Hillsborough

Re: that argument that went on earlier. I dunno about anyone else - but I've always taken wrong, misinformed views about Hillsborough more personally than almost anything else I can think of. For the following reasons:

1. I knew a couple of those involved

2. Even though I wasn't even 11 at the time, it was always horribly obvious to me what had happened. I think it was to most football fans with a brain

3. Far and away most important: for me, the most insidious thing of all about the 20 year long aftermath was, such is the awful nature of tribalism in football, how many fans of other clubs WANTED their prejudices to be confirmed.

Those fans didn't bother reading the Taylor Report. Some of them clearly still haven't looked through the documentation which is now publicly available, and sets out the comprehensive, unfettered, inviolable truth. And given its accessibility, I find it indefensible that some still choose to opine on a subject which they've just not bothered informing themselves on.

The point about Hillsborough is this: it could've been us. If we'd come out of that semi-final draw at a different moment, it could've been us who experienced that. Us who lost 96 innocents. Us who then spent the next 20 years being smeared, slandered, lied about and labelled. Us who still haven't got justice - by which I mean, criminal prosecutions of those responsible - even now.

I think most football fans find it uniquely powerful and shocking for that reason. There but for the grace of God go all of us - and 25 years tomorrow, so did 96 Liverpool fans. Who went along to a football match, and never came home.

RIP. Justice For The 96.

User Posted Link

Posted By: thebigfeller on April 15th 2014 at 00:43:52

Message Thread

Hillsborough (Other Football) - thebigfeller, Apr 15, 00:43:52
- Great post. That's kind of what I was thinking about (Other Football) - Nelsons final flanel, Apr 15, 14:02:43
- OK, I'm going to be a bit controversial. Not defending the police (Other Football) - dennis moore, Apr 15, 08:56:48
  - pretty sure Hillsborough didn't have a safety certificate at the time either, so Wednesday (Other Football) - protheroe fitzgibbon, Apr 15, 10:28:18
    - Correct. Horrendously so in both cases. (n/m) (Other Football) - thebigfeller, Apr 15, 10:30:52
  - How can you say that it has something to do with how the situation was handled (Other Football) - nathan1986, Apr 15, 09:09:46
  - I don't think that's controversial at all. Broadly speaking, it's fair enough (Other Football) - thebigfeller, Apr 15, 09:04:07
    - There were also a few who still serve/are still around South Yorks police, (Other Football) - I Am Hoot, Apr 15, 11:11:37
    - ^^This^^ (n/m) (Other Football) - megson, Apr 15, 09:13:42
- I was living in Sheffield at the time. (Other Football) - avenging canary, Apr 15, 08:18:44
  - And oh look. You've just done it too. Go and read the documentation for heavens sake (Other Football) - thebigfeller, Apr 15, 08:23:21
    - You make the assumption I haven't read the report. (n/m) (Other Football) - avenging canary, Apr 15, 08:56:53
      - How can you make a statement about "covering up with another cover up" (Other Football) - thebigfeller, Apr 15, 09:05:34
    - PS. You are right on one thing though. It wasn't just the police (Other Football) - thebigfeller, Apr 15, 08:28:03
- Nice One BF (Other Football) - Martin Peters, Apr 15, 07:48:43
  - At the memorial service last year, Bill Kenwright said (Other Football) - thebigfeller, Apr 15, 07:56:10
- And of course the impact goes much further than the families of the 96 people who lost (Other Football) - Arizona Bay, Apr 15, 06:46:06
  - Poor guy, not sure how i'd cope with all that. (n/m) (Other Football) - megson, Apr 15, 08:30:43
  - makes you think, (Other Football) - I Am Hoot, Apr 15, 07:06:45
    - He's far from alone. (Other Football) - avenging canary, Apr 15, 09:09:36
      - Peter Jones, there to commentate for the BBC? Died less than a year later (Other Football) - thebigfeller, Apr 15, 09:17:00
  - Poor guy. Great, thought-provoking post AB (n/m) (Other Football) - thebigfeller, Apr 15, 07:02:50
- Thank you (Other Football) - norway, Apr 15, 06:23:57
- Nicely articulated. Thanks for restoring the faith! (n/m) (Other Football) - nathan1986, Apr 15, 02:19:11
- Another great post from the big feller (Other Football) - DJ Ginga, Apr 15, 01:44:32
- *25 years ago today, of course (n/m) (Other Football) - thebigfeller, Apr 15, 00:47:29

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