Very nearly our own Hillsborough



Don't you just love the bovver gear on the guy fifth
 from the right on the roof.




I visited Dalymount Park in September to watch the Blues Under 19’s defeat the hosts by three goals to two in the U-19 Elite Division of the League of Ireland. I’ hadn’t been there for a few years, certainly not since the Bo-is got into financial troubles having tried unsuccessfully to cash in on the Celtic Tiger property boom.

While their failed attempts to sell their main asset lamentably did them irreparable damage as a club, it did however guarantee the continuing survival of one the true bastions of Irish soccer, the Phibsboro edifice that is Dalymount Park.

Anyone remotely involved with Irish soccer has been touched by the ugliness and the beauty of “Dalyer”. Home to the FAI Cup Finals until 1990 and Ireland internationals until 1977 (with exceptions of Italy and Russia in 1972, and Switzerland in 1975 – all at Lansdowne), and nestled among the terraced streets in Phibsboro it has a place in Irish sporting folklore which will never diminish.

I have several memories of the ground, some of which we all share. In chronological order:

• The FAI Cup Final of 1972 with my father engaging in a heated argument with another spectator who wouldn’t give the ball back
• Watching in sheer amazement as Ireland beat Russia 3-0 in 1973 with Givens bagging the hat-trick. Accompanied at that match, on a Wednesday afternoon in fifth year, by Brusselsblue and Chelski I believe.
• The successive semi-finals of 1978 and 1979 against Rovers, a 2-1 defeat avenged a year later with a victory by the same scoreline. In the latter game, Syd Wallace hanging from the railings having scored the winner with two minutes to go.
• Allow me the brevity, but Art McCooey’s paper hat at the 1978 final has got to go down as one of Dalymount’s memorable moments.
• Breaking down the gates before the Waterford St Pats game in 1980, our last cup-winning year.
• Winning 2-1 against nomadic Rovers in the 2005 relegation play-off to stay up while consigning them to the First Division for the first time ever.

Superb memories indeed.

I return to the description of Dalymount nestled in the narrow terraced streets of Phibsboro. Remembering the crush at various games, and the shale incline behind the terraces at the Shed End, it is remarkable that there was not a major disaster of the type that occurred at Hillsboro or Heysel.

The Irish Independent recalls a night when apparently the stadium came closest to achieving notoriety for all the wrong reasons.

Tuesday February 5, 1985, Ireland v Italy Friendly.

Ireland has been at the wrong end of recent results, crowds for their games had dwindled and consequently an attendance of 20,000 was anticipated and planned for. Perhaps they underestimated the attraction of the Italian team.

They were World Cup holders, the aristocrats of the world game, and had only played the Republic four times prior to this fixture -- in Turin and Dublin in 1926 and '27 respectively, and in 1970 (Florence) and '71 (Dublin) in European Championship fixtures. January was a harsh month of arctic weather, causing a number of postponements in Ireland and England in many sports. In Dublin, the Ireland v England rugby game fixed for Lansdowne Road on January 19 was called off early on the morning of the match. The sporting public’s appetite for a major fixture was strong.

At 6.00pm Phibsboro and its environs were full of the usual traffic – the teams arrived twenty minutes later, their coaches flanked by Garda motorcycle outriders. Eoin Hand, the Irish manager reflects: "We got in a bit later than usual because we were in our gear. The crowds were fairly big but at the time we got in it didn't look anything unusual."

By 6.45pm the Gardai realised that instead of the 20,000 expected, there was a much greater surge in numbers around the ground. People were getting anxious. It took time to pay cash at the turnstiles. All entrances to the ground were -- and are -- by narrow lanes and on the Connaught Street side there was further confusion. Some turnstiles had been bricked up because Bohs -- and the FAI -- had not been faced with anything like capacity crowds for a long time.

At 7.00pm pressure at the turnstiles was mounting. Crowds were pushing those in front, the narrow entrances were too tight for the huge throngs that were now turning up. Gardai had 115 men on duty, 50 of them inside the ground. The FAI had 80 stewards and 10 supervisors.

