Hillsborough where does the real fault lie ?
“Football” a nations favourite since time began, some would say there is no God but that football is God ! There has never been a game to invoke such a passion in its fans whether it is being played locally or worldwide, just try asking a fan . . . But the profile of the game of football and it fans has changed depending on the era it was played, how the game is perceived has changed as the decades have passed and this disaster was in 1989, could a disaster on this scale ever happen again . . . Hopefully not . . .
For others it spells trouble . . . Its name is called hooliganism a dirty name to the game, it organisers, the players and the “We just love the sport fans” . . .
Team-fan rivalry surpasses all things known to man, just try adding up all the deaths it has caused since the time it began, you will find it in your own backyard, the local pub, your own living room, work place . . . Wars have stopped for the game . . . Wars I’m sure could be created for it . . .
A supporter wears his colours with pride yet a little like street gangs can be the death of you !
However you may feel I am not here for sure to show any disrespect for the victims on this day but here to show you a path of failings that do not belong to the police alone . . . .
Why did football stadiums have barriers in the first place erected ?
Sad as it is football as a game plays hand in hand with a good old football hooligan, it has even brought over time what we call the National Front thugs the opportunity to incite trouble to the crowds it collects . . . .
Seeing a fan on the street with a can of beer in his hand, colours flying followed by the chants and the singing was the norm . . . . All’s well when it was well . . . .
But try asking the people who live near to stadiums, the cars stolen, damage to property and living with don’t forget to bring children in, never mind the cats or dogs . . .
Windows broken, flowers lopped, the fans bring it all . . . .
Where did it all go wrong ?
Was it the police fault you hauled abuse or objects onto the pitch or even invaded the pitch ?
To such a point football stadiums even had to erected barriers to protect it players, created pens to keep what pens do, to keep the animals in . . . .
Shame on you all that created this . . . .
Are all fans hooligans “ No” a very good percentage of you are not and bless you . . . .
But those few of you that were all added to what happened that day !
But hey this is also a family friendly game, so as the crowds mill to the game so do the happy clean living families with their children walking the same path to the game as the “We just like a drink for the game” to the real trouble makers that exist . . . No barriers there is there ? You all have to take same public transport, walk the same streets to get to your game !
A profile of a football stadium - Sheffield Wednesday - A stadium that was redeveloped without receiving a safety certificate well before this disaster took place and worse still the emergency services were not informed to the new layout that resulted from this redeveloping.
God forbid try that one on your home redeveloping and see where it gets you . . . .
Sheffield Wednesday a stadium that had hosted 5 semi-final games prior to this event, was its access layout plans really designed to host such a crowd as on that day ? Every ticket was sold out, the stadium was operating at full capacity with all the non tickets holders though warned not to turn up but who did . . . . !
Was there any form of barriers outer to the entrances to the stadium to prevent overcrowding to the ever slowly operated and ever so small turnstiles that had to cope with such a crowd ? Was that the police’s fault, ? No bad designing held a major fault here . . .
Who made the decision to place the Liverpool fans who were in the majority at the other end of the stadium that had a smaller capacity to hold fans ?
Who made the decision to place the Liverpool fans who were in the majority at the other end of the stadium that had a smaller capacity to hold fans ?
Also a fateful delay to fans that day of fans trying to get to Hillsborough by vehicles that day caused by roadwork’s on the M62, now that could be put down to local authorities and policing, forewarned is forewarned, that could have prevented a pile up of fans arriving so near to kick off time and taking it into consideration as to the kick off time. . . .
Could someone have just not have delayed the match till the fans were in and settled ?
And just who would this person have been . . . . ?
So firstly to the hooligans who created the cause of the barriers to go up and police attitudes, well done you . . . .
To the Stadium owners, was getting your safety certificate so hard to get enforced and taking the fans that make your living safety first place whether by design or by even informing the emergency services to a change of layout to the stadium ?
The police faults have to be done in many parts . . . .
Were the police fully aware this game was a total sell out . . . . ?
That there was traffic delays on the M62 to Hillsborough that day . . . .?
That there was design faults to the way entrances lead to the ground and within . . . . ?
Were they fully catered that day to cope with the increased crowd . . . . ?
Was their attitude towards a distressed crowd mistaken for an angry crowd. . . . ?
Many police officers having to make their own decisions on how to cope with a situation that could not be seen from both sides of inside and out of the stadium . . . .
Whatever the events that lead up to David Duckingfield to who it was a first time in dealing with a major event such as this match who gave the order to open exit gate C without making sure the gates to 3 and 4 pens that directly lead from Gate C were closed first to prevent over spill that ending up allowing the extra fans to divulge into pens that were already over filled to capacity . . . .
Pens that I may add because their safety certificate had not been endorsed should have been reduced to 1,600 persons from 2,200 but were in fact filled to 3,000 . . . .
Nearly another 2,000 or more fans out of a possible 5,000 fans from outside the stadium then surged into pens 3 and 4 in a very short time, minutes in fact, causing fateful pressure on to already overcrowded fans at the front of the stand (Barriers) (Pens) . . . .
Police blocking fans from the other end of pitch who wanted to help . . . .
Bad management of a crowd that was reaching its danger point outside of the stadium to creating within what you were trying to prevent out . . . . Sad so sad . . . .
The lack of holding anyone responsible mainly the football club itself . . . .
To the way the police conducted their enquires after the event . . . .
But what I want to say here is does the blame really lie with giving the order to open Gate C to prevent a real life disaster from the outside of the stadium the real fault here ? When the pens were in fact over crowded a good 15 to 30 minutes prior to the match starting or was it just a long line of faults to which there are just so many more people to blame that lead up to this fateful event . . . .
To the one hooligan or overzealous fan that pitch invaded that in the end resulted in the barriers being put up in football grounds in the first place . . . .
To the guys who didn’t get the safety certificate endorsed . . . .
To the one who didn’t inform the emergency services to the change of the layout . . . .
And to the “Sun” newspaper that was and still is boycotted in Liverpool for posted all the lies to make its self a scoop . . . .
Sleep tight . . . .
