Justice for the 96

 

Justice for the 96

 

Youll Never Walk Alone

 

I bought the paper on my way to school, and when i saw his in the playground, I decked him!!, Completly out of the blue. When he got up he asked me why I had hit him, and I showed him the paper, and ws so angry that instead of trying to help he was taking pictures.

 

He said to me that there was nothing that he could do, as he never had steel cutters with him, and there was no way out of those cages that had been erected. He even got his uncle to phone me, months later, and tell me that he was still upset by the events of that day.

 

People going to watch a FA Cup Semi should never have been taken in that way, and there were so many unanswered questions regarding the day. Sure, that we all got better stadiums to watch the game in as a consequence of the Taylor report.

 

But did any police or FA or Hillsbrough offical ever get done for being involved in one of the worst days in British football.

 

Like all clubs, sometimes you blame the fans for stupid or uncalled for behaviour at matches. But these people wernt hooligans, they were real fans who just wanted to see thee beloved Liverpool reach a Cup Final.

 

The 96 will never be forgotten by us Arsenal fans either.

 

RIP

 

Would it have happened if only those who had tickets had shown up? A lot of non ticket holders did show up trying to get in for free. Surely they should have stayed at home and allowed the ticket holders a trouble free afternoon.

 

It was a sad time for all concerned. A shame that a lot of fans died as a result of a lot of factors.

 

Thank God we have moved on and the fences removed. I'm still not convinced that all seaters are the answer, Standing  can be done in a safe yet secure way without the fences.

 

Thanks for giving me an proper answer, I appreciate it very much and have wanted to really understand what, why & how etc. You have answered the only doubt I had at the time. Again, thanks heaps!

 

Justice for the 96.

 

 

You'll Never Walk Alone John Alfred Anderson (62) Thomas Howard (39) Colin Mark Ashcroft (19) Thomas Anthony Howard (14) James Gary Aspinall (18) Eric George Hughes (42) Kester Roger Marcus Ball (16) Alan Johnston (29) Gerard Bernard Patrick Baron (67) Christine Anne Jones (27) Simon Bell (17) Gary Philip Jones (18) Barry Sidney Bennett (26) Richard Jones (25) David John Benson (22) Nicholas Peter Joynes (27) David William Birtle (22) Anthony Peter Kelly (29) Tony Bland (22) Michael David Kelly (38) Paul David Brady (21) Carl David Lewis (18) Andrew Mark Brookes (26) David William Mather (19) Carl Brown (18) Brian Christopher Mathews (38) David Steven Brown (25) Francis Joseph McAllister (27) Henry Thomas Burke (47) John McBrien (18) Peter Andrew Burkett (24) Marion Hazel McCabe (21) Paul William Carlile (19) Joseph Daniel McCarthy (21) Raymond Thomas Chapman (50) Peter McDonnell (21) Gary Christopher Church (19) Alan McGlone (28) Joseph Clark (29) Keith McGrath (17) Paul Clark (18) Paul Brian Murray (14) Gary Collins (22) Lee Nicol (14) Stephen Paul Copoc (20) Stephen Francis O'Neill (17) Tracey Elizabeth Cox (23) Jonathon Owens (18) James Philip Delaney (19) William Roy Pemberton (23) Christopher Barry Devonside (18) Carl William Rimmer (21) Christopher Edwards (29) David George Rimmer (38) Vincent Michael Fitzsimmons (34) Graham John Roberts (24) Thomas Steven Fox (21) Steven Joseph Robinson (17) Jon-Paul Gilhooley (10) Henry Charles Rogers (17) Barry Glover (27) Colin Andrew Hugh William Sefton (23) Ian Thomas Glover (20) Inger Shah (38) Derrick George Godwin (24) Paula Ann Smith (26) Roy Harry Hamilton (34) Adam Edward Spearritt (14) Philip Hammond (14) Philip John Steele (15) Eric Hankin (33) David Leonard Thomas (23) Gary Harrison (27) Patrik John Thompson (35) Stephen Francis Harrison (31) Peter Reuben Thompson (30) Peter Andrew Harrison (15) Stuart Paul William Thompson (17) David Hawley (39) Peter Francis Tootle (21) James Robert Hennessy (29) Christopher James Traynor (26) Paul Anthony Hewitson (26) Martin Kevin Traynor (16) Carl Darren Hewitt (17) Kevin Tyrrell (15) Nicholas Michael Hewitt (16) Colin Wafer (19) Sarah Louise Hicks (19) Ian David Whelan (19) Victoria Jane Hicks (15) Martin Kenneth Wild (29) Gordon Rodney Horn (20) Kevin Daniel Williams (15) Arthur Horrocks (41) Graham John Wright (17)

 

YNWA.

 

Justice

 

As a teenager I understood what had happened, and how utterly catastrophic it was, but I didn�t actually GET the full story behind it until years later when I read the accounts of people who were there that day and lived to tell the awful tale, as well as those for who someone close to them didn�t come home.

 

What has never been fully acknowledged is the way in which the families of the dead were treated as they travelled to Hillsborough to identify their dead relatives.  On that most tragic of days, they were interrogated, shunted around, kept waiting for hours and treated like second-class citizens as they tried to come to terms with the horrific deaths of their loved ones and provide them with some sort of dignity.

 

Understandably there are many males aged between 20 and 40 on the list of the dead, but there are others that just make your heart sink.  A father and his 14-year old son on his first visit to a football match together.  Teenage sisters whose father pleaded desperately with police to do something as he watched his daughters die.  A ten-year old boy for goodness sake.  And so many more.

RIP to all those that left us.

 

It sadly seems it was only last week when it happened. Lets hope it never ever happens again for everyones sake.

 

RIP

But he does take a serious note when he touches upon hillsborough and goes in depth with his opinion of the events and causes. He makes some great points - basically to summarise he suggests that to narrow things down to this one event and attempt to start blaming people for hillsborough is sheer folly. He says English football ground regulations and the way they were policed was ridiculous - it was a disaster waiting to happen, and then it did. It was just a damn shame that it took 96 deaths to make something happen. Hornby did back it up with personal experience, citing several examples of different grounds he'd been to and been crushed in - not enough to injure him or make news headlines, but enough to scare the sh*t out of him and make him realise that one day it could be worse, and he just hoped he wouldn't be involved on that day. When that day came he wasn't involved, but was in a position to be able to write about it and give his insight.

 

I personally know very little about the whole incident but Hornby is a very logical and frank writer and it made a lot of sense to me when reading it.

 

On a sidenote, if anyone decides to read Fever Pitch, try his other books too - he's brilliant.

 

Is right.

 

On the subject of Hornby... High Fidelity!! Love that.

 

Am actually just reading that now, it's very clever.