At 7.15pm and with as estimated 10,000 people still to get in, a decision was made to put back the kick-off to 7.45, a delay of 15 minutes. Inside the ground there were rumours there was pandemonium outside, and almost simultaneously a wave of movement ensued and a mass of people began emerging onto the pitch. What had actually happened was that the Gardai had ordered the gates be opened to relieve the pressure and fans flooded into the ground. Those on the pitch had been let through by the Gardai at a point where the security fence was opened up to cater for pitch-side TV cameras. The mistakes made at Hillsboro did not occur at Dalymount.

By 7.40pm people were banked along the sidelines. The Tallaght Band, waiting to play the National Anthem, was surrounded by folk wandering around them. The red carpet laid out for President Hillery was trodden underfoot. Players warmed up on the pitch, not believing their eyes. Hand went to his bench, as did Bearzot to find fans sitting there. "Can I sit down, please?" said Hand as he ushered in his backroom men and subs. The Italians and Irish players were bemused but went with the flow. That said, Frank Stapleton's abiding memory of the game is: "How there wasn't a disaster that night is beyond me."

The fans settled down, although around 800 of the estimated 40,000 attendance stayed by the touchlines for the duration. The referee finally got the game going just after 7.45pm.  This classic photo of the stand at the Shed End gives an indication of how thronged conditions must have been.

And so thankfully, Dalymount Park did not become renowned for disaster, in the way that Hillsboro, Ibrox and Heysel have. Some strong decision making by the Gardai, the co-operation of the public and a bit of luck prevented Feb 5th, 1985 become famous for all the wrong reasons.

Ireland lost the match 2-1 Altobelli and Rossi scoring for the Italians with Gary Waddock replying for the Irish. The game also marked Ooh, ah Paul McGrath’s debut for Ireland a substitute after ten minutes for the injured Mark Lawrenson.

Ireland: Bonner (Celtic ); Hughton (Spurs), Lawrenson (Liverpool), McCarthy (Man City), Beglin (Liverpool); Waddock (QPR), Sheedy (Everton), Brady (Inter Milan), Galvin (Spurs); Stapleton (Man Utd), Byrne (QPR).

Italy: Tancredi; Bagni, Vierchowod, Scirea, Bergomi, Cabrini; Conti, Tardelli, Di Gennaro, Rossi, Altobelli.

What a difference a "U" makes

James Saunders, managing director of Saunders Law Ltd, the solicitor who represents the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said: "After truth there must be justice, and the High Court's order for fresh inquests on the 96 who died opens the path to justice for the Hillsborough families."

Independent newspaper, 19 December, 2012.

In reponse to the above posting we heard from the Colonel who wrote:

Dear Sir

We wish to correct a possible misunderstanding. The firm Squire Sanders has had no involvement in any aspect of the Hillsborough tribunal or any other related investigation. I believe the firm of Hammonds was involved. The latter no longer exists. If you persist with this line of coverage we will be obliged to take action to defend our reputation.

Regards

The Colonel.


I find it curious that the Colonel chose to threaten CBD in the manner outlined in his final sentence, when the potential linkage (ignoring the letter u) was to a firm who had represented the interests of the innocent and wronged party in the investigation under discussion.  It would be horrible to imagine the response if the linkage was to a firm who had represented the West Midlands Police.

Ed.

Big day in Liverpool

Come on, Margaret avoid senility for a few days longer.

Tomorrow sees the publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel's findings into the tragedy.  Fingers crossed it fingers the gulty.  

"What would you do, if your 14 year old brother goes off to a football match with his mother and is deposited back to you a shell, after watching his mother die in front of him? 

I was 19 years of age, 19 fucking years old and I was left with this shell of a brother to raise, and told my mother was dead?  What would you fucking do???"

Justice for the 96

Good news with the unopposed passing of a motion in the House of Commons last night to release cabinet papers relating to the Hillsborough disaster. It will be interesting to learn how complicit Margaret Thatcher and her henchmen were in the cover-up of the ineffectual policing and sinister behaviours which lead to the deaths of the 96 on that eventful day.

