West Ham fan 'Knollsy' breaks silence after fighting off hooligans - "I'm no hero"

The West Ham fan who bravely fought off violent Dutch ultras trying to attack players' wives and families last night said: “I’m no hero.”

Chris Knoll, 58, was widely praised for stepping in as violence broke out at the end of the match against AZ Alkmaar. And he revealed he is still recovering from a recent hip replacement operation. But his actions prevented dozens of balaclava clad Dutch fans from attacking the West Ham WAGS. Players were so concerned by the violent scenes they stopped celebrating their dramatic win and rushed to help. Knoll, an electrician, said: “I don’t like bullies.

“You could see they were intent on causing trouble and I did not want them to get to those behind us. I saw them all congregate on the side of the pitch and then they broke down the barriers and headed to the first group of West Ham fans.