Club statement regarding Barry Bennell's conviction

And here's the story of one of the victims: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/feb/15/barry-bennell-gary-cliffe-manchester-city

The headline and sub-headline of the article provide an idea of the contents

'There will be hundreds more,' says player Bennell abused on Maine Road pitch

Former Manchester City youth player Gary Cliffe, waiving his anonymity after the Barry Bennell trial, tells the Guardian how countless instances of abuse shaped his life and of his anger towards the club
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Question for the mods - should we now have a separate thread about Bennell, Jon Broome and City in the Bluemoon forum? There's obviously going to be a lot of fallout about that for the club specifically and people will want to discuss it.

This thread in the General Forum can then be left for other abusers in football who aren't linked to City and the issues facing the game more widely.
 
lancs blue said:
Horrible to read that article, it just seems symptomatic of the abysmal administration of the club in that period that there was so much obvious negligence in their duty of care for youth players.
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Unfortunately, I wouldn't be surprised if some other clubs find some one like this in their past. Hopefully not, but checks are a lot more stringent to reduce this from happening, now.

Hat goes off to the lads who have come forward, as no matter what people would like to "think they would do", its usually a million times harder, when its actually you who has to do it.
 
People need to put all this in a historical context. In the early 70s clubs were not legally allowed to have u14s teams. Of course they did, but it was a very grey area. Abuse happened within these teams, as it did at schools, youth clubs, and Chuch. All unfortunately within my experience.

Those people who will be keen to criticize need to try and understand the historical context.

Whitehill though funded by Mcfc had little contact, with the teams, not trying to belittle the abuse in any way, merely trying to help younger people understand how it occurred so readily.
 
petrusha said:
Here's a long piece by Daniel Taylor headlined "Barry Bennell: the predatory Pied Piper who made stars and shattered lives": https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-abuse-manchester-city-crewe?CMP=share_btn_tw

And the story of David Lean, another survivor: https://news.sky.com/story/barry-be...ttle-star-then-groomed-and-abused-me-11237797

Horrific.
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Those articles make for a very difficult read. The scale and extent of Bennell's abuse is almost incomprehensible, and it is so tragic that so many young boys suffered as a result.

If the club were aware at the time, and even sought to cover up Bennell's actions as the Taylor article suggests, then it is reprehensible. You cannot right past wrongs, but it is at least a relief that the club are being so thorough with their own internal investigation, and that justice has finally been done. Presumably Bennell will now spend the rest of his life behind bars.
 
asahartford1 said:
People need to put all this in a historical context. In the early 70s clubs were not legally allowed to have u14s teams. Of course they did, but it was a very grey area. Abuse happened within these teams, as it did at schools, youth clubs, and Chuch. All unfortunately within my experience.

Those people who will be keen to criticize need to try and understand the historical context.

Whitehill though funded by Mcfc had little contact, with the teams, not trying to belittle the abuse in any way, merely trying to help younger people understand how it occurred so readily.
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I know that Bennell was never an official employee of City but the problem is that City allowed Bennell to use the club's facilities from time to time and it seems he took advantage of that to continue abusing kids who had left Whitehill and signed schoolboy forms for City, at which point the duty of care for those players had passed to City.
 
We won't be the only ones but it sounds as though Bennell was particularly prolific. And while I take the point that they were different times and the whole issue needs to be seen in that light, the allegations about City ignoring warnings absolutely horrify me. Looks like there are more such stories to come in the next day or two, as well, judging from this tweet by Daniel Taylor, the journalist who's probably done more to take this story forward than any other:

 
Anyone who was at the club at the time who was aware of what was going on, or even complicit in it, should be held accountable. Steve Fleet clearly voiced concerns at what was going on, and was seemingly ignored.
 
If course mcfc were complicit
lancs blue said:
I know that Bennell was never an official employee of City but the problem is that City allowed Bennell to use the club's facilities from time to time and it seems he took advantage of that to continue abusing kids who had left Whitehill and signed schoolboy forms for City, at which point the duty of care for those players had passed to City.
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Of course, and I think you find that the present owners will be taking full responsibility for the mistakes of their predecessors. Unfortunately many of those really responsible are dead or senile.
 
Ric said:
Those articles make for a very difficult read. The scale and extent of Bennell's abuse is almost incomprehensible, and it is so tragic that so many young boys suffered as a result.

If the club were aware at the time, and even sought to cover up Bennell's actions as the Taylor article suggests, then it is reprehensible. You cannot right past wrongs, but it is at least a relief that the club are being so thorough with their own internal investigation, and that justice has finally been done. Presumably Bennell will now spend the rest of his life behind bars.
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I spent hundreds maybe thousands of hours of my life at Platt Lane in the 1980s and 1990s and attending the boys brigade on Platt Lane.- where a very senior figure was found guilty of extreme child abuse. It was a very different world. The sad thing is all the good that came out of that place with the thousands of hours of patience and coaching put in by the likes of Ian Scott, Gus Wilson and Ralph (all absolutely top men) and many others over many years and all the good that Platt Lane did (and still does) will now forever be tainted slightly by twats like this Bennell. Even now when I drop my lad to training at his team, a tiny seed of doubt occasionally enters my head thinking - I hope this coach is 100% ok. It is sad that I have a thought like that but natural when you hear these stories. This will be the thought of millions of Dads as they trust people around their kids every week. Twats like Bennel should be hung. I am sorry but what he subjected young lads to is beyond forgivable. This really makes my blood boil.

I hope the media don't try and label it to modern day City.
 
petrusha said:
We won't be the only ones but it sounds as though Bennell was particularly prolific. And while I take the point that they were different times and the whole issue needs to be seen in that light, the allegations about City ignoring warnings absolutely horrify me. Looks like there are more such stories to come in the next day or two, as well, judging from this tweet by Daniel Taylor, the journalist who's probably done more to take this story forward than any other:

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Knocks me sick seeing him in a full City kit. A true parasite of depravity. I had trials for City around 1987 when I was 13/14 at Hough end fields. I passed the first week, then the 2nd week but didn't turn up the 3rd week coz there was a girl I was after on the park as I walked past to get the bus. I didn't go and got a 2 litre bottle of Strongbow instead. Anyway, on the 2nd trial there were loads of coaches and scouts there and I'll have my bottom dollar that one of them was this vile bastard. Maybe I dodged a bullet not going back who knows ? But my heart goes out to the lads who got abused. Rot in hell you sick #unt.
 
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Sounds like Fleet saved City from actually employing the man, but what he was allowed to get away with is disgraceful. I know they were different times and the responsibilities of clubs were not as clearcut as they are now, but it seems there were people prepared to turn a blind eye because of his skills as a scout. We could be in for big compensation claims, which luckily we're now in a position to honour.
 
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