Kenny Daglish via Twitter:

Congratulations and thanks to Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham for bringing so much hope to many people who have suffered too long. Steve and Andy have only one objective. Justice for the families. No political side. Only humanitarian issues. Thank you to everyone, whatever team you support, for helping the families move closer to getting justice.

Justice for the 96

Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster and the official Liverpool website is awash with memories, tributes and support for the 96 who died that day.

The Sheffield Wednesday website also remembers the victims and refers to a service at 3pm to be conducted by the club's chaplain at the entrance to the ground. Sadly the Nottingham Forest website is devoid of any reference to the event and not surprisingly The Sun focuses on trivialities such as former Eastenders star Michelle Collins' impending debut in Coronation Street.

Driving deeper into the Liverpool site, you come across the following "What does Hillsborough mean to you?" response from a supporter on the day, Chris Owen.

My name is Chris and I'm fast approaching 40 and now living in Perth Western Australia and this is what Hillsborough means to me. I was 17-years-old and my brother Richard was 14, and we'd both been lifelong reds. This was our first season as ticket holders and our first away game without Dad.

We arrived at the Leppings Lane end and it was packed. The Reds came onto the pitch and there was an almighty surge. I was lifted clean off my feet and pushed further through the crowd until we where 6ft from the fence and my brother started to scream he was getting crushed. A couple of men asked if he wanted pushing up above the crowd. I can still picture his face being so frightened. The man asked if I wanted to go, so I squeezed my arms free and pushed on their shoulders until I was on top of the crowd. We scrambled over the fence, but I slipped and caught a few peoples fingers that where poking through the mesh.

I looked in horror to see faces of unconscious people, gasping and pleading to be let out. We landed on the pitch with people in the stands booing us; I remember screaming at the police that people where dying in there, but no one listened. The events unfolded and we were sitting in the penalty area with people staggering around in a daze or injured. One of my worst memories was walking back through the twisted metal that was left of the Leppings Lane end knowing people had died just watching a game.

The trip home was awful with two empty seats on the bus. We arrived in Birkenhead and I phoned home. Our parents thought the worst as my dad had seen events unfold on a TV as he walked past the shops, it was a picture of a policeman giving a young boy CPR. The whole street had descended on our house for support; it was a very emotional return.

The days following were a blur of uncontrollable grief. We went to Anfield a few times and placed some flowers and a shirt with a message. I went to the Cup Final but didn't renew my season ticket; it would have killed my mum.

I went to some counselling but spent 10 years trying to come to terms with it all and struggling to process what had happened. I still don't know if the men who helped us got themselves out. They saved our lives and I have never been able to thank them. It also haunts me that I hurt people's fingers when I slipped over the fence, people who where grasping for their last breath.

I still cry when I really think about it and struggle to watch the memorial service on TV or the internet every year. I'm still bitter about it today and feel unjust in how we've all been let down. It will be with me forever.

Shrek at Everton

All the hullabaloo about Wayne Rooney's extramarital activities, and his lack of respect for the England supporters at the World Cup, hide the truth behind why his return to Goodison today would have been such a torrid affair.



The reason why Rooney is hated on Merseyside goes back to Hillsborough and his subsequent decision (admittedly several years later) to sell his story in an exclusive to "The Sun", the newspaper which had lied and made scurrilous observations about the behaviour of the Liverpool fans on the day of the Hillsborough disaster.

From the Guardian in 2004:

"The 18-year-old's decision to sell his life story - 'world exclusive' - revelations that he and his fiancée love each other, watch EastEnders and have a dog called Fiz - for £250,000 to the Sun and its sister paper, the News of the World , was guaranteed to test his folk hero status like nothing else. As in 1992, when Liverpool manager Graeme Souness took the paper's shilling, radio phone-ins were jammed. Fans wrote letters or emails saying they were 'sickened'. Red-blue rivalries on the field were irrelevant: Everton and Liverpool fans are united in hatred of the Sun.

