Hillsborough - a personal memory
It was a run-of-the-mill conversation with a friend in a pub. The kind of conversation you might have any night of the week - the kind that might change your life.
I had just bought my ticket for the 1989 FA Cup semi-final, a ticket for the Leppings Lane end. I had been to Hillsborough enough times to know that the view from this sunken terrace was of railings and boots almost at eye-level.
My friend Tony, a Manchester United fan, sympathised over a pint and told me that he had found a way to the open segment of terracing over the corner flag. "Less atmosphere, but if you want to actually get a decent view of the game it might be worth checking out. Just get through the turnstile and head left."
At about two o'clock on 15 April, I made my way into Hillsborough and was confronted by the low-ceilinged tunnel that led to the central terracing behind the goal - already looking full. I headed left.
This Saturday, Football Focus will be live at both Anfield and Hillsborough to mark the 20th anniversary of the disaster at Sheffield Wednesday's ground - a disaster which claimed 96 lives and which changed British football forever.
As part of the programme, I was asked to return to Hillsborough to retrace my steps that day. I had some misgivings about taking part.
Firstly, I felt my story was insignificant compared to that of so many others - I'd been safe throughout and didn't know anyone who died. Secondly, although I had been back to Hillsborough as a commentator, I hadn't stood on the Leppings Lane in the 20 years that have passed. I expected it to be difficult. It was.
The turnstiles are still there, the tunnel is still there. Everything about the place resonates, everything so familiar. Just being there induced a feeling of nausea in the pit of my stomach.
For the purposes of the camera, I went through the turnstile and was confronted by that low ceilinged tunnel - empty. Again I headed left for the terracing that had been my vantage point on that awful afternoon.
For 96 people who paused at the tunnel and headed straight on, there would be no chance of safety. No chance to step away from the seemingly trivial decision they had just made. No way to escape from the cage behind the Hillsborough goal.
I was 21 in April 1989 - older than many of those who died. In the 20 years since, I have been blessed with a happy marriage, three children and a fulfilling career. What might the 96 have done in that time? What love affairs have never been, what friendships never forged, what children never conceived?
The game has changed, and some say not completely for the better. But if you are lucky enough to be able to take your children to a match and sit in safety; to be treated with respect by those who police our grounds and to get home again without being crushed or scared, give those 96 a thought.
Honour, for a moment, those whose deaths made it happen.
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R.I.P 96. One day we will get justice!
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Good article Steve. I am a Nottingham Forest fan who was at the game celebrating my 14th birthday. It's a birthday I will never forget unfortunately. Of course, we were at the opposite end in the Spion Kop but the horror affected us too, which is often forgotten. Most Forest fans just stood or sat silently, unable to move from the shock of what was happening. I was there with my Father and Brother. My Mother just heard on the news that there had been a tragedy at the FA Cup Semi Final, no mention of which fans. With no mobile phones back then, it was only when we got home that she knew we were safe. Sadly, that wasn't the case for every family that day and my heart goes out to them. My Brother has never been back to Hillsborough, unable to face it. I can't believe it was 20 years ago. As I celebrate my birthday next week, I will spare a thought for that terrible day, and a thought for those souls that perished. Just football fans like me that day.
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Such a shame for people who just went to watch the game that we all love and it cost them their lives.I went to Hillsborough in about 1998 to see villa win there and we sat in Leppings Lane, the stand was in a poor state then so I can only imagine what it was like 20 years ago.
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As a football fan (Man Utd) I can remember the day this terrible tragedy happened very clearly. If shook me quite a bit. I know that Liverpool fans will never forget the tragic events that happened that day but neither will the rest of the footballing community. I am glad in a way lessons are learned from Hillsborough and no family or club will have to mourn the loss of those close to them. They will never be forgotten. RIP
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I was at Hillsborough that day too....in the Leppings Lane with my lifelong mate and fellow Liverpool fanatic Steve. We had arrived without tickets and were lucky enough to pick two up outside form other fans. Fatefully we had been the previous year and knew what to expect, we still headed down the tunnel though to be confronted with the sight that we saw the previous year, too many fans in too small a space, so we struggled back out and headed for the side pens near the corner flag....so we both survived to write this comment...lots has been written since then and there have been countless inquests and debates about who's fault it was...now is not the time to reignite the debate...let's just remember the ones who set of on that beautiful spring day, just like me and Steve, full of hope and excitement...it was the last time they woke up on a sunny day...God bless them all...YNWA
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R.I.P to the 96
fantastic blog by the way as well steve it has changed football forever, however whilst i think we should use safe standing now the only good thing to come out of this horrific tragedy is that we went to all seater which is totally safe.
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Great article Steve.
I'm a Wednesday fan and have been for 43 years. The blame was angled at the police, the fans, the medics, anyone you care to mention. But for us Owls fans who weren't even there, the blame that the club shares lives on for me in sadness and shame, difficult to shift; my club, which I'm so proud of.
Every time I go to Hillsborough I think about the tragedy, look at the West Stand, and say a few quiet prayers.
I was at the infamous Gate C Last Wednesday morning, just being alone with my thoughts. All was quiet, no-one around, just a couple of Liverpool scarves tied to the railings.
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As a Chelsea fan i only heard the news of what was happening at Hillsboro as i left Filbert Street. When i called home from the station and heard the news i was horrified particularly as my brother, a life long Liverpool fan was at the game. While distressed at what i heard had happened felt relief knowing that my brother was on the Kop despite the fact it was given over to Forest fans that day.
To my horror i later learnt that he had gone to the Leppings Lane end of the ground, identified himself as a Liverpool fan and been allowed in. He entered the ground via the tunnel.As a builder and a Liverpool fan of some 15 years he was able to hold his own on the Kop through frequent fan surges, however, the pressure that day was beyond what he had experienced previously . With a way out via the tunnel blocked due to numbers he had to exit via a fence into a side pen.This was still an hour before kick off.
Our family name (not one in common use)is engraved on the memorial at Anfield . I thank God it is not my brother. I wish the 96 that perished and their families sympathy and peace.
I shall be at the Chelsea v Liverpool game on Tuesday hoping all present show there respect, not just for any pre match silence but through the whole game.
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Like you Steve, I was also 21 years of age in April 1989.
You turned left, while my father and I headed down the tunnel - the only really obvious entry point. It was too packed and after ten minutes of hell, we came back out of the tunnel and turned right. Another five minutes and we wouldn't have been going anywhere.
It occurs to me that the fans had three paths to take on this day - which were left, right and centre. I often ask myself, 'what made us move? Why were we fortunate enough to make the right decision?'.
I've written my own account of that day at:
http://www.hillsborough1989.blogspot.com/
Anybody who would like to express their opinion of who was to blame can also enter a poll on this blog entry.
I think that any genuine football fan will relate to my story - regardless of which club you are affiliated to.
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It's a miracle the tragedy did not happen the previous year. I was at Hillsborough on both occasions. in 89, I went worrying about the overfilled pens from the year before. The safe stadiums we now have is a fitting legacy to those that perished. So can people please stop whinging about bringing 'safe' terracing back because they want a better atmosphere. I'd rather be safe and lose a bit of atmosphere.
What the Hillsborough ignorant don't realise is that 'ordinary' people were let down by their Government, Legal system and Police, those meant to protect us; That's what justice is about, not self pity.
I also agree with the Forest fan above, too many of us forget that they were also involved, and Everton fans should not be forgotten; many of them lost family members and friends that day.
RIP the 96, never ever forgotten.
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I wasnt at Hillsbro' that day - but many of workmates and friends were in the Leppings Lane crush. Their stories still haunt me 20 years on. They headed to Sheffield along the M62 - a mass of Liverpool fans, only to held up for hours by roadworks. Though they set off early enough, they arrived at the ground late. It was nearly 3.00pm when they finally parked up and "legged it" to the ground - many other fans were in the same same position. The gate was opened to relieve the crush outside the ground - tickets were not taken from them, there was no control over who entered the enclosure. The crush built as more more supporters were directed into the enclosure, there was no where to release the pressure within the fenced enclosure. The Police were more interested in crowd control than crowd safety even though they could see the crushing against the fences, they didnt open the gates. Within the crush, people couldnt move, and some slid to the ground. Those still stood couldnt do anything but stand on them, not having the physical strength to resist the mass around them - try as they might. They tried desperately to support each other from slipping to the ground, but the young and weak didnt have that strength. 96 died, others were deeply affected. Then came the accusations - Liverpool supporters had stolen from the dead and urinated on them - disgusting accusations made by people who dont understand Scousers (i'm a southerner by the way). Scousers look after their own! The club was magnificent in the way that it worked with the families affected - they were more intergrated into their community than todays elite - and the Merseyside Police interviewed many of those in the crush - who still held their complete tickets! I am not a Scouser, I am not a Liverpool fan, but all supporters should remember what happened that day - when crowd control was more important than crowd safety and why herding people to stand in enclosed pens should never again be allowed to happen in our Football grounds.
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R.I.P - We Will Never Forget. from a Wednesday fan.
You'll Never Walk Alone x
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I was 8 years old when this tragedy happened. i didnt know what was going on and for many years during my schooling days (i live in essex) i read the Sun. When i got to a decent age, must have been 18 so 10 years ago i read up again about the disaster and tears dropped, and then i read about the sun and how it had turned it around blaming liverpool fans for this. Since that day i have never read the Sun.
I cant believe that many folk especially in london think that liverpool fans are murderers, its actually quite shocking..
Next wednesday i will be emotional, ill be sitting at my desk at work thinking of the 96 families who lost someone. Tuesdays game against chelsea is irrelevant, i couldnt give a stuff, id rather have those 96 fans back on the terraces.
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I was 12 when Hillsbrough happened and can remember (probably like a lot of people) watching the horror unfold live on TV, with my Dad. It has to be one of the most awful experiences of my life, watching from the comfort of your own living room, people who had come to enjoy a normal game of football on a sunny afternoon, dieing right there infront of us.
Watching normal football fans helping other normal football fans that afternoon was a humbling experience. My thoughts, as a proud West Ham fan, are with the 96, LFC, and all those that tried desperately to help them that day. They will never be forgotten.
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Respect to all of those who died and were injured too. However do not have regret for what might have been but never was. Look forward and live each day keeping the lost ones in your heart. Live life as a memorial to those who no longer can.
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Your allegiances are showing, Steve. But Hillsborough was a horrid thing and it's good that the BBC has someone to give a first-hand account such as yourself.
Wasn't Motty commentating on that game? Will he be on Football Focus too?
Are Chelsea planning a commemoration of any kind for next Tuesday?
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RIP to the 96....20 years on and still a vivid memory...God Bless
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Great article Steve.
As an 11 year old when it happened i watched with wide eyes disbelieving the events as they unfolded. I was at a friends with my sister and they were all Liverpool fans.
As a United fan living on merseyside this time of year is always difficult for everyone connected. You just get the feeling that the families need some real closure..
RIP to the 96
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I am a Liverpool fan but was only 2 when this tragedy happened but have read about it on many occasions and it does make me feel emotional especially as the families of the fans have never got justice or answers for what happened and the terrible lies that were in the sun newspaper which is why I would never buy that newspaper if that's what you can call it as well as the news of the world and every time I see somebody reading that paper or an advert for it it reminds me and makes me feel sick.
Rest In Peace
You'll Never Walk Alone
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On April 15th '89
What should have been a joyous time
Ninety-six friends, we all shall miss
And all the Kopites want justice
JUSTICE!
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There seemed to be a lot of disasters in the late '80s: Zeebrugge, Piper Alpha, Bradford... but as a then 18-year-old Stoke fan, this is the first one that actually really made me angry and upset.
I can remember watching the footage from Hillsborough in a state of shock and then with tears in my eyes... the Everton fans on the news coming back from their match, looking stunned... a Liverpool fan being interviewed who just kept saying, "We should have had the big end, we should have had the big end..."
Only some 15 months earlier Stoke had played Liverpool at a packed-out Victoria Ground in an FA Cup 3rd-round tie. I remember that me and my Dad, stood on the Boothen End, by the end of the game were about 50 feet to the right of where we had started, just through sheer weight of numbers. Then at the end, there was a crush at the back of the Boothen, as the Stoke fans going in one direction met the LFC supporters going the other way. That cleared itself quickly, but it was still quite scary while it lasted, so I can only imagine what it was like on Leppings Lane.
Ever since 15/04/89 and the events that followed I've always felt a special affinity with LFC, their fans and Scousers in general. The bond between the club and their fans is something special and rest assured: no-one in their right mind believes the lies that The Scum printed that day (never bought a copy and never will - the sight of Kelvin McKenzie whenever he pops up on TV still makes my flesh creep...)
R.I.P. to the 96.
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#18, Have you examined the evidence, have you read the Intermim Taylor Report
Your incorrect, The evidence at the Taylor enquiry deals with this perpetuated myth concerning ticketless fans. Go and educate yoursel! Read the Taylor Interim report. Fans have drank up to kick-off time since the game was invented, again, go and read the report. Have a look at the evidence at what actually happened not what you think happened from anecdotes and what you may have seen in the odd pub.
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I was there that terrible day. In many ways the worst day of my life. It still haunts me today. I was one of the lucky ones - as a Forest fan I was down the other end and safe.
My heart goes out to those fellow football fans. People, like me, that left home that morning excited at the prospect of an exciting game of football and the chance to get to an FA Cup Final. I'll never forget leaving the ground that day. I've never witnessed an atmopshere like it. Sad faces, discarded scarfs, discared programmes, the long queue for the phone boxes with people calling loved ones to say they were Ok and worst of all the people wandering around in a daze looking for their friends/loved ones. I'll never forget listening to sportsreport (minus the famous music out of respect for the dead) and the beautiful words spoken by whoever was commentating/presenting.
Rest in Peace those that died - you'll never walk alone.
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I remember the day clearly for it's awful contrast. I had taken my 3 year old daughter to the local park to play on the swings. It was a beautiful spring afternoon. The sun was shining, flowers blooming and I enjoyed listening to the sound of innocent children playing. I also had my earphone in to listen to the football scores. I remember being in this lovely setting but listening to a disaster unravelling. As soon as news began to filter through I somehow knew that it was going to be an awful tragedy. As I watched my daughter playing I wept and felt so helpless. I felt for my fellow football fans who were there and were equally helpless.
Life is so special but so fragile.
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I was a 14 year old Forest fan that day. Sat in the main stand close to Leppings Lane end, probably 10 rows from the front.
It was strange for us... part of it but on the periphery. Onlookers to something horrific. Sends a chill down my spine to read all this stuff. The memories are still very vivid.
May they Rest in Peace
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As a Chelsea fan I just want to say how I will be thinking of the 96 fans who lost their lives so needlessly. I do believe that justice will be done one day, for Liverpool fans, and for every other football fan. I remember watching the tragedy unfold with my own eyes on the tv. Those events have never left me, and all I can say is R.I.P to the 96. You will never be forgotten and 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.
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When the exit gate was opened in 89 like Steve Wilson I also tried to get up to the top left corner terrace where I'd stood in 88. I thought the covered staircase to the right of the tunnel would get me there so up I went waving my ticket to anyone concerned. Found myself in the stand above the Leppings Lane & ended up sitting on the steps in between the back row of seats.
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3 days after my 10th Birthday..... I will never forget being 10, hillsborough is one of the reasons why. You will never walk alone RIP...
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ScottishScouser - there is such a thing as 'safe' terracing you know, and it is being used in many leagues throughout the world
Making attending a football game a safer experience should have been the minimum to expect after Hillsborough. I think, though, that what we have now - all-seater stadiums, no standing at all at grounds, over-zelous stewarding - is an over-reaction.
What happened at Hillsborough, and those that died, should never be forgotten. But don't let it be used as a smokescreen to stifle debate.
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the thing is that the same thing nearly happened in the semi final of 1981, Spurs V Wolves.
What did the football authorities do?
What did they do after the Burnden Park disaster in 1946?
Nothing.
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The saddest thing about Hillsborough in 1989 is that there were numerous warnings before, which were all ignored. I went to Hillsborough in 1981 to support Wolves against Spurs in an FA Cup Semi Final. I was in the large open kop end with the Wolves crowd while Spurs had the Leppings Lane end. Not long after the start of the match there were obvoiusly problems with congestion at the Leppings Lane end and a large number of Spurs fans spilled out onto the touchline and the pitch. These Spurs fans were lead to the Wolves end where the police attempted to force the crowd back to make some space for them. After a few minutes they thankfully gave up this stupid idea and the Spurs fans sat around the edge of the pitch for the rest of the match.
I attended many matches from the late 70's to the mid 90's. Looking back I dread to think how many times we all came close to a Hillsborough type disaster. Whilst the behavior of some fans was poor, the main problem was the disregard, and sometimes contempt, most clubs and the police had for football fans.
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Great blog Steve, I wrote a piece for the matchday programme of my club, Shrewsbury Town last saturday, focusing on Hillsborough and generally rememberance. If I may I'd like the share it with fellow fans here, any feedback is of course welcomed, especially as this was my first programme article.
"Once again we are at the business end of another season, and by the time this article is printed we will be a little closer to not only knowing if we’re pushing for the agony of the play-off's or the delights of automatic promotion, but also if we’re any closer to capturing those elusive three points away from home!
It’s also the time of year where in between stresses of near misses, underachievement or relegations; our minds turn to other things and that’s something I’d like to do today. For some of us that might mean looming exams, or exciting summer holidays. For others however, April will always be a particularly sombre time as we are fast approaching April 15th, and with it the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough football tragedy, regarded as one of the darkest days in the history of the sport.
Unless you were present that Saturday afternoon, it is impossible to imagine what it must have felt like to be caught up in something as traumatic and life-changing as what transpired. The Match of the Day cameras, realising that there would be no football that afternoon made the decision to broadcast their feed live within Grandstand on the BBC. For much of the nation, including me as a six year old lad, those harrowing images will remain in my head for a lifetime.
There has been continued debate since the tragedy and the resulting Taylor Report as to what actually occurred on the Leppings Lane Terrace and what could have been done to minimise or prevent such a tragedy from occurring. One thing which goes without saying is how much football has changed post-Hillsborough. The recommendation that stadia within the top two leagues be all-seater and the debate of seating vs terraces continues to rumble on to this day, including regular appearances on the Blue and Amber message boards.
Of course, the deaths of the 96 men, women and children at Hillsborough, the hundreds of those injured and the thousands traumatised, are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the grief and suffering experienced by friends and families. Each year at Anfield, thousands stand together on the Kop to participate in a collective tribute to those who set out on what was to become their final journey to South Yorkshire.
What amazes me are the sheer numbers of people who attend this and other similar services; Heysel, Ibrox, Valley Parade; and have not suffered a personal loss, or been linked to the club in question. Such times really show that for everything the Premier League and Football Association has done in recent decades to change football into a major economic force rather than a game of pride and passion, there still lies a beating heart of a true community. Born from the darkest of circumstances perhaps, but it gives a glimmer of hope that the national football family still exist.
Most of us have will hopefully never have to witness or suffer an event like Hillsborough first hand; however a large number of us will have lost close friends, fellow supporters or family members over the years. At the time of writing, it has yet to be decided by the Football League whether all clubs will be invited to observe a minute’s silence in memory of Hillsborough, but might I suggest that before today’s game and before Rochdale on 10th April, that we come together again as a ‘football family’ to take a moment to reflect on not only the tragedy of Hillsborough, but also to remember absent friends, family and colleagues.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club has a long and proud history, as do our visitors today Grimsby Town, and what we see today is built on the foundations laid down over the years by many people who are sadly no longer with us, but whose influence and impact will never be forgotten. They will always be in our minds and our hearts, and they will Never Walk Alone.
Floreat Salopia."
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20 years ago football died at hillsborough - it will never be the same again. Passion replaced by sorrow. The game we all love destroyed. Liverpool F.C.s class the only uplifting memory.
God Bless the 96 and all who were present.
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As i was born a mere 14 months after the tragedy, i obviously wont remember it. But my Brother who was 4 and my dad, both liverpool fans (im a gooner) still talk about hillsborough, whenever the conversation calls for it. And The three of us all agree that you shouldn't and cant attribute blame any were at a time like this, several football fans of the generations before me, have told me stories of the crushes and charges on the terraces, wether at Anfeild, Highbury, Old trafford or were ever, but surely that was the situation at the time, no blame can be attributed to any one area or indeed to everyone and every factor, it was what you expected to see when you went to a football match, too many people in too small a space. all thats left is too give thought to those who lost their lives at disasters like this, and be thankful that something was done to try and stop it happening again. and i sincerely hope and i expect it will be the case that the liverpool vs chelsea match will be a good tempered game, fans and players, and i hope that the chelsea faithful will show their respect to the liverpool fans, who will obviously be feeling the pain of the anniversary.
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Sadly a tragedy was fated to happen as football grounds were so unsafe pre-Taylor Report. I remember attending Molyneux in 1976 when Liverpool needed to win to take the title and Wolves (I think) needed to win to avoid relegation. The thousands of Liverpool fans were funnelled into their end to enter via turnstiles and the crush was terrible. Grown men were crying and people were being passed over heads to safety (a not unusual sight at grounds in those days). Then, under the weight of the hemmed in crowd, the big exit doors flew off their hinges and fans rushed into to escape the crush. We were lucky that the crowd stampede didn't cause deaths inside the ground at that point and I was personally very lucky, in that the massive doors which swung up inevitably came down - and missed my head by a whisker! Amazingly I don't think anyone was seriously hurt. This - and many other warnings - went unheeded.
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I remember the day...it was a glorious warm spring day. I was 16 and went to watch Watford play at Swindon. I had my pocket radio and as news filtered through by half time there was a growing sense of somberness even on a sun baked terrace hundreds of miles away. It changed football & to some extent society forever. I miss the terraces of old - you can't beat the almost narcotic feelings of the crowd when a goal was scored - but as I a parent I also appreciate the safety for our modern stadia.
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I was deeply affected by the tradegy as a young kid, while I didn't attend the thought of what happened was deeply saddening. My heart goes out to all the families at this sad time. I am a Havant&Waterlooville fan and went to Anfield for the cup tie last year, and the memorial really hits home how it must have ripped the heart out of the city.
What I would say to Liverpool Football club however, is that they should mark the 29th May 1985 with equal reverence, along with a suitable memorial at Anfield. There is nothing to distinguish between the tragedies, and I think we should remember those that perished in both with equal remorse.
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Life for 96 people ended all too quickly. Let's hope the blame game stops with this generation. Something good has been salvaged from that disaster; all we can do is to keep that up.
We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it's forever. - Carl Sagan, Cosmos, pg. 20
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If the BBC wants to show respect to the 96 who died that day it should stop employing Kelvin Mackenzie. Despite horrible and offensive claims he made in the Sun being dismissed by both the press complaints commission and the goverment enquiry as complete fabrication he has steadfastly refused to apologise to the families and fans he offended so deeply.
He has since used BBC programs as a platform for his anti-liverpool bias and his clear dislike of the the city and it's people - most noticably his appearance on Newsnight where Claire Short twice challenged him to apologise and he twice refused.
He was also involved in the most recent Sports Relief. How can a man who is responsible for presenting an image of football fans as disgusting, monstorous animals be involved in a charity that promotes unity through sport?
The blog post above is sensitive and moving - I'm sure the upcoming programs will be equally respectful but it's a shame this attitude only pervades the BBC whilst the aniversary looms. I wonder if the program will highlight the response by the Sun during the program? It's as much a part of the legacy of Hillsborough as the terrible events of the day and has had a huge part to play in the families continuing sense of unjust and unfair treatment of the victim's memories. The events of the day have many culprits but there is only one man who can take responsibility for the disgrace of the Sun's response.
YNWA
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re: ejs864
I would respectfully invite you and anyone else interested in the facts to visit www.hfdinfo.com, where you will find that Lord Justice Taylor TOTALLY discounted the fact that fans turned up late, he also TOTALLY discounted fans being ticketless in the ground, and as you mention drinking in pubs it should also be mentioned he also TOTALLY discounted drunkeness as a contributing factor. South Yorkshire Police are to blame.
Please refrain from spreading myths, take the chance to educate yourself.
JFT96
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I was 18 years old when it happened, attending Leicester vs Chelsea. I had headphones on and knew something was very wrong. At half-time, we were told over the tannoy that the game at Sheffield had been held up due to 'crowd trouble', and the moronic few cheered stupidly, assuming the normal violence that had long been de rigeur at domestic football matches.
It was only a couple of days later that it turned out that 2 boys from my school had stood on Leppings Lane and perished - and this was from a school in Leicester, pretty unlikely, even back then when Liverpool was the default team that one supported if one didn't follow the local team.
I was doing 'A' levels at this time, and was given the privilege of featuring in a school concert, as I was a promising musician. I asked that we do it in memory of Paul and Nick Hewitt, the boys that died, and to his eternal credit my teacher agreed. Their parents were invited, but very understandably, they declined.
I offer this story as a tribute to all those that died, but especially to the Hewitt family, who must have suffered most terribly.
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I was only 9 years old and can't remember that much at the time about it.
However no matter how many times I read an article or watch a documentary about this tragedy I have shivers all through me and become extremely upset.
Any football fan who has a love for going to matches just knows how horrific this was and can picture ourselves being there at that horrible time as we all just go to matches wanting to be entertained. On this very sad day this was not to be the case.
My thoughts and condolences to all those affected in the past and present.
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Nice story. God bless our Liverpool brothers and sisters at this time. Will never forget the tribute game they played at Celtic Park following. It was a privelige to be there...although, under the circumstances, we all wish we weren't.
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I was a Manc who worked in Liverpool at Lewis's Department Store, and was working that day. I had a bet that Liverpool would meet Everton in the final.
There was an air of expectancy that it was going to be a great day for the City, excitement was everywhere, all talk was of the match and several staff had family at the game. Sadly, we all know what was about to unfold.
I still work in Liverpool from time to time, and everytime and I mean everytime I reach the end of the M62, I remember that day and the lives that were lost.
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20 years ago i lost my brother i was 4, we never stop talking about him still to this day. Its hard to think 20 years ago he was alive living a normal life just like every other person in that ground. He was going to take me to the game but i broke my arm playing penalty shoot outs the day before with him. i was gutted and fort it was the end of the world when my mum refused 2 let me go. when we heard there had been a disater at hillsbrough my mum was devostated and had a feelign it was my brother. I didnt really understand what was happening untill my dad told me my brother had died and that i couldnt see him again. that was the worst feeling you could get. I then feel out with my mum because if she let me go i could of looked after my big brother, untill i realised she saved me without knowing it at the time. I still miss him now and allways will.
Every comment ive read so far has been so nice, and for once there is no arguing just like it should be. Its about a loss of true footballing fans no matter who you surrport or what you belive, Its peaceful.
Great blog!
Its a real tribute!
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i was in telford watching the events unfold on t.v in a pub.We were there to watch Hyde United take on Telford in the F.A Trophy in the semi-final,our non league equivalent.A beautiful spring day,spirits high for the game ahead,all the Hyde fans laughing and joking,enjoying our day away,possibly 1 game away from wembley,,,when the sights of hillsborough started to arrive on the screen.
I remember leaving the pub to make my way to the ground,not realising exactly what was unfolding in Sheffield.
All during our match,we kept hearing bits of information,people injured,then people killed,then many people killed.
My team lost on that day,but it didn't matter,as football was
a far greater loser,as of course were the families of the deceased.
Respect and best wishes from manchester.
