No one intended to kill football fans at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest 27 years ago. In 1989 British football stadiums were inherently unsafe, many of us felt in danger at the regular crushing entering and leaving grounds.
Crowd management was considered a control issue, not a safety one. In England, fences penned spectators in to prevent pitch invasions.
Hillsborough had staged many FA Cup semi-finals, including one the previous year between the same two clubs, so no proper thought or planning went into the game. During the 80s measures to control the crowd increased, while Sheffield Wednesday, who played home games at the ground, seldom came near the stadium’s capacity. The mean the stadium was unprepared for anything out of the ordinary, and the police were completely unprepared.
Access gates were open to relieve pressure on turnstiles which were inadequate to deal with a crowd of that size – a common, but dangerous, occurrence at the time.
Control measures were such that what was once a terrace area open from one side to another had been sectioned off. Once you were in one pen the only route out was to leave the terrace via the long tunnel underneath the Leppings Lane stand that fans used to enter the terrace. The two pens at the wide end of the terrace were under-filled, while the central two were crushed.
No one entering a tunnel knew if there was crushing ahead and there was no way to segregate fans off into available pens. Anyone attempting to exit through the tunnel would have been met by a large crowd of people trying to go the opposite way.
The system was stupidly crazy by design. Any Health and Safety attention would have deemed the terrace unsafe the moment the tall fences went up to prevent overspill onto the pitch area. It was a fatal incident waiting to happen.
Once the incident was underway South Yorkshire Police failed the victims spectacularly. Officers were watching the fatal crush from yards away but were unwilling to raise the alarm. They ignored terrified pleas from fans. After evidence of fatalities first arose, they turned ambulances away, delaying treatment to casualties for a crucial period.
When the incident was over the police invoked a smear campaign against the victims. Lies were told. Newspapers bought into the conspiracy, among others. The bereaved were left on their own to defend the memory of their lost ones as inquiries bathed all in whitewash.
There will be an understandable demand for prosecutions now, but for those who died 27 years ago, and many of their loved ones, it’s all too late. I hope the survivors gain some small comfort from today’s inquest verdict of unlawful killing. The torture they went through listening to the official lies must have been unbearable.
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The tunnel exit from the Jungle at Celtic Park onto Janefield St was an accident waiting to happen.
Full-time even with a moderate crowd wasn’t safe, – if you’ve been in any kind of crowd crush you never forget
the feeling.
There were blackspots at every ground including the wee bridge you crossed going in to Easter Rd.
What we didn’t know at the time was ole Cloughie was probably full as a whelk.
HIC…….. CSC
Great that the truth has now been confirmed for the 96 – we all knew the truth but there were people desperate to quash it.
Getting back to earlier discussion, can someone please justify how any potential director of football can possibly be worth a 6 figure sum of our budget every year?? Because make no mistake, that is what they will demand.
If every department at the club is operating the way it ought to, there is no need for anyone to ‘bring it all together’, which is the only argument I’ve seen for this director of football and explains nothing. I certainly see nothing that warrants more than an average 5 figure sum p.a. for what would essentially be a glorified Events/Scheduling manager who ultimately has no responsibility for performance.
I can see the attraction for Lawwell as any potential director of football would come in for a bit of flak usually reserved for the CEO if things go pear shaped. The appointment of the SLO has had a similar effect – JPT has had some stick to deal with, most of which relates to issues which come under someone elses remit at the football club. Where did all that correspondence go before? Hmmm…
A headstrong manager should have full control and not have to deal with an extra buffer between himself and the decision makers. An experienced manager will also have contacts in the game he can pick up the phone to and use as a sounding board if really required.
The attraction of the managers role at Celtic will also diminish if certain responsibilities have been deferred to a director of football.
Stop over complicating the off field stuff and save ourselves a 6 figure sum every year, plough it into the first team, youth development – anything but another suit in the stands with no accountability chasing a final pay day.
