HibeeJibee Posted December 1, 2019 Share Posted December 1, 2019 12 minutes ago, 54_and_counting said: Ive always wondered if the decision to use stadiums like these back then was based a lot on how contained the fans were given the rampant hooligansim back then, especially with liverpool fans being at fault for heysel Tbh it looks like they just picked any 'big' ground roughly between the Semi-Finalists in question each time. There was even a policy of not playing replays at the same venue (even though all the preparations would just have been put into practice and they could usually be just 4/11 days later). During the 1960s to 1980s the FA used The Hawthorns, City Ground, St Andrews, Filbert Street, White Hart Lane, Hillsborough, Villa Park, Burnden Park, Old Trafford, Goodison Park, Maine Road, Stamford Bridge, Highbury, Highfield Road and Elland Road. Hillsborough got used 19 times in those 30yrs for SFs. It was the only venue outside of Wembley to host a competitive England international (there was also a friendly at Goodison); it ran a rare League Cup Final replay; and 4 games at WC '66... On paper Hillsborough and South Yorkshire Police should've been 2nd only to Wembley and the Metropolitan for experience with neutral venue games. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoBNob Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 9 hours ago, HibeeJibee said: That is what noticeably separates Hillsborough from the Burden Park, Second Ibrox and Valley Parade disasters (its recent 'conspiracy theory' aside), IMO. In those cases the reason for the catastrophe and who was responsible for negligence, bungling or poor design - clubs, police, local or national government, etc. - were quickly accepted. In the case of Hillsborough there was a clear attempt - primarily by the police - to deflect blame for their failings by suppressing evidence, alleging there was fan misbehaviour, and so on. Doing so was facilitated by fans already having a 'bad rep' in the wake of hooliganism generally and the Heysel disaster particularly. Fatalities at Burnden Park (33), Second Ibrox (66) and Valley Parade (56) were of magnitudes not vastly below Hillsborough (96)... but that connivance has caused its drawn-out resolution. Out of interest was anyone charged in relation to those tragedies HJ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 14 hours ago, Grant228 said: Out of interest was anyone charged in relation to those tragedies HJ? Only in terms of damages for negligence etc. I can't find reference to even that for Bolton but it was just after WWII and aggravated by fans scaling walls/turnstiles plus a fan picking open a gate (to get his son out). There was a test case for negligence brought against Rangers which found them guilty on 4 counts. They accepted the ruling and 60 other damage cases i.e. corresponding to the dead. Bradford City and the council as fire certifier (on 2/3 v 1/3 liability) were found guilty in a test case and 154 other damages cases for the dead, injured and police. Interestingly after the First Ibrox disaster in 1902 the timber supplier was charged with culpable homicide over 'inferior wood'. Its significance was doubtful and he was acquitted by a jury. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 For people who haven't heard of the Burnden Park disaster: I found these short videos about it... For context it was an FA Cup QF 2nd leg (in 1945-46 it was 2-legged to generate revenue) and Stanley Matthews was the Beckham / Messi of his day. I'd only really heard of the aspect of bringing in the touchline with sawdust to make space for the bodies before restarting play. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcor Roar Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 https://www.theguardian.com/football/audio/2019/dec/03/hillsborough-the-30-year-fight-for-justice-football-weekly-special 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 (edited) I've watched and listened to some contemporary coverage of Hillsborough. Search on Youtube and you will find the recordings of several BBC radio stations live from the game; live TV coverage of the game from Eire (probably find BBC up on there too); and Match of the Day that night presented by Des Lynam and Jimmy Hill. It didn't show any match highlights but was effectively a news special summarising what happened, interviewing officials, etc. (Rather crassly several - Liverpool chairman included tbf - openly reference its 'impact' on lifting Heysel ban, which hardly seems important). Interestingly even on day itself you actually have all the key components summarised quite openly: crowding outside; there weren't large numbers of ticketless fans; it was the police who opened the gate (stated during live coverage plus conceded by chief constable in MotD); stand under capacity but central pens became crowded; fences stopped people escaping onto pitch; medical response was inadequate; there was no hooliganism nor bad behaviour; and to avoid such disasters in future could require better safety and crowd management, modern stadiums and all-seater provision. Despite this... later "misinformation" and cover-up successfully clouded matters. Edited December 4, 2019 by HibeeJibee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottsdad Posted July 30, 2021 Share Posted July 30, 2021 The 96 have gone up to 97 now. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jul/28/liverpool-fans-death-ruled-as-97th-victim-of-hillsborough-disaster 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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