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I was comfortably sat at Elland Road when an announcement was made that the game down the M1 had been suspended. I remember the confusion as shreds of information filtered through. I was in a completely different stadium, but that that day has remained deep in my memory. No other disaster has affected me as much. Maybe it's the fact that those people had gone to watch a football match and never returned. That they went through that same Saturday ritual that I did. That they felt that sense of helplessness as they went forward. All I know is that even though I wasn't there and that I don't know anyone who was, I often think about those people who were. My thoughts go out to those who were directly affected by the events of that day, and by the injustices which followed. It wasn't just 96 Liverpool fans that died, nor 96 football fans. They were 96 people who were neglected. We should never forget them.
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Spurs fan in peace. An excellent article that has sparked some interesting debate. I particularly enjoyed the hyperlink to the first hand account of Samilewis (post 9) which is well worth reading.
I was 14 at the time and remember watching this on Grandstand. It was a beautiful day and I just remember how awful the day turned; the worst thing was how slowly the tragedy unfolded - like watching a car crash in slow-motion. An earthquake or a bomb is there - sudden but this just kind of evolved. I had been involved in a few hair-raising surges (one game sticks out in my memory in particular at Wembley - an England international against Turkey. When England scored me and my school mates were swept about 20m down the terrace)
As to who is to blame - it's a bit irrelevant, really. It won't bring the 96 back. RIP, YNWA.
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To #47 - Gerrard'sRightleg -
Thanks for commenting on the blog, it's very moving to hear your story.
I have just watched some of the content of tomorrow's Football Focus and I hope you and your fnmaily will feel it is a fitting tribute to your brother. I wish you well at this difficult time.
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Wow. What an amazing piece.
It's criminal that those responsible for the terrible stories and attempted cover-up for that day have not been brought to justice.
RIP
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I was at Hillsborough as a Forest fan and can still visualise standing on the Spion Kop at 2pm and saying to my mate; "I wouldn't want to be in the centre section at the other end"! Little did we know.
As others have commented, us Forest fans are often forgotten and whilst our loss was negligible, I am sure there are many of us who still feel involved.
The following Saturday, I felt drawn to Anfield to pay my respects and after 4 hours of queuing, I left my Forest scarf in front of the Kop.
For the last 19 years, I have asked Forest to 'remember' the day on their website, but to my disgrace, they have failed to do so on many years.
Next Wednesday, I will be at Anfield for the memorial service, which starts at 2:45 and there will be a 2 minute silence at 3:06, when Beardsley hit the bar and the crowd surged forward ...... Gates open at 2:00.
I hope many Forest fans will attend and like me, again pay their respects to the 96. R.I.P.
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47, our thoughts are with you and every1 effected by this terrible disaster, this week, and every week!
great blog steve, really moving and insightful! thanks for that! have you told it to Kelvin Mackenzie!?...
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My Dad and Myself had watched live football together for 15 years until April 15th 1989 and after watching the disaster unfold on the television at Hillsborough that day, it took us until last season to start going to football together again. However, we can never forget it, we should never forget the 96 ordinary fans, men, women and children who lost their lives watching a game they loved and I suppose a part of my love for football died that day.
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Hi Steve, Interesting to read your article. Especially the quote that you felt your story was insignificant compared to others. I was in the Leppings Lane section, went through the tunnel and stood to the left of the goal. I was injured in the crush and, until very recently, believed that my story was insignificant too! I think all the people who were there have a story to tell, and they should be listened to.
Very brave of you to go through the turnstiles. I visit Hillsborough every year on the anniversary and go through the SWFC main entrance and walk to the area that I stood. Not sure I could do the turnstiles, or the tunnel, even now....
My heart remains heavy, and there is still a certain amount of guilt inside me, that i was lucky enough to survive and that others weren't. That I managed to scramble to safety and had no thought for others that I left behind. That, even today, I feel that I could have helped more than I actually did.
This year, I am contemplating returning to Anfeld for the first time. But I am unsure whether i will be brave enough to go through with it. Even though my love for LFC burns just as strongly today as it has ever done.
YNWA
Justice for the 96
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I was 15 in 1989 and I was watching my West Brom team surrender a 2-0 lead to Plymouth on that fateful day and can remember the disbelief around the Brummie Road End when the half time tannoy announced that there had been over 50 fatalities. It wasn't until I returned home that the true scale of the disaster unfolded. The fact that those Liverpool fans had, just like me, had woken up that day with that sense of anticipation at watching and supporting your team, brought it home to me as a teenager and I, like many, was deeply affected. I think that others who stood on various terraces in different grounds up & down the country that day would feel similarly, in that the 96 were doing what we all did as part of the footballing community. Who's to say it might have been any of us?
I visited Hillsborough for the first time in the 90's to visit a friend at University there and we went to watch Wednesday play Coventry. As we approached the Leppings Lane turnstiles it immediately provoked the tragic memories of 1989 and I asked my friend whether these were the same turnstiles. My friend told me not to talk about this openly here at this point as it wasn't the done thing, for it may upset the Owls fans. I didn't expect this response - it seemed until that time I hadn't appreciated the effect the disaster had on Wednesday fans
Great blog & posts by all. Can feel the emotion even now and I'm at work today
RIP the 96, never forgotten by this Baggies fan
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ejs 864
your comments are insensitive & unworthy at this time. Save your "insight" for another time (& blog).
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a very moving story.to all related to the 96 & LFC heres thinking of you,from mike of bristol rovers fc ALWAYS REMEBERED NEVER FORGOTEN. R.I.P
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I am sure ejs864 probably believes that it was the fault of the passengers on the Pan Am plane that blew up over Lockerbie for getting on that fateful flight.
Speaking as someone who was there, I don't blame Liverpool supporters. Your opinions are that of someone who has obviously not read up on the subject, has a deep dislike for Liverpool FC or is a non-football supporter.
Keep your opinions to yourself, please.
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Please also remember those who were left physically and mentally disabled as a result of what happened in Sheffield on 15th April as well as the 96 who never came home.
Having their lives taken away also.
RIP
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Excellent blog Steve and shows how thin the line is between life and death.
As a fan that day, how does it make you feel when people like Mckenzie to accuse you of urinating on and stealing from your fellow fans? I'm still stunned that the BBC continue to allow his drivel to be spouted on their airwaves, not only about Hillsborough but also any other subject, as his tabloid sensationalism is still his tool of choice. Even after he recently 'apologied' he was recorded as saying he didn't mean it and was still accusing us.
As for EJS864 in post 18. Perhaps you should actually read up on the subject before joining in. Sadly though, this is the view held by many people, and just goes to show what damage the likes of Mckenzie did by printing their lies.
A good starting point would be Jimmy Mcgovern's 'Hillsborough' documentary, which i believe is being shown again this week.
JFT96
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ejs - Read the Taylor report - a public inquiry - get yourself a copy!
Blame attributed to:
Main reason - failure of police control (build up of fans at inadequate turnstiles forseeable, opening of gate C,closing of central pens not done,slow reaction to iniate Disaster plan etc)
Also criticized F.A (ill considered choice of venue), Sheffield City Council (failed to amend or revise safety certificate), Sheffield Wednesday (layout, confusing signposting, terraces breached guidelines - "unsatisfactory" and "ill-suited")
Most criticism to Duckenfield for failure to take effective control and to SWP for their (proven)LIES about Liverpool fans.
Liverpool fans EXONERATED by Taylor report - i.e free of blame!
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ejs864; STICK TO WHAT YOU KNOW BEST. NOTHING. SHUT UP AND BOW YOUR HEAD IN SHAME
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The point about mobile phones is very true. The problem was that many friends and relatives became aware of a problem at the game but being back 20 years ago people there couldn't contact home and ease the minds of worried relatives. That must have been an agonising wait, and indeed watch for some people, and doubly sad for those friends and relatives of the 96 who didn't come back.
It was the same for the Ibrox disaster too, people knew something terrible had happened on a stair, they just didn't know until their relatives didn't return.
At least ground safety has moved on- no railings and seats, and another Hillsborough is unlikely.
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In my Dads rusty yellow transit van we all jumped in and headed off to the match.Dad driving, passenger's in the back were my younger brother,uncles,now brother-inlaws,lifelong friends.A few of us had experienced Hillsboro the previous year so when that gate burst open we all got together and headed to the left away from the tunnel.We all returned home in Dads van,disturbingly numb!Looking at each other asking ourselves why.Why could this happen.
Two months later I became a Dad myself that year, twin girls.Every 15th of April for the last twenty years I cry and I pray for those that didnt make it home and their families.I also thank God for bringing me and all the men in my family that were in Dads van and witnessed that dreadful day, home safe.
To the 96 Mighty Reds who will never be forgotten R.I.P.
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ejs
stop looking to blame - think about the 96 and their families, that is all that matters. The fans that day were guilty of nothing more than following their team with a passion and loyalty.
I was 18 in 89 and a massive liverpool fan, often squeezing into the Kop to watch the reds if I couldn't get into the Main Stand on match days - to me watching them play was the reason for getting out of bed of a morning. I didn't go to Hillsboro but saw it unfold on Grandstand with tears down my cheeks. Every time I go to Anfield, now with my 16 yr old son, I pay homage at the memorial and remember that day.
I don't think about blaming the Police or the FA - I only think about the 96 and their families.
YNWA
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I remember watching it on the tv and it was like a movie a very bad movie. When you hear people say bring back teraceing its a better atmosphere just remind them of the 96 that died that day. I for one am glad to have my seat at the Lane when i get a chance to go.
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R.I.P 96. One day we will get justice!
--------
Justice? There is no justice, there never will be, there was no deliberate crime here, no one to really blame, just a series of incidents that on their own did not mean much but together alligned to produce a tragedy of epic scale.
There were so many lessons to be learnt, and 99% of them have been, grounds have changed, fans have changed, police have changed and the sport has changed. We can not say that another incident will never happen again but we can be damn sure that it will not be for the same reasons.
Do not forget, do not ever forget, but the time for seeking justice and vengeance is gone. Most of those still trying only have their own political agendas to puch, do not let these sad little people belittle the lives of those who died in this way.
I, like so many children of the era will forever remember Hillsborough, every time I see morons stnading on chairs in stadiusm, refusing to sit despite blocking the view of those behind, proclaiming their 'god given' right to stand I think that they should go back and think again. Watch the documentary, I dont think I can for a second time and most I know cant either but if you havent you should watch and learn.
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ejs shut up!
This is about remmbering not finding someone to blame
I dont think anybodys to blame.
Its something that happend and has changed football forever
it cant be changed back, we cant get nobody back but we can remmber them and get a positive out of it. Which is that it wont happen again.
People like kelvin mackenzie just need to get a life, atleast he has one and 96 people dont!
Its stupid when people try to blame others like you can change anything!
The main thing is that every single person who died that is remmberd!
And that people that like to blame others are shown for what they really are.
They need to get some respect!
Thank you evebody who has put a comment on my comment from before.
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Amen to every word Steve.
As a very young boy, I remember watching the dreadful events of Saturday April 15th 1989 via Grandstand and news reports. I went to Hillsborough for the first time in 2002 and whenever I've been, particularly when I've sat in the Leppings Lane end, I have always been aware of the hallowed ground I am stepping on and of those who went before me.
They weren't fans of my team. I'm not a fan of theirs. But they, whoever's fault, paid the ultimate price for the disdain and utter contempt in which football fans and football stadia in this country were treated for decades. The loss of those people must never EVER be forgotten.
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Gerrard's Right Leg
Totally agree with you and am sending my thoughts to you and your family.
Walk on
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Sheffield Wednesday fan here. My thoughts go out to all those affected by the tragedy of 20 years ago. And to the 96 that lost their lives, may you rest in peace. YNWA.
I was 9 years old at the time and not seriously into football at that point. But my first vivid memory of the game was watching Grandstand at my gran's house that afternoon and seeing the horror unfold before our very eyes. Truly shocking.
I am pleased that people have pointed out that the disaster was not a one-off and that there were some near misses in the preceding years. My father stopped going to matches in the late 70s due to similar near misses - all as a result of the 'pens' being erected to 'cage' the fans. One event that stands out in his mind was a match at Ashton Gate in the 70s - he avoided serious injury after his brother pulled him over a fence and away from the pens.
People often talk about who is to blame. Without getting into a debate, I thought that I should mention one fact that rarely gets aired. On top of the ticketless fans and (allegedly) failed policing measures, I believe that the FA had a part to play (with their ticket allocation). As anyone who had ever been to Hillsborough knows, the Kop end is much bigger than the Leppings Lane end. Liverpool have more fans than Nottingham Forest. Why were Liverpool not given the Kop?
Finally, I have noted with appreciation the comments here about one final group of people affected by this - the Owls fans. No-one ever mentions them. I know that the impact on us was nowhere near that on the victims and their families. However, we too have to live with the aftermath of 15 April 1989.
Great blog Steve. Keep it up.
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Isn't it a shame that, 20 years on, people do still go to football matches and never come home.
The needless deaths of those 96 people made British stadia the safest in the world, its just a pity that in places like Africa people are still dying on the terraces.
I was 16 and heard there had been a crush at the FA Cup semi final. I went away out that day and played tennis, not really thinking much about it, i just thought it meant the kickoff would be delayed.
When i came back home and watched the news i couldnt believe my eyes.
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A nationwide act of not buying the Sun would be a great show of disgust for that rag.R.I.P justice has never been done !!!!!!
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Glover - Dn
Yes something more does need to be said..and that is you need to show respect to the dead and their families.
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The thing about April the 15th 1989, at Hillsborough, that has always struck me, is this.
"There, but for the grace of god go I".
On that day my team, Manchester City, were away to Blackburn. 5 of us travelled by car and we did what we often did and plenty others did too. We called for a few beers and left it a bit late getting to Ewood Park. We parked the car and ran to the ground to try and not miss the kick off. Once inside we pushed our way in to get a good vantage point on the terracing. Meanwhile over at Hillsborough, Liverpool fans were playing out the very same scenerio, having a beer on the way, leaving it too late to get to the game and then rushing to get in. The difference was 96 people died in Sheffield.
Were Liverpool fans to blame in any way for having a beer? No, it's what football fans did and to a great extent still do. I've stood on those very same terracing to watch City, before the disaster and I thought it a very unsafe area.
As I said at the top, "THERE, BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I"
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A life long Everton fan, now living a long way from Liverpool. I will never forget the day, I lost a mate. Reading this blog brought back the tears.
I now have teenage kids, the two boys both Liverpool fans. The first time I was able to take them to Anfield they read the names one by one including my mate's, in silence. They asked what happened, not who was to blame.
That to me is how we should remember.
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bluestreety,
While I applaud your solidarity and accurate assessment of what happened at every match. I feel people are missing the point. The build-up of fans did not start at 2.45, the build up started much earlier because there was 16 turnstiles for 25,000 fans all contained within a small area. NF had 60 turnstiles. Undoubtably fans that ritually went to the pub and turn up at the last minute would add to that bottleneck but it is a myth to think they were the cause of it.
Dr Tingle,
In some ways you can't seperate what happened from who is to blame. There is a cause and effect. Sometimes, someone has to be brought to account. Condolences for the loss of your friend.
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Hi Steve -
I was 16 at the time of Hillborough. Like others who have posted similar, we were also at the same game the year before and we stood right behind the goal. A year later we turned back up - I remember my mate Stuey saying - its a bit busy, lets stand up on the side, something we never did. I ponder that moment from time to time. Life seems very fragile sometimes, a throwaway comment saved out lives. I try to remember what happened that day - but its like watching a movie with the sound turned down. I live in Australia now, and have felt a bit lost as to how to remember the dead on the 20th Anniversary - this blog posting has helped. I felt a lot of grief for what happened and a lot of guilt as to why it didnt happen to me. I watched the footage on youtube of hillsborough a couple of months ago and cried onto the keyboard. I have a lot of blessings in my life and I am very grateful for what I have. On the 15th at 3.06
I am going to be silent and say a prayer and remember those who died, and then I am going to think of the people who love me and I love them, am going to hug my wife, and I am going to be thankful to be alive.
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As a young Liverpool fan I remember watching this unfold on the BBC, it haunted me for days afterwards, and still I often think about it. Didn't know anyone going but still felt like personal grief somehow. Perhaps explains why I have a real hatred for Kelvin Mackenzie (the BBC should be ashamed of itself by the way) - sometimes you wish you could bump into a certain person in the street and look them in the eye. Nearly did once when I came across myvideorights.com and had a meeting scheduled to discuss options and found out he owns it! He'll never get any money of mine. I know its 20yrs but I still find him a disgusting individual and a waste of good food when real people are starving in the world.
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A Nottingham Forest supporter. My one and only trip to Hillsborough was on that day 20 years ago when so many Liverpool supporters lost their lives. I remember it well, supporters one and all, doesn't matter who you supported, we were one.
My thoughts go out to all of those who lost relatives on that day.
The mass of tributes above say more than I can put down on paper, but sometimes words are not always enough, but from me, my thoughts will never go away. You will never walk alone.
John (A Forest supporter)
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Dr.Tingle i agree with you 100%!
Cheers king Carra
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As a Forest fan attending the game, it was the worst moment of my life.
I often think of those 96 who never returned safely home from a game of football. I have never been able to return to Hillsborough and I never will.
Rest in Peace you will always be remembered this and every April.
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Pol_Potter - why ruin a good rant with facts??
Have you read the Taylor Report?
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Glover - Dn
The people on this blog are remembering Hillsboro and the 96 and in my previous posts I have made the point about rememberance not blame. I am not interested in getting into a debate with you about your view of Liverpool fans.
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I remember I was only 14 and was watching tv when the pictures came through from Hillsborough. I've been a Reds fan all my life but couldn't believe what I was seeing. The memories of that day and the aftermath (Taylor Report) etc are still fresh in the memory. Those 96 should never be forgotten. Safety at grounds today wouldn't be what it is if it wasn't for them.
RIP
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amazingYNWA2005, I haven't read the report. What has been confirmed in the report excluding a section of the Liverpool supporters from any blame?
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From a (admittedly not scouse) Everton fan. Even being five years old at the time Hillsborough had a massive influence on my childhood. I always remember my older brother (a Liverpool fan) telling me of how fans were pulling strugglers up and the absolute horror as events unfolded. This was perhaps the first time as a young child I had to really deal with the idea of death but I was also overwhelmed by the kindness in human hearts.
My sympathies to anyone who has been affected by this disaster.
Despite what a certain great manager once said, there are things more important than the game, anybody who mocks this, simply because they are a fan of a rival club earns my total disgust.
You'll Never Walk Alone.
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Pol Potter, perhaps you should take the time to read the report before you make judgement. Idiot.
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Even as a Liverpool fan who was not at that match it effected me terribly. It does not matter if it is Liverpool;Everton;Man Utd or Skegness Rovers; it was something that should never have happened and I send my heartfelt wishes to the families of those who lost their lives adoring the club they supported. R.I.P. "you Will Never Walk Alone" God Bless.
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Well done Steve,
Because I had lived as a student in Sheffied I had the same knowledge as you and so went onto the corner terrace in both 1988 and 1989.However we had been down the tunnel in 1988 before finding the correct route to the corner.
But for the grace of God any of us in the Leppings
Lane that day could have perished.20 years on,I still get very upset and not really looking forward to Saturday or Wednesday.
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Of the day itself I remember I had a match in Runcorn with our pub team. We finished the game at about 3 o' clock and as we jogged off to get changed and head back to watch the game someone shouted from a car that there had been 'trouble in the stands' at Hillsborough. Sadly at the time 'trouble' at the match usually meant only one thing so we never really thought about it. By the time we got back to our local the picture was beginning to develop and I remember just wanting to go home. When I got back my mum (a former Miss Liverpool FC) was in tears and we just sat there together watching the pictures on the telly.
Adam Spearitt, the kid whose family featured centrally in Jimmy McGovern's 'Hillsborough', died that day. He went to the school I'd left a few years earlier and I knew his brother. They named the local sports hall after him. The council knocked it down a couple of years ago and there's no trace of it now. No clue as to what had been there or the small memorial it had once housed. God Bless you Adam. Never Forgotten.
We've mourned the 96 for 20 years now and we, as a football community, will never, ever forget what happened that day. I just hope that one day someone has the courage to stand up and admit they got it wrong because what happened in Sheffield that day could have happened to anyone.
Including the families and loved ones of the coppers on duty.
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I was 13 years old that day, and sat in my home in Glasgow, far from the devastation when I watched Grandstand. I eagerly awaited news of another Liverpool victory - I'd adopted Liverpool as "my English Team" when I began following football on as erious level and discovered Kenny Dalglish.
What I saw had a profound effect on me, and still does. Once the dust had settled, I begged my parents to drive down to Liverpool so I could do something, anything. I settled for signing the book at the cathedral and leaving a scarf at the gates of Anfield.
When Liverpool played at Celtic Park in aid of the victims' families, me and my Dad were there. I've never heard You'll Never Walk Alone sung with such passion before or since. The image that remains with me of that game is one of hope - the famous Jungle terracing of Celtic Park, usually the domain of the green and white alone was covered from side to side with all the colours of the football rainbow.
From the green of the Celts, to the red of the Kop, with all the blues of Everton and Rangers in between - that day in Glasgow, football was united as a family to remember it's own. That's what football should be, and sadly in this day and age isn't - about.
Strange that a sight so beautiful and moving should be born from a day so terrible and horrific... like a butterfly emerging from the caterpillar, beauty comes from the strangest places sometimes.
RIP the Hillsborough 96. Never forgotten.
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I am a lifelong Liverpool fan
I have vivid memories ofthat day not as someone that went to Hillsborough but as an avid Liverpool fan having to work that day and being excited at the prtospect of another final for the Reds.
But imagine my horror as I listened to the radio to heare of the events unfolding at Hillsborough.
The first and initial thought is as the sketchy details arrived, having gone to games throughout the 1970s and 1980s when hooloiganism was rife, is here we go again.
But having had the wit to read and listen to the comments before apportioning blame, I very quickly came to the conclusion that this is an immense tragedy NOT the result of any form of hooliganisme
ejs864 Please note this.
I cannot imagine as I look at my children and grandchildren the pain that the families of the 96 that lost their lives going to a sporting event that day are going through.
Your story, Gerrard'sRightLeg, is something that all should note, my thoughts are with you as Wednesday approaches.
What is missed by many of the comments here on this page is that these are human beings that lost their lives. In addition, they have Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters and other family members that still mourn them to this day and that is something that we all need to consider.
This is NOT the time to blame but to remember.
Think of them all on Wedenesday
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I also was at Hillsborough, at the Leppings Lane end so I have a pretty good idea as to the causes of the disaster. As a result of totally inadequate policing many lost their lives and now fans are saddled with a "no-standing" law at all premiership stadia. This demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the disaster by the government of the time. People were killed not because they were rushing to standing accommodation, but because that accommodation was not properly organised. Despite the stadia now having seats, precious few of the fans use them, so what's the point? Their lives can be protected by reverting to standing accommodation, but having it properly penned, ticketed and marshalled. It will give many fans what they want, the opportunity to stand up, be safe and pay less for their tickets. The clubs will benefit by increasing the numbers of paying spectators. I believe that most people think that this analysis is correct, without in any way forgetting our friends who perished on that black day in 1989. This is possibly revolutionary thinking, but please give some time to consider these thoughts, they are intended to be entirely constructive.
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Steve thank you for your courage to return to Hillsborough and to share your thoughts of the day and your fellings now. I like many others watch the disaster unfold on TV and a week later went to Anfield to pay my respects with many other footballing fans. On Wednesday I will of course pay my own respects to those who died and to those who have been directly affected by the events of that day, I will also never forget those who died.
It is a shame that some people have choosen to use this blog to show their limited respect for human life by posting inappropriate comments, I hope that you can live with yourself and that should you ever suffer a similar loss you will then realise what this blog is all about, rememberance.
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What's the point of a thread where only one point of view is allowed?
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I was 20 that day.. my car broke down on the motorway heading to the match. We had the radio on while we were waiting for my dad to give us a tow and I can remember thinking "Not again!". Heysel was still pretty fresh in the memory. I suppose I should be grateful I didn't make it, but it's difficult to be grateful when so many people died.
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The Horror of Hillsborough will never be forgotten.
I was only 1 at the time, but to hear about what happened years later, we must admit that Hillsborough was the straw that broke the camels back and thank god we now have all seater stadiums.
The blame should not be passed around, its disgraceful that everyone was balmed for it from the Government right down to the fans themselves.
No one should be blamed for the biggest footballing tradegy which we all thank will NEVER happen again.
We should stick with all seaters stadiums for the Premier League and Championship...terraces should only stay at Stadiums in League 2 or the Non League....we will NEVER see this again in the way it did.
RIP to the 92 that died in this major tradegy.
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Great article Steve. I was also 21 at the time of Hillsborough. That morning I'd nipped over to Nottingham with a mate of mine, and as we came out of the train station, we were being passed by streams of Forest fans all heading off to Sheffield. As I'm a Derby fan, there was a little bit of banter with the "enemy", but wishing them all the best and hoping that they beat Liverpool.
I got back home about 2 o'clock that afternoon, and put Grandstand on the TV. At just after 3, my heart broke. To see such a disaster happening before your eyes is gut-wrenching. But my feelings pale into insignificance compared to those of the families of the 96, and the people of Liverpool. I didn't know any of the 96, but as a fan you feel for every single one of them.
The blame that has still to be apportioned should be kept of of the next few days. Let the families of the departed, the city of Liverpool and the football community remember the anniversary in unison.
RIP The 96
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Fantastic blog Steve. Brought tears to my eyes. I get very emotional this time of year, my father was at Hillsborough that day and luckily came out alive. Your comment about thinking about the children that were never conceived really rang a bell with me - if my dad hadn't come back my sister wouldn't have been born. I can't imagine life without ANY of my family, yet the families and friends of the 96 who died have had to cope for 20 years, knowing that their relative/friend died for no reason at all. They were watching a football match, and never came home.
Desperately sad. Made worse by Kelvin McKenzie and The Sun's take on the day. The slanderous lies and vile accusations that were made about the Liverpool fans are unforgiveable and have tarnished the memory of the 96 that died and their families, as well as the Liverpool fans. Liverpool fans are still being called murderers to this day. This is shocking and I blame Kelvin McKenzie totally. The users that continue to point blame and offend those associated with the tragedy should be deeply ashamed of themselves.
Cannot believe it has been 20 years. RIP to the 96 and my thoughts are with the families. You'll Never Walk Alone.
If Liverpool FC - by some miracle - win the Premier League this season, it'll be for you, 96.
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When you walk through a storm hold your head up high,
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart,
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never walk alone!
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Being so close to the 20th anniversary of this tragic event and my team, Derby County, will be situated in the Leppings Lane stand tomorrow afternoon.
I can only offer my greatest sympathies as we approach 20 years since Hillsborough. Although I was only 3/4 at the time, it is apparent as to just how tragic it was. I cannot imagine being their at the time or being related to or knowing people involved.
R.I.P. to all those supporters. x
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I was a student in Liverpool at the time of the disaster, and I am a Liverpool fan, and so the day has many memories. One of my college mates went to the game. He came back.
I am also a member of The Salvation Army and was in the band that went to Anfield the following day, and played at the service the following week.
My main memories are of going into the ground and it being quiet. Being in a place where there is usually so much noise and hearing only footsteps was eerie. Also, I will never forget the sight of the Kop end and half the pitch being covered with flowers and scarves. It was something surprisingly beautiful. i have always thought it was a sad privilege to minister even in my own small way in those days.
I will never forget that day. May the 96 rest in peace.
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Fantastic blog, Steve. It is very emotional reading through comments from people young and old, and supporters of all teams. It goes to show that 20 years later, their memories live on. We will never forget that day, and we will never forget the 96. I never personally knew anyone who was at Hillsborough that day - but my thoughts are with each and every one, and all the people affected.
