As others have said our visit in 87 was the most crushed I have ever been at a game (only after 89 did I think that we had actually been in danger of dying) We still laugh at the smallest lad with us whose feet quite literally did not touch the floor the whole game! The design of the stadium where we were boxed in on 3 sides in each pen with fans coming in from the only open bit - meant we had nowhere to spread out to. The big difference between us and the scousers was that we were subject to a 12noon kick off which meant a lot less drunkeness and fans not all leaving it to the last minute to get in ( a football culture thing that still applies - stay in the pub till the last minute) Also and this is another biggie - we were being stopped a long way from the ground to have our tickets checked which meant that we did not have many coming in without tickets or with tickets for the wrong end - something which appears to have added to the scousers problems. The Liverpool fans were to blame in some respects BUT as far as the actual crushing was concerned they did nothing that other fans (of that era at any rate) would not have done - eg try and get in without the correct tickets / come in late and at the last minute. The ones who died of course were not a part of this 'bad behaviour' but the layout of the ground was the main cause. - exacerbated by the fact that the police viewed all fans as thugs and hooligans - so when the problems started they viewed it as the start of a riot / pitch invasion (as did the commentators on TV) rather than a tragedy Having said all that I do not really know what the Hillsboro support group or whatever want to achieve - lots of things went wrong and they have all now been put right throughout the country so it cannot happen again,one of the things victims families are generally keen on. In fact they have made it nigh on impossible to talk sensibly about safe standing so they have achieved their aims. Also I do wonder why they do not have the same sort of campaigns dealing with Heysel ! Dave _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected]
PETE CASS (1962 - 2011) Rest In Peace Mate
