Hillsborough - The Search for Truth

[Prestwich_Blue]

In the interests of having a fair and balanced enquiry there are other questions that should be asked

1. How many Liverpool fans turned up without tickets?

2. Why did the fans leave it so late to go into the ground?

1) Evidence presented to the Taylor enquiry established that it wasn't many, if any. Touts were left with a lot of tickets.

2) Roadworks then police were stopping coaches etc.

The previous year there had been a big police presence on Leppings Lane and they managed the flow of fans quite adequately. That year there were virtually none.

The vast majority of the blamce lies on the shoulders of Chief Superintendent Duckenfield, who was in charge of a major operation like this for the first time. Everything he could fuck up he did, then lied and lied again to cover himself.

Whilst I agree with the fact that the Police made mistakes I just look at the amount of people there dying to get into the game. Once the police opened up they swarmed into the ground and it was an accident waiting to happen. So I think blame lies on all sides.

What you think is your business. But the evidence is quite clear that the central pens were seriously overcrowded by 2:45, before the gates were opened. The plan (which had been used before) was to seal off the central tunnel and direct fans to the entrances to the outer pens.

It was an entirely natural reaction for the fans to rush in and into the first entrance they saw, particularly as the match was underway. The role of the police should have been to stop them doing that.

How old are you? Have you ever stood on a crowded terrace?

 

[Marvin]

It's always going to be rammed outside a football ground on semi-final day.

I remember the anger I felt as a football fan who'd seen a few near misses in that era and it's a pity that so many football fans are now ready to let their parochial dislike for Scousers colour their views. If we weren't so poor a team at the time, it could quite easily have been us.

 

[StrangewaysHereWeCome]

Simplistic question I know but, why didn't they just take the teams off and feed the fans onto the field?<br /><br />-- Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:48 pm --<br /><br />

It's always going to be rammed outside a football ground on semi-final day.

I remember the anger I felt as a football fan who'd seen a few near misses in that era and it's a pity that so many football fans are now ready to let their parochial dislike for Scousers colour their views. If we weren't so poor a team at the time, it could quite easily have been us.

I was at Old Trafford in the early 90's and I was frightened one day when it seemed like hundreds were all squeezing into one exit, was getting squashed from all angles, fucking horrible

 

[shackattack]

i hate kopites with a passion but hillsborough was a cock up of immense proportions. safety was not paramount re the fans as all they were bothered about was preventing hooliganism. no one should go a football game and come home in a body bag. once the crushing began the game should have been stopped. the cover - up by the police and media afterwards was a disgrace.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Simplistic question I know but, why didn't they just take the teams off and feed the fans onto the field?

They did eventually but most of the 96 were dead or dying by that point. Plus there were fences at the front of course.

 

[Forzacitizens]

1) Evidence presented to the Taylor enquiry established that it wasn't many, if any. Touts were left with a lot of tickets.

2) Roadworks then police were stopping coaches etc.

The previous year there had been a big police presence on Leppings Lane and they managed the flow of fans quite adequately. That year there were virtually none.

The vast majority of the blamce lies on the shoulders of Chief Superintendent Duckenfield, who was in charge of a major operation like this for the first time. Everything he could fuck up he did, then lied and lied again to cover himself.

Whilst I agree with the fact that the Police made mistakes I just look at the amount of people there dying to get into the game. Once the police opened up they swarmed into the ground and it was an accident waiting to happen. So I think blame lies on all sides.

What you think is your business. But the evidence is quite clear that the central pens were seriously overcrowded by 2:45, before the gates were opened. The plan (which had been used before) was to seal off the central tunnel and direct fans to the entrances to the outer pens.

It was an entirely natural reaction for the fans to rush in and into the first entrance they saw, particularly as the match was underway. The role of the police should have been to stop them doing that.

How old are you? Have you ever stood on a crowded terrace?

I am 22 so I think I stood on a terrace once or twice when I was younger.

It was entirely natural in the sense that eager football fans want to see an important match. And to a certain extent I can accept that. When my dad used to go to Maine Road as a boy he told me how dangerous it could be. I am in full agreement that it is despicable that the Police tried to lie and cover up any mistake they had made. In my opinion they struggled to cope with the number of people and made mistakes.

I don't want to sound inconsiderate when I say this but If you're aware that there are thousands of fans in a ground and you also want to get in, isn't it safe to assume it would be dangerous, as it turns out, life threatening?

Like I have said it was the norm of the day and could have happened at any match.

 

[Anonymous]

Waiting for it at 11:30 on ITV+1. Still cannot believe to this day it happened. However, given things like Bloody Sunday and such where those who caused it "got away with it", it doesn't surprise me that no one from the police was ever brought to book.

 

[StrangewaysHereWeCome]

Simplistic question I know but, why didn't they just take the teams off and feed the fans onto the field?

They did eventually but most of the 96 were dead or dying by that point. Plus there were fences at the front of course.

"eventually"
Wankers. They could have had them fences down within seconds (minutes?), surely?

 

[Blue2112]

Will never forget coming away from Ewood Park after being stuffed 4-0 and hearing the news, first we was slagging the scousers off until the reality hit home. I got into Piccadilly and went mad at some dickheads on the bus home laughing at the headlines in the pink. A couple of weeks later I went to Anfield and queued for over 6 hours to lay a City scarf on the pitch and I gave a City rosette to an Everton kid stood in the que with his mum and dad. I still get goosebumps when I picture the inside of Anfield that Friday night with the scarves, banners and flags hung everywhere and especially the messages left on individual seats or parts of the Kop where some of the dead regularly sat or stood and I had to hold back the tears as I read the messages left there.

It could have been any of us, any of our kids, any of our loved ones that afternoon whether blue or red. RIP to all the 96 and their families.

 

[m7mcfc]

well worth a read - <a class="postlink" href="http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/42-questions-for-panel" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest- ... -for-panel</a>

In the interests of having a fair and balanced enquiry there are other questions that should be asked

1. How many Liverpool fans turned up without tickets?

2. Why did the fans leave it so late to go into the ground?

Football fans will do this no matter what club they support, it was a semi final across the pennines every scouser and his dog wanted to be there no matter what.
The police were cnuts and not one of them has been prosecuted. I feel for their families. I was 16 when this happened and if it was City in that Semi then I would have been there.