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I would like to add my disgust at the BBC using taxpayers money to pay Kelvin McKenzie.
Seeing him on Question Time made me feel ill.
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I was 16 years old when this tragic day unfolded. I remember a friend and I had followed the reds in the previous rounds of the FA Cup, but couldn't get tickets for this game. I'm not normally a religious person, but I remember thanking god I wasn’t there that day. I dread to think what might have happened as I wasn't a particularly big lad for my age.
RIP the 96 (Hopefully, the reds can clinch the league title this year. That would be a fitting tribute to mark the 20th anniversary).
YNWA
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Celtic Fans in Soladirity with Liverpool
God Bless the 96 Who Died.
RIP
You'll Never Walk Alone..
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Spurs fan in solidarity.
A very moving blog. I was 13 at the time, and, like many, I remember hearing the whole thing unfold on the radio in absolute horror.
The 96 will never be forgotten, and my thoughts are with their families and friends (as well as those who did make it home on that terrible day) at this difficult time.
You'll never walk alone. RIP.
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Why isnt Heysel remebered like this?
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I was in the side pens at Leppings Lane, Steve, just like you - except I went down the central tunnel. But, it wasn't that full at all at 2.00pm., and I didn't like the view from behind the goal, so turned round and came out and headed to the right hand end. What I saw that day never leaves me and it was terrible - I don't really speak about it much, but like you I do think about the effect it had on others and especially those who died or were injured and all their families & friends. This time of year brings it all back. I go to Anfield for the Memorial Service every year and I cry. It is so sad, but extremely dignified and moving. I'll never forget them or their families. Maybe the few days around the Anniversary should be for rememberance, but to those who have made comments about now is not the time for laying blame, and especially to Hackerjack (post 70), it is not about blame as such, it's about seeking truth and justice for those who died or were injured, and for their families. In disasters like Hillsborough often trying to seek justice involves having to get to the root of the causes and this often involves blame somewhere. Most of those seeking justice involve many of the families affected, they are not 'sad little people' at all and to describe them in this way is hurtful and shameful. People like Ann Williams, whose son Kevin was 15 when he died at Hillsborough. Read her heartbreaking story of her fight for justice for Kevin on her website www.hopeforhillsborough.piczo.com or get some detailed information about the disaster at www.hfdinfo.com. Read these and be informed before making ill-informed comments about who has the right to fight for justice for the 96. God bless them all.
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I was a 14 year old at the time. Two months before, I was in the seating section with my dad, watching my team Man United win at Hillsborough. We looked down inn the half hour before the match at the lads in the standing area below us, as the pen got more and more crowded. Slowly, lads started calling out, if not in panic, then at least in worry. They were getting squashed and wanted the side side gates be opened. Just ask the kids who watched Wolves/ Spurs a few years before. How sad it was to have to see people die before the little Hitlers in charge had to change their ways.
Two things I'll never forget from the day itself: first, watching United lads in the scoreboard paddock cheering at the half-time news of possible deaths, second the tears in my father's eyes as we listened to Sports Report on the way home.
Could have been me, could have been you. Justice for the Scousers. Justice for us all.
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For the record, it was a 2-0 home defeat to Derby County. How times change...
Justice for the 96 who represented us all that day.
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I too was 21 in 89 having watched liverpool all over the country since 1986 and the effects of hillsborough still haunt me to this day (for example, just been to warwick castle and had to explain to my 10 year old why i had to get out of a tunnel to the dungeon as fast as i could)wednesday will be a very emotional day not only for me but for the thousands of liverpool fans who were affected by the tragic events, as long as we have hope in our hearts justice will be done, god bless the 96 Y.N.W.A
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Man United fan in peace
Fantastic Article, it's times like this fans should put their differences aside and come together to mark respect to the lives lost that day, My thoughts go out to the families who lost friends and loved ones on that fateful day.
R.I.P x
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rip
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I am tremendously moved by your blog, Steve, & the solidarity shown by the majority of those posting here. It's one of those events that you remember where you were when you first heard such is the gravity. I had been selling a fanzine that morning where my team's (Watford) supporters' coaches had been leaving from but I was unable to go to the game at Swindon that day. At home later with my girlfriend we watched the news beginning to filter through during 'Grandstand' on the BBC.
For me the most striking aspect was the utter paralysis of the individual policemen at the ground, not just Duckinfield. So ingrained was their culture (& training) to treat fans as a problem to be managed/contained rather than people to be concerned about that they stood & watched even as fans were ferrying the dead & injured on makeshift stretchers fashioned from perimeter advertising hoardings. The articles in the current issue of When Saturday Comes are well worth a read for those interested.
I am 44 now & I too have children who accompany me to games. My son's first away game was Anfield in 99 when he was 6 & we too made a point of going to the Anfield Road memorial & had the conversation about what happened at Hillsborough alluded to by others on here.
I wept when I read the blog & the subsequent posts.
Never forget....
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On 15th April there will be no fans of Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool or whoever, we will all be fans of football in unity mourningthe loss of fellow football fans, irrespective of which team you support.
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Hard to believe it's been 20 years. I was 12 at the time, and always remember my Mum being reluctant to let me go to football matches - at the time it frustrated me, but now I understand why.
Agree with all those objecting to the BBC employing Mackenzie - there are a thousand and one reasons not to buy that rag anyway, but Mackenzie's (don't care if that's the right spelling) front page that day was unforgivable. Especially as he has since sneeringly withdrawn his 'apology'.
I think the fight for justice should always go on - even if no-one deliberately set out to make mistakes, it's wrong that the police officers involved all seemed to have been pensioned off comfortably and have spent their lives since on the golf course.
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My uncle worked for the Nine O'Clock Service, which was a thriving Christian church in Sheffield. He got a call to get down to Hillsborough because of an accident at the match, and him and other Christian leaders were in charge of helping families identify the dead.
He didn't like to talk about it, but the contribution of the NOS leaders should never be forgotten. They took on responsibility without asking for recognition or praise. On a dreadful day, those men and women truly revealed Jesus Christ in action.
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A couple of personal stories for those of you that care to take the time to read. A kid in my class at school (we were 7 at the time) lost his dad in the disaster, and couldn't watch Liverpool for a long time afterwards. He became a temporary Sheffield Wednesday fan in a kind of tribute to the place where his dad passed away, but soon returned to Anfield as the kind of supporter we all want to be; fanatical, passionate, appreciative of the beautiful game. The other was a family friend, who in a show of what was intended as loving generosity gave his ticket to his teenage nephew who'd never been to a game of that magnitude and who also, tragically, became one of the 96. The guy has still not forgiven himself and has since turned to God to try to explain the horror and guilt he must go through on a daily basis.
They were 2 of the 96. Every one of the victims has similar stories, and for those that say, 'Typical Scousers', I hope you realise that your lazy soundbites only do yourselves a disservice, not the wonderful people of Merseyside and beyond who supported those personally affected by the tragedy. I read the comment from the Glaswegian earlier who said there was something hauntingly beautiful about the spirit of togetherness post-Hillsborough, and I know what you mean, mate, but wish it had never been tested in such a fashion.
To all the fans of other clubs who have posted messages of support on here, thank you from Merseyside on behalf of all Liverpool, Everton and Tranmere Rovers fans, and those who are unaffiliated, who were personally affected by the tragedy. I cannot say thank you on behalf of Forest fans, but as has been stated previously they should also not be forgotten in this. I would also like to agree with those who say we should also remember Hysel in this fashion. Tragedy is indiscriminate. The badge on your chest is no reflection of your worth to humanity, but can often be in equal measure a symbol of togetherness and a barrier to friendship and compassion.
So, to the victims of Burnden Park, Ibrox, Valley Parade, Moscow, Hysel, Hillsborough, the recent disaster in Africa and I'm sure some others around the world.... You never have, and never will, walk alone.
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I would like to consider myself an Owls supporter but as I have not been to Hillborough to see a match there for decades I suppose I am more technically a follower of the team. I used to go regularly as a teenager and well into my 20s and my favourite spot was in the upper level in the corner between Leppings Lane and the North Stand as seems to be the case with other posters. The view was good (As long as you were not too close to the dividing wall) and it was not as crowded as the rest of the stand. Yes, those were the days when Hillsborough was a popular place to be. I always stood and still do when watching the Owls or England on TV.
I watched the Heysel disaster live in 1985 with an ex-girlfriend who supported Liverpool (She probably still does but I would not know) and I could not believe the authorities let the match continue. We watched the game in a hotel room near Heathrow and I felt so badly after the match I could not get to sleep. I can still feel the pounding headache as if it was yesterday. Something died in me that day and I have never felt the same about football and I never will. I am interested to note the effect our disaster has had on other Wednesday supporters because I thought I was being irrational. We do not feel responsible for what happened as we were not even there but we do feel the shame and the images of the tragedy will never be erased. I clearly recall the high, white, thick-wire fences surrounding the pitch but the only reason I did not watch a match from behind them had nothing to do with safety - I just felt as if I was viewing a match from the inside of a prison cell. They may have been necessary to stop pitch invasions but they were never the correct long term solution and they should have been abolished years before.
I realise that many people have had their lives changed in a way I cannot currently imagine and hope I never have to but as an Owls fan I have to admit to wishing that if such an event ever had to happen I would have preferred it not to have happened at Hillsborough. As a regular attendee I do not have to read any report to know why or how it happened as the outdated design, poor access, human error (Always involved!) and unfortunate timing were always going to be a recipe for disaster. It usually takes a combination of factors like these and not just one but the fact is that hundreds of thousands of people watched matches at 'old' Hillsborough for decades without coming close to losing anything more than a match and a few quid let alone their lives. How could anyone have predicted this would ever happen and what is the point of blaming anyone for conditions that prevailed at most other grounds?
I have been to Hillsborough since and I have sat in the away end near the spot where others must have watched in horror as family, friends and fellow supporters died and it does put our priorities into perspective. I can only say that as I get older the more I am affected by what happened and the less I am bothered about who wins and who loses any longer. As far as I am concerned we ALL lost something very precious that day and I never expect to regain my sense and aura of innocence.
It is only correct that we should be honouring the memory of the 96 people who died that day as it is clear that their loss has affected more than just their families, friends, Liverpool FC and Liverpool. We are thinking of you and we do share some of the pain we cannot imagine.
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Hi again Steve, I heard you on 5-Live tonight and could feel the emotion in your voice, even all these years later. It really does come back to us all at this time of year. I am looking forward to watching FF tomorrow, and hope that it helps everyone who has suffered.
I think that the majority of football fans will be united by the anniversary. But, as I have found in life, there are always one or two who think that they can stir up our emotions by saying something controversial or antagonising!!
Keep talking everyone, and I will be thinking about all the families of the 96 next week, and big respect to Gerrard'sRightLeg for sharing your thoughts.
YNWA
Justice for the 96
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I was 13 at the time just getting ready to do my paper round and news came through you could'nt quite believe it.shocking.
It could have so nearly involved the club I support, Hull City who led Liverpool 2-1 in the 5th round.
Shame on the beeb for employing Kelvin "scumbag".
RIP 96 Liverpool fans.
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i was not born at the time of this incident so i do not have a vey clear idea of what happened. from what i have heard, however,it was a major happening in the future of football.
R.I.P. those people who died on that day back then
P.S. can anybody tell me what it was like to be there? thanks
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I did my dissertation on Hillsborough and read extensively on the subject. Steve's account of the day mirrors hundreds, if not thousands of others. The feeling I am left with whenever Hillsborough is mentioned is one of disbelief. How could so many failings have happened, noticed and unnoticed?
The layout / design of the leppings lane end.
The number of turnstiles surving each set of supporters: 23 as opposed to 60.
The allocation of Liverpool to Leppings lane as opposed to the Kop (at Hillsborough).
The removal of experienced Police match commander Mole 21 days before the 1989 semi final.
The decision to place Duckinfield as match commander with little / no relevant experience.
The decision to not "filter" fans arriving at the ground with police cordons.
The decision to not delay kick off - as had been done at the 1987 semi final.
The list is endless, not to mention the lies that followed. All I can liken it to is pouring petrol over your house, setting fire to it and wondering why it burned down.
Hillsborough - The Truth (Phil Scraton) is definitely worth reading for anyone interested / connected with the disaster.
Let us remember those lost and left behind on April 15th.
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I could post some truths on here but they'd only get pulled.
Ultimately though the MAIN cause of the deaths would be ANY 'fan' who invaded a pitch before '89 thus causing fences/pens to be introduced in the first place.
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To donnyroverlad....
Looking back, it was hell. I am sure that nobody that was there will ever truly forget the images of the day. Maybe not something that needs to be aired on here though, more of a private memory... This is about remembering the friends we lost, their families and friends and all those that had to witness it.
YNWA
Justice for the 96
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to thenorthwestsbest....you'll get more than slated, my friend! my post 130 was along exactly the same lines as yours and was pulled, no doubt after complaints from those lovers of free speech over on merseyside!
perish the thought we should rain on their parade and ask a few searching questions! a quick reality-check is in order here!
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Watford fan in peace.
Terrific blog, its important that we remember the 96 that died. I may have only been 5 at the time it happened, but reading the blog and the stories surrounding it, makes you feel quite emotional. It captures the mood perfectly.
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I had watched Leicester City at Hillsborough a while before the disaster and had stood in the Leppings Lane end several times. After going through the turnstiles your immediate sight is a small tunnel ahead of you and it is the closest to you and the pitch. It is the obvious way to go so I could easily visualise the path that the Liverpool fans took. I cried when I got home from Filbert Street and saw what had happened. I believe that every true football fan as well as countless others shed a tear. All that I will say is that I have a strong belief that the fans of Liverpool FC were not at fault. We ( football fans ) will never forget that horrendous day. RIP
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Hillsborough at this time of year is a bad time for liverpool, It's also a bad time for us in sheffield as well, dont foreget them that help liverpool fans dont foreget the great team of doctors & staff at the northen hospital, We allway remember 1989 both citys will never walk alone more so liverpool God bless all
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Snailybailey:
comment 133 is telling someone to be respectful!!
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No one will ever forget where they where when they heard the news about Hillsborough.
I was 16 years old, playing computer games and listening to Radio Clyde. (Celtic were due to play Hibs in the Scottish Cup Semi Final the following day). The news came through in a variety of different forms, firstly trouble at hillsborough followed by injuries and then fatalities. The presenters of Radio Clyde's Super Scoreboard were as stunned as the radio listeners. I just couldn't believe it. I remember being shocked and stunned for weeks afterwards. The images on TV and in newspapers was truly unbelievable, but this really did happen.
I attended the Celtic/Liverpool memorial match at Celtic Park. It was the most unusual atmosphere I'd ever known. For the first time there was no segregation of fans, the fans mixed freely and the green and white of Celtic and red and white of Liverpool were together as one. I'll never forget the chorus of "You'll never walk alone", sung in unison by all fans together as one. And for the first and only time, "the Jungle" singing for the visitors in full voice - "LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL". An incredibly emotional occasion, like 96 football fans on 15th April 1989,I'll never forget.
Yours in Celtic, God bless - YNWA.
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I was a student in Sheffield at the time and a friend of my housemate, who had also become a friend of mine, was staying with us and going on to the match. He was one of those saved by the people in the upper tier who pulled him to safety. He's never been to a match since.
Having been to see Everton play the season before (i think) in the League Cup, and stood in the Leppings Lane end when it was jammed full, I could get some sense of the horror of it. I remember how crushed we all were, that every time Everton scored (and they scored 5) the crowd would surge en masse and you felt the breath being squeezed out of you. At the time I remember saying to my mate someone would get hurt one day, but I didn't realise just how awful it would be.
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Being a Mansfield fan but living in Sheffield I went to the game with some family friends from Mansfield who were Forest fans and stood on the kop opposite the leppings lane end.
It is something that is still so vivid today twenty years on, the image of fans been carried out on advertising hoardings and been laid in front of the kop was mind numbing and I can still remember seeing grown men crying whilst the tragedy unfolded in front of us.
I cannot imagine the pain that the family and friends of the 96 people who died went through that dreadful afternoon and my thoughts are with you all.
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Thenorthwests best. You are an idiot. Please go away or at least show some respect.
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I was working in Sheffield at the time, as one of the organisers of the 1990 World Student Games, and these memories (which I would like to share) have not diminished over time.
Just a few weeks before I had taken my older son (10 years) to Hillsborough to see Sheffield Wednesday play Everton (he supports them .. I am a Liverpool fan). It was his first game and as visitors we were directed to the Leppings Lane end and we were early due to to our mutual excitement at what would we, and it was, a good game.
As we approached the tunnel a large friendly policeman advised us not to go down the tunnel "because it would soon be full of 'neds'" and there would be little room for the "like's of us". I don't want to offend those that died or were injured, but that was the label he used. And he told us to wait until the small triangular area above the right-hand corner flag was opened .. which we did and we had a great, though low-level, view of the game.
Just a few days after the disaster I was on a coach with a representative of the Special Branch, we were reviewing the security of venues for the games. Obviously we could not enter Hillsborough and I can still see the highly decorated gates right now. But he indicated, and he didn't say much, that there had been a major breakdown in crowd control by the local police.
And just hours after that Princess Diana and Prince Charles passed me in their official car as they left the main hospital which was just a short distance from where I was working. I can still recall the sadness in both of their faces as they attempted to acknowledge the small crowd outside of our offices.
RIP - Hillsborough 96 - we must NEVER forget
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Northwest wow that's some sweeping statement you've come up with right there!
Sadly you come across as typical WUM with nothing better to do than trying to score cheap points over a sad event.
However I suspect you would have something different to say if this was THAT anniversary for your lot wouldn't you?
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I too 'turned left' that day. I'd been there the year before for the semi with my dad as a 17 year old kid and had automatically gone in through the gate and behind the goal. I sat on the barrier right before the goal at the front and my dad stood behind me - as we had done on the kop for about ten years. After five or ten minutes my dad decided the view wasn't great, and it was starting to get full so we moved back out and went to the space near the corner flag on the left as you look at the pitch. So, the following year we went straight for the area on the left, and looked on. Fate, coincidence I've no idea - but I know that had we not been there the year before, and had my dad not talked me into moving, we'd have been sat on the barriers that broke in 89. To have stood there for what seemed hours in 89 and watched what unfolded in front of our eyes is almost unbearable to write about and has remained with me almost everyday since. The month of April is a mare for me, but nothing compared to the families of those who lost their loved ones. I'm now happily married, got the two most gorgeous girls (5 and 3 1/2) in the world, and am fortunate enough to love my job. When times are tough I always try and remember that for so many kids that day, they never got to find out what their life was meant to be. God bless the lot of them.
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Anyway who looks to blame LFC fans not only tend to have something against the club or Scousers in general, but they are completely missing the point:
Yes there will have been fans who did not realise what was happening and were desperate in their attempts to enter the ground, yes there MAY have been SOME fans without tickets, but the key is that Liverpool fans did not behave any differently to how the fans of any other club behaved at any football match at the time, and so the disaster could have happened to any club - it was the circumstances, and the ridiculous decisions made by both the South Yorkshire Police and the FA that caused it to happen on April 15th, 1989.
This is why every football fan should remember what happened, as it could have happened to any fan of any team. I was born in 1988 and as a Derby County fan I hear the 'older' generation moan about how Pride Park is nothing like the old Baseball Ground, but I just cannot understand their feelings - I come back from games clean, safe and having watched from an excellent view.
I can only imagine what it was like to be inside Hillsborough that day, especially in the Leppings Lane End, and I sympathise with all those involved.
There are 11 other months to talk about justice. April is about remembrance of the 96.
Just out of interest, what was McKenzie's excuse for the lies he spread, surely the tragedy itself was enough to sell his trash rag?
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Justice for the 96.
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I have no idea whether to be sickened or sad about some of the comments on here. Why people feel the need to compare this to other tragedies or score points is just so far beyond me. When you have stood and watched men, women and children die in front of you, literally, any of these mindless comments are so irrelevant it's unbelievable to read them. I can only hope they never have to go through anything remotely similar in their lives.
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I wasn't born yet in 1989 but I feels me with sadness hearing about this tragedy. My heart goes out to 96 victims' families. There will be justice one day for the people's hideous mistakes which lead to this.
You'll Never Walk Alone!
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Dear redhotbed. Do you have any appreciation of what this thread is about??? Would you appreciate it if this blog was about 'your disaster' and I came on and wound you up like you are doing to us? Or are you just so thick, stupid and ignorant that you REALLY do not understand? I for one, would be more than happy to discuss this with you face to face.
We all have choices in life. My choice would be that, if this blog were about a subject that wasn't close to my heart, I would leave well alone. I chose not to go onto blogs about opposition teams and wind up their supporters. I chose to keep as much of my dignity as I can, as often as I can. So go play somewhere where you will be appreciated, because it isn't here!
JFT96
YNWA
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redhotbed
so you're saying that if you lost a son/daughter or anyother loved one, you would just forget about them and move on without care. The people that died in that terrible tragedy deserve a memorial and the people on here deserve to tell their stories and give their condolences.
Why don't you put yourself in the shoes of the families who lost a loved one on that tragic day.
R.I.P YNWA
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steve, 12 months previous at hillsborough i indeed went through the turnstiles and headed straight to the middle pen behind the goal, at best it was crowded.
Luckily for me 12 months later the friends who i travelled with week in week out had not managed to get seated tickets as usual and as such had to do with terrace tickets. They didnt fancy going right behind the goal and as i was only 16 at the time i followed my peers and instead of going straight on through the turnstiles i turned left and stood on the bank.
Fate sometimes plays a cruel hand but on this occasion i was one of the lucky ones, unlike the 96 who will never be forgotten.
r.i.p. 96
Darren
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I have just a simple question, i am not trying to compare or score points, it's just something i want to understand.
Why, when confronted with a tragedy so great of your own do Liverpool fans still mock Munich?
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Good blog mate. Not an easy thing to face up to, I'm guessing. I was at Arsenal - Newcastle that day and the news coming through from Hillsborough from about half past three onwards was both sketchy and surreal; bright blue day, tense game going on at Highbury and an ever-worsening disaster happening just up the road. I won't say our match suddenly didn't matter any more, because it did. In those days before mobile phones, news was just more scarce and we weren't fully aware of the tragedy going on in Yorkshire.
After our game the pubs around Highbury filled up with people watching the TV in stunned silence, a bit like looking out of a window watching a catastrophe unfold in front of you. As the casualty figures came in, the disbelief increased as it hit home to us that this could have happened to anyone at any game with a decent-sized crowd, and not just at Hillsborough and certainly not because those involved were Liverpool fans. An FA Cup semi in those days was a massive event and fans of any team would be excited to be at the stadium and urging to get in. Lots of football grounds at the time had dangerous areas that could be made worse by crowd surges and the police at the time weren't always able to cope with the sheer volume of supporters. Evening and winter games could be even worse due to poor lighting and yet at the same time, we were generally used to squeezing in and out of grounds and people very rarely complained.
The very fact that the fear of a repeat of Hillsborough occurring in Britain now looks to be a thing of the past, is down to what happened that day and we should all be aware of that and respect those connected with Liverpool, Nottingham and Sheffield who've suffered and, going by the posts on this blog, there are a lot of people still having to deal with it.
As for the pond-life that's managed to work out how to get onto this blog with the intention of upsetting some people who are going through a wretched time around now, please go and watch the telly or something and by the way, would you dare show your mum what you've posted on here?
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Its changed the shape of the shape of the game- how grounds were and now have been redevloped and made safe. I remember watching it and seeing it all unfold....it was just so frightening!! It's something that nightmares are made of. My thoughts and prayers go out to each of the 96 liverpools fan's families that were effected that day. The new single "Anfield Road" that has just been released is a fitting tribute. Steve this is a really interesting read and a very touching blog. I am a preston supporter and remember the day they took the fencing down from around the stands. The 96 liverpool fans will never walk alone!
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Just wanted to say thank you for such a well written blog. I was lucky enough not to be there that day. I'd been trying to call in every favour possible to get a ticket and fortunately didn't get one. The only FA Cup game I missed that season.... The 96 will never walk alone..
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Superstrings...
Because when else is their an opportunity for such questions to be asked?
I'm sure if i made any point at any other time of the year i'd be bombarded with abuse and witty songs about people dying on runways, something that never fails to happen when i raise such topics with scousers.
More or less every comment posted has had the message 'JFT 96'. Why if this is merely a blog for people to post their respects are people harping on about justice? And for that to be acheived surely everything must be assessed rather than sinking into denial, and choosing to ignore certain factors?
But, point taken, i'll pass on my respects and leave you to grieve in peace.
RIP.
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Also, in response to:
168. At 11:28pm on 10 Apr 2009, Thenorthwestsbest wrote:
I have just a simple question, i am not trying to compare or score points, it's just something i want to understand.
Why, when confronted with a tragedy so great of your own do Liverpool fans still mock Munich?
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I agree, Liverpool fans DID USED TO mock Man Utd fans about Munich. Not any more however, thankfully.
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The Northwestbest
Munich was a terrible tragedy and as a life long Liverpool fan I have never mocked that awful event.
We are on this blog remembering the 96 who died unncessarily watching their team - lets focus on that.
YNWA
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174. At 11:50pm on 10 Apr 2009, elninoisthenewgod wrote:
I agree, Liverpool fans DID USED TO mock Man Utd fans about Munich. Not any more however, thankfully.
Why if this is the case is their a video of Liverpool fans on the concourse at Old Trafford last month, throwing an inflatable plane around and singing 'Who's that dying on the runway?'
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To Thenorthwestbest:
If that's the case, on behalf of true Liverpool FC fans, humblest apologies.
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I for one, have no interest in the hate-fest that is the whole Liverpool-Man Utd thing...my allegiances lie elsewhere and I have no particular axe to grind with either club.Hillsborough was a dreadful tragedy, Liverpool fans suffered terrible traumas on that day and received some disturbing press coverage to boot. No-one denies this! What annoys me is the perpetual chippiness, the continued persecution of the likes of Kelvin McKenzie and these calls for "justice" where there is a total inability to accept any kind of responsibility for their own disgraceful acts in the past....is a dead Italian less worthy of justice than a dead Scouser? Make sure your own house is in order before looking to place blame on those who may have made mistakes, but acted in good faith! Do you not think the Police Commander on that fateful day doesn't still have nightmares?
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cooljools99
read my post 68
I am not looking to blame anyone, I remember Heysel with similar pain. All I care about is remembering those people who went to watch a football match and died
Why don't you show a bit of humility
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King_Carragher....you're in a minority of one...and I make no apologies for stating the facts. The death of the 96 was a tragedy, and I've never stated otherwise...it's the misguided (and I'm being generous here) finger-pointers that insult their memory with their hypocrisy
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Who won the re played game? Was it still at Hillsborough or did they move the game? What was the atmosphere like at the replayed game and what were the sequence of results that followed the game?
I was only 5 at the time and can't remember anything of it.
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168. At 11:28pm on 10 Apr 2009, Thenorthwestsbest wrote:
I have just a simple question, i am not trying to compare or score points, it's just something i want to understand.
Why, when confronted with a tragedy so great of your own do Liverpool fans still mock Munich?
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I have been fortunate enough to see both Liverpool vs Man Utd league games this season (as a Liverpool fan). At both games I heard Liverpool fans singing about Munich and Man Utd fans singing about Hillsborough. Both disgusted me.
There's a minority of fans at every club who let rivalry consume them and overtake decency and common sense. Don't tar all Liverpool fans with the same brush - most of us abhor the Munich chants. In the same way that I know that the "Murderers" chant we always hear from Man Utd fans is propogated by a small number who don't represent Man Utd fans as a whole.
