The Hillsborough tragedy.

aaron_bwfc wrote:Both sides were to blame, obviously the cover up should never have happened but for all these fans wanting justice I bet you can't find me a liverpool fan who turned up on the day without a ticket but still forced their way into the ground.

Dunkels King wrote:

aaron_bwfc wrote:Both sides were to blame, obviously the cover up should never have happened but for all these fans wanting justice I bet you can't find me a liverpool fan who turned up on the day without a ticket but still forced their way into the ground.

I take it you mean finding a fan who admits to forcing their way in without a ticket ?

Reebok Trotter wrote:You couldn't make it up! Former Sun Editor, Kelvin ' The Victim' McKenzie is demanding an apology from South Yorkshire Police for feeding him duff information which he subsequently published about the Liverpool fans. He claims he has been vilified when South Yorkshire police are the real culprits.

mark leach wrote:The tragedy was caused by too many scouse fans trying to get in the stand just before kick off.

mark leach wrote:I'm with you rebel. It's too easy to blame the cop's.

Reebok Trotter wrote:The emergency services just like squaddies should not be allowed compensation for trauma. It comes with the territory. I was quite shocked at some of the findings to be honest.Only one ambulance at the scene ? I think the fact that the previous semi-final the year before, passed without incident may have led to some complacency among the senior policemen on duty that day.

One or two red herrings need to be dispelled. Back then football hooliganism was still rampant. Fans were penned into terraces like cattle, and steel barriers were there to prevent fans invading the pitch. This was commonplace throughout most football grounds and what happened at Hillsborough could in theory have happened at any other ground.

The Leppings Lane terrace capacity was 2,200 and it is estimated that over 3,000 liverpool fans were cramped into the enclosure. Clearly some of those fans who rushed in just before 3pm could not have been in possession of legitimate tickets. The crowd was so tightly packed on the concourse to such an extent that a mounted Police Sergeant requested the main gates to the stand be opened to avoid serious casualties. The Chief Superintendent, David Dukinfield was newly promoted and had never been in charge of an FA Cup semi final before. He gave the order for the main gates to be opened and hundreds of fans teemed through which ultimately caused those nearest to the barriers to become crushed and trapped.

The police initially thought the Liverpool fans were fighting among themselves and it took several minutes for them to realise what was really happening. Back then, the police had no cutting equipment to remove the barriers. They were as powerless as the fans on the other side of the barrier. As for the Paramedics ? Back then there were very few genuine Paramedics. Ambulance drivers were just that. They had basic first aid skills but none of the lifesaving equipment of the modern day Paramedic.

Once the authorities realised the full horror of what had occurred a damage limitation exercise took place. We now know that the original statements submitted by officers at the scene were later altered to put the blame on the Liverpool fans. The fact that those statements still exist show that the original accounts were truthful and they were only altered at a later date to divert the blame away from the emergency services.

The most worrying aspect of the tragedy is that every successive Government from the Thatcher reign onwards must have been privy to what really happened. Every single one of them were complicit in this cover up. Call Me Dave has come out with an apology today even though he would have known the real sequence of events shortly after he took the reigns of power. Thatcher, Major, Blair and Brown all knew the truth but were content to stay silent. I find it incredibly disturbing that neither the Tory or Labour party were prepared for the truth to come out. What does that say about our politicians?

The Taylor report which brought about the introduction of all seater stadia was the right and proper thing to do. It took a tragedy like Hillsborough for the authorities to see the light. It's no consolation to the victims of the 96 who died but football stadiums are now far safer than they used to be.  

Reebok Trotter wrote:

mark leach wrote:The tragedy was caused by too many scouse fans trying to get in the stand just before kick off.

Well you have changed your tune somewhat Archie. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

mark leach wrote:

Reebok Trotter wrote:

mark leach wrote:The tragedy was caused by too many scouse fans trying to get in the stand just before kick off.

Well you have changed your tune somewhat Archie. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

RT I never said that. I said that the police were responsible for cramming the fans into the stand when they could see it was already full. Don't change what I say in future.

mark leach wrote:

Reebok Trotter wrote:

mark leach wrote:The tragedy was caused by too many scouse fans trying to get in the stand just before kick off.

Well you have changed your tune somewhat Archie. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

RT I never said that. I said that the police were responsible for cramming the fans into the stand when they could see it was already full. Don't change what I say in future.

mark leach wrote:

mark leach wrote:

Reebok Trotter wrote:

mark leach wrote:The tragedy was caused by too many scouse fans trying to get in the stand just before kick off.

Well you have changed your tune somewhat Archie. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

RT I never said that. I said that the police were responsible for cramming the fans into the stand when they could see it was already full. Don't change what I say in future.

I haven't a clue what you are going on about. I never said I was there so how can I remember something if I was never there. It happened in 1989 not four years ago so you are the one who has a problem with your memory. Stop talking bullshit making things up and stick to horseracing where you can buy a newspaper to pick your horses without forgetting something. You are the living proof of that bullshit.

mark leach wrote:I said it today not four years ago. My post has now disappeared so how is that possible? I know what I said Karly.