Thursday 13 September 2012

Hillsborough the Aftermath.

It is becoming a popular concept to blame the police for everything that happened at Hillsborough on that fateful day. I don't think that is fair. The emergency services on the day failed the injured and dying but they did not cause the disaster.

The police apparently tampered with evidence and that is a serious charge which must be addressed. The Ambulance Service also, for whatever reason, failed to respond adequately and they must face charges of incompetency but they did not cause the disaster.

I was an avid football fan in the seventies, eighties and nineties and I faced danger on many occasions. I was at Highbury when Manchester United visited and 60,000 fans were crammed together on the terraces. I was at Derby when Newcastle visited and away fans pissed down my wife's leg and we were so packed together I could not even turn around.

I was at Birmingham when late fans pushed us to the front so violently that I had to scoop a little girl off her stool and hold her as we were propelled forward onto crash barriers. At Coventry I saw a friend smashed to the ground by a charging police horse trying to separate warring fans.

So...PLEASE do not tell me that the Liverpool fans had nothing to do with this disaster. I have been alongside them and many of them are well... frankly... scum! The problem is that the innocents, the people who were crushed, were the decent fans who had arrived early. The people who caused the problem were the latecomers, many of them straight out of the pub, who dived into the ground when the police opened a gate to accommodate them. 

The police on the day were inadequate. The Football Association were to blame because they allowed an outdated stadium to host an FA Cup Semi Final. It all contributed but I know Nottingham Forest fans who were all in place for the start of the game. They arrived on time and in good order.

The cover up was a disgrace but the fault still lies with the Liverpool fans who cared not a jot for the families and the kids who had arrived hours earlier and just wanted a good view. The people who caused this disaster were the late Liverpool fans who tried to impose themselves on the game. The police gave them the opportunity by being weak but they did not cause the deaths. Sorry folks but that is the truth! 

The rest is history!

UPDATE: Scousers still will not accept that their people had a hand  in this. It is always the fault of everyone else! They blame everyone except the people who charged into the ground late and crushed the people at the front. It is always someone else's fault.

6 comments:

SAB said...

Fair point. Anyone that had a hand in doctoring statements should be prosecuted accordingly, however, it's easy to just point the finger at the police. I agree in that the FA have a lot to answer for in appointing Hillsborough as the venue for such a high profile game. It was a death trap. At the moment the police are being made out to be the bad guys and although they're not totally blame free, I guess the majority were simply doing what they'd been told to do which was more Public Order orientated.

The big cover up is much more intriguing in my eyes.

I was at the itec at the time and remember 1 or 2 lads (Forest fans) returning on the Monday morning and being very shaken up by the whole experience.

bryboy said...

Yes, those lads were my reference point SAB because the Forest fans arrived on time and in good order. The same guys you refer to also spoke to me and they were particularly concerned about the late arrival of so many Liverpool supporters. The police and the Ambulance Service have questions to answer (and how) but they did not cause the disaster. Irresponsible latecomers piled into that sector and crushed the innocent victims at the front. The police reacted badly and were incompetent but the big story is the cover up.

GrumpyRN said...

"So...PLEASE do not tell me that the Liverpool fans had nothing to do with this disaster. I have been alongside them and many of them are well... frankly... scum!"

Bryan, how can you say that about the 'salt of the earth' scousers? You will be getting death threats and a fatwa against you.
Just out of curiosity, has anyone mentioned Heysel?


I have been away so have missed a lot of this but I agree with what you have written. I was working that day and watched the drama unfold on the unit television.
Ambulance service were unprepared as they were expecting a nice easy shift with a few assaults and drunk fell overs. What they got was horrendous and has entered into major incident training. The police took the easy option to allow the supporters in quickly with the results we saw. Tampering with evidence requires full examination and prosecution.

Anonymous said...

http://hillsborough.independent.gov.uk/

suggest you read the independent report - you bigoted twat

GrumpyRN said...

Ah, good old Anonymous. Hide and give abuse. Come on, man up and give a name or a pseudonym like mine that can be followed. What about Heysel?

Anonymous said...

I agree totally with anonymous,please read the report and educate yourself.
The arrival of late fans had nothing to do with the disaster.... FACT!
Its there in the report....read it