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being a manchester united fan born in the year 1989 im afraid i have little to offer in the way of memories.i do feel though being in my 20th year that im mature enough to say that this is the sort of time when team rivalries and fickle banter can be forgotten in order to remember this tragedy.
this blog makes me feel sick to my stomach with sadness for those people on that day.
its a beautiful game,but the ugly events deserve to be remembered.
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with every passing year we learn more about the tragic events that day and we all enjoy safer facilities because of it.
i just hope that like me every football fan will take the time to stop and reflect this weekend or on wednesday for those that were lost and the families and fans still affected by it each day.
96 gone but not lost from our thought
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First of all, I want to say a 20 year belated thanks to the residents of the Leppings Lane area who opened their doors to let Liverpool fans phone home. In those days before mobiles that was an important gesture.
One of my saddest memories of the day involves a young couple I'd met on the way to the ground. About 90 minutes later I could see the distraught girl running from body to body laid out on the pitch looking for her partner. Heartbreaking.
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It is a heartbreaking tale and Steve does it justice. I am an evertonian...but I don't care who you support...if you aren't singing you'll never walk alone this weekend....the game may as well give up.
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As a MUFC fan, I have very little love for Liverpool, with my feelings somewhat coloured by memories of trips to Anfield and Goodison in those days being guaranteed to result in trouble, culminating in a five litre paint tin coming in through the coach window one year. While offering sympathy for those who died at Hillsborough the general perception that Liverpool, as a city, tries to give, in that they were in no-way to blame for anything that happened at Hillsborough, or Hysel for that matter, and that it was all the fault of ‘someone else’ does grate on the senses.
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Blog No 72 has got it right. I've been a football fan (Sheffield United) for over 40 years and it is only since the Hillsborough disaster that fans have been treated with a modicum of respect by football clubs. All clubs wanted was the maximum amount of money from us at mininmum cost to them. That's why we stood in shabby, unsafe stadiums with appalling facilities.
Hillsborough happened due to a failure in the 'duty of care' by those responsible for organising and controlling the event. It was a disaster waiting to happen.
My eyes are filled with tears of anger and sorrow for those who died quite unneccessarily that day. Rest In Peace. YNWA
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Wasn't there but remember the harrowing news coming over the radio while I was at work. It was one of those "remember what you were doing when..." monents.
Never forget the 96. God bless every single one of them.
BHA Fan
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My heart goes out to the Hillsborough survivor posters whose lives have been scarred by the tragedy, and to all those affected by it. Fortunately, I didn't witness it, getting the news next day in Canberra, Australia.
I did see the Heysel disaster on tv in Australia, I could not believe that the match continued and that our broadcaster showed it - I switched off.
Re Munich, I was 16 and in Newcastle (my team) at the time, and the whole town was stunned, nothing but overwhelming grief and sympathy in the North east. I'm sure it would have been the same after Hillsborough.
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As others have said,this day was a "Kennedy day". By that I mean you will always remember where you were and what you were doing. For me and two friends we had gone to watch Wolves play at Aldershot in the old third division (League One now). Wolves had just won again that day on their way to the championship. We were ecstatic on our way to the car, turned on Radio 5 (may have even been Radio 2 in those days I cannot remember) to listen to Sports Report for the results. We were confronted by this somber report on the radio of the tragic events at Hillsborough. We drove down the M3 home to Southampton and not one of us said a word to each other for the entire journey. I don't wish to offend any Liverpool fans here when I say this but it was this day that proved the great man Shankley wrong when he said "football is not about life or death, it's much more important than that".Sadly so wrong. RIP the 96...
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Similarly to Southampton Wolf 5 of us went to Brentford watching Bristol Rovers slip to a narrow defeat. I do remember the stadium announcer making some pithy comment at half time but can't remember the exact words. It was obviously pre mobile phone era but you always used to get one or two at a ground in those days with a radio permanently attached to their ear. So there were quite a few rumours going round the couple of thousand on the away terrace.
As we made the journey back down the M4 the usual post match banter in my old Cortina was soon replaced by silence as the news filtered through the radio. In a 2 hour car journey the numbers increase from 45 to 56 and was in the 80s by the time a got home truly shocking. One of my friends was weeping silently in the back seat. He had been in the Leppings Lane for the semi final the previous season and had been offered a ticket for that game, but turned it down.
I am saddened to see that some people are using this blog for some cheap points scoring, and would kindly suggest that this not the place to do so. What happened at Hillsborough that day could have happened to any football supporter at that time. My own team played at a dilapidated ground in Bath at the time and I remember going to grounds such as Northampton and Doncaster (both now replaced) where the away ends were quite literally cages. That it took 96 deaths for football fans to be seen and treated as human beings and not all potential hooligans is shocking.
RIP 96
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20 years on and still every time i read about that day tears well up in my eyes.
R.I.P the 96
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I was not at Hillsborough. Being a Sheffield Wednesday supporter meant we did not have a game that day. I went to Worksop, Notts for the weekend. I had not long moved to London. Walking past tv shops, my immediate reaction was 'oh dear crowd trouble!!' Without knowing the full picture, I then saw the extent of what really happened on the day. I went to the 10th Anniversary memorial in 1999. I am travelling from Medway towns on Wednesday for the 20th anniversary. I know that many can never and will never come to terms of what happened on that day. One thing I can say is. You'll Never Walk Alone.
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I would like to see Lverpool and Celtic have another Hillsborough rememberence match at Celtic park...you still see a justice for the 96 banner at Celtic home games...we have not forgotten up here and never will. God bless all of those affected by this disaster..YNWA.
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Ecuadorreporter post 181
Do you know i've supported Liverpool for nigh on 50 years and i can reel out loads of facts on this, that and the other but i can honestly state that i haven't a clue what happened that season after that day.It's a blank and always will be.
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Nice blog Steve.
I also was a 21 year old who was at Hillsborough that fateful day. I was and still am a fanatical Liverpool fan from North Wales who now leads a quiet and peaceful life in Australia and my memories of that day are very similar to yours and other people who have commented on your blog.
I attended the previous semi-final in 1988 and sat in the mainstand that day.I went without a ticket that year but fortunatly bought one off a tout for a i think about 15 pounds. After that game i decide to apply for a season ticket for the Kop..i was over the moon when my application was accepted that summer..i was a season ticket holder for the kop for 1988-89.
As the season progressed and finally semi-cup finals were arranged we drew Notts forest again at Hillsborough. Great i thought, a nice pleasant trip over to Sheffield.My mates and I travelled the previous year by car and had a good day. The night before 15th April 1989 i went out to my local pub for a few pints to catch up with friends and have the "banter" with other supporters ie Man utd,Chelsea etc.. Liverpool were chasing the double again and a great feeling it was.
Getting up that morning on 15th April 1989 at 6am..well who could forget it.. A beautiful sunny spring day.It was my turn to drive that day and after having a bit of breakfast i headed off to pick my mates up and off we went to Sheffield..
We got to Sheffield about between 11 and 12 am. Finding parking around the ground was abit difficult so we drove around the estates nearby and parked outside somebodys house .The owner of the house came out and didnt seem to mind us parking there..i think he actually said " Good luck today and hope you win"
Walking to the ground we noticed there wasnt many supporters of both teams.It was mid-day and we were suprised at how many or lack of police there were..(not that there was any trouble or bother).One of my mates who travelled with us didnt have a ticket for the game.There was a lot of supporters (mainly Liverpool) who were asking "Any tickets mate?" My mate decide to go round to the Forest end (The Kop) and bought a ticket off a Forest supporter for the leppings lane for 20 pounds.!!
We all got a bite to eat and decide to look for a pub to have a beer..As we walked to where the pubs were situated some Liverpool supporters walked towards us and said that some pubs were very strict on who they let in..so we decide to head back to the ground,grab a soft drink and went into the ground at 1.30pm.
We entered the leppings lane terracing and again noticed the lack of Police outside and in the ground. I remember to this day walking through that dark narrow tunnel.It was so erie and quiet.. We headed to our usual spots in the middle of the terracing and behind the goal posts.We probably stood there till about 2pm until we notced a few more Liverpool supporters arriving..the singing was starting to get more noticable but still there was plenty of room to stand and move about a bit.
I think it was about 2.30pm or so by the time i started to notice the ground was filling up a bit more and glanced to my left and right and noticed that the terracing in the leppings lane end wasnt filling up at all.Oh well at least we got in early and had a great spot......
During the next hour or so between 2.30pm and 3.30pm i can remember very well what happened,it did pass very quickly and my memories of the massive crowd surges from behind me and not being able to see the pitch and getting forced up against a barrier for 10 minutes...well i wouldnt want to wish it on my worst enemy..i still remember a young kid getting passed over my head at one stage and thinking What the hell is going on???
Luckily for myself and my other mates (who i didnt see for sometime during the terrible struggles of that day) we all somehow managed to move over to the terracing on the left and climb over the fence..
As we collected our thoughts and made sure we were all alright,it was finally starting to sink in... people were seemed to be getting injured and we saw the horrible scenes that lay all around...there was shoes,shirts,watches,money strewn all over the place...and of course the sight of them makeshift stretchers.. to this day i did not see one looter,thief or anybody rummaging through pockets of the dead and injured..how could they..??
We easily made our way onto the pitch at about 3.45pm.I think it was a Salvation army bloke who was offering water to people..it was a welcome sight and i quickly quenched my thirst.. we walked over towards the Kop and into the corner of the ground where i think we were being guided out of the ground to safety..i can still remember the look on the Notts Forest supporters faces..a look of shock and horror..there was no anger there..they looked upon us with sadness.
I think i may have said enough here..but for some years now i have wanted to tell the world of that terrible day..I and my friends have all lived and are living good lives..but for those that lost their lives and for those who have suffered after 15th April 1989..you will never be forgotten..NEVER ..My thoughts are with you always...
God bless you all...YNWA
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Nice blog Steve.
Thoughts are with the families and friends that were affected.
Rest in Peace
You'll Never Walk Alone
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Post 189; it's true it is one of those moments that you can remember exactly what you were doing.
My own team (St Johnstone) were playing in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers at the same time but my family and myself were driving back north from an Easter break in Scarborough. My dad turned the radio on to hear the commentary on the game and the commentators kept making reference to the tragedy at Hillsborough. He switched channels and he had to stop the car by the side of the road. I had never seen my dad cry before and it shocked me. What I was hearing made me sick to my stomach and I felt so much sorrow for the families of those that died on that day.
Even now reading these posts I can feel the hair on the back of my neck standing up as I remember. I hope that the 96 are remembered in a fitting way.
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As a Forest fan who stood on The Kop that day, I have three very clear memories of events; one still chills me and the other two are strangely uplifting if very moving.
As I took my place on the terraces at around 2:30, I no more than glanced at the other end of the ground and for a split second my brain registered the massive difference in crowd density between the centre and outer sections... a brief (and still unanswered)question ('Why?') entered my head and then I was back to enjoying the build up.
When we finally left the ground hours later, dazed and disbelieving, I vividly recall two images that are perhaps the closest thing I will ever see (or hope to see) to the 'Blitz Spirit':
Firstly, the already mentioned queues at the public phone boxes (no mobile phones in those days) - despite us Forest fans exiting to the south, those dialling home as we passed were mainly Liverpool followers and the long queues moved quickly as each one in turn, despite the temptation to speak at length to loved ones, followed the same routine; 'hello, it's me, I'm safe, I have to go as there are others waiting'.....
Even more moving for me (and I am welling up as I type) was the humanity of the Sheffield folk who, despite having no direct involvement in the game, threw open their doors and invited people in to use their phones.
Maybe the best in people does most readily come out in the worst of times......
My thoughts are with you LFC.
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The terrible thing is it was all so avoidable - there must have been so many people who knew of problems with that end of Hillsborough. I was there the year before for the Leeds Coventry semi and thought I was going to get crushed to death that day.
The problem was that the police were sending all the Leeds fans who had tickets for the Coventry end round to the much smaller Leppings Lane and then just cramming them in. The crush to get up the stairs was unbearable and when I watched what happened a year later I realised how close we had come that day to having a tragedy.
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Superb blog Steve.
Just a quick observation to the few posters that are tarnishing the blog with their lack of grace. I can only surmise that you are the types of fans that engage in distasteful chants. I'd bet that all the positive posters in this thread dont.
So why dont you leave this REMEMBRANCE thread alone and show some empathy and sympathy.
YNWA 96
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Excellent article and respect to the 96 who died and also thoughts are with their families. Important that people don't become distracted with all this anti sun, mackenzie nonsense and remember the occasion for what it is.
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1st time I've been moved to comment. Never read so many replies to a blog before. Deservedly so. Excellent read, inc. responses (majority at least) worhty.
I was nearly 20 at the time, a north walian just moved to surrey. Heard the news via security guard in work, "trouble" is all he heard. As i left work it became apparent what had really happened. Phoned a friend that would've attended the match if he had tickets, found out he was safe along with every other lfc fan i know.
Week after i was at the bridge - standing as always - in the middle. Division 2 tie. there was some chanting during the minutes silence, rightly condemned afterwards, but not everyone around us knew about the silence!
Hope the week gets the respect it demands, fittingly CFC fans can make up for their lack of previous knowledge this time around.
Thanks for all of your personal tales, very, very moving.
R.I.P.
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I was at Old Trafford watching Man Utd v Derby in a drab encounter which Derby won. I can't even remember the score yet I can recall the sense of shock and horror and the silence on the platform of the railway station after the match as the enormity of the tragedy dawned on everyone. Everyone seemed to know someone who was at Hillsborough that day, myself included. A fellow Sunderland fan was there for the day. Thankfully he had a similar previous experience to you Steve and realised that a better view was to be had towards the side of the Leppings Lane end. Even 20 years on it's still hard to believe that so many people could have died as a result of turning up at a football match. My thoughts are for the thousands of people whose friends and loved one's never returned from what should have just been a great day out.
Excellent article Steve.
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It saddens me to think that the some of the comments left here are simply done so to ignite club rivalry. This is not about who does and doesn't like each other it's about 96 people who went to watch their team and didn't come home. Hopefully the majority of us will know the reasons behind the loss of 96 lives yet this has yet to be recognised in the courts, although I am aware we should maybe have this debate another time.
My 16 year old brother was there, I was lucky to welcome him home that night. I'll never forget the fear on my Mum's face as the events were played out on the tv, the constant phone calls to find out what was going on yet not being able to speak to anyone, the panic filled our home and this intensified as the day progressed, the pacing, the tears, the anger and the ultimately the relief when we finally had contact. We will never know who the wonderful man was who put his phone in his front garden and told people to call home. A small act of kindness that had a huge impact on me and my family. Thank you.
My brother and his friends arrived on a coach full of excited fans, they made the journey home with an empty seat. We should therefore spend this time paying our respects and sparing a thought for those whose lives have never be the same following the events of Hillsborough.
JUSTICE
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Reading this excellent blog and some of the thoughtful posts is a timely reminder that, while we support our teams through thick and thin, our real love is for the game of football. We are all the same - fans of the greatest sport in the world, divided by loyalties that are usually no more than an accident of birth. This thread has been a heartening read in the main, mercifully devoid of some of the mindless bigotry that passes for comment elsewhere. I was only 10 when Hillsborough happened, and not really old enough to understand properly the gravity of the disaster. Reading some of the stories, it is impossible not to feel a great sense of sadness. Sport is a huge source of enjoyment for all of us. The thought that it could lead to such a large loss of life is a heartbreaking and humbling one.
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I'm a West Ham fan and have nothing to do with Liverpool but I just wanted to add my best wishes to anybody who still has to deal with the aftermath of that terrible day. I was just a kid, but I remember it well. We should all think on this as just human beings, just fans of football. I'm forever blowing bubbles, and you'll never walk alone.
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Great article Steve, and some very good write ups and emotive memories from those who were there, I wasn't there nor can I say that I am a Liverpool, Forest or Wednesday fan, 20 years on and the memory of whether I was at a Watford home game that day or watching telly is unclear, however I do very vividly remember and will never forget the news reels for that afternoon and evening, even as a 29 year old I was glued to the unfolding events, bought all the Sunday newspapers and actually read every word I cannot explain the awful gut feeling for those poor. At the time I like many other football fans had an inherent dislike for Liverpool fans, as in mine and many others opinion Liverpool fans had set English football back 20 years for their part in the Heysal stadium disaster, and that was it rightly or wrongly. Over the years I have read various accounts on the tragic Hillsborough incident and can see that the vast catalogue of errors contributed greatly to this tragedy and which should never have been allowed to escape the attention of the planners, however there has to be a catalyst for all these errors to come together into a tragedy and that is the Liverpool fans on Liverpool fan effect, with one thing in mind that day they just had to see the game at any cost and thereby causing crush scenario's in the tunnel and onto the terracing, without it this whole situation probably would never have occurred, sorry but this is fact, well documented as well, but not once in 20 years have I ever heard an element of apology from the fans there that day that part of the responsibility is down to them the fans. And now as I am being ripped apart for having the audacity to speak with such a fork tongue, I was touched by this as well because unbeknown to me as I sat watching the news reels and reading the papers, my best mate of 20 years also lost his life that day !.
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I also meant to add, but pushed the wrong button, may the 96 who perished that day finally rest in peace and be treated with the respect they deserve when the minutes silences are carried out around the country.
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I was at Anfield as a Newcastle fan for the 5th anniversary of Hillsborough, a day I will never forget.
Quite a few Newcastle fans put wreaths on the pitch at the end of the game and the response from both sets of fans that day is something I will never forget. Newcastle fans chanting Liverpool songs and vice versa, it was an unbeleivable and very emotional.
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openside 50 i think youll find that heysel was no-ones fault but the powers that be.
do you know much about the disaster? if not id urge you to read up on it and discover how UEFA placed liverpool and juve (notorious at the time) in a dangerous mixed area of the stadium, and with regards to an apology it was noones fault.
please read up on the disaster before you make such comments:
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/lfc_story/heysel/
YNWA
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You'll Never Walk Alone
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and the kopites all want justice...
justice, for the 96!
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LFC your tears are our tears.
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I was 10 at the time and watching it on tv was dreadfull so to have been there must have been horrendous, my heart goes out to the 96 that lost there lives that day and to anyone that it has affected since.
I think a fitting tribute would be at every football ground on the weekend closest to 15th of april each year they should play you will never walk alone just before kick off and every supporter around the country could join in.
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'''''''''''''openside 50 i think youll find that heysel was no-ones fault but the powers that be.
do you know much about the disaster? if not id urge you to read up on it and discover how UEFA placed liverpool and juve (notorious at the time) in a dangerous mixed area of the stadium, and with regards to an apology it was noones fault. ''''''''''''
El Chino, do you realise how ridiculous a remark that is, you want Liverpool fans freed of any blame for Hilsborough and everyone else blamed the authorities, justice etc (my own view is that it was a combination of fencing/fans/poor organisation)
And the fact that Liverpool FC havnt officially apologied over Hesyel is ok because it was nobodies fault!
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96 souls, presumed innocent, died for nothing. RIP.
Sad to think that they died behind a barrier put there to save the rest of the crowd from them. Football fans of the '70s and 80s have so much to answer for.
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Excellent article and comments by most.
I wasn't there, nor my Forest supporting Dad or Liverpool supporting twin brother. I was 13, buying a new bike in Halfords. We wanted to be home in good time for the game, but got caught in traffic, so I listened with growing horror on the car radios in the shop. Mum was still learning to drive, but she had to get us back, Dad wasn't up to it.
Sad day indeed, even now some of the posters are bringing tears to my eyes, although I knew noone involved.
As a now 33 year old father of 3 myself, thank God I can now take my children to games in safety. Forget justice and rivalry. Don't forget those all over the world whose tragic deaths have made a difference.
Good can come from the bad.
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We had allowed a few Liverpool supporter’s to park on our drive and when they returned we helped them contact their families, fed them etc. I was 11 at the time and didn’t really know what was going on, but I’ll never forget the day or the 96 people that lost their lives.
All these comments and not a mention for the ordinary people of Sheffield who shared this tragedy with the people of Liverpool. It hurts that my clubs name is associated with this tragedy, but a tragedy by any other name is still a tragedy.
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Hi Steve
Great blog. As a Charlton fan I watched the events unfold on the BBC aswe didn't have a game that day. The following November we played Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough and were allowed into the seating at the Leppings Lane end. I think most of us Charlton fans that day walked to the front of the stand to look over and pay our respects, but none of us could sit at the front. As a previous comment said - there but for the grace of god go I.
I now live in Liverpool and will pay my respects as a football fan to those who died.
RIP 96 - YNWA
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Steve, great article. I just watched the Football Focus feature and wept through most of it. Living in Canada up until recently, I wasn't really aware of tragedy until a few years ago when I visited a friend in Hillsborough and spent some time in Sheffield.
One thing that I have learned since I moved here in 2006 is that fans take their football very seriously. But when something tragic as this happens, everyone (no matter what side of a stadium you sit in) remembers this event with sadness.
My heart goes out to everyone affected in this tragedy - not just today, but every day.
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Thanks for sharing your memories. A friend and I had started a business not long before this, we finished early for the day, got some beers and pizza in to watch the match. I've never felt so useless and drained as watching all that mayhem unfold on TV. My friend and just keep saying stupid things like, "this is bad, this is bad!" it's good to remember, not to dwell, just remember. Those fair weather heroes and supporters should know what went before the days of money and fame being more important than anything else. Again, thanks for sharing. Thanks to everyone, it's good not to feel alone with such memories. I'm a southerner but kudos to Steve Gerrard for his class and respect.
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I was fortunate to go along to Telford V Hyde (Bucks Head) on the last game of the season in 1989. It was my first football game with my mates and I was only 10 at the time..I was a mad Liverpool fan and adored Kenny D, Rush, Barnes and Beardsley.
At the game some older friends of my Brothers were watching Telford and listening to their walkman's to the game at Hillsborough. If I remember, the atmosphere was a bit off and they weren't really watching the game and talking a lot to each other. I had no Idea what was going on and I thought they were more interested in the Liverpool game and Kept chanting "United...United" but then it became less less and less.
At the end of the game at Telford we did a pitch invasion....as a ten year old I was in awe and loved every minute... As we walked out a fan was listening to his walkman and I kind of new him from the youth club in Trench, Telford.
I said to him "What's the score at Hillsborough, mate?" I had no idea what was happening.
He Bent down on the floor with one earphone on his ear and said something which has stuck with me all my life. I walked home and turned on the telly.
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I was working as a barmaid in an expat bar in Hong Kong. We had the match live and I can remember the confusion (what at first we thought was crowd trouble) but quickly releasing what was unfolding on that day. We always looked forward to getting any games live, getting the pub full and watching a bit of home.
We had many different fans from many different clubs and I am sure all of them remember where they were on that night, we were hours ahead of UK so it was a bit surreal watching a horrible tradgedy on a lovely sunny day at home.
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I can't believe it's twenty years since i sat as a young liverpool supporter crying at the sight of so many of fans dying in front of my eyes, I'm welling up typing this. I don't believe justice was ever really been done for those who lost their lives not in my view anyway
However what will never happen is that they are forgotten or ignored the 96 will remain in the hearts and thoughts of all Liverpool fans forever!
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Steve and everyone else involved in this morning's Football Focus, well done on a beautifully made programme. Sue Johnston's piece was particularly moving.
I was only 8 at the time, but as a young Spurs fan and most of all a football fan I remember it being all over the news, but it's only as the years have gone past that I came to realise just what happened on that day 20 years ago.
Justice for the 96.
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A fair blog entry and accurate in many important respects. I wasn't at the semi-final. I don't remember which game I was at that day. I went to 100+ games a season in those days. Hillsborough was my favourite ground, but the Leppings Lane End was a tragedy waiting to happen. If there was going to be a serious crush in a big ground, Hillsborough was a short-priced favourite.
As the blog says, once through the turnstiles the (normally away) fans found themselves in the central pen of a concourse - a relatively small pen - with a tunnel leading under the stand directly in front of them. There were high fences (16 feet at a guess), made of vertical steel bars of about half an inch thickness, to either side. There were quite wide double gates in these fences, (as I recall, there was a double gate to the right as well, not just to the left) but these gates were only about six feet high, often with a couple of 6'2" policemen standing by them, so fans entering the small central pen on the concourse generally didn't notice them. Ducking either left or right and through the gates took fans into two other small pens on the concourse, with other tunnels in front of them, leading under the stand and into the terrace. Even with a relatively small visiting contingent in, fans saw the opening in front of them and just ploughed forward into he tunnel below the stand. They didn't notice the gates leading to the other pens.
On the terrace itself, the same fence arrangement applied: three pens, identical steel fences - and identical six-foot double gates in them. (Though inside the ground the gates were sometimes shut and I'd assume they were shut for the semi-final). The side pens were always sparsely populated; the centre pen was disproportionately full.
Not a sensible arrangement, but not vastly different from the procedures in place at many football grounds at the time.
What was surprising about the (almost certainly inevitable) disaster was that it came at Hillsborough. As I've said, Hillsborough was the most likely of the major grounds for a tragedy to happen, but the worst crushes I saw there were nothing like the frightening scenes at many smaller grounds in that era. Back then, the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester City were in Division Two and when they went to places such as Mansfield, Shrewsbury or Cambridge for a league game of some importance, things often got very scary in fenced pens. In the pre-Internet age, clubs didn't like making games all-ticket. I often wonder what the reaction would have been to a dozen deaths due to a crush at a game between, say, Cambridge and Chelsea and whether that would have led to the sweeping changes brought in by the Taylor Report.
There are people who'll be offended by this view, but it seems to me that the anniversary is going to be an excuse for yet another Mass Participation Emotional Experience by all and sundry. Mostly by people with no connection to that day or Liverpool Football Club.
I've no objection to Liverpool FC and the City of Liverpool marking the anniversary of the tragedy with as many solemn ceremonies as they feel appropriate, but the level of bandwagon-jumping will be, well, at least on a par with the Jade Goody story and I'm going to find that distasteful at best and probably sickening.
I sincerely hope The Sun - usually the worst offender when it comes to "theraputic emotion" in these circumstances and a paper which I still will not buy because of its Hillsborough coverage - has the common sense and the decency to stick to dignified, factual reporting. Preferably by using agency reports. I'm not holding my breath.
Apart from remembering those unfortunate enough to have died, those who were injured and those mentally damaged by the experience of either being there or losing friends and relatives, I'm not sure I see too much point in a nationwide rembembrance day. It ought to be a day for the people of Liverpool and Liverpool FC. The circumstances that led to the disaster will almost certainly never re-occur and there aren't many - if any - relevant lessons still to be learned.
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Football Focus was excellently made today and I'm glad the decision was made to dedicate the whole programme to the anniversary.
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To read this blog brings tears in my eyes.
RIP to the 96. You'll Never Walk Alone.
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Steve Wilson's memories of that day are chillingly similar to mine. Along with my brother and a friend, I, too, decided to turn left when passing through the turnstile. We arrived inside the ground a little after 2pm. I reckoned we'd get a better view of the game from the high bank of terracing adjacent to the North Stand. One of the abiding memories of that dreadful day is being told by a young-looking PC outside the stadium when we finally had the chance to leave that he had been on duty outside the turnstiles, yet had no radio communication with any of his colleagues.
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I can remember that fateful day, i was 10 years of age and playing football on thepark with my dad. i can remember what seemed hundreds of emergency vehicles going up and down the road, sirens blaring and an sense of eeriness about it.
