West Ham hero ‘Knollsy’ has toy action figure made after him selling for £600

Moyes concerned for family after trouble mars West Ham victory

West Ham United fan ‘Knollsy’ has been honoured with a toy action figure designed after him as his efforts in fighting off AZ Alkmaar fans continue to be savoured by the club’s supporters. Chris Knoll – nicknamed ‘Knollsy’ by his fellow match-going fans – gained notoriety after footage emerged of the West Ham fanatic fighting off fans from the Eredivisie club during ugly scenes in the Netherlands on Thursday.

Trouble marred West Ham’s 1-0 victory over AZ after hooded supporters of the Dutch side targeted relatives of the West Ham players by trampling down a huge gate inside the stadium. They were seen sprinting towards the segregated stand positioned behind the dugouts as fights broke.

The area had accommodated the players’ families and it appeared they were specifically targeted by a large group of the Dutch side’s fans. However, Knoll made it his mission to provide a human barrier between the scared families and the AZ thugs, fighting them off by throwing punches and he received praise from the partner of goalkeeper Alphonse Areola for stepping in.

And now, his heroics in Alkmaar have been immortalised in toy form by a West Ham fan, who has listed the toy for sale on auction website eBay with bids soaring past £600 already.

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The seller ‘briatippin_01’ claims that the model figure is ‘custom-made and hand-painted’ and took 28 hours to complete, along with the matching packaging. It is also mentioned that the Knollsy tribute is a ‘complete one-off’, giving it a limited-edition feel.

It seems to have proved popular with fans of the east London club, given that the item has already attracted 48 bids and the highest offer at the time of writing is £620, with the item set to expire on Thursday evening.

Knoll’s act of valiance has been heralded by Hammers fans, who have called for him to be knighted, while West Ham have rewarded their loyal supporter with a ticket to the Conference League final against Fiorentina as a show of gratitude for his bravery.

But the humble father-of-four has insisted he simply acted on instinct like anyone else would, despite being left with a swollen eye.

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“I’m not a hero. I just did what I had to do. There was another guy who was fending them off. I don’t like bullies and just had to try and stop them,” he told talkSPORT.

“I just thought the best form of defence was to attack. You could see they were intent on causing trouble and I did not want them to get to those behind us.”

Knoll is a diehard West Ham fan and a well-respected figure of the community. As a demonstration of his popularity, he once received a video message from Declan Rice – that has since resurfaced online – when he fell ill in 2021 after appeals from his fellow supporters.

And it would be no surprise at all if one of those fans decided to hand him the one-of-a-kind figurine if they win the bidding.

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