: Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:37 am  

I have been caught up[ in a crush, at Old Trafford (before all seater), in one of the away fans end pens. It was the most frightening experience I have had at any sports ground.

What many younger posters might not appreciate is that the terraced areas in football grounds in the 80's were not the single terraced areas that can be seen at places like warrington nowadays.

A terrace running the width of a pitch could be sepoarated into 5 or 6 pens, by the use of 6foot high railings. Once a pen was full, they would use the next ones and so on. There seemed to be no guidelines on capacity for each pen and once you were in, you stayed until full time.

You were always shoulder to shoulder and as a small bloke, there were occasions that I was suspended in mid air by the throng of people.

For me this experience was before Hillsborough, but I never went to an away football game again after my experience that evening.

I feel for those whose lives have been affected forever by those fateful 20 minutes in Sheffield and the tributes on the TV have been incredibly moving.

RIP and Justice for the 96

: Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:03 am  

espanyolswan wrote:

You have a point but people who went to football regularly pre-Hillsborough will in all likelihood have different views than those who have been bought up post Euro 96 in the main in modern safe stadiums.

If such a tragedy happened today the world would be in shock......however horrific it was at the time it was no real surprise and could well have happened at Anfield, Villa Park, Old Trafford or anywhere really as getting into any ground at 2.50 for a big game resembled a rugby scrum of gigantic proportions and the potential for such poor decisions by the Police were there week in week out.

I doubt it, the design of the turnstyle location, ie a dead end left nobody down there anywhere to go. I don't remember many more, possibly the Baseball Ground where once you were there then you had no escape. The likes of Anfield, Old Trafford or Villa Park gave you the opportunity to disperse sideways outside the turnstyles, Hillsborough didn't offer this which was a major obstacle seeing as every one of the 24,000 Liverpool fans had to use those turnstyles to get into the ground. Yes, that's about 23 turnstyles, in a bottleneck of about 80 yards across to accomodate the entry to 2 stands.

: Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:06 am  

Docu on History channel now.

: Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:11 am  

Ian [77] wrote:

Whatever justice does look like, I hope they get it - it ought not to be beyond the wit of man.

The trouble is you cant start any judicial process with the aim of achieving a particular outcome. And 20 years on the chances of proving that a particular individual(s) was sufficiently culpable to merit the sort of punishment that would placate the capaigners is remote.

: Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:12 am  

A brilliant Reade

A brilliant Reade

: Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:34 am  

keithcun wrote: A brilliant Reade Can you quote the text? The IT types here, obviously don't like the red tops.

keithcun wrote: A brilliant Reade Can you quote the text? The IT types here, obviously don't like the red tops.

: Thu Apr 16, 2009 11:34 am  

keithcun wrote: A brilliant Reade Great article.

keithcun wrote: A brilliant Reade Great article.

: Thu Apr 16, 2009 11:53 am  

getdownmonkeyman wrote:

Can you quote the text? The IT types here, obviously don't like the red tops.

Can't mate, the odious nice person otherwise known as Asim will delete it.

Saying that, I will PM you.

: Thu Apr 16, 2009 11:56 am  

keithcun wrote:

Can't mate, the odious nice person otherwise known as Asim will delete it.

Saying that, I will PM you.

Already sent him it Keith.

: Thu Apr 16, 2009 12:01 pm  

keithcun wrote:

Can't mate, the odious nice person otherwise known as Asim will delete it.