Mo Gosfield
Well-known member
- Aug 11, 2010
- 6,362
Agreed. We are never going to stop disasters from happening; we can only try and put appropriate plans in place to prevent them and if the worst happens ensure that they are not repeated. There are alwayss disasters waiting to happen, especially in crowds. Examples - Preston Park Station platform after a game at Withdean with an express train going through, or the stairs at the old Wembley Stadium where 25% of those evacuating the stadium didn’t physically tread on any of the steps but were carried down in the packed crowd. Shit happens - unfortunately Hillsborough was the worst kind. I like to think that our safety at the Amex is partly due to the lessons learned.
It took a hell of a long time to learn these lessons.....
1946....Burnden Park..... 33 DEAD....400 injured
1971....Ibrox....................66 DEAD.....200 injured
1985....Valley Parade.....56 DEAD.....265 injured
1985....Heysel................39 DEAD.....600 injured
......and still, in 1989, the Football Association persisted in holding an FAC Semi Final in a stadium not fit for purpose. Warnings had been given at previous big games at Hillsborough that it was a disaster waiting to happen....IGNORED..... Those that made the decision to hold that game, in the light of all security advice given prior to the game, at a stadium not fit for purpose, should equally be charged with manslaughter.
We trusted them with the stewardship of our game. They let everybody down. Its about bloody time that these individuals were named and shamed. It doesn't matter if some of them are no longer with us. Let their families know that these suited and booted imbeciles failed in their duty of running our game.
They lit the fuse. Duckenfield fanned the flames.