Leading the condemnation of the deal is Jimmy McGovern, writer of the TV drama documentary Hillsborough. He said last night: 'Footballers today are on massive wages because 96 fans died at Hillsborough and Lord Justice Taylor had to drag the game into the modern era. Footballers should never forget it. Local lads especially. Locally born footballers have an enormous responsibility to the Hillsborough dead. That is hard, I know. They are only young men. But, tough, they have it. So for Wayne Rooney to sell his story to the Sun is a disgrace.'

It was nice to see Everton's comeback knock the wind out of United's sails today with the two late goals. It was an awful shame Rooney wasn't there to do the walk of shame to the dressing room after the game. Hopefully, hopefully - another time.

Duisburg - The Hillsborough Disaster Remembered

The sad events at the Love Festival in Duisburg over the weekend call to mind the similar tragedy which occurred at Hillsborough in April 1989, six minutes into the Cup Semi-Final between Notts Forest and Liverpool.

One must hope that those public servants in Germany who through their actions or inactions contributed to the disaster have the honesty, fortitude and dignity to admit their part in the debacle and to answer for their actions. Sadly at Hillsborough this has never been the case.

Ninety six football supporters died at Hillsborough or in its' aftermath and the photographs of the crushed men, women and children, though easily accessible on the net, are too horrific to be placed on this page. All of us who experienced football grounds in the days before all-seater stadiums all too vividly remember the fear and apprehension as you became caught up in a crowd surge, or were swept along, feet off the ground, in a seething mass of humanity. To those that died that April day in 1989, it can only be described as a horrifically frightening way to die.

To those relatives that they left behind, the nightmare memories that came from the day have been compounded by their callous treatment at the hands of the UK Judicial system since then.

Whether someone should answer criminal charges for their incompetence in their workplace (The South Yorkshire Police) is a moot point, but the fact that those in charge have failed to acknowledge their role in the disaster and have lied about key aspects of their operational and strategic policing decisions on the day fall short of what one expects in a civilised state. However I think we all know about the record of the English police in believing that they are above the law - if in doubt ask the Birmingham Six or the Guildford Four.

The Hillsborough Family Support group continue to seek answers to some key questions and to get acknowledgement of responsibility from certain key individuals on duty on the day. With regard to organisational competence:

• why was the decision made to use the Leppings Lane end (the smaller end) for the Liverpool fans?


• why was the decision made to open gate C to alleviate crowd build-up outside the ground without having officers to divert incoming supporters away from the already overcrowded pens 3 & 4?


• why was the decision made to classify the initial pitch encroachment as an incident of hooliganism (rather than an unfolding disaster) and call for police reinforcements?


• why were there only two ambulancemen (and one vehicle) inside the ground at the time of the disaster?

Of arguably far greater concern was the decision of Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield to advise the media on the day of the tragedy that the gates had been stormed by the fans rather than opened, unsupervised, under his directions. A shameful lie, part of the conspiracy to blame supposedly drunken Liverpool fans for the tragedy. Further evidence of this assumption of guilt on their part came in the formal investigation, prior to release of the dead bodies to relatives, of the drinking habits of all the deceased fans prior to the game - regardless of their age.

In trying to write about this event as a genuine football fan, it is hard to know when to stop in cataloging the grievances. The appalling mismanagement of the process of identification of the dead bodies and the return of their remains to family members, and the shameful investigation by the West Yorkshire Police into their neighbouring constabulary in subsequent years are further aspects which also deserve scrutiny.

Justice has not been served and there must be significant doubts that under the supposedly greatest legal system in the world, it ever will be. As often is the case, it will be left to the ordinary man and woman to remember and pay tribute to those that died on the fateful day. The memorial at Anfield is testimony to the memory and it is fitting that among the shirts festooning the memorial gates, hangs the shirt of Liverpool's arch-rivals, Everton, with the handwritten tribute:

"Once a blue, always a blue, but today, I'm also Red - Justice for the 96"



Long may they live in peace.