22 years ago today, 96 men,women and children set off to watch the team they love play football. They never came home to the people who loved them. 22 years on they still haven't received the justice they deserve. The authorities hiding behind cover ups and lies. They where football fans like you and i, they did what millions do each week. They went to watch a football match. They'll never be forgotten and most definitely will never walk alone in heaven. R.I.P to all.
It would normally stick in my throat to say it, but today I will. 96 - You'll Never Walk Alone. There. Please don't ever ask me to say it again.
RIP - the 96. I weren't old enough to understand the devestation all of those years ago but growing up as a Liverpool fan you can't help but learn about it and feel for those involved. It wasn't until I was about 18 until I read up about Hillsborough properly (I knew of it and a breif outline of what happened before then but that was the first time I read peoples accounts of what happened). I remember sitting in my room looking at a website about it with tears in my eyes (I don't cry easily).
Losses of life at Hillsborough, Bradford and Ibrox make us all realise there are more important things in life than football.
Contscrepe. You forgot the munich air tragedy,which was just a big a tragedy. We however echo your sentiments.
Never forgot about it lad but was thinking more of fans who sadly died rather than players etc. Though you are right to mention the terrible tragedy it was.
Contcrepe. I brought it up because it was a loss of human life,and players are humans like fans are,so they must be remembered.It was a terrible tragedy like the ones you mentioned.
I wish the TV channel would stop using the Shanks quote about football being more important than life and death. He'd regret it today. Touching moment for Rafa, though. I think it got more than a few welling up. A nice contrast to his cold reputation.
It wasn't even a direct quote was it? Wasn't he telling an anecdote about a chat he'd had once with a bloke down the pub? It's probably as misused as SAF's "knock 'pool off their perch" quote, which was made about 15 years after he joined Utd, when he was asked what his greatest challenge / achievement at United was.
RIP This is my second horrible memory after Heysel having watched both games on TV. How easy a crowd can become deadly. I am of the opinion though that in a crush situation everyone needs to raise the person next to them atop their shoulders if possible as this will instantly half the space used. Once panic kicks in it must be an awful thing to be caught up in, I was a U2 here in Croke park and had to be fished out by stewards, I was 15 at the time
I don't think he actually meant that football was more than a matter of live or death full stop.I reckon he was refering moreso to himself,that to him it as important as breathing,as he felt he had to put his whole life into it.He didn't do things by half measures,in other words,he was refering to his overall dedication.
I heard that he made the actual quote when talking to an interviewer. Shankly basically said to the interviewer that someone once told him football was a matter of life and death to him, and he replied "Listen, it's much more important than that". He wasn't actually saying it in response to a direct question. Andknowing his sense of humour, he may well just have been saying it in a very tongue in cheek manner. Over time, the anecdote seems to have been twisted into a whole soundbite that people can roll out whenever they want to talk about football and how important it is. But that's only what I've heard - I've never seen the original interview.
Swarbs. I agree.As I said,I think he was refering to dedication.He didn't do have measures,as he said in another interview,He never cheated anyone,He put all he had into his job. He also said ''To be good enough to play for Liverpool you must be prepared to run through a brick wall and come out fighting on the other side''.I don't think he actually wanted players to attempt running through brick walls.They would have ended up killing themselves.Again he was moreso refering to dedication.
That's true. I have a vague recollection of seeing the interview at the time. And at least it's a Shanks quote, with Shanks taking the source material and making it better. Like Keegan. I think the actual quote begins, "Somebody once said..." but I could be wrong. I simply meant at least the quote is correct because it's audio. When we played Utd I read so many versions of Kenny's famous remark with Lauren in his arms while Fergie was being interviewed. None of the quotes were the same. No doubt. It just has a hollow ring to it now, no matter what the original intent.