I think my dad realised something major had happened and we went home. Back then i was football mad and even at the young age of 10 could understand what was happening and it upset me immensly so much so watching the scenes back then gave me nightmares.
As i grew older my friends used to support Sheff Weds so i was a regular visitor to Hillsborough and often used to look at the Leppings lane end and imagine the pain and hurt people suffered back when this tragedy happened. Nothing can ever change what happened all we can do is pray for the family and friends of those involved in this horrible tragedy and say a prayer for all the 96 people who perished.
Godd bless to you all
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Can I start by saying what a very well made piece on Football Focus and a totally correct decision to dedicate the programme to this 20th anniversary.
I was 16 at the time, a football-mad Leeds United fan living in Wakefield. I remember walking through Wakefield market and hearing on someones' radio about the game being stopped. As soon as I got home at about 3.15, I was glued to the TV, trying to find out what was happening to these ordinary football fans who had gone to enjoy their big day out.
As the afternoon turned to evening and the full extent of what had happened became apparent, I remember being in the kitchen at home and just bursting into tears with my Mum and Dad. People had died at a football ground, WHY, HOW?? Just two years earlier, I had stood with my Dad behind that same goal at the Leppings Lane end, also to watch an FA Cup semi final between Leeds and Coventry.
A few days later, I got permission from school to have the afternoon off. Dad and I went to Anfield to pay our respects, I took my Leeds United scarf and left it on the Kop. Although we didn't know any of the 96 personally, it felt to be the right thing to do and something we both needed to do.
I'm not sure exactly how soon it was after the 15th April when The Sun printed what it did but I know that I have never bought or read a copy of that newspaper since.
The 20 years since Hillsborough have seen football in this country change beyond all recognition - not always for the better. What I do know is that, if my own Son wants to go with me to watch professional football when he's older, he will not be subjected to the conditions that were present at many Football League grounds back in the late 1980's.
I remember Hillsborough every year on the 15th April as I'm sure many other football fans do - I will more than likely shed a few tears this year.
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Yes this was a terrible disaster and very avoidable as was Heysel when 39 people lost their lives. My hope is that those lives lost that were truly lost in vain may have taught those among us who act like mindless animals at sporting events that there comes a time when their actions can lead to violence and death. Some may blame infrastructure, Police etc etc but lets be honest here and take responsibility, without the behaviour of certain "fans" present those two days, all those people we mourn today would have lived.
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The users on here that have posted purely to cause upset, offence and to score points should be deeply ashamed of themselves. A note to northwestsbest - why on a Hillsborough blog are you turning Man Utd into victims and accusing the Liverpool fans of taunting the club about Munich? I think you'll find a mere 1/2 seasons ago, Liverpool supporters were welcomed into Manchester for a match with the banner reading "96 - NOT ENOUGH". Commenting on this article is the place to discuss your feels about THE ARTICLE and to pay your respects. Not to score your petty points, ask offensive and upsetting questions and to call names.
People DIED at Hillsborough. Your [uneducated] opinion on the matter simply doesn't count. I'm pleased you paid your respects and left, as comments like yours are not wanted.
I was lucky enough to be at the Liverpool game today. Minute silence was impeccable, you could hear a pin drop. The scousers are just so passionate, caring and emotive with their chants, banners and songs. They have heart. It was very emotional there today, and the 4-0 was a very nice end to a pleasant afternoon.
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Like many other people I read Steve's blog with tears in my eyes. I've never written anything here although I often read the comments of other people. I too went to the semi final the year before and, as I always did when I went to the game, stood right behind the goal. I remember how tightly packed it was, and everytime I think about what happened in 89, I remember back to the season before and try to imagine how those poor people felt. I didn't get a ticket for the 89 game, even though I went to almost every home and away game for 2 years before, and had a Kop season ticket. It still makes me shiver now to think that if I had gotten a ticket i would have gone behind the goal, like I always did.
I am a scouser, and it shames me to say that for many years before Hillsborough that I used to stand on the Kop and sing those Munich songs. I now realise that it was a stupid idiotic thing to do, and I would like to apologise to all decent Man utd fans for doing so.
I live in Spain now, and I have to work on Weds, but I'll find a quiet corner somewhere and say a prayer for the 96, and all their families and friends. Like many people I knew someone who never came back, we used to play football together. I often think of him, and all those like him who lost their lives supporting the team that we love.
I am proud to say that I am a Liverpool fan, and I am proud to say that I am a genuine football fan. To all those fans from other clubs who have given their respects here, each and everyone of you is a credit to the beautiful game that we all love.
God bless the 96, may they rest in peace.
You'll NEVER Walk Alone
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I still remember that day vividly 20 years ago. Watching on television and not really grasping the magnitude of what was actually going on.
There are many who should hang their heads in shame for their part in this tragedy. The Government, the police, The S*n 'newspaper' (especially that weasel McKenzie) among them.
However, stories of bravery and compassion in the aftermath show just how special the people of Liverpool, and football fans in general, really are and that, along with the memory of those who perished, will never be forgotten.
My deepest condolences to all those affected by that most terrible of days.
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This is to Redwelshwiz67. You must have been in the same section as me, almost in the same place. I too remember the kid passed over my head, and later saw him clambering to safety at the front. I was also pushed up against a barrier near the left hand side of the pen. A gap appeared in front of me andd I raised my hand and someone pulled me up onto the barrier where I clambered out to the side and down a 'rat run' to safety. Just wanted you to know that my memories are the same as yours, and thanks for sharing them! And to thank the stranger who pulled me to safety too....
YNWA
JFT96
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RIP to anyone who has ever died.
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Thank you to all those who have taken the trouble to share their memories, whatever they were doing. I hope that Football Focus was a fitting tribute to those who died.
I have found the whole experience of working on that programme and writing this blog extremely moving; dwelling on my experiences and the disaster in a way which I have not done for a long time. It has been painful and, in a way, theraputic.
Luckily for most of us football fans, Hillsborough is something we only have to dwell on now and again. In fact we should never take our safety for granted, it was earned at a great price.
Whoever we support, whatever we think about what happened at Hillsborough; the people who died were innocent football fans just like the rest of us and deserve to remembered in silence when the time comes.
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i missed football focus today due to the wife going in to labour at 6 in the morning. Anybody know how i could watch it?
Was devastated wen i realised, but i have a gourgous daughter out of it!
Who ive allready told about her uncle and what happend in hillsbrough, dunno if shes understood it fully tho.
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I was 12 the day the world of football changed. I was outside pretending to be Steve McMahon when my dad told me to come inside. I will never forget watching the horrors on TV. I cried for hours. My brother broke my nose with a golf ball later that night. I was so numb didn't even notice.
YNWA
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I was in Sheffield with my dad at the time, I was 8, and we heard of the horror that was the deaths of those poor souls.
It is best never to forget them ever. Our football is a reminder of our past events and what could have been done to make it better.
It is nice to hear others stories about Hillsborough, it enables myself and others to show appreciation for the lives that no longer are with us.
My condolences & respect go out to those who lost their loved ones.
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I simply have to commend the BBC on such a moving and well made Football Focus today. I was only a toddler at the time of the disaster and have only really learnt about what happened that fateful day as I grew up. Thank you Steve for sharing what is obviously very difficult memories.
Feeling no affinity with Liverpool FC or indeed football in general until my early teens when I caught the bug with my local team, I never really fully understood anything about the details of what happened to the extent of even what teams were involved, all I knew was that football fans had died.
However, as I became interested in the game, I learnt more about the great triumphs in the game and ultimately the disasters that tainted the game forever.
To this day, I still can't get my head around that simple notion, that 96 people set out that day to watch the game they left, and never returned. That to me is the saddest thing of all.
I am saddened to see so many comments have had to be removed on a blog like this, this is not the place for rivalries or point scoring.
This blog has been deeply moving and I wanted to say thank you to everyone for sharing your memories of that day, particularly those who whose memories are haunted by the ultimate tragedy, I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it has been to relive those memories, I salute your bravery.
The programme today pretty much had me in tears from start to finish, everyone from players to commentators to spectators to those not directly involved but ultimately affected by the tragedy had a story to tell.
Fate has actually brought me a wonderful affinity with Liverpool, having fell in love with a Scouser who I consider my soul mate, Liverpool is now my second home and I have a wonderful love for the city and its people. I will be in the city on Wednesday for what is bound to be an emotional occasion for all. My heart goes out to anyone who felt suffering and the ultimate pain of loss of life on that bright sunny day which finished under such a dark cloud that changed the game we love forever. April 15th 1989.
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I was at another semi final that day. My team St Johnstone had reached the scottish cup semi final against rangers. Back then it would have been the equivelant of Rochdale playing Man Utd. We hadnt heard anything about the tragedy at our match. We achieved a 0-0 draw, we were still oblivous as we walked back the car planning huge celebrations. Then we heard the news. No one uttered a word all the way home lost in our thoughts, I have no connection with any of the teams involved but still get tear in my eye when I think of that day.
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After almost 20 years you d think it would now be easy to pen your thoughts,
but the memory is still as vivid today as it was on April 15th 1989.
I travelled down the M62 in a mini bus with approximately 15 other Liverpool fans, none of whom I knew well, but our bond was our football club – Liverpool FC.
On the way down a girl of about 20 years old was on the bus with her grandad, and she approached me and asked me to swap my Leppings Lane end ticket for one in the stand above. The reason for this was so she and her granddad could sit together. I was 27 years old, and had been brought up on the terraces of the Kop – and begrudgingly (at the time) I swapped my ticket for a seat above the Leppings Lane West Stand.
I arrived at the ground, and entered around 2.35pm, the crushing we experienced was something that as fans we had become used to. I entered the West stand and took my seat to the left of the centre, about 6 rows from the front. Just before the game, as usual, we sang ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’- our anthem. The game started, and I could see below the crush developing before my eyes, but not for one moment did I believe that people were dying. The crushing was an accepted part of being a football fan, that was until this fateful day. I knew things were desperate when shortly after kick off Liverpool fans were pulling fans from the Leppings Lane into the West stand, and I watched the horror unfold in front of me. I don’t want to go into any further detail – I still find it hard 20 years on to relive my feelings.
We then started to leave the ground – and I remember it being so eerie, there were thousands of fans leaving – and yet not a sound was heard. I went to a nearby club, and by the time I got there, the situation had worsened. I had to ring home, so I left the club, and when I got outside there were queues of people outside houses, the people of Sheffield had opened their doors to allow us to ring our loved ones – I will be forever grateful for this, although at the time I did not fully appreciate the gesture. Thank you again. I rang home and the phone was picked up by my then Wife, it was then it hit home – I broke down in tears on the phone. We travelled home in the minibus, no one said a word, but there was not a dry eye amongst us. Upon arriving home, as soon as my Wife put her arms around me I cried like a baby. I have never admitted that to anyone, but anyone who was there will understand.
I followed Liverpool Football Club, the rest of the season until we lifted that trophy, then it took me another 10 years to attend my next Liverpool football match. And even now when I stand with my 15 year old daughter at Anfield to sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before the kick off – I always think that that was the last song our lost 96 sang, and I although it makes me cry on many occasions - I sing it as a tribute to them.
May the 96 Rest In Peace – YNWA. And thanks to the people / fans of Sheffield for your help and support. It will never be forgotten.
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wouldnt it be fitting if liverpool were to win against chelsea (to go though) and then go on to win the champions league and premiership this year. I can think of no better tribute to the 96 dead. As for all the other disasters, I have never mocked any who have died. Anybody who mocks the dead in the name of football rivalry is going way beyond acceptable conduct and should be condemned. Having said that jokes about certain things in football can be acceptable (even if they coud cause offence) I remember that a german striker, I forget his surname used to play for man city in the 90s. The city fans used to chant about "uwes grandad bombed old trafford!" This was humourous, although potentially offensive. Jokes of this nature are acceptable but sick jokes about the dead are not. I would also like to think the BBC will stop emplyng KElvin mCkenzie. I doubt it though. I remember maybe two years ago when he was doing the new year show for the BBC. George Galloway lead a campaign to stop him. The BBC basically ignored the demands, in fact they sent out a standard message or email to all the people demanding that Mckenzie be removed, I only know this because George Galloway read the contents of his email out and I got exactly the same email from the BBC word for word!!! It was some garbage about it respecting my views but Mckenzie was controversial etc etc cant remember it all but it was total bs just fobbing me off. Wish I'd kept a copy so I could have posted it here. I hope all football fans boycot the sun on the anniversary and that all clubs in the uk at the very least lay a wreath to mark the occasion. Yes, I agree that Liverpool should mark the Bradford disaster. I would say all clubs should mark all the anniversaries during the next 12 months. Imagine the karma generated if mancs and scousers mark munich and hillsborough, that both halves of the old firm mark the fire of 71!! Maybe I'm an idealist but that would show the world that football fans are not just drunkards and thugs. It would be the best way to show respect for the dead of all teams, religions and creeds who were all united as fans of football!! Long live the beautiful game.
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el_chino ... shame on you for denying the truth of Heysel. 39 lives lost to "the powers that be" is a pathetic excuse.
Per the BBC...
Fans had been chanting, waving flags and letting off fireworks, but the atmosphere became more violent and a thin line of police was unable to prevent a contingent of Liverpool followers from stampeding towards rival fans.
A retaining wall separating the Liverpool followers from Juventus supporters in sector 'Z' collapsed under the pressure and many were crushed or trampled when panicking Juventus fans tried to escape.
Thirty-nine Italian and Belgian fans died and hundreds were injured.
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I am a Liverpool fan in St Albans, Hertfordshire, living just up the road from a 15-year-old lad who died at Hillsborough. A few weeks ago a neighbour told me that in a local park she had come across a tree planted in memory of the boy, with a plaque bearing his name. Today my wife and I went there and, tears in our eyes, laid flowers with a card from my family saying we had never met him but we would never forget him. That is the truth. We mean it, because by a twist of fate it could have been my son who didn't come home from the match. And next Wednesday we will be driving up to Anfield for the memorial service, a simple gesture that's the very least we can do on that day. And I know when I see the lad's name and all the others on the Hillsborough plaque, there will be more tears. But every one of the 96 will never be forgotten. They will live in our hearts and memories for ever. God bless them all.
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Back in April 1989 I was 30 and made my 3rd visit to Hillsborough as a Forest fan and my 2nd FA Cup semi-final in two years. Standing in a packed Kop I remember vividly looking at the Liverpool end and thinking that the sides of the terrace looked oddly empty compared to the packed centre section. The match started, was soon stopped and, quite frankly, I hadn't a clue what was going on, although I didn't think it was anything to do with hooliganism. Then, as makeshift stretchers were being raced towards our end, it gradually dawned on me and my mate that something tragic had happened. I stayed for a while but could not see how the game could continue. As a drummer in an amateur rock band, I had a concert back in Nottingham that night and decided that I should get home, not knowing really at that stage what had happened 150 yards or so away from me. I walked back to the station and thought I should phone my wife(my children were aged 3 and 7 months). The relief on the other end of the phone made me realise that something horrible had happened before my eyes, without me really knowing the full extent at the time. It wasn't until the next day that it hit me hard, when I saw the news footage of the scarves and flowers left at Anfield. I just spontaneously burst into tears, surprising myself and my family, realising that I had been to so many Forest games, home and away, penned in the Trent End, herded around on away trips - never ever looking for trouble - but treated dispassionately by the authorities because they believed that every football fan was some kind of thug. Maybe those tears were to make me realise that, on another day, in another place, that could have been me. My thoughts today are with the Hillsborough bereaved and with anybody who has waved their loved one goodbye to go to a footy match and never seen them return. Today, my son (now aged 20 and 7 months)and I watched Forest gain an unlikely victory - a result which may or may not help them to survive in, what I still call, Division 2. Of course, I desperately want Forest to stay up but if they don't at least I will be able to watch them in Division 3 and for that I consider myself fortunate considering the events of 20 years ago.
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As a Liverpool fan i want to say thanks for those of you who have shared your comments and thoughts about Hillsborough. I remember that day clearly, like it was yesterday......... RIP to those that died and sympathy to their families.
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I still remember the day well. I had been at a mates and missed the live coverage on TV (which I was gutted about). When I got home later that sunny day, I was horrified to see the events that unfolded that afternoon. These days, I live in Australia. While such a long way way from home, I'll never forget that day or those who lost their lives. People all over the world remember the 96. RIP - your memory shall never be forgotten and you'll never walk alone.
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Like many of the posts on here, I learnt more and more about the tragedy as the day and weekend unfolded. I am a United fan and like many had little time for scousers except those who I knew and bantered with....funny how that goes, you can dislike a club but enjoy time with their fans, that's football for me. It was a terrible day, I got back from our match,(can't even remember who we played) and went to work behind the bar of the local where 2 people who had been there were sat quietly in a corner.Their faces said it all. I have read over 100 posts here which made me very emotional, gerrard'srightleg, respect to you and your family and congrats on the birth of your child.
As a kid I was brought up to love United and no one else, the herd mentality makes you think you hate this or that....it's just a game, a great game, things changed for me on that day. Those people were just going to a match. I have been in crushes, the first when I was 6 at O.T. when the away fans turned the wrong way and everyone panicked. It was always going to happen somewhere....
Of course I spend most waking hours hoping United win the League this year, i lived through Liverpool's dominant years and took all the stick!! but if we don't and Liverpool prove the better team over 38 games, I will absorb the plastic gloaters(for we all have them!) think about the families of the 96 and those who lived through it all and leave it be. I have some City mates who felt almost guilty beating us last season on the Munich Memorial game. 99% of us see Hillsborough as a Human Tragedy. I do not wish to be associated with the 1%,regardless of football allegiance. RIP the 96.
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I am another Steve who was at Hillsborough on that day and I was fortunate to be with someone who had been to the Liverpool semi final the year before and knew how busy it could be in the centre section of the Leppings Lane end.
Like a lot of others we walked down the tunnel at around 2.15 because you believed that was the only way on to the terrace. The centre section was unbearable even at that time and as I said it was only because my friend had been there the year previosly that he knew to go back out and move to the side. These side sections were not clearly indicated anywhere. We ended up in a raised corner section looking down on the tragedy as it unfolded.
The sad memories I have of the day are first seeing a policeman pushing somebody back in to the pen and then watching what seemed like a bad dream as more and more people were pulled out and laid on the pitch. We drove home in a daze and every public phone seemed to be getting used from Sheffield to Liverpool. I remember being a passenger in my friends car and crying as the death toll rose throughout the journey.
The most upsetting story for me on the day was of the man who took his nephew to the match and the nephew died. How do you go home to your brother and tell him his son has died, from going to a football match?
I was always a cloughie fan up to that point but I will never forgive his insensitive comments later on. And as for the Sun newspaper, what were they thinking? Gutterpress!
I went to Anfield early the next morning and remember seeing hundreds of scarves on the Kop by 10am and the first one that I saw was a Man Utd one. I will always remember that.
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As a 15 year old Celtic fan in 1989, still confused as to who the hell is my favourite team in the English league. Is it Man u , Liverpool or dare i say even that team in Blue (not my favourite colour) Everton. I was in a major dilemma as to who i liked.
That all changed on that sad horrible day as i sat at home in Greenock watching the horror unfold in front of my eyes on TV. I sat in disbelief watching kids like myself being taken away motionless from what i can only describe as every football fans worst nightmare.
It brought back a horrid childhood memory of being involved in a turnstyle crush as Celtic played Forest in the European cup around 1986 which wll live with me forever.
Regardless of that, I just want the people of Liverpool, Nottingham and Sheffield to know that people like me the world over think of that day and remeber with the utmost respect.
As an old firm fan football means many things if not everything. But on that day in April, Football means unity regardless of who you are and what you follow.
As Jock Stein once famously said. " without the fans football is nothing"
We would all do good to think of that every now and then.
CFC in solidarity with LFC Justice for the 96 YNWA EVER
P.S I'm now 35 living in Canada and i still can't stop supporting 3 English teams!! Maybe that's just football, We all do it really!!
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re giovannis 57
Obviously you haven't read the Taylor report also as regards Heysel.Yes the actions of some liverpool fans was to be abhored and Liverpool fans later apologised for the actions of those fans but that was not the whole story which never came out.
On 30 May official UEFA observer Gunter Schneider said "Only the English fans were responsible. Of that there is no doubt." UEFA, the organiser of the event, the owners of Heysel Stadium and the Belgian police were never investigated for culpability. There was no official inquiry into the causes of the disaster.
The late Peter Robinson Liverpool CEO at the time tried to get the venue changed as it was not suitable but to no avail. It was crumbling(the rocks that were thrown were just lying around the terraces).Arsenal fans who had been there 2 years previously referred to it as a Dump.
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I remember watching Grandstand that day. And watched in horror as the events unfolded.
Having been attending games since the late 70's I too have experienced being crushed at games, but this was always whilst trying to get out of grounds, rather than get in, and for 15 or 20 seconds before the pressure was relieved. So have a vague idea of the fear and terror such a thing provokes.
I had also been in the Leppings Lane end in about 1982, although confess I didn't really notice the dangers, that many have spoken of.
I have always believed, to my shame, that ticketless Liverpool fans were partly to blame for the tradegy, but having sat and read through the information available through the Taylor report, I have discovered that this is completely untrue. Shame on me.
But surely the damage is already done, as I know many believe, as I did, before reading through today, the disinformation spread widely at the time.
As for Kelvin Mackenzie. I was totally unaware of him and the reports in The Sun. I for one will never buy this rag again. And it is an utter disgrace that this man refuses to apologise for his comments.
I hope that one day the families of the 96 do have justice, in whatever form that takes.
No-one should go to a football match and never come home.
RIP
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'''''''''''Obviously you haven't read the Taylor report also as regards Heysel.Yes the actions of some liverpool fans was to be abhored and Liverpool fans later apologised for the actions of those fans but that was not the whole story which never came out. '''''''''
Liverpool fans may or may not have apologised lucid, but it is an undisputable and shamefull FACT that Liverpool Football Club never have
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openside 50
and why should they.There was no official enquiry, only what what a eufa spokesman had said.Juventus didn't apologise for the fact that some of their fans rioted and attacked the police and why should they there was no official enquiry only what an eufa spokesman had said.There were too many questions that needed to be answered before you start apologising. Hooliganism was a problem in those days and that was not addressed beforehand.Mind you even if there was an official enquiry that absolved the fans of any guilt you wouldn't have believed it anyway as you seem to have your own ideas about the Hillsborough tragedy and have disregarded the findings of the Taylor report (as you obviously know better than him).
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To Post 169
my dad is a newcastle fan as am i and we still follow to them this day and he told me about that yesterday whilst watching football focus, he told me the score was 4-1 or 3-1 i believe and normally people would be taking the mick etc but he just said everyone was stunned watching the TV and noone said a word.
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It was half time at Old Trafford when i first heard the news that something tragic was happening at Hillsborough. Like me, the majority of the ground was silent and stunned. What I'll always remember is that as the ground announcer began to talk a handful of anti-forest away supporters thought it wise to start singing, instinctively the whole ground erupted into booing them to shut up. The mood remained sombre and football didn't matter that day, we all knew something terrible had just happened.
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I am a Wednesday fan and attend Hillsborough to watch my beloved owls regularly. I am too young to remember that fateful day in 1989, but I pass the memorial outside the south stand at every home game, and there is never an occasion where I fail to be moved by its significance. Yesterday I placed flowers on the monument, not because I knew anyone involved, but I felt that it was my duty as a football fan to honour the 96.
The disaster will forever be scarred into Hillsborough history, but I can guarentee that every owls fan, young or old, will always remember that day. On behalf of our club, thoughts go out to the families of those who were tragically killed. RIP.
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In April 1989 I would have been a six year old living in Aberdeenshire and I'm not even sure if I was aware of professional sport at the time.
The first I became aware of Hillsborough was when the last of the 96 had his life support machine switched off at some point during the 90s.
My first real dealings with Liverpool fans were as a United fan posting on my team's message boards in the late 90s. Scousers kept raiding the place and generally being very annoying. To this day, it always feels good when United beat LFC.
And yet, I currently have "You'll never walk alone" of all tunes stuck in my head. It's like the 96 are still singing it.
Viewing that era from a historical perspective, English football in the 70s and 80s was pretty messed up. Heysel in particular was inexcusable, but even my own team couldn't claim to be whiter than white in that era so no one has any right to throw stones at LFC.
And Heysel certainly did not excuse Hilsborough. Though at lest my generation has the comfort of knowing that such an event will almost certainly never happen again on British soil.
RIP from MUFC
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To post 265,
I had to look in my old footie programmes to check. Your Dad was right although the score was only 1-0. Not surprising that most of us 20 years down the line can only remember the more relevant issues of that day.
Have to say, that Football Focus yesterday was so poignant. The interviews brought it all back again. I'm a grown man of 49 sat there watching it, blubbing like a child every now and then and thinking, 'what must it be like for the people directly involved?' It'll probably get worse for them in the coming days. I don't think I'd be able to stomach the game on Tuesday if it were me. Best wishes to them anyway.
Reading some of the posts here, it's good to see that younger supporters can be touched by something that happened long ago and can voice their sentiments in a respectful way. I think most fans are generally decent in these situations. I remember the minute's silence for David Rocastle before Arsenal - Spurs and that was very impressive (thanks again, Spurs fans). As for minute's silence at Liverpool - Blackburn on Saturday, well, the silence was deafening.
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Can I just point out a few thing that some people commenting on this blog post obviously aen't aware of.
1) Quite a few people have said the Liverpool (both the club and the fans) ignore Heysel and focus only on Hillsborough. At the 20th Anniversary of Heysel there were loads of events, services and memorials to the 39 fans who tragically died - organised both by the club and by fan groups. This included huge efforts by the club, former players and fans and included apologies from all three.
2) The same critsism has been leveled at the BBC, but again in 2005 there were programs about Heysel and time given over in regular programs to Heysel.
3) Every investigation and examination of Heysel comes to the same conclusion - that a whole host of contributing factors combined to create a deadly situation. The Liverpool fans charging the Italian fans were part of this mix, along with the placement of fans in close proximity with little segreagation, the poor condition of the stadium and other factors.
4) Most importantly of all even if Liverpool fans were partly to blame for the tragic events at Heysel how does that have any bearing on the tragic events of Hillsborough? Should the 96 be denied justice, respect and rememberance because of a seperate incident which also led to tragic deaths? Or should we accept that both incidents (whilst both terrible) are seperate and distinct with sepearate and distinct causes and legacies.
Remembrance of the 96 Hillsborough victims doesn't disrepect the 39 Italians that died at Heysel.
Implying that the 96 Hillsborough victims are aren't worthy of remembrance because of the 39 Heysel victims does a huge diservice to them - they wouldn't want their names soiled by being associated with your petty minded point scoring.
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Excellent article, almost as poignoint as seeing the piece on Football Focus yesterday. I was at the other semi played that day, watching my beloved Norwich get beat by Everton, and I know how bad the cushing was in our side of the Holte End that day too. At that time, I hardly missed a Norwich game home or away, and because of my experiences of how travelling fans were policed in that time I do have one or two observations (and criticisms) of what was unsaid yesterday.
Firstly, the piece on the tele showed a lot of clips of the bad old days of football hooliganism, as if almost perpetuating the very myths that caused the police to behave as they did on that day. But, the most recent pieces they used came from 4 years earlier. The problem had largely gone away at football itself - after Hysel the increasing use of CCTV meant that there was rarely any trouble at games (fights, if they happened were always away from the ground) and ordinary decent fans were watching games in peace. The only trouble was that all the authorities (the FA, Thatcher's Government, The Police, the media) refused to accept that this sea-change had happened. Because of that, we were still percieved and branded as some sort of threat to be met with force, and it was that mentality that ultimately killed lots of innocent people at Hillsborough.
