Hillsborough

[dickie]

OK, the judge and jury couldn't reach a verdict over who was to blame for that awful tragedy at Hillsborough. Are we looking for scapegoats, was it the police who were to blame or thousands of drunken scousers?
(Lest we not forget the 39 who tragically lost their lives at Heysel).

[Psychokiller]

Whether the Liverpool fans were drunk or not is irrelevant. The fact is that the Chief Pig Duckenfield refused to open the gates, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, then tried an elaborate cover up to try and save his own arse!

Being drunk is NOT a hanging offence!

[bobmatt]

Dickie

I feel I must reply to your post. I find your reference to "drunken scousers" extremely offensive!

For the last ten years I have stood at many grounds for the minutes silence to remember those fellow football fans who lost their lives at Hillsborough always with the thought in the back of my mind "there but for the grace of god go i"

The only offence committed by these Liverpool fans was to go and watch their team play a game of football, something we all do every week. It was the police who lost control that afternoon and then spent a lot of time and resources trying to cover up for their mistakes.

I spent to many Saturday afternoons in the 70s and 80s being treated like an animal just because I wanted to go and see palace play.

Lets support fans of other teams in their hour of need just as they supported us in our hour of need recently.

All the above doesn't mean we can't have a good banter with opposing supporters during the game just that in some things all football supporters should stick together.


[This message has been edited by bobmatt (edited 25 July 2000).]

[BIG LETTER!]

The fans drunkeness is not an issue, as the Police were involved that day in order to control the crowds, regardless of their state. They ****ed up.

[Harry Holmesdale]

.....but it's the bill, we can't blame them, far easier to blame the hooligans.....remember in those days it wasn't 'footie'

[ajp]

I agree with bid letter. The drunkness or not of the Liverpool fans was not what this trial was about. Whilst it would be impossible to blame the South Yorks police completly for the distaster they must take the majority of the blame for Hillsbourgh. It's a disgrace that no policeman has been made accountable for what happened, in most jobs people are penalized for getting it wrong, not doing their jobs properly, although in this case this will not happen.

Others have said that a tactic in those days of many fans turning up without tickets, in the hope that they'd be let into the match could of partly led to the distaster. Maybe this is a fair point. However the police should of been prepared for every eventuality. Maybe the scant regard which the authorites held(and maybe it hasn't changed) for the fans maent that the Police did not do all they could to look after the safety of the fan on that day. The fact that there was an almost empty pen on the leppings lane end which if it had been used would of helped avert the distaster, surely in it's self shows that the Police did not do their job properly. The other big question is why Forest with less fans were given the far bigger end of Hillsbrough for that FA Cup Semi Final match?