Anyone who attended football games in the 70/80s will know Hillsborough was inevitable. Stadiums with no investment other than fences to stop hooligans or antiquated fire hazards as in Bradford. I recall the first time I went to old Trafford even as a kid I thought their fencing was sinister. The establishment viewed all football fans as thugs and hooligans rather than human beings enjoying a spectacle,these were the days before £6 billion investments which governments love now. Yes there were hooligans too and in the 80s organised ones,casual gangs hell bent on violence. What happened at Hillsborough could have happened almost anywhere in football but I hope that nothing like it happens again. In memory of the 96.
Justice at last.
Just started reading the main article then clicked on the Guardian link to read the Hillsborough article. Man, that was a hard read, had to stop a few times to compose myself. A very hard read…
JFT96….
BigyininMilan- I met Prof Cooke a couple of times at the Friday Night Rehydration Clinic in the Aragon.
Your words are a fine tribute to your friend.
dr ramesh and the love potion on 26th April 2016 3:57 pm
I think Zico-MalteseBhoy (?) was asking for a Celtic bar in Madrid this morning.
Triskels, calle San Vicente Ferrer. Metro Tribunal
=========
There was a Madrid Emerald CSC a few years ago, not sure of current status
HH
Dontbrattbakkinanger on 26th April 2016 4:09 pm
As a regular attendee at that particular clinic (David George’s Clinic) I am sure that we would have met.
AULD BERTIE-true mate,i know a guy working at Warrington,his mate retired from the cops and he went down to Warrington for an interview.One of the first questions asked if he was a Mason,yes he replied,and was on his way back up the road.
THEGLASGOWCELTICWAY on 26TH APRIL 2016 4:06 PM
The establishment viewed all football fans as thugs and hooligans rather than human beings enjoying a spectacle
___
What struck me was their description of fans as “animals”
They had no empathy for the suffering of others.
TRADITIONALIST88 on 26TH APRIL 2016 4:01 PM.
I agree that a position of “direct of football “is unnecessary. We have already tried this costly experiment with very limited success.
However Today is not the time or place for anything other than praise and admiration for Kenny Dalglish. In my mind his conduct after Hillsborough ( and family ) went way beyond the call of duty and was imo his finest time associated with football.
Today is also for you Kenny and I salute you. You climbed the hill in your own way.
YNWA.
BigyininMilan- I would have been the [other] token tim.
I wish Phil would stop banging on about his “NUJ card”, as if this elevates him above the common horde.
All it proves is that he is a member of a union. Big deal.
Dontbrattbakkinanger on 26th April 2016 4:19 pm
There was at least two others. A big name surgeon and a wee medical oncologist.
BSR,
My memory of that wee bridge next to Easter Road is of leaving. I can still feel the fear I had when I picture it in my mind’s eye.
Greenpinata on 26th April 2016 4:17 pm
True mate, the empathy shown by KD throughout has been immense,
HH
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/apr/26/hillsborough-disaster-deadly-mistakes-and-lies-that-lasted-decades
This a long and at times harrowing account of Hillsborough.Well done to the famillies who stood up to the establishment.
BYIM- wee Ken Calman?
Jings.
I thought he was the proverbial pillar.
Philbhoy. the Green Man. One Malloy
Thanks for your good wishes.
At the half-way stage, nicely simmering before the evening sozzling!
Hic! Hic! The malts are here!
Bourne/Parkheadcumsalford
The wee bridge at Easter Rd is still there and is the sole exit point for the entire Celtic support when leaving the stadium.
Dontbrattbakkinanger on 26th April 2016 4:31 pm
Not him. A right wee ginger!!
We should meet up in Glasgow some time.
BYIM- definitely.
It wold be good to catch up.
DBBIA.
Used to join a lecturer fom the Hispanic Studies dept in the Aragon occasionally. He went on to become a star of the small screen on Mastermind one year.
Asked him one evening if he would consider joining the staff/student committee.
Horrified, he asked if they had keeper/animal committees in zoos.
Always stood his round, though!
TRADITIONALIST88
Madrid Emerald CSC still meets there to watch the games.
dr ramesh and the love potion on 26th April 2016 4:41 pm
Nice one mate.