The second point is that a lot of people seem to think it could have been any set of fans anywhere because of the stadia design - they are fundamentally wrong on this point. In actual fact, if you were a travelling football fan you knew which police forces treated you as decent people (like Greater Manchester) and which ones hated all football fans with avengence. Three police forces were notourious - The Met, West Midlands and... South Yorkshire. Sadly next to nothing the South Yorkshire police did that day (from the assumption of hooliganism to the leaked pieces that formed the infamous Sun article) really surprises me. It was their complete mentality at the time. And they have got away with it, like they always did, cos who's gonna believe a bunch of animals like us fans, yeah?
The third thing is the discussions about all-seater stadia, and the myth that this had made football safe. The problem's at Hillsborough actually started with the crushing outside the turnstiles (preventable by proper filtering systems used nowadays), with many people late arriving due to roadworks. Lord Taylor's Report (I read both when published) made a big thing about the need to get fans in earlier to avoid similar crushing outside. Unfortunately, because everyone has a gaurenteed spot inside the ground nowadays due to all-seater stadia, in actual fact people arrive even later these days - making crushing outside a ground even more likely. We really do need a grown-up debate on the safe-terracing issue (rather than the 96 dead being used as an emotional veto without listening to sensible argument on either side of the debate), and we do need to challenge the assumption that seats = safety.
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i was only a kid when Hillsborough happened but i can remember the coverage on the TV and even at a tender age i knew that what was happening was tragic, as a fan of the game watching the events unfold from hundreds of miles away was awful but my feelings are insignificant compared to the families of the 96 who never came home that day, my thoughts and prayers are with the families of the 96, the injured of that day and Liverpool FC, Hillborough will never be forgotten - you will never walk alone.
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I was watching a Wycombe Wanderers match at the old Loakes Park ground on the day of the tragedy. The first thing that springs to mind is that it was the week that UEFA had confirmed that the English clubs were almost certainly going to be allowed back into the European club competitions after the 1990 World Cup so long as there were no serious crowd problems during the tournament.
After about ten minutes a fan with a transistor radio announced that there had been some sort of accident at Hillsborough. Another fand added that some people had been hurt in a crush. Five injured soon became five dead, it then became fifty dead and the match which I believe Wycombe won paled into insignificance. Immediately after the final whistle my friends and I headed to the Blues Club bar a place which normally buzzed after a game. This time, however, the venue had an eerie silence as supporters crowded round the television to hear a clearly distraught Kenny Dalglish give his reaction to the terrible news.
My late father, a sports journalist, had been covering a First Division game at one of the London clubs but the news had filtered through to the press room and he was visibly upset when he arrived home. Dad was very fond of Liverpool; he had been to Anfield to those memorable European nights and had a genuine affection for the club and its supporters.
My parents and I were at a 21st birthday party that evening. Dad had to leave the party early; he could not enjoy himself one bit and headed back home to watch Match of the Day which was given over entirely to the tragedy. Two minutes after he left I followed him home and without saying a word to each other turned the TV on and watched all the reaction from Des Lynam, Jimmy Hill, Maggie Thatcher and others.
My thoughts and prayers are always with the families of the 96 whenever this anniversary falls and I know that the city of Liverpool will pay its own remarkable tribute on Wednesday. I hope that every football fan of every club in the world will pay their respects too.
You 96 souls will never walk alone. Lest we forget
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I am a Kopite and reading through these comments, what comes over again and again is the outpouring of compassion and sympathy from so many fans of different clubs. We may be rivals for the Premiership or this cup and that cup but supporters can still put aside their disagreements and behave like decent, caring human beings. Thank you to everyone from clubs around the country for understanding and even sharing our grief and sorrow. It will help many people to cope with the tears and pain at the memorial service at Anfield on Wednesday.
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The comment from Thorneyisastokie was very intersting. At that time there seemed to be a lot of disasters, but I lived in the North so couldn't appreciate Kings X Fire, we holidayed in the UK so couldn't fathom Herald of Free Enterprise, likewise Piper Alpha, Lockerbie etc
But I was a football fan, I had sat in the Leppings Lane at a Wedensday v Manchester City game the previous season or two before, I had been in several crushes elsewhere including the old Stoke Victoria Ground but the thinking of the time was that was 'just football' and a big old surge was part of the crowd experience, no-one even dared to think something anything could ever occur like that.
I think the disaster touched so many of us as it was such a relevent experience, something that could have happened to any of us at any time.
One massive suprise is that the stand is still there, I'm not sure what the thinking is from Wednesday or what the opinions of other supporters on this blog are
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I attended hillsborough in 89, I was 15. Back then I was a fanatic Liverpool supporter albeit from the Sheffield area. I went to the game with my father and some friends and we were seated in the South Stand with the Forest fans as we could not get tickets for the Liverpool ends. We were seated close to the Leppings lane end and like so many others we watched with shock and horror as this tragic event unfolded. Many will remember that we were not allowed to exit the stadium as the roads outside Hillsborough were closed to the emergency services so they could ferry the injured to the Northern General and Hallamshire hospitals. We had little choice but sit and watch this surreal event as fans scrambled to the upper tier whilst those on the pitch ripped up the advertising hordings and used them as makeshift stretchers. My family at home were not really sure where we were seated and it was hours later that we could make a phone call that some would never make to say that we were safe.
Whilst many continue to blame the failings of the South Yorksire Police, Stewards, and Organiser's it is important to remember that a lesson should be learned that we should not attend a sport, music or other large event without a ticket and expect to get in. This in many people's eyes was the catalyst for this awful tradegy.
To the people of Liverpool, Sheffield will never forget this tragedy and will forever share your grief.
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Thanks Steve,
I wasn't born when the Hillsborough disaster occured but your article along with the piece I saw on Football Focus on Saturday was very moving and now gives me a better understanding of the severity of it all.
To all the 96 that died. Rest in Peace.
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I too had one of those life changing conversations at Hillsborough. I had a ticket for Leppings Lane and my younger brother for the stand at the side. he said to me that he was bit skint and that if we swapped tickets then I could make up the difference to him with cash. Looking back this was weird cos I would have normally just lent or given him some money.Anyway this then put him in the Leppings Lane. Being that he was more athletic than I in our early 20s, I think it must have put him in a better position to struggle his way out of the crush.At about 5 to 3 i saw him walking along to our seats in the stand .He said that he had managed to force his way to the rear of the centre pen and somehow dodge stewards etc to get to where we were.
When we realised what was going on we ran to the leppings lane end (across the pitch ) to look for our cousin, but could only see thousands of trainees on the terrace.
I recently found out that the guy my brother was next to didn't make it out and that we were talking to him only a few games before.This took my brother 20 years to tell me this.
My memory is still raw and although through work and family commitments I can not go as much to the match now I still shed a tear for the 96 and I always try to get to the memorial service each year.
One thing that still upsets me is the sheer ignorance of many intelligent non scousers who still believe because of media misreporting that it was hooliganism. Even this was suggested on Final Score on BBC yesterday by Steve.
Anyway a 20 year boycott of the Sun is a fantastic testament to the resilience of all true fans and Merseysiders.
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First of all i would like to say my knowledge of Hillsborough is minimal, my GCSE Humanities class briefly touched upon it and I have read about that day in books and on the internet. My first point is that the portrayal of the Liverpool supporters in the Sun on the days following the tragedy was frankly disgusting and i applaud the people of Liverpool for sticking by their boycott of the 'newspaper' and I have also since stopped reading the Sun after learning the extent of their coverage of the tragedy. Another point I would like to make is the fact that I am 18 years old and I recently took my 9 year old sister to a football match for the first time, she didn't understand how lucky and privileged she was to be sat in a seat with a good view of the pitch in comparison to the conditions that fans were treated with before April 1989. Although i support Manchester United and I will admit i disregard Liverpool on the pitch, my thoughts will be with the families of the 96 people cruelly taken from them on that day, my thoughts will also be with people who experienced the atrocity of that day, and i can assure anybody that Manchester United and Liverpool's rivalry will pale into insignificance on Wednesday, and you must forgive me for the use of cliche here but the families. the survivors and the deceased will never walk alone.
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To el_chino, #215.
Thankyou for posting the names of the 96. I have just sat and read every one with tears streaming down my face. Hopefully, that will make some of the more insensitive commentators here think again - every one of those 96 people who didn't come home on that terrible day in 1989 was an individual, a person: a son, a daughter, a wife, a husband, a brother, a sister, a friend to someone. It doesn't matter which club any of us support or where we are from - we should all be standing in solidarity with Merseyside on this.
You'll NEVER walk alone.
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I wasn't going to write on this blog as it seemed to me to be a place for those that were there to share their experience and for others to express their memories and sympathies. I intend to be at the service on Wednesday, so will share my sympathies then and was only 6 when the tragedy happened so have no memory to recollect.
I know some of the posts say that this time of year should be for rememberance of the victims, not for discussing who was to blame.
But the reason I am compelled to write, and I do so with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes, is because some are still wrongly accusing the innocent on this blog and the BBC refused to remove the comment. This was the only way to disapate my saddness that some people still believe the lies spread 20 years ago.
davidtee7- you bring up ticketless fans and try to place the blame on them, you say we 'continue to blame the failings of the South Yorksire Police, Stewards' that is because they ARE to blame. The fans are not, even those who stupidly entered the ground without tickets. The Taylor Report says that they bared no effect on the tragedy- the numbers of ticketless fans was so small it would have happened anyway. The ground was unsafe, the planning for the match was thoughtless and the actions of the authorities on the day were, at best, incompetant.
If I thought we could educate these people elsewhere I would, but people don't make the effort to read Taylor or go to the Hillsborough website and it feels like it is only now that we have attention on us that we can finally make our voices heard and do what we can to stop the lies continuing.
I apologise for having to post this here, I'd be happy for it to be removed if other posts reguarding blame are also removed and I ask that any future bloggers with an opinion, rather than a memory to share, go elsewhere or leave the message at a later date.
To the 96 and all those affected by what happened- YNWA
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I remember being in a large department store, walking through the electrical section and seeing the events at Hillsborough unfold on around 30 TV screens, similtainiously.
I stood and watched with the small crowd gathered there unable to comprehend the full disaster I was seeing.
And yet 4 years earlier I had watched a similar disaster unfold as tuning in to watch the final scores of the last Saturday of the football season I was met with flames engulfing a stand full of supporters who had turned out to salute their teams promotion, a stand where 56 people were burned to death. That was a day that football changed forever,and again influenced the future design of Stadia.
The media seem far more concerned to remember those supporters of larger clubs. No coverage of a minutes silence to remember those who died at Valley Parade that afternoon. Do other clubs make gestures of rememberance for those who died on May 1th 1985?
I am also sure that Rangers supporters would like us to remember the 66 who died at Ibrox in 1971.
The media are always urging us to remember Hillsborough and Munich, and quite rightly too, but is it because they are the big clubs from big cities ?
Perhaps we should remember all supporters who have been taken from us before their time, a special "Supporters Day" although not replacing these anniversaries, a day set aside to remember all those friends and family, who now support their team from a special place.
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I was 12 years old in April '89 , although I already supported Liverpool I didn't go to my first match for another 6 years after the disaster , ironically away at Nottingham Forest in Feb 1995. Whether it is just co-incidence but the City Ground is where I have to date seen most Liverpool away games.
On the day itself I went to a local country park with my best friend at school and his Mum. Whether I wanted not to know the score until highlights were on later I cannot remember now , (please correct me but I am sure the game wasn't being televised live but the events meant the cameras were showing live footage of the disaster on Grandstand?)
Can't remember when exactly I found out what had happened but I do remember watching the news all evening at home not quite understanding the enourmity of it all . My family went to Brighton the following day to visit my Brother who was at Uni at the time and he was quite shaken by the whole event as he attended a lot of Liverpool games , mainly in the south and the odd game at Anfield before he left home. Can remember a lot of the kids at school also talking about it the following week. Even living in Bedfordshire , Liverpool was the probably the best supported club at the time for children in many areas.
Have only been to Sheffield Wednesday once , 3 years ago to watch my local team , Luton Town , on a Tuesday night in January. Found the whole experience quite strange walking round to Leppings Lane and entering the ground after parking at the Kop end. Looking back I am glad we were on the upper tier seating so I didn't have to go down or see that tunnel. Although I was near the front on the top tier I couldn't bring myself to look down on to the seats below , even though they were empty.
My brother and I are heading to Anfield on Wednesday simply to pay our respects and leave without any fuss. Neither of us knew anyone who lost their lives but every football fan who has sat in a seat since 1989 should know why there are doing so in my honest opinion.
YNWA - justice for the 96.
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So many people have their own personal stories of that horrible day, I would just like to add mine...
As a 12 year old at the time, my team Norwich City were playing in the 'other' semi-final that very same afternoon (due to what happened at Hillsbrough that fateful day, from then on, semi finals were never played at the same time again). I remember only a few things about that day. Firstly, it was like a hot, sunny, summers' day - beautiful. It was the biggest occasion I had ever been to and I was incredibaly excited about the day - and slightly nervous for my team!
But before I continue about that day, freakily, I was actually at Hillsborough just 2 or 3 weeks previous for a match between Sheff Weds and QPR (we were visiting friends and we decided to take in the game). We sat in the North Stand but I clearly remember looking over to the Leppings Lane End lower teir and seeing QPR fans in the middle standing pen. Both side pens were empty and there was only a smattering of QPR fans, but there was something about it that made me remember that picture of the standing pens, though I did not think anything beyond just that.
Back to April 15th, just before half-time I remember looking at the Scoreboard in the far corner and seeing 'Match Abandoned at Hillsborough'. I turned to my dad and said 'great, we'll be the only match on MOTD this evening' (believing the Liverpool/Forest game would have been the main game shown). Little did I know at that time. We must remember that back in 1989, communications was totally different to it is now. We did not know what was happening and purely focussing on our game.
I don't remember anything until after the game getting on our coach and told that fans had died at the other semi final. That coach journey was horrible, so quiet. We stopped at the Watford Gap services (I think) and remember dad phoning mum to tell him we were ok (even though we were at a different game, you could imagine the anguish suffered by those back home).
A friend's daughter who travelled back with us said her friend was at the Liverpool game. She was concerned.
That night, my mum tucked me up in bed and as she did so, I clearly remember her saying 'those poor people'. That will always stay with me.
I could of been any of us. Those people just went to watch a football match just like me and many others.
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On the 15th April 1989 I woke up in my bed thinking it was my birthday and that the match at Hillsborough would either make or break the celebrations that I had planned that night. I was 24, a lifelong Liverpool fan finding myself in Nottingham, a year after I had completed my studies at the city’s polytechnic.
I cannot remember the early part of the day - the events later on consumed any recollection I have about making my way to the match. My two friends Terry and Steve who joined me that day were both Liverpool fans and we all had tickets for the match.
We had been there the year before and I was aware of how close Liverpool and Nottingham Forest were in footballing terms. The outcome of the game was too close to call.
We drove up the M1 and got to Sheffield in good time. If I recall, we were near to the ground for 1.00pm. We joked about the local shop Aldridge’s that shared the same name as our centre beloved forward.
We decided to drive out of Sheffield and go to a pub called the Blue Ball on the A57 and in the direction from which Liverpool based fans would be traveling. Terry had been there the year before and said the atmosphere had been amazing. When we got there at about 1.30pm, the pub was quiet. A handful of Liverpool fans sat quietly supping their pints. This was a surprise to the three of us, particularly as we knew 25,000 fans were expected to attend the match. The lack of atmosphere persuaded us to head off after one pint and get to the ground early. We parked up and got to the ground at 2.30pm. Things were fairly orderly around the streets backing onto the Leppings Lane end of the ground. At about 2.40pm, we decided to make our way in. The number of people trying to get in the ground seemed to multiply minute by minute. Somebody said that the traffic problems and roadworks coming across the Snake Pass had meant that a lot of fans had been delayed and the pressure outside of the ground became much more serious than I had seen before at a showpiece football match.
With a lack of filtering system outside the ground, fans were congregated at least fifty deep outside the ground, trying to enter three turnstiles. Terry had a seat in the north stand and had gone to take his place whilst Steve and myself tried to edge closer to the turnstiles and into the ground. A police horse was stuck in the middle of the crowd and I soon found myself pushed up against the horse, which appeared to have its hind legs off the floor due to the confined space it was in. People were shouting at the police officer on horseback and telling him that people were in danger and that they were being crushed. The police officer swore at fans and told them to shut up. It was clear that the officer was also in distress and did not know how to control the situation. Within a couple of minutes we had both managed to get ourselves directly in front of the turnstile and eventually we were in the stadium. We looked at each other in disbelief, relieved that we had navigated our way through the crush.
We had been to Hillsborough before and once we found ourselves on the other side of the turnstiles, we were faced with the tunnel that led to the central pen behind the goal. This was always the best place to stand – close to the action and in amongst the fans that would sing throughout the game and get behind the team. Our temptation was to head for that pen but the tunnel was at least three quarters full with people trying to enter the same area so we reluctantly agreed to head for the raised terrace behind one of the corner flags that was accessible to the left of the stadium. We had been there before the year before and the view made up for the reduction in atmosphere.
What happened over the next forty minutes is difficult to recount. The teams came out and Alan Hansen was in the team – his first appearance after many months out with injury. This made me feel nervous about the game. Would he match fit and up to the pace of the difficult game ahead?
The match started at a furious pace but we could clearly see fans trying to get over the perimeter fence behind the goal. Our attention switched to the match and back again, to what appeared to be a pitch invasion. And then Beardsley hit the bar from just outside the box. Liverpool had started brightly and my nerves were beginning to settle down.
We then saw more fans clambering over the fence and about 20 fans were already close to the edge of the pitch. One fan was shouting at Bruce Grobellaar, our goalkeeper and it was clear that something was wrong and that fans were being crushed behind the goal. Even at this stage, being so far away from the terrace itself, we thought it was a simple case of too many people in that section of the ground and that it would settle down. We had no idea what was to transpire.
Within minutes, the players were taken off the field and we stood there watching and waiting for order to be restored and for the match to restart. As more people came over the barriers, we could see fans lying on their backs on the pitch gasping for air. Steve noticed a fan place a coat over another fan’s face as they lay on the pitch and said to me that they must be dead. I initially dismissed his comment but within seconds I was beginning to appreciate the magnitude of what I was seeing.
Steve’s thoughts and mine went back to Heysel stadium in 1985. We had both been at that game. Steve’s parents lived in Waterloo, south of Brussels. We were both in our first year at college and had become friends. Trips to Anfield were rare on a student grant and tickets for the European Cup Final were difficult to get hold of. Steve’s dad had managed to get three tickets in Brussels, two for him and his wife, and one for Steve. He came to see me four days before the match and told me he had a ticket. I decided to join him and travel to Brussels the following day – the Monday, two days before the match.
On the ferry from Dover to Ostend, fans had told us that there were National Front members on the boat trying to stoke things up and persuade them that ‘British is Best” and to put on a “show of strength” once in Brussels. This seemed at odds with the stories that I had heard from previous finals when the fans were focused on supporting and celebrating the team’s success.
We spent two nights at Steve’s parents, both of us looking forward to the match. His family was all committed (diehard!) Liverpool fans and we talked about the great European nights that we had all experienced beforehand.
On the day of the match, we were dropped off at the local train station and headed into Brussels. The atmosphere and camaraderie between the fans that day was extraordinary. Singing in the Grand Place in Brussels, shaking the hands of Juventus fans, talking about the greatness of both teams: Dalglish, Rush and Hansen versus Boniek, Platini and Schirea. The best two teams in Europe by a mile, meeting for the first time.
The atmosphere took a turn for the worse at about 3.00pm. The police appeared to be much more heavy-handed than earlier in the day. The reason for this was not clear but stories were circulating that a city centre jewelers had been raided by Liverpool fans.
Once we got to the stadium, I had to focus on trying to locate a ticket. Within half an hour, I had purchased a ticket for Z Block for the equivalent of £12 in what I thought was the Liverpool section. Steve had a seat on the side of the pitch. His parents, who had not been with us all day, had main stand tickets overlooking Z Block and we had arranged a meeting place for after the match.
Two hours before kick off, we decided to head in. Steve accompanied me to the turnstiles to Block Z before planning to take his seat. It was clear that this section would be full of Juventus fans as I queued up with them outside. I was unsure whether to go in, despite the good humour and mutual respect that we had seen earlier. I also wanted to watch the match with Steve and suggested that we try and get into the adjacent sections where the Liverpool fans would be. Maybe the ‘turnstile’ attendants would turn a blind eye to the fact that we had tickets for other sections of the ground.
Within five minutes, we were both in Block X, to the left of the goal as you looked from the terrace. Our tickets had not even been checked. There wasn’t even a turnstile but an open gate. Stadium security took our tickets, tore a small corner off of it, and threw the remains to the floor. Many tickets were almost in one piece as they fell to the floor, and fans scrambled to pick them up and then pass them through gaps in the perimeter stadium wall so that ticketless fans could enter the stadium.
The organization was not even second rate.
Once in the stadium, the condition of the terrace became evidently clear. The barriers had grass sprouting out of their bases and the steps were crumbling. If you had kicked it with the ball of your foot, you would have been presented with rock to hurl at opposing fans, if you were that way inclined.
We sat on the terrace trying to sober up and could hear a commotion between Y Block directly behind the goal and Z Block next to it. Somebody had started burning an Italian flag directly in front of the predominantly Juventus fans based in the Z Block, that I later learnt had been reserved for neutral Brussels-based football fans. Even in my young life, I had appreciated the passion that Italian’s held for their great nation and the impact that flag burning would have on the atmosphere.
We stood up as we saw rocks flying over from Z Block. We were at least 75 yards away and out of danger but could see the trouble unfolding. Within 20 minutes fans were charging back and forth between the two sections. People stood next to us, who had been on the receiving end of violence perpetrated by the Roma fans and police at the previous year’s final, made their way over to the trouble. They felt they had justification, despite my best efforts to argue that two wrongs don’t make a right.
The fighting went on for what seemed like ages. Steve and myself stood depressed, wondering at first whether the game would start and later watching the final with complete disinterest. We did not know that people had been killed but later recalled a loud bang, which we thought might have been the wall cracking as 39 football fans perished to their death.
At half time, I decided to take a leak and was told by a fellow fan that he had been informed by Red Cross personnel that 30 fans had died. I did not believe him. How? Fans had ‘merely’ fought on the terraces and chased each other before the police had got the situation under control. On returning to my place on the terrace for the second half, my information was met by similar incredulity by fans that stood nearby.
The parallels between Heysel and Hillsborough have always lived with me. Poor organization and a disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the paying customers were prevalent at both tragedies. However, a major contributing factor at Heysel was the behaviour of a small number of ‘fans’ that decided to forget why we were there – to support our team and marvel at the beautiful game.
The two events are intertwined not only by time – four years apart from each other – but by an ongoing failure to establish what really happened and to bring those responsible to justice. At Heysel, many fighting fans were identified and rightly convicted for their crimes but the people who decided to put a major final in a stadium that was not fit for purpose and without sensible segregation have never been challenged. Likewise, the people responsible for managing Hillsborough stadium had a duty of care to ensure that all attendees could watch a match in safety and to respond efficiently if fans were in danger. They failed to do so, and then sought to destroy evidence and turn the focus on the fans in attempt to divert attention from their failure to provide a duty of care.
For many years, Heysel caused me more upset. The people I had stood alongside for years had contributed to the death of fellow human beings. But looking at both tragedies 20 plus years after, the Hillsborough tragedy has equal billing. As fans, we had put our faith in the authorities to protect us, to guide us and ensure we were free from fear and harm. On that day in April 1989, they failed so many people and must be brought to account for those failings.
From a personal perspective, I often think about the decisions that both Steve and myself made on those fateful days and how close we could have come to being victims. For my part, I do not carry any guilt but a longing to try and support and contribute to the process of bringing closure for the families and friends of my fellow Liverpudlian and the Italian (and Irish) fans that perished at both sporting events.
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I will never forget that horrible day either.
My son and I were at the Partick Thisle Vs Hamilton Accies game that dat but by twenty past three we had stopped watching or being interested in what was happening on the park. Someone next to us had a radio on and all we could hear was the rising ammount of casualties and deaths coming over the airwaves. We had both for a long time had big feelings both for Liverpool Football Club and the City Of Liverpool itself. My Brother had lived in Liverpool for many years and through familly visits we had built up a lasting affinity and friendship with Liverpool. I don't think I will ever forget the scenes and news items that followed that awful day with my lasting memory was the sight of the Kop and the pitch in front being covered in flowers,scarves and shirts from what seemed like every team in the UK. I also will never forget the service from Liverpool Cathederal and the sound of the lone choirboy singing You'll Never Walk Alone, just today they played it on Macth Of The Day 2 and I watched and listened with the tears running down my face.
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Interesting article Steve, but why is there no mention of the Hysel tragedy when that came around. This seems to have been forgotton by the pro liverpool BBC. Don't they deserve to be remembered or is that an inconvenient truth?
Friend of an italian who died there.
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I was 22 and actually playing in my own semi-final when this tragedy unfolded. Friends were listening on the radio and relaying the horror to us whilst we were on the pitch. My dad was there and I had no idea where in the ground he was. As soon as we finished, I legged it to the pub next to where I was playing, still in my kit, and phoned home to see if dad had rung. After 20 minutes, I finally got through. My brother just said "He's not phoned yet" and hung up. He wanted to keep the line free. It was horrible.
One thing that sticks in my mind is that my dad has always said the generosity and kindness of the people of Sheffield has never really been recognised. They opened their houses up to devastated fans trying to phone home, letting them sit down after what had happened and just comforted people who didn't know what to do because friends or loved ones were missing.
This tragedy touched so many people, not just those at the ground, and the people of Sheffield showed themselves to be kind, generous, human beings who care about others. I am a proud Liverpool fan, I have educated my 3 children as to what happened on that fateful day in April 1989, I am grateful my dad is still alive to tell the tale, I will be at Anfield on Wednesday for the memorial service and I will NEVER forget the 96 who lost their lives and their families and friends.
YNWA
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I don't think the police have changed regarding policing football matches,I was pushed into walking up Wembley way at the last England game along with about 40.000 other fans but i did not want to go towards the tube station as my car was parked at my friends house who lives close to the ground.
I was kicked to the ground by six police officers and punched in the head and leaving me with major cuts to my head and body as a result of their actions,I only wanted to walk up towards Wembley Arena to get to my freinds house !!
Rent a MOB I was allowed to walk up the same road at the Saturdays game so why not on the Wednesday night game?
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Thank you, Steve, for reminding me so graphically that when I complain that modern stadia lack the atmosphere of my youth and that I wouldn't mind standing now and again, I just simply forget the great risks that fans were exposed to, but were so happy to take as part of the ritual of watching football. I say this as a Forest fan, who was at the game that day, and like so many of the other Forest contributors, was a mere onlooker to a tragedy I did not understand the extent of until we switched Sports Report on in the car at 5pm and the theme tune that resonates with all supporters as they leave games was absent; just silence and then the words of Peter Jones telling us 74 (I think at that stage) has lost their lives at a game of football that I had also attended, like them, with so much hope and expectation. Think Hansen got it just right on MOTD; I don't think about Hillsborough constantly, and sometimes I forget and need the reminder, but for the families of those 96 people it is with them every day of their lives. That is why we should remember. Also, thank you to the person who simply posted the names and ages of the victims. Nothing else is necessary.
