Hillsborough 15th April 1989 Where were you ?

Although it has seemed reasonably obvious for quite sometime that the policing on the day directly effected if not caused the events of the day, for me, the real cause was a minority of football fans at the time.

By that, I do not mean Liverpool fans but football fans in general. For at least 2 decades before and also since, rival fans insisting on being idiots and wanting to fight caused the police to make certain decisions.

Had it not been for previous fighting on the pitches all over England there would have been no need for the fencing preventing an easy exit for those involved. Had it not been for the idiots, segregation would not have been necessary meaning that when Liverpool fans got to that gate to find quick access impossible then they could have tried the other end or anywhere else in the ground removing the need to open an exit gate.

The Hooligan element in football (not just Liverpool) are ultimately to blame. It was they that caused the need of Police 'cattle herding' tactics which put large amounts of people into concentrated areas.

There are many factors here and I dont think it is as easy as just pointing the finger at the police. That is the easy thing to do but ultimately, I think if blame is to be correctly apportioned then football fans of all clubs need to look a little closer to home, to the minority within our own ranks that confuse passion for your club and hatred for all other. The minority that cannot see rival fans for what they are, fans of football who just happen to live somewhere else.

 

Surely just common sense, but thanks.

 

The FA have many questions to answer as to why they chose Hillsborough as the venue in the first place! Going back to the FA Cup Semi-final in 1981 the ground was patently not up to the required safety standards. They are as culpable as everyone else in this catalogue of failures.

 

Yup, bang on the money Kenny

 

Really? How can you ask why?



Also, apologies Maestro for forgetting about you!

 

This is a difficult and emotive subject. Creating pens was always a recipe for disaster and when the inevitable happened the cover-up and attempt to shift the blame is shocking. I always doubted the official version of events but the scale of the deceit is far beyond what I imagined.

However my experiences following Norwich during the 70s and 80s help me understand how the police were able to shift the blame so effectively. The first time I was the victim of football violence was returning to London where I had the misfortune to run into some West Brom fans returning from an away game in the capital who beat me up and took my shirt and scarf because I was wearing WBA away colours. I was also hospitalised two years later after being hit by a brick thrown from a bridge on my way to the old Victoria Ground in Stoke. Looking back I am amazed I accepted the risks that accompanied watching Norwich in those days, particularly as we did not have a large hooligan element and did not look to cause trouble. All the police had to say was football and those members of the public whose interest in football extended at most to watching Match of the Day would nod sagely and agree they had it coming. Sitting in A & E at the back of the queue because I was a football fan and had brought my injuries upon myself was a lesson in how the non-football community percieved us at that time.

 

Kenny - One of the most sensible posts on the topic.

Slightly off topic. Did anyone see the article where Donal Macintyre infiltrated the Chelsea 'shed' in 1999 where these so-called 'fans' were hell-bent on starting fights at away games rather than just going to watch the football and his report was responsible for getting the gang leader convicted. Donal and his wife were later beaten up by other Chelsea fans who recognised him!!!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...acked-Chelsea-football-hooligans-exposed.html