If I remember correctly, their base was previously Finbars, going back a good few years
HH
Traditionalist88
I mentioned Davie Hay for the Director of Football role to support a young, ambitious manager with a better CV than Ronny. I suggested AVB as a candidate and would expect he would cost at least ten times what Ronny is on!
Davie Hay would not cost a six figure sum – I asked him last year and he said, maybe jokingly, that he’d do it for free.
Why have a DOF then?
Celtic is different to other jobs – there is the MSM to deal with. Card marked on anti-Celtic agenda.
There is the situation with referees in domestic games. Need I say more. A foreign coach finds this out the hard way. A DOF marks his cards.
Then there is the board – above our manager ( and Ronny turned out to be a coach not a manager) there is no-one at the club who is a football man.
That needs to change.
The DOF can watch the game in the directors box and then head down stairs to speak to manager. One football man to another so to speak.
Then there is player recruitment – bit of a shambles without a DOF and how much wasted? Davie Hay knows a player when he sees one.
Then the Development Squad and boys teams – where Ronny made an impact – if the young manager is following the strategy and paying attention to the development squad then just how much can he be expected to do?
Ronny was doing too much.
Finally as a link between the board and the support for the manager, a DOF who knows the club would be a valuable resource.
You have heard it say that Ronny is a yes man. That’s unfair but he did get a job he didn’t apply for and sold himself as being able to deliver a strategy that needs amending. Hardly Ronny’s fault but probably a big reason for him failing.
And I have been saying this the whole time not just being wise after the event.
It would not do to make up stories about Celtic would it?
HAMILTONTIM,
Look after yourself crossing it. It must be 20 years or so since I was last there. You have a hill to climb to get to the buses, if memory serves. That was fine after the bridge.
Dontbrattbakkinanger on 26th April 2016 4:39 pm
I am sure that Paul67 could put us in touch.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE @ 4pm.
” full as a whelk ”
” At Forrest having a couple of pints after a game meant I was a goody two shoes , at Cologne having a couple of pints after a game meant I was a wild child ”
Tony Woodcock
Kelvin McKenzie – Wings Over Scotland’s Rev Stu both scumbags. If you boycott The Sun over Hillsborough time to add this no-mark to your list.
Beatbhoy
Show me the way to the next whisky bar. :)
Delighted for the families of the 96, some sort of justice at last, I hope those culpable suffer everything they deserve.
Any time anyone in the establishment is in the wrong there will always be a cover up, over the years I’ve had numerous incidents where police officers told blatant lies to cover each other its endemic with those who demand the maintenance of the status quo.
Like many I too have had a few scary moments, Nottingham, the Janefield St incident and one scary night at Tynecastle when a gate collapsed and I was trampled over. Was pretty lucky to walk away from all three of those with nothing worse than bad memories and a head butt from a police horse.
Not too mention the coldest ever bus journey on the Craigneuk Tommy Gemmell bus on the way back from Nottingham :-)
Ice on the inside of the windows!!
#JFT96
Something had to be said today
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/04/26/justice-for-the-96/
HT/PARKHEADCUMSALFORD
Can’t believe its still there, years since I’ve been to Easter Rd.
The exit from the East End of Celtic Park onto London Rd side was notorious as well, that was the first time
as a boy my feet were off the ground in a massive swell of people.
Terrifying CSC
Parkheadcumsalford
Yep your memory serves you well sir.
WC,
You make a very good case for having a DOF, especially with dealing with the MSM and being a football man by whom the likes of a foreigner such as AVB can be helped.
Personally, I would rather have someone like WGS but it sounds like the way forward to me.
SOT
I remember reading ole Cloughie invited a journo into the managers office on the morning of the game A.M. and he was pouring large glasses of Scotch.
Am I alone in thinking Bertie’s call for a dream team of MON and RK is just that? I’d have Martin O’Neill back as manager in an instant but it’s a dream we could afford his style again, whilethe thought of Roy Keane in charge at Paradise is a bloody nightmare!