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I agree that everyone's memory of that day is important.
It would be interesting also to hear the experiences of Tottenham fans who were involved in the crushing incident at Hillsborough in 1981.
That was a warning that was not heeded
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It seems to me that Liverpudlians (and the public at large) hold South Yorkshire Police responsible for this tragedy. Sheffielders, on the other hand, definitely hold Liverpool fans responsible. I was a steward at Hillsborough, for three seasons in the mid 90's, and then South Yorkshire Police still treated opposition football fans as hooligans waiting to happen. However, what upsets me about this tragedy, & what has never been highlighted, is that Mr Justice Popplewell, in his report on the 1985 Bradford Fire, pointed out that the main means of escape, in that incident, was onto the pitch. I seem to recall that he specifically recommended that fences should never be put round the perimeter of the pitch. Wembley held 100,000 people, but in the 'white horse' final over 200,000 were there. No-one was killed because they all spilled onto the pitch. Irrespective of the number of Liverpool fans, that turned up that semi final, or the attitude & competence of SY police, the Hillsborough tragedy would never have happened if the fence hadn't been there. The whole thing would never have happened if they'd only listened to Mr Justice Popplewell, but the govt. were too busy labelling football fans hooligans, instead of thinking of public safety. I am not a Liverpool fan, but this, and the fact that it has never been acknowledged, still makes me extremely angry. We didn't need all seater stadia, or Wembley semi finals, we just needed the authorities to have a different attitude.
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Reading the moving comments of that terrible day 15th April 1989, would it be a fitting Memorial to the 96 people who lost their lives if we went to football matches in future, with no hatred in our hearts for the opposition, be they local rivals or teams with ex players returning.Lets go to enjoy our selves and engage in friendly banter rather than ugly remarks, because it starts with ourselves. Let good football be the winner and enjoyment.
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I couldn't get a ticket for that day.........I was gutted !! So I did the next best thing, got in a few beers and settled myself down to watch the match on the TV. The atmosphere seemed great as I watched the fans behind the goal thinking how lucky they were to be there. The game started and I was cheering and shouting at the TV as if I was in the ground. Just a few minutes into the game and the commentator announced that there were fans on the pitch, in the 6-yard box. The camera panned to the crowd behind the goal, people were being lifted on to the upper tier, it was obvious this was not a pitch invasion. What happened next sticks in my mind forever, I could not believe what I was watching, the panic and dispair of fans who could not find friends or family members, fans carrying advertising hoardings to ferry the injured on to the pitch, the shock on players faces........the total sense of hopelessness. I have visited the Hillsborough memorial at Anfield on many occasions since then and have stood reading the names of the 96 unfortunate fans....fans who went to watch THEIR team and never came back. Mixed emotions always flood through me, relief - that I couldnt get a ticket, guilt - for being relieved that I wasnt there, sorrow - for those that lost friends and family, anger - well every Liverpool fan knows why.
In 2007 I took my daughter to her first Anfield game, against Chelsea. She was so excited, talked about nothing else for weeks. When we arrived and after doing the obligatory visit to the LFC shop I took her round to the memorial. I remember watching her as she looked at the memorial for the first time and read the names of people she had never known, as she stood in silence with tears in her eyes. At that moment I experienced a new emotion - pride !! Proud, as my daughter demonstrated that she was a true Liverpool supporter. She didnt know any of those 96 brothers and sisters of Anfield but she felt their loss. We walked towards the turnstiles.......we didnt talk because we didnt need to.
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They went for the love of the game, and for pride in their team.
They died for the fear enforced by society, and the FA's shame.
To keep people caged in like animals is the most powerful image I can imagine of the world's mistrust of it's own.
Lets never let this happen again.
RIP, and let the blue side of Manchester walk alongside you, as you truely do never walk alone. X
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292, stracepipe- you need to clarify what you say.
Your thoughts on Bradford and the pens are spot on- the fences should not have been there. So what is the purpose of the first 2 sentances 'It seems to me that Liverpudlians (and the public at large) hold South Yorkshire Police responsible for this tragedy. Sheffielders, on the other hand, definitely hold Liverpool fans responsible.'
It seems to me that you are suggesting that it's the fault of Liverpool fans that the fences were there! One of the most ridiculus statements I've read. A small minority of fans from across the country, combined with an inappropriate response from authorities and media disortion, caused those fences to go up.
What angers me is that they didn't have to ultimately cause deaths.
The stadium didn't even meet the safety standards set out, they shouldn't have had a licence to host matches and Sheffield council (who were responsible for checking and approving safety certificates), nor the club, has ever stood to account on this. Fans should not have been there on that day.
The police were there to manage crowd safety and they let them down every step of the way. They failed to respond to the situation when overcrowding was evident and they failed to do anything to help when it turned into a crush. All it would've taken was someone to close off the tunnel and send fans to the sides; 'a blunder of the first magnitude' are I believe Lord Taylors words. Again, the fans shouldn't have been down the tunnel- but they didn't know where else to go, no signs, no stewards, no information and they certainly didn't know that the pens were already overcrowed- how could they?
And finally, there were exits on to the pitch (albeit inadequate) but even these small escape routes were blocked off by police- who forced fans back into the pens when they managed to open these gates.
How are the fans responsible? The only crime they ever comitted was to go to a football game. It could have been fans from anywhere- are those from other clubs who experienced crushes in Leppings Lane before this also to blame?
We hold those who caused the incident to account- SYP, the council, the club (who knew they didn't have a valid safety certificate) and the FA. The fans put their trust in these people and they were let down in the most horrific way.
Apologies again that this is not a memorial post, but I can't stand by and let such incomprehensible statments about the fans, many of whom have been good enough to share their memories on this blog, stand without correction.
YNWA
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I was 14 in April 1989 and wasn't at Hillsborough, being an Arsenal fan. Several of my schoolfriends were and I remember losing interest in the Arsenal game that day as the news begun to filter through from Sheffield and wondering whether my friends were all right (fortunately they all were). Having stood on terraces in the late 80's I remember crushes being 'part of football' and how desperately I wanted to be stood 'with the lads', rather than sat in one of the 'family' stands. Just like every other young person, just like the 96 on the Leppings Lane terraces. Sad that all the other warnings went unheeded and that these people had to die. Sad that like so many other clubs, Sheffield Wednesday fitted cages to the terraces. Sad that the clubs and the FA (and I include my own here) saw the profits of overfilling their stadia rather than looking after their own fans. Arsenal moved their ground due to a small capacity at Highbury, 38,500. The record attendance at Highbury is over 55,000, going on for twice the safe limit. Many other fans here ahve made the same point, overfilled grounds. Surely the lasting legacy of the Liverpool fan's tragedy (and the fans at Bradford, Burnden Park, Ibrox and others) should be that the fans ARE the club, without them, the club is nothing.
Thanks for listening, RIP all those caught up in disasters, justice for the 96
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Steve - thanks - I was moved the most by your piece on FF on Saturday. I think your words and those of Peter Jones at the end of the segment were the so resonant.
I am a Liverpool fan and agree totally that this could have been any fan at any such "big match" around the time and those that mock Scousers for "whining" about the disaster are as low as those who mock ManU fans for mourning the Busby babes.
Well Done
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Well said post 296 KopitePanther, although reading post 292 am not sure it means exactly what it sounds like. Without question no fences would have allowed people onto the pitch, but would SYP still have pushed the crowd back in, I reckon they would. As a home and away red in the 80s I witnessed police forces reaction to any small disturbance regarding football fans as though it was a major riot- totally OTT.
Anyway post 292 does not account for the aftermath of lies and missing video evidence or the lack of ambulances onto the pitch( I only saw one, but plenty outside).
What about the total lack of reaction to arranging medical aid- remember the advertising hoardings that the fans turned into stretchers.
All this seems to be forgotten by the selective memory of a few.
R.I.P the 96
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20 years on and still I have a sense that sometime somewhere across some of the ramshackles of stadia world wide that a disaster of this magnitude will happen again.
The policing of international games in places such as Slovenia, Ukraine to name but 2, is a farce and a disgrace, and the on-going ticket problems with touts and being able to watch in "away" ends leaves me with a worrying feeling.
Have we learned anything about policing and stewarding at our grounds, I'd say no, same old same old.
RIP the 96 fans that died on that tragic day, unfortunatley lessons still need to be learned
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excelentHappy: Very good point. British authorities definately learned from Hillsborough. However I'm still not sure if a large chunk of continental society have forgiven English fans for Heysel yet let alone really registered what happened at Hillsborough. What happened at the Lille vs MUFC CL tie as recently as '07 could have turned very nasty.
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It is very fitting that the 20th Anniversary of the disaster should be marked by the many various sensitive and moving comments here.
I, with others, was in pen 3 that day. We all survived but it remains the worst day of our lives.
How sad and predictable that a few contributors (thankfully moderated out) have taken the opportunity to make ill-informed and insensitive comments. None of them would have done so if they had been there, lost anybody or knew any of the bereaved or permanently injured. Nor would they do so if they had read and understood Lord Taylor’s interim report or Phil Scraton’s book.
They sum up most of why I now hate nearly everything about the football industry. I especially deplore the nasty narrow-minded tribal bigotry that many fans of all clubs seem to hold. The facts are that given the particular circumstances in place that day, especially the inexperience & incompetence of those in charge, no matter which team’s fans were in the Leppings Lane end there would have been fatalities.
The jibes and comparisons made to Heysel are similarly inappropriate. Once again fatalities would have occurred in much the same fashion no matter which British or other major European Club had been there. The fighting by a tiny minority on both sides caused deaths through panic because the stadium was not fit for purpose, the segregation was woefully inadequate and the policing shamefully incompetent.
I agree that the Heysel victims and their families should be respectfully remembered.
Hooliganism had become a European (not exclusively British) disease during the 2 decades prior to Hillsborough. The existence of the fences is to be blamed on all who contributed to that state of affairs. So the self-righteous pointing to the behaviour of a minority of Liverpool fans need to remember what their own ‘crews’ were up to then and in some cases are still up to even now. Do our MUFC friends believe that Liverpool or Everton fans visiting Old Trafford were met with open arms and cups of tea?
Fans of all Clubs should mark 15th April with respect for the deceased, bereaved and injured. We should all do something positive to end the mean-spirited nastiness which has become part of being a football supporter. Despite my great admiration for Bill Shankly, he could never have foreseen the likes of Hillsborough when he made his famous life and death comments. Had he lived to see it he would have changed his mind.
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Note to Editor: will Football Focus of 11th April be repeated? Unfortunately I missed it and I can't find it on i-player.
RIP the 96 - and all the other loved ones who are no longer with us.
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I too was on the corner terrace on that day. We deliberately aimed for that area when we got into the ground although it wasn't obvious which way to go to get there. The previous year we had battled to get through the turnstile just before kick off and had gone to the right of the stand as I'm sure that the tunnel through had been blocked off behind the stand. In 1988 we tried to make our way from right to left to see the obvious places on the corner terrace but the fixed barriers that caused the deaths in 1989 did not allow it. If there had been gates to move sideways along the terrace as well as more openings in the front fence the cruch could have been reduced.
From our vantage point on the corner terrace we could see the centre pens filling up as if it were a deliberate policy to fill them first and then allow others into the ends. There were people sitting on the terraces in the end pens reading their programmes until shortly before kick off. They were that empty.
Once the problem arose and the game was stopped it was only the fans and a few police that were making any effort to help. The main police presence was across the half way line to keep the rival fans apart.
I would like to thank the people of Sheffield who, pre-mobiles, allowed us into their homes to use their phones to call home and set minds at rest.
The all-seater safety legacy has been great for football except that it is hard for newcomers or casual fans to get to the games at the bigest clubs. They just don't know how to go about getting tickets for the bigger clubs as the Identity Card scheme proposed pre-Hillsborough has been introduced by the back door.
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I have a tattoo on my arm dedicated to the 96 who died on that terrible day. I always wanted it so i am very proud of it. My liverpool friends understand why i've got it but i realise so many people are uneducated about what went on that day.
I get things said to me like "you wern't there! why have it"? true, i wasn't there but as a life long supporter i felt the pain,shock and sorrow as if i had lost dear friends because in my heart i had. I've had first hand accounts from friends that were there that day and we all know the truth now after the inquest.
Then over the following months and years i felt anger,...anger at the lies told from certain members of the press,anger at the investigation and subsequent cover up from the people who were there to protect them and failed.
Justice has never been delivered to those who died or to their families whose loved ones were lost.
So if it means me carrying on explaining my tattoo to people and telling the true story to the uneducated and ignorant people out there about what went on that day....then it's the least i can do. YNWA 96
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I rembember watching the news in my local on that mind numbing day as the events unfolded. Fresh were the memories of 1985's european disaster and most in the pub were thinking here we go again. As the clock ticked by and the pictures came over the TV it soon became clear this was something that had nothing to do with the fans except they were unfortunate enough to be there. I still feel sick at the thought of the pictures of the bodies on the leisure centre floor as the night moved on, but the thing that upset me the most was the pictures in the tabloids in the days that followed. People taking pictures of the poor souls trapped in the Leppings Lane instead of throwing down the camera and trying to help. After that week I cancelled my paper delivery that was the "Daily Mirror" and I have not bought a tabloid news paper in this country since.
My thought go out to the 96 and their families as we see the 20th aniversary of this sad,sad day!
A humble Man U supporter.
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I'm a Motherwell fan, but grew up watching the great Liverpool sides of the 80s. They always seemed to be in European finals, and with a few Scots in their team, it added to my interest.
On that day in '89, I had decided to go with my mate to watch Partick Thistle playing Medowbank Thistle (now Livingston), in a meaningless end- of- season type of game. The news came through on radio as we drove home- still remember the comentator's voice. Utter disbelief and confusion.
Whenever talk of Hillsborough comes up on TV, I always wish those 96 souls had been at Firhill that day, rather than in Sheffield. That way they would be safe now, and all talking about how crap the game had been in Glasgow. And I'd have a broad grin on my face this week, rather than being close to tears thinking about people, some not even in their teens, losing their lives on what should have been one of the most exciting days of their lives.
The Sun? Words can't describe how foul that paper is. I've since worked in Liverpool, and if anyone even remotely believes any of the filth printed in that excuse for a newspaper. they should go to Liverpool and see how warm and genuine that city is.
RIP the 96
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Im a 21 year old Manchester United fan. I was only 1 when this happened so have no memory of it but being a fan of an English club and following English football closely you learn about things like Hillsborough. Last year there was the Munich disaster anniversary and although they are different tragedies that you can't really compare, my knowledge of that greatly increased around Feb. last year along with my parents and grandparents stories of their memories through the media. This year a lot of channels, websites etc are doing great work to try to help the younger fans understand what happened on that day in '89. Understand the situation surely, but im sure nothing could not come close to understanding what those poor souls in Sheffield went through that day.
Despite the on-pitch rivalry at the minute getting so intense between Utd and Liverpool, credit must go to the 'pool for the way they are handling the commemorations etc. And im sure from football fans everywhere, the ocassion will get what it deserves. Complete and utter RESPECT.
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spursdublinfan- the most sense I have EVER read on a blog. God Bless
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RIP the 96.
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I have vivid memories of that day.
I was 18 and enjoying the Bassett revolution at Sheffield United.
That day a mate and I travelled to the County Ground to see the Blades play Northampton Town.
A bloke near me had a radio and news of the game being abandoned due to "crowd trouble" started to feed through as the first half came to an end.
We didn't really learn anything further during the break and there were no official announcements.
By the middle of the second half somebody mentioned that people had died and we started to feel that something big was unfolding. Something big and not very pleasant.
When the game finished no-one celebrated our 1-0 win. The whole ground, both home and away fans, just stood there. The players stayed on the pitch and an announcement was made apparently it seemed for those of us heading back up the M1 to Sheffield.
I remember seeing the horror on defender Chris Wilder's face. A local lad who had just realised, like me, what had happened in his home city.
When our coach arrived back in Sheffield it was ghastly. It must have been after 7 and there were Liverpool and Forest fans wandering aimlessly around the city centre.
I got on my bus. I just wanted to go home.
In the days that followed I visited Hillsborough and the various football colours tied to the Leppings Lane gates was one of the most emotional sights I have ever seen.
Seven years later I was living in Hillsborough during Euro 96 and remember the Danish fans paying tribute at the memorial. Another very emotional moment.
Grade
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Steve,
You understate your emotions. You were there.
For me I just had to watch the scenes on the television as teenager.
I was just thinking not again as Heysel went through my head.
The scenes of people, maybe corpses for all I know, being placed on advertising boards and carried away on their makeshift stretchers, still lives with me.
As a Liverpool supporter chatting to people too young to remember this tragedy at work I can only pass on a bit of the emotion that is felt on this occasion.
But I can pass on that this should never happen again.
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This ranks alongside 9/11 as one of the most gross acts of inhumanity we'll likely ever see. I dearly hope the murderers that day are one day held to account. A good friend of mine, RedFan, and his wife were at that game. Sadly, he lost her.
RIP RedFan's wife.
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Really? That's horrific. Again, parallels with 9/11.
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There but for the grace of god......
Who can forget the eighties. The unemployment. The state benefit. Being offered the chance to go to the match. Not having the money to pay for the ticket. Being really pissed off because your mates do have the money. Arranging to meet them in the pub in the evening to talk about the day. Hearing the news in the pub that afternoon. Running home to watch the TV. Not believing your eyes; the mayhem, the horror, the death, THE FACES OF THE PEOPLE PRESSED UP AGAINST THE RAILINGS!!!! The feeling of helplessness, watching this tragedy happen before my eyes. Watching, watching, WATCHING; unable to do anything, unable to help!!!!! feeling sick to the pit of my stomach!!!!!!!! Feeling guilty, yes guilty, because I should have been there with my mates.
Going to Anfield a couple of days later to pay my tribute. To pray before the Kop for the people who didn't make it back from Sheffield; to pray for the families, to give them strength to carry on, to let them know in my own small insignificant way that I support them.
And, very selfishly, thanking GOD that I was unemployed, that I didn't have any money to pay for the ticket, that I didn't go!!!!!!!!!!! RIP
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Sounds like you had a similar experience to me. It was 20 years ago but I remember it like it was yesterday. It was only the second away game I had ever been to - I was a regular at Anfield, but never really had the balls (or the money) to travel away. Funnily enough, the only other away game was at the same ground the season before when we battered Sheffield Wednesday 5-1, but this was more important because this was the FA Cup semi-final.
I went with two friends - Eric, who was my neighbour and best friend, and Alan who was this weird kid who used to tag along with us! We travelled to the game by coach, though we were split up and went on seperate coaches (Barnes Travel on County Road if I remember rightly). I didn't really speak to the guy I was sat next to - I was only a teenager and this guy was probably in his mid-20s. Fortunately, the coaches parked up near each other so we found each other pretty quickly. It was still about three hours to the game so we wondered around a bit. We were too young for the pub so we went the sweet shop! We quickly got bored so we decided to go into the ground earlyish - probably well over an hour to go before the game. We got through the turnstiles pretty quickly and after being searched, made our way to the stand which was directly in front of us. Couldn't really miss the entrance to the stand because there was a pretty big subway-type tunnel entrance to it. So we made our way in - it was not particularly crowded and we managed to get a fantastic spot sat on the bars right behind the goals. So we stayed there for a while, sometimes standing, sometimes sitting on the bars, until about half an hour before the game when Eric said something that was unusually observant of him. He said it was getting a bit crowded (as we kept on getting shoved off the bars from behind), and he noticed that the section to the left of us was relatively empty, so he suggested that we relocated. We moved across but we couldn't get in there because there appeared to be two rows of railings about a metre apart seperating it - I am guessing that that section was probably usually reserved for away fans hence the need to the double railings. Anyway, we managed to get out of the centre stand and went through a heavy gate (which was policed and had to be opened for us to go through) to get to the left hand stand. We were also searched again as we went through the gate, and the entrance to this section was a less obvious smaller alleyway in the far left corner. So we made our way to another pretty good spot at the front, sat on the bars, and waited for the kick-off. We were only about 5 yards from where we were before, but we had to walk about 100 yards to get to it!
Eventually the match kicked off and the section we were in was basically empty. Eric made a throwaway comment about how packed it was where we were before. Then we noticed people climbing on the fence. One or two got pushed back, but I remember one guy getting over the fence and trying to get to Bruce to tell him what was happening in the stand. I think he may have been grabbed by police. We didn't really appreciate the situation at the time - I must admit I even thought it was a pitch invasion. To my eternal shame, I even joined in the chanting of "get off the F-ing pitch". It was only when others got over and instead of running across the pitch to get at rival fans or players, instead started to point towards the fences to police/stewards or whoever would listen to them. Pretty soon there was a steady stream of people climbing over the fences. The match was stopped and the players went off. Then people were being lifted over the fence, seemingly unconcious, and then taken off on stretchers. Then even more unconcious people came over the fences. There where no stretchers so the fans were ripping up advertising hordings. Then it struck us. There was a guy on the pitch just in front of us lying motionless, and he had a coat over his head. We just looked at each other, and we didn't say anying 'cos we were all thinking "is he dead?" - it was just too awful to comprehend. We felt helpless, because even though it was all happening a few yards away, we were fenced in and couldn't do anything. Then we saw Tony, a friend who we regularly played footy and went the match with. He was just standing in the six yard box crying his eyes out - "What's going on?" we shouted, "Where's your Nicky and Chris?". He just said he couldn't find them and he was looking for them - he said they got seperated in the crush. Then he said something that still haunts me today - "There are people F-ing dying in there!!". It confirmed what we were thinking, but actually hearing it...
After about an hour, the announcer said the match was called off. We made our way back to the coaches without saying much. The phoneboxes had massive queues coming out of them so I just got on the coach and waited. We waited quite a while, because there were a few empty seats (including the one next to me) and the coach driver didn't want to leave without them. The radio was on, and the report came in that there were a number of deaths, then there were confirmed numbers - 15...19...25. The coach eventually moved off with the few empty seats, and the numbers increased. It was 40 odd by the time I was dropped off at The Strand. Eric's elder brother was there waiting for us. He sh@t himself when he saw me get off the coach on my own. I explained and he was extremely releaved that Eric was also safe. He called his mum, and she went and told my mum I was safe. I went around to my aunties around the corner and she gave me the money for a taxi and I went home. I was greated by my mum in tears at the gate. It was weird - all hugs and kisses. My mum had never shown me that much affection (plus I was a typical teenager at the time!). It still hadn't really hit me, how close we had come. How if Eric hadn't said we should move that it could have been us (which he has never let me forget!). Eric is still my best ever friend, but after getting married we drifted apart, his mum moved away, living in seperate areas, and I haven't seen him in a few years but I guess I owe him my life.
The next few days were weird - the number of deaths went up, the newspaper reports blaming the fans and the horrible lies they spouted about fans urinating on the dead and picking their pockets - what was that all about?? A couple of school friends who weren't into footy knocked for me on the Monday morning, which was strange, but then they explained that they wanted to make sure that I was okay and they couldn't wait to see if I arrived at school. Then in school I kept on getting the "were you there?" question. Then there were the jokes from the Everton fans - "What's a Liverpool fan's favourite drink? Squash!" - yeah, haha, not!
I am not an emotional person - It still hadn't really hit me. But I cried for the first time the following week. We went to Anfield to pay our respects for the service they held, but we didn't get in. We were outside Anfield, where the eternal flame is now, and we just couldn't move. Then we just started to sing "You will never walk alone" and the tears just flooded out.
A few weeks later Liverpool played their first home game since the tragedy. Coincidentally, also against Notts Forest. I remember queing to get in. I was on my own 'cos it was too soon for Eric. Fortunately, I saw a lad I knew and I called over to him and he got in the queue in front of me. Would you believe it - they locked the gates in front of me! My mate got in but I was left stranded. That was weird, the first home game I missed that season. They had reduced the capacity by about 5000. I managed to go to the rest of the home games that season, as well as the replayed semi-final, which was obviously also an emotional occassion. Eric and Alan were fortunate enough to get tickets for the final, but I wasn't. We all went to the final home game of the season, which is when I cried again. Although we lost the title in the worse possible way, I think the tears were for the fans that died - we wanted to win it for them.
No one I knew personally died. I don't think I was as traumatised by it all as I could have been. My mum thinks I went into my shell, but I don't think I was any different. I think about it every now and again, but the date brings it all back.
I am thankful, and feel lucky to be alive sometimes. I also feel guilty, that I was one of the lucky ones. Why?
To the 96 others who never made it back from Hillsborough on 15th April 1989, my thoughts are with you forever. You Will Never Walk Alone.
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I was at Highbury on the day of the Hillsborough disaster and whilst I was only 12 recall the day vividly.
I remember the first news filtering down that the semi final had been abandoned owing to 'crowd problems' and this was met, so I recall, with the normal assumptions most people would have leapt to - this being of course until more accurate reports slowly came through.
There were over 38,000 people at Highbury that day but I recall the atmosphere being very strange, very subdued and muted at the final whistle - Arsenal won but it didn't matter as news of deaths also started to arrive.
The news was very slow - the world was not awash with mobile phones and WiFi connections that it is today and it was not until we reached the car on the way home that more stories came through.
The tragic events of the day are obviously at their most raw for Liverpool and their supporters and the families of the supporters who were killed or injured as a result of the events of the day but this was very much a football (as well as a human tragedy of course) tragedy and I believe the atmosphere at Highbury that day reflected this - it could have been Arsenal, Manchester United, Spurs, Everton or any other well supported club you care to mention who could have been involved that day.
We know who was to blame if one wants to go down that avenue and I hope one day the families of those involved can have the justice for their loved ones which they deserve.
I know my thoughts will be with them on Wednesday not least as I will be returning to Highbury that evening and sitting in a stadium built in the fall out of the Taylor report - just wish to God it did not have to take such a tragic event to make the football authorities stand up and see that caging decent people, families with children and the like was the right way to do things.
RIP from an Arsenal supporter who will never forget.
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317. At 9:50pm on 13 Apr 2009, surgicalaplombdotcom wrote:
This ranks alongside 9/11 as one of the most gross acts of inhumanity we'll likely ever see. I dearly hope the murderers that day are one day held to account. A good friend of mine, RedFan, and his wife were at that game. Sadly, he lost her.
RIP RedFan's wife.
What a ridiculous statement . Exactly who are the murderers you are talking about and how should they be held to account ?
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Steve,your blog and the part you played in Saturdays Football Focus has prompted me to recount what i saw that day for the first time in public.
I attended the semi final on the 15th April 1989 as a Forest supporter,a team I had followed from the mid sixties when England winning the World Cup sparked my interest in professional football.Being a native of Nottingham and the glory days of Notts County and Tommy Lawton being just a distant memory,it was only natural that I gravitated to the City Ground.Forest had a half decent team in those days and in fact reached the semi final of the FA Cup in 1967,when they played Spurs at Hillsborough.Alas,we lost to the inevitable goal from Jimmy Greaves and so the twin towers were as far away as ever.
Now,things went from bad to worse and by the mid seventies Forest found themselves going nowhere in the second division.Enter one Brain Ch
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I fully agree. If the BBC remove that post it's just another indication of their lack of journalistic rigour and disposition toward cloying, over-sentimentality. These aren't controversial opinions anywhere outside Anfield or the cowed press.
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This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to write. I was at the game that day. I was fifteen years old. If I had got to the game earlier I may have been in the thick of the events that unfolded. What I witnessed that day will stay with me forever. Things that a fifteen year old should never have to witness. A disaster that should never have happened. 96 people should have returned home that night to their families. So should all of the injured that were in hospital for so long. It's time people were held accountable and it's time people apologised. Loved ones can never be replaced, they can only be remembered.
