West Ham fan ‘Knollsy’ enjoyed a heartwarming exchange with former Hammers star Stuart Pearce in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.
Knollsy – real name Chris Knoll – has become an instant hit among football fans across the globe after he was seen fending off AZ Alkmaar hooligans during West Ham’s Europa Conference League semi-final last week.
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Shortly after West Ham scored a late winner to send them into the final, the Dutch club’s ultras found their way to a section of the stadium housing the families of West Ham fans hell-bent on causing chaos for those in reach.
But Knollsy’s quick thinking and bravery kept the thugs at bay with the 58-year-old earning a few battle wounds for his troubles.
Knollsy has earned widespread praise over the past week and was even awarded with a ticket for the final in Prague next month.
In an interview with Jim White, Knollsy insisted he is no hero and simply reacted like any normal person would.
Instead, he paid tribute to one of his heroes and talkSPORT regular Stuart Pearce.
“The man’s a legend for England, for Nottingham Forest and for West Ham and all the coaching he did at West Ham as well. That’s a real legend, that man there,” he said.
And his week got even better when the former England skipper shared some kind words about Knollsy’s heroics in the Netherlands last week.
Listening to the interview in the studio, Pearce responded: “It would worry me to think what would have happened if it wasn’t for the likes of him and one or two others to actually stand up and stop these idiots coming up the terraces and coming up the stairwell like they were.
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“Sometimes there’s a perception of what he is or what he might be because of a still picture or because he was involved in what he was doing.
“But I tell you what, he’s come across as a true supporter in every sense of the word. A real hero in regard to what he did and I think he saved a lot of people getting big, big problems.
“Families, children you name it that were beyond him that he stopped these idiots getting to, and credit to him for it.
“I personally would just like to thank him for his support at West Ham over the years.”
