. He stopped those fans. He was genuinely concerned about the players’ partners and ex-West Ham players sitting all around us. He did what he had to do. I am proud to call him a mate. And glad he stopped what could have been a much worse incident. Knollsy has recently had a hip replacement and simply could not run. He’s also a proud man.”

It has also been revealed that Knollsy has previously received a message from West Ham club captain Declan Rice when he was in ‘bad shape’ back in 2021. The England international sent the Hammers fan a nine-second clip wishing him well and explaining that they were fighting ‘with’ the supporter.

Freddie continued: “When Knollsy was in a bad shape, Declan Rice left him this message. He always says it’s what made him recover. The man is West Ham through and through and would have done anything to protect our fans.” Knollsy is likely to receive more messages from the players after his actions on Thursday night.