As I get older and my kids grow up, I tell them what happened and I keep telling them. They know and they will tell others and these precious people who were lost will be remembered for as long as I live.
Justice for the 96!
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Steve - A very moving piece which I am sure has touched many of us who remember the events of that day.
I was born in Sheffield to nottingham family (Forest ever since). During the 1980s growing up if we were back in Sheffield, the boys of the family would go to Hillsborough to see wednesday and often stand in the Leppings lane end. That tunnel had a strange feeling to a small boy even then.
I was 15 on that fateful day and we were in the Kop end, bottom right! It started well, family lunch and knowing the area we parked with the Liverpool supporters at the back of Hillsborough, walked past the Leppings Lane end and had plenty of good natured banter with the thousands waiting to get in.
As events unfolded we stood in stunned silence with everyone else. For me i will never forget the walk back to the car trying to understand what we had just seen and trying to explain to the younger boys (11 & 12 y/o). We saw Bobby Moore leaning on his car as we walked past the gymnasium.... sorry he said with a knowing nod, tears in his eyes.
All fans were in shock, sitting dazed on walls / cars etc. We shook hands with a a few, hugs from some of the mainly Liverpool fans waiting for the bus but mostly that knowing look of appreciation.
To the 96 RIP, to the many thousands of others remembering the day with their own memories my deepest respect. I am in Tokyo now but at 11.05pm local time a tiny corner of Tokyo will observe the silence with those in Merseyside, Nottingham and Sheffield.
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# 326. s At 00:28am on 14 Apr 2009, steveimpartial
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What precisely are the house rules regarding Hillsborough? Deference to the schmaltzy parade which, for some reason, is more acknowledged than, say, Heysel or the Bradford City fire? Right.
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''''210. s At 11:41am on 11 Apr 2009, openside50
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And yet another post removed, the BBC really should rename this thread, the post here as long as you toe the party line thread
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This blog has, as with most on the BBC, had it's fair share of different opinions. Of which everyone is entitled to post.
In my opinion though, this really isn't the place to be spiteful, nasty, maliscious or just down right ignorant. We have to remember that this could have happened at almost any 'big match' during that era. It wasn't just Liverpool fans that were at risk then, it was every fan. And if it had been United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton or, for that matter, any football club where 96 innocent supporters had died unecassarily, we would STILL be remembering them in exactly the same way. And, for the majority, with just the same amount of respect.
The minority would though, still post their stirring posts, just to get a rise out of the grieving supporters of the clubs they dislike. We still have a long way to go before we can consider ourselves compassionate.....
YNWA
JFT96
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Amidst all the understandable emotional outpouring over Hillsborough, has anyone given a moment to consider the suffering of those Italian families who lost loved ones at the Heysel Stadium in 1985? For whatever reason, this tragedy, & the ignominy it brought upon English football & Liverpool Football Club in particular, seems to have been swept under the carpet & conveniently forgotten. Will we witness similar scenes of remorse & a clamouring for justice when the 25th anniversary of this terrible tragedy comes around next May? - I somehow doubt it.
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PeterB. There have been numerous posts regarding Heysel on here and, I for one, will never forget the events of that day in Brussels in 1985. Having spent the day in the 'Grande Place', and going to the ground in the bright sunshine, I had no idea what was going to unfold before my eyes. As a 19 year old, travelling alone, I think it was the fist time in my life that I encountered real fear! And the horror of having to walk past the dead at half-time, when I left, is still in my mind.
I don't think anyone associated with LFC will ever forget Heysel. If the BBC put a blog on about it, I will contribute my thoughts. But this isn't a Heysel Blog, in case you hadn't noticed!!!
YNWA
JFT96
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I was 7 when it happened and it is probably one of my first memories about football. I remember watching the news and my dad explaining to me briefly that there were too many people in and they were squashed against the fences. I was too young to really understand the enormity ofthe disaster.
In the years since however I still think a lot of football fans have not learned from their mistakes. In my early teens I was packed into an over-crowded away end for a Reading V Cardiff cup replay at Reading's old stadium. It was a battered old terrace and there were missiles being thrown, I still have a scar on my hand from a coin that hit me.
There is a minority of fans that refuse to take responsibility for their actions. Look at the idiots that threw a coin at the ref in the Cardiff v Swansea game last week, or the Liverpool fans that overcrowded the stadium in Athens for the 2007 Champions League. Those fans STOLE tickets from fellow liverpool supporters, waved Flyers for the game at stewards as they crowded their way into the stadium, and passed tickets back through gates to allow more people to sneak in. These are Liverpool fans! They above all should know better.
Hillsborough was a terrible tradgedy that might have easily been avoided by something as simple as delaying the kick off by 30 mins, nobody can bring back the 96 fans that paid the ultimate price. But there is still a complete lack of responsibility from the fans involved on the day. Yes we now know that the exit gate should never have been opened, but if fans weren't fighting to get through the turnstiles into an already full stadium would they have had to open the gates?
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While I have every sympathy with the victims and families of the Hillsborough disaster havs anyone remembered the similar disaster which happened in May 1985 when almost 60 people died at Bradford City ground in a fire which satred in rubbish under a wooden stand. I have heard no mention of this tragedy!
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I am in no way, shape or form a Liverpool fan.
However, there are things in Football that go beyond and form of local, regional or even national divisions. Hillsborough along with Heysel, Ibrox and Bradford are things that football fans as one should remember as one, without resorting to petty name calling and the like in a cheap excuse to score points.
It's happened to Liverpool, it's happened to my own club (Rangers) in the past. Let's hope that the lessons learned from these disasters are remembered forever and that anyone; you, me, or anyone can go and see their side without danger to themselves.
Football is not as important as a human life.
RIP for the 96.
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Without wanting to ignore other football-related disasters that have happened down the years, this thread is starting to unravel now. As the title indicates, it's about Hillsborough. The fact that this anniversary is being widely reported is possibly due to more press coverage than for other football tragedies, but it's also down to a massive group of supporters (mainly Liverpool) who don't want to let tomorrow pass unnoticed. And why should they? As umpteen people here have already said, some of the subjects now coming onto the thread aren't entirely relevant to tomorrow.
I thought the idea in post 282 (a collective rememberance day for all supporters who aren't around any more) is worth considering. That's not to say that clubs shouldn't commemorate how and when they want.
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336 devildragonfire - the Liverpool fans weren't 'fighting' to get into the ground, there was simply too many of them arriving at one time because of various factors but mostly the road works that delayed them. The number of turnstyles was inadequate to deal with the number of fans that had to pass through (even if the arrival times had been more spread out). And the policing of them outside wasn't appropriate from the start.
Additionally the stadium wasn't 'full'- the two central pens were and the authorities never blocked them off. As I keep saying the fans didn't see where else to go but down the tunnel. No one realised that the pens were full and that they couldn't move into adject pens due to the side fencing. How many testimonials above- including Steve's, say that if they hadn't known to go to the sides they would have gone down the tunnel?
You describe an incident you were involved in where you were crushed- were you responsible for the crush on that day then? So why are Liverpool fans responsible?
You are right that some people still don't know right from wrong and their behaviour shouldn't be accepted. But why is everyone always so quick to say 'well it must be the fans fault'. Arguably it was this kind of attitude that led to the poor police response in 1989.
I have lots to say about Athens, but this isn't the time or the place.
RIP 96
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Its sad reading all the comments, I wasn't at Hillsborough but I recall lots of occasions in the 80s and 90s when a crush was on; outside Anfield on a derby day trying to get into the hole in the wall that was a turnstile, walking down an overcrowded tunnel from Wembley Stadium tube station to the ground, just stood on the many terraces of grounds I went to in front of a crash barrier to avoid being swept down to the front when a goal was scored. With hindsight it was appalling that it took the loss of life at Bradford, Hillsborough and Heysel for all concerned to get their heads around the problem and do something.
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My experience of Hillsborough is not dissimilar to Steve Wilson's. I had two tickets for the game, one being for my eight year old son. As luck would have it, he ended up being away at camp with the cubs at the time so my neighbour took the spare ticket and we travelled together. He had been to the ground before and, as we went through the main entrance, he remarked that there was a better view from the elevated section to the left side of the Leppings Lane end so we headed for there. Had I been with my son I'd have been unaware of this and would have headed straight on, like most others, into those centre pens.
Once inside the ground it was blatantly obvious to anyone observing that the centre pens were becoming more and more jam-packed, whilst the area to the side, where I was, remained sparsely populated. It was also shocking to see the dividing gates between the pens all locked shut, despite the entire end being dedicated to Liverpool fans, meaning that there was no way for fans to spread out to the sides. To this day I cannot fathom how the police control office failed to see what all the fans could see. It was gross incompetence of the most mind-numbing sort.
As we watched the police attempting to push fans back into the pens as they sought to escape for their lives, the true horror of the situation unfolded before our eyes.
To later learn of the compensation paid to the police for their trauma compounded my disgust that Mr Duckenfield and his colleagues had escaped responsibility for their actions and inaction. To then read the blatant lies printed in the Sun was gutter journalism of the most reprehensible kind.
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I am of the age when I can remeber what attending a match was like before this tragedy brought the facilites up to date .
Most grounds before this were as they were built 70 years ago , all fans who come from the era of watching games i the 60,s can remember being penned in on terracing with crowd movement pushing you down to the front etc.
I have stood in grounds as a young boy with 65.000 at stamford bridge and it was both exhilerating and frightening .Whilst not trying to compare to what the poor souls endured at Hilssborough it must be acknowleged that most grounds were not fit for purpose and this is perhaps the only positive that the bereaved can take from what happened , is that there loved ones did not perish in vain as the game was brought into the 20th century with the advent of better all seater stadia and better stewarding , this should ensure that a tragedy like this should never happen again .
On reflection anybody who attends games now should thank there lucky stars that they attend in a safe enviroment , there but for the grace of God go all who follow football now .
I t is no consolation I know to the many who have suffered but I think they will should be forgotton by all true football supporters
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Villa fan here in peace.
I remember watching it in my cousins house, aged 15, and being angry that the fans were causing the game to be delayed. When it was abandoned we went playing snooker and couldn't believe it as the death toll just kept on rising. So so sad.
My relations in Liverpool sent me a copy of the Liverpool Echo which was just a list of death notices and sympathies. I think it needs to be remembered how Everton and Liverpool fans came together at that time, which is a relationship that should stand forever, and yet it seems there has been a serious deterioration in relations between the two in the recent past, to the point of being distasteful.
Bill Shankly could not have been more wrong when he he claimed footie was more important than life or death.
RIP the 96.
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On 15th April 1989 I was a 19 year old running the line on a game at Retford in Lincolnshire. A man was standing behind me and, every now and then, as I ran by, I could hear his radio relaying the events at Hillsborough. Although I was supposed to be concentrating on the match I was officiating in it was impossible - especially as I am a life long Liverpool supporter. I am not sure what, if any, assistance I was to the referee that day or how many decisions I actually got right.
I remember the pub afterwards, filled with all the players, club officials etc. Everyone was staring in disbelief at the tv screens and you really could hear a pin drop - it was eerily silent.
In September 2008 I went to Liverpool for my stag weekend and made a point of visiting the ground, the club shop and especially the memorial. I took photo's of the Shankley Gates but made sure they didn't include the memorial - it just didn't seem right somehow. I paid my quiet personal respects to those who had lost their lives and spared a thought for all those families who's loved ones never returned. I am not ashamed to say I shead a tear.
I know the 96 fans will never be forgotten and their lasting legacy is the supurb stadia that we now take for granted.
May they rest in peace safe in the knowledge they'll never walk alone.
Adrian - Grantham
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#296 KopitePanther
You misinterpret what I meant. I apologise if what I said was not clear and for any offence felt. I do not hold Liverpool fans in any way responsible for what happened that day, nor do I hold them responsible for the the authorities attitude, which lead to the introduction of fences. As a Leeds United supporter, I am hardly in a position to comment on the behaviour of other teams' fans. I was pointing out, that having lived in Sheffield for 20 years, my experience, whenever the topic of the Hillsborough disaster has been raised, is that Sheffielders close ranks behind South Yorkshire police. I wasn't saying what I think, but quoting what the Sheffielders, that I have met, think.
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All football fans feel the grief of that day.
As an Arsenal fan who stood with his dad home and away there were numerous occasions when we were herded into pens like cattle and 'got away with it' .... by the skin of our teeth on occasions. On one occasion at White Hart Lane the away section was blatantly overfilled and I remember clearly being carried off my feet and pushed against the barriers, losing my breath and consciousness for a few seconds.
When we think back to Hillsborough we know it could so easily have been us ....... in some ways it was a fluke that it didn't.
Nowadays we are safe inside the ground we only have to worry about being indicriminantly baton charged by Police officers on away days in Europe.
The culture has changed but the reputation remains.
Heartfelt wishes to all families of the 96 from all true football fans.
It could so easily have been us.
Arsenal Lifer
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I wasn't there. I was in Sheffield for an AGM. when we came out, I jumped in the car for the drive home. I put on the football results and bang....
I often wonder how it could have happened and Heisel. But it did. Because of it, hopefully now, it will never happen again at least not in Europe.
After the disaster in Africa a couple of weeks ago, some countries still have much to learn.
As 345 wrote
May they rest in peace safe in the knowledge they'll never walk alone
Maybe Liverpool FC can pull off a miracle today.
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I enjoyed the personal memory above and the messages from fellow football fans. The above has revived some poignant memories for me. I was offered the chance to go to the game as a 10th birthday present by friends of our family. Unfortunately/fortunately I was unable to go. However my friends did go, and were in amongst the horrific crush. The Uncle of my close friend did not make it out alive. The effect this had was clear and no amount of conselling, consolation or compensation will rectify the horrible misgivings and oversights. Nearly 20 years on life has moved on, but the pain is still there. Although I wasn't at the game itself, and that I was only fast approaching 10, the reports on the news are as vivid now as they were then, and the bitterness and emotions in the following weeks/months are still impregnated in my memory. They will never be forgotten - YNWA Hillsborough 96.
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Anyone who stood on a terrace watching football back in the 70's & 80s will know that what happened on that tragic day at Hillsborough could have happened to them. The crushes inside and outside the grounds, the surges as play neared the goalmouths, being knocked off your feet and swept forward and down steps with the crowd as shots or goals went in, it was such a regular occurrence.
If it hadn't have been Hillsborough and Liverpool it could have just as easily have been you, your club, your family or friends that we would be remembering now.
Those who use this blog to promote their nasty little agendas really ought to think about that and take a good look at themselves.
RIP the 96, we will never forget you.
YNWA
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My sympathies to all relatives and friends of the 96 who died at Hillsborough 20 years ago tomorrow.
My sympathies to all relatives and friends of the 43 who died at Ellis Park, South Africa 8 years ago last Saturday.
My shock that some people still think that terracing was to blame for Hillsborough, even though the subsequent tragedy at Ellis Park proved that seating is far more hazardous when overcrowding occurs.
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Rest in Peace the Hillsborough '96
with love from a saddenend Chelsea fan
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I am also a Sheffield Wednesday fan and the day still plays on the mind of every supporter of our club.
My most pressing concern is that still there are no answers and therefore no closure for the friends and family members of those that died.
Liverpool fans have respect around the world for how they dealt with the tragedy as does the football club as a whole.
Although safety is now excellent in this country, spare a thought for those that recently lost their lives in the Ivory Coast, this problem has clearly not been eradicated accross the world.
My thoughts go out to everyone affected by the tragedy at this difficult time.
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#346 stracepipe
are you trying to offend everyone today?
coming from sheffield and being proud of that, i think your comments are bang out of order, i dont blame the fans, and i didn't know anyone that did, it was a truly tragic day, no-one would want any fans of any football club to die in their city, let alone that amount. as for the police, they made some serious mistakes, and they have to live with that, and you could see that etched on to their faces. it comes down the sorry state of football in those days, the stadiums were of a low standard, we had fencing up due to hooligans, and police were struggling to control hooligans. we had already had the bradford city fire, which should have set alarm bells ringing, and the report even stated that fences should be a no-go, but it still happened, and as lots of supporters have said they experienced close calls, crushes and the like.
unfortunately it was at hillsborough, and it was liverpool who felt the full force, of this inevitable disaster.
They will be remembered forever, and they as whole have changed football and the way we view it for the better, a sacrifice that shouldn't have been necessary.
to the 96 and their families, and everyone who was affected by the events of that day
'you'll never walk alone'
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I was 8 when the tragedy occurred. Living in Huddersfield I grew up watching Town, but still watched Liverpool whenever I could, I had all the kits, a massive Ian Rush poster on my wall and my dads friend would bring me back a programme from Anfield everytime he went. I still have a pile of over 200 from the late 80's early 90's.
I can remember like it was yesterday driving with my mum through a small village called New Mill, near Holmfirth (its kind of on the route to Sheffield from Liverpool) and there was hundreds of liverpool fans outside the pubs, it was just a sea of red.
I dont know where we were going, or where we had been, but we arrived home just in time to see the bbc announcing there had been an incident at the stadium, I didnt pay much attention and went to play football in the garden. I can remember my mum watching me kicking the ball around, nothing unusual, She is as football mad as me and a Town season ticket holder, but later she came out into the sun and said some fans had been hurt and were really 'poorly'. I can remember the news from the days that followed, but to be honest I didnt understand the 'relevance' of it all.
Im 27 now, Ive followed Town everywhere with my mates and the feeling you get on away days in the sun just cant be matched. I know the feeling those supporters felt before the horrors began. The feeling I dont know and never will is the loss that the families must feel and have felt everyday since.
I spoke to my mum this weekend and she cant believe I remember so much from that day, and she even told me she had considered getting us tickets for the game but had decided against it due to my age and herself not actually been to the ground before.
Finally, I will be visiting Hillsborough tomorrow to pay my respects to the 96, As a Huddersfield Town fan and football fan in general. We must never forget the tragedy and the pain suffered that day. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and may the 96 Rest in Peace.
Walk on....
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I wept again on Saturday, sat down to watch Football Focus before a trip to our local prior to our home game against the Baggies.
The BBC's coverage was very touching and respectful. Although 20 years have passed, it seemed like yesterday.
I was 21 back then. I think we were at Crystal Palace that day and I could'nt make it so instead watched the Hillsborough semi-final.
There are no words to describe that horrific feeling of dread and helplessness that we felt as those awful pictures came over the airwaves.
Incompetance on a massive scale failed ordinary fans that day,full of dreams on a day out to see if their club could reach Wembley.
Someday, someone should be held accountable.
My heart goes out to all the families of the bereaved. They have to live with the consequences of that day for the rest of their lives.It could have been any of us. Rest in peace the 96. You'll never walk alone..
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Wednesday fan in peace & offering sincere sympathy to all those connected with Liverpool Football club that are suffering as a result of the anniversary.
It is a disgrace that so many people had to die for the authorities to do something about the way crowds were treated in football stadia.
We were herded like animals, yet treated with less respect than they would have been. Ironically, I was at Villa Park that fateful day in the Holt end watching Norwich City in the other semi. We were overcrowded and were passing people from the front over our heads to the back so they could get air. The same thing could so easily have happened there...
lest we forget the 96...
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I am a Charlton supporter that wishes to extend my support to those from Liverpool who are still looking to get justice for the terrible events of April 15th 1989. I was a 13 year old girl who had just discovered a love of football at the time, and I can remember all to well how my excitment about the game turned to tears as the scenes unfolded before me on TV that day.
Every year on the anniversary, I say a prayer for those who went off to watch a football match, the same as I so often did with my father at the time, and didn't return home to their family's. I have so much admiration for the courage and the dignity that those connected with this tragedy have largelly managed to maintain, often in the face of great ignorance and provocation, and hope that one day they will get the justice they deserve.
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my young nephew was there that day he said that all he can remember is trying to clime the fence and the next thing he new he was being lifted up and flying through the air to safety he did not see who help him but to this day is so thankful to who ever help him.THANK YOU .
to all the 96 that passed away at ``HILLSBOROUGH ``on that fateful day,
now lookin down with smil`s so proud, you sing with us as we sing
aloud,you help us, you guide us get us through,I know ISTANDBUL was down to you, and tho the future is unknown one thing for sure.
`` YOULL NEVER WALK ALONE``
R.I.P
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I've been trying to concentrate on my job today, in a clinical environment with the public, but i'm tearful and distracted.
I've been trying to search for the source of the footage I saw last night about Hillsborough on Inside Sport (13/4/09 23.10 BBC1).
Twenty years ago! I talk about it , think about it, reflect upon it sincerely every time I go to Anfield. But last night I saw my best mate Aron, just as he has told it many times, being a human ladder, helping people over the railings, amongst the crush. I also saw Greenie (Grant), so much smaller than Aron, trying to keep standing next to him. They both looked terrified but Aron was grabbing people very quickly and standing tall.
I was abroad at the time but would definately have been there with them if I was in the UK. Aron told me there was a point at which he was running out of energy and space when he finally hurled Grant over and himself.
Aron now lives in Jamaica since 1991 and Grant in Florida. I'm here in sunny Manchester. I invited Aron over to his first game since Hillsborough at the FA cup final in 2001 in Cardiff. When we approached the stadium he started shaking and it took him ages to settle down and slowly get into the great atmosphere that day. We then went to Dortmund later that week, and again he became so agitated with the numbers of people and noise. All three of us, Aron, Grant and myself got to Athens in 2007 for the eufa final. we had a great time there but as soon as we came close to the stadium both of them were visibly shaking and feeling sick.
Unless you were there we will never truly appreciate the horror and pain that occurred that terrible fateful day. May we never forget those events and the reasons that lead to them. I hope we have learnt from them and strive never to repeat or allow these tragedies to occur again.
My thoughts and sympathy go to those that were there and to the friends and families of those that never came back. The 96 will never be forgotten. YNWA
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Excellent article Steve.
I was also at Hillsborough with my life long friend Glyn, & we were both lucky enough to return home together, unlike so many who lost their lives.
We had been to the semi final at Hillsborough the year before where the middle pen was again packed to capacity & due to the constant wave of supporters I at one point lost my shoes.
On the 15th April 1989 we again set off for the game ticketless but as the previous year we obtained tickets outside.
As we were aware of the terrace layout we took a quick look at the centre pen which looked full & made our way to the left hand pen, just as you did, to get a better view of the game.
I just wish that other supporters had our previous knowledge & this tragedy could have been avoided.
I shed a tear or two on Saturday during the minutes silence & my heart goes out to all the families of the bereaved.
15th April 1989 is one day in my life that I will never ever forget.
Rest in peace the 96 you will never walk alone.
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RIP the 96.
I'm only 15 years old, and only know what happened at Hillsborough through some videos and pictures. What were grounds like back then? I have been to Southampton's St Mary's Stadium a few times, but I can't imagine stadiums back then were even close to that. I am glad to see it is much more organised now, which lots of regulations aboutstanding.
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As a Man Utd fan, I was just 10 and not yet a match going fan as this tragedy unfolded. My memories are of an unseasonally hot April day, and walking to the local recreation ground with my two brothers to play football, wondering what the 'crowd trouble' was that had stopped the game at Hillsbrough. What was to unfold through updates later in the day from John Motson, Bob Wilson in the Grandstand studio and later on from Moira Stewart through the evening news bulletins remain the single most horrific news events in my memory.
Horrific because this was a human tragedy that would have been so distressing for anyone involved. Horrific because this was a tragedy of humans mishandling humans in the most negligent way thinkable. Horrific due to the ever rising death toll and injury list as the events unfolded.
Football has changed a lot since 1989 and the 1990 Taylor Report. In many ways things have got better but the true injustice of Hillsborough in my eyes is that so many things have not.
The police that handle football games are on the whole still vastly incompetent. They still handle football fans like hooligans in many instances. The Sun newspaper continues to be the gutter press of our country. Graham Kelly continued to be a key figurehead of our national game for many years despite his untold errors and ticketless fans are still a cause for concern (witness Athens).
This was a story that has nothing to do with football rivalry. I have hated Liverpool throughout my Stretford End season holding years but I admire the fans for what they have had to endure and have unreserved sympathy for the relatives of those who died. My belief is it was the actions of fellow scousers that actually kept the death toll so low. How was it that only one ambulance made it onto the pitch?
My heart goes out to Liverpool fans involved during that fateful day. RIP the 96 with true sympathy, admiration and love from a lifelong Man Utd fan.
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20 years ago tomorrow 96 fans went to a cup-semi and never returned.
Was only 3 at the time and since read various reasons as to the cause of the tragic events (mostly fingers pointed to the Police organisation or lack of it..) which could be debated forever but those people who lost their lives did not deserve to in any way as they just went to see their favourites in action and they should be remembered.
R.I.P
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As all true footie fans will say today is your day .For all the fans of Hillsborough my thoughts are and always will be with you---Dave--Chelsea.Fan.But most of all a fan--Fans Unite---RIP
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I will be in Nottingham Market Square for the 2 minutes silence for the 96 of Hillsborough. I will have tears in my eyes as a fan of football and of Nottingham Forest.
I was also watching Grandstand that day and I can remember my fright when they said there was trouble behind the goal area. My nephew who was 11 at the time had gone to the match and I knew he was behind the goal. The programme never stated for ages which set of fans were behind which goal as I didnt know where the Forest fans were. Forest also wear red scraves and t shirts and on the TV all you could see was crowds in red. Luckily my nephew was behind the other goal, but I know as an 11 year old it deeply affected him seeing all the dead bodies brought past the Forest fans.
I knew from the pictures that some of the people being pulled out were dead and although I didnt know any of the poor fans who died, I as a Mother and now a Grandma feel for the families left behind and the lives who never grew any older.
It was as others have mentioned like a slow motion car crash where you can see it happening but are unable to do anything and I think its that helplessness that still effects me to this day.
I also feel that the Police could have acted quicker if there had not been a seemingly prejudice against Liverpool fans. When anyone is screaming for help it shouldnt matter what team they support you get in and help them.
RIP as You will never walk alone.
Sandymc Nottingham
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Arsenal & Plymouth Argyle fan, sympathies as always through the years for this tragic event and loss.
RIP the Hillsborough victims.
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I feel it is very important to acknowledge the significance of this day not just for Liverpool, but for football in general. My deepest sympathies go to all those affected and although as a staunch United fan I can recognise the sense of togetherness in times of remembering tragedy like this can bring (I refer of course to Munich, 1958) I can scarcely imagine the trauma the families must live with. R.I.P. to the 96 victims.
Also, I think it goes without saying that football becomes irrelevant under such circumstances and on this day where all fans can put football in perspective, I would like to point out the ridiculous level of abuse hurled at opposing fans on the 606 website, in paticular between United and Liverpool. I fully understand the massive rivalry and must admit that I often give in to it, yet we talk about winning titles as if it is life or death. I admit that there is always an extra pleasure in beating Liverpool as there is a greater disappointment when they beat us. However, people forget that this comes from being the two greatest clubs in Britain so a sense of respect and reason should be taken into account rather than some of the outlandish comments made.
I make this point based on how I have been affected by the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough as it made me realise that we let football rivalrys dominate our lives. I must also admit that the way the Liverpool fans sang before the Blackburn game filled me with emotion, as did the minutes silence which was incredibly raspectful. It is things like this that I truly respect Liverpool Football Club and their marvellously vocal fans. In this sense, you put United fans to shame.
Finally, I think that everyone should briefly pay tribute to the disaster at some stage today. Also if United go out of Europe tonight I think we should stand back and realise what is most important in football today. I know that at 3:06 for once in my life I shall be thinking the words ``You'll Never Walk Alone!``
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