Forty years ago today

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

In the days of terracing I always remember the away end (and sure its the same for the home fans) at Upton Park saying remember Ibrox? Please exit carefully.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

I know a Celtic fan who in his words hates the sectarian bollox as he calls it. We are Glasgow Celtic not Irish Celtic (tho recognises how they came about)...

 

[Gully]

*(1) much of
*(2) two of

Actually, I'm not surprised this minute's silence was properly observed. I know enough fans of both clubs to know that the Ibrox disaster is one of the few things that they agree on. Well, there are no doubt a very few of the very worst bigots who rejoice in the deaths of Rangers fans, but Celtic have worked hard to make sure the very worst don't have season tickets - and no season ticket, no OF ticket.

Point taken, my post was a little too generalistic...apologies if any supporters of Queen's Park or Partick Thistle were offended as I don't believe either of their clubs buy into the sectarianism...which does sadly affect much of Glasgow! (Though I have to say as a complete and utter sassenach it was one of the friendliest places I visited during my time living in Scotland)

 

[8ace]

It was well observed by all at the stadium.

Apart from TLB who hid in the tunnel.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Very sad. I find it strange that they would be playing Celtic on the 40th Anniversary. Some Celtic fans will obviously make reference to this tragedy during the game.

They always play each other on this day (or the nearest Saturday). The Old Firm New Year game is a Scottish football tradition.

The only way it wouldn't happen is if one of them got relegated.

 

[Dr Q]

Although I was too young to remember this happening (3 at the time), I like to think I'm pretty clued up on sports and sporting history, so I cannot believe I've never heard of this tragedy until today. Even my missus had, and she's not really into football (although she is Scottish).

Very sad to read of the events of that day.

 

[Jimbo.GRFC]

At first, it was believed that fans, leaving the stadium before the final whistle, had turned back when Rangers' centre-forward Colin Stein scored an equalising goal in the 89th minute.

But a fatal accident inquiry which heard evidence of the position in which the bodies were found, determined all of the victims had been leaving the ground.

Virtually none of the bodies showed any sign of significant injury. They had died, the inquiry decided, from asphyxiation or suffocation in the crush which left steel safety barriers buckled and broken.

Four decades later, one of the survivors, Ian Loch, recalled the horror of Stairway 13.

He said as they headed for the exits, fans were delighted with Rangers' equaliser, which came just a minute after Jimmy Johnstone had put Celtic into the lead.

"It was like a pack of cards where someone had fallen. Everyone was just going on top of each other and, really, you were just trying to fight for your own life then,"

"The air was just getting squeezed out of you. At first everybody could shout: 'Get back, get back.'

"But that soon fell silent because there was no air left in your lungs. You just felt it was like a vice in your body getting tighter and tighter."

He said he feared for his own safety as he felt his legs wrapped around the person behind him.

Sick as a parrot losing to celtic today, but respect to them they observed the minutes silence with grace. My father was at the game with my uncle on the day. As you have stated Sod1 it was an 89th minute equaliser. What happened were that many fans given the score were leaving the ground then Rangers scored, seemed common place in those days to leave early to get the bus/underground before the big crowds spilled out, we were talking 100k crowds then. There was then a combination of Rangers fans who were still leaving the ground, whilst when the equaliser was scored, those at the bottom turned round to go back up those stairs. Thats when the disaster happened.

I was 2 years old at the time, at home, and my mother was absolute beside herself as the news filtered through via the tv news (no mobiles those days) and those like my father and uncle were unaware what was going on as they walked down the Paisley Road West for a couple of pints of heavy. Only they on that day could pick a pub with no tv, my mum was beside herself until she got the call at around 9pm from a call box saying they were safe. My dad always watched from the Copeland Road where the disaster happened and I recall when he started taking me how steep those stairs were. The one plus point to come out of all of this was Rangers became the blueprint and first for all seater stadiums. Again respect to celtic today, it could've been easy to boo and whistle, but families and friends have Rangers and celtic fans in their ranks.

I bow my head to those that perished that day

May they rest in peace

 

[Jimbo.GRFC]

Likewise, I am just too young to have heard about it, though the likes of Hillsborough, Bradford and the Heysel are stuck in my memory forever.

I think we have two hopes of the silence being observed in an appropriate manner, one of them is sadly Bob (who is dead) and the other is no! I really hope, for the memory of those who perished, that for one solitary minute an air of decency rises above the vile, puerile and backward sectarianism that pervades the city of Glasgow and its football teams.

Gully, you my friend have been proven very wrong, as a Rangers fan I feared they would boo. Saw on their sites this week that some of their fans were suggesting it, but were being shouted down. For once respect to that lot (celtic fans) our dislike can now recommence and hopefully they enjoyed their cup final, but this is a Brighton board so the main question of the day is "who is this special one ?" Anyone the wiser yet ?.

P.S. Gully, my apologies, should teach me to read all posts and I take some of the comments above back. This event as you may have seen above holds a personal place in our hearts. My father missed it by approx 5 mins and only because he was gasping for a pint