jmckenna

Well said.

Thankyou. I cant post links to other sites apparently but if you . w~w.contrast.org/hillsborough/history/heysel.shtm And King Kennys view. w#w.contrast.org/hillsborough/history/dalglish-heysel.shtm A quote from this. "Peter Robinson (Liverpool Chairman) went over before the final to see the stadium. He was concerned about many things to do with Heysel Stadium, which was clearly unsuited to holding two sets of supporters who were bound to be emotionally charged for such a big game. Peter told the Belgium authorities and UEFA that he was very apprehensive about ticket allocation. Peter was also worried that they had kept a section of the ground for the use of Belgian people. He suggested that only Liverpool and Juventus should receive tickets. Allowing a third party access to tickets would inevitably mean a dangerous mixed area, with English and Italian supporters having got tickets off any Belgian wanting to make a few bob for himself. It was a very frustrating situation. Liverpool seemed to be the only ones fearful about what could happen. Liverpool made it public that they were concerned about the condition of the stadium, but UEFA said they must continue, so the ill-fated final went ahead and unfortunately everybody knows the consequences. Liverpool were so concerned that they put up information booths outside the ground in an attempt to keep our fans out of the unsegregated area. Liverpool did that, not UEFA. It angers me that Liverpool did all the warning, Liverpool made every effort to prevent trouble and when the worst happened Liverpool received all the blame. There was no hint of trouble when we entered Heysel. As normal, we walked out on to the pitch, still wearing our civvies, about an hour and half before kick-off. We strolled behind one of the goals. The terrace there was split in two, but the only thing dividing the sections was a flimsy barrier of what looked like chicken wire. The half supposedly kept for Belgians keen to see a final on their doorstep was where the ticket allocation had gone terribly wrong. Most of the people in that neutral Belgian section were Juventus fans. The other section behind the goal contained our people. As we walked behind the goal, one of the Liverpool fans threw us a ball. The players just kicked it around and occasionally volleyed it back into the crowd. The Liverpool fans kicked it back and so it went on. Everything was amicable. There was no indication of any bother, but seemingly while all this was happening, Juventus fans were throwing stones at the Liverpool fans. Remembering the dreadful treatment they had encountered in Rome, our supporters inevitably acted angrily. I can't condone the action of some Liverpool fans but it is difficult not to react when the opposing supporters are throwing missiles at you. The fact that fatalities might result wouldn't have occurred to the Liverpool fans when they ran across. If you have been pelted with stones the year before, and suffered badly, you are not going to accept it again. That's how the trouble started. UEFA must shoulder much of the blame. The choice of Heysel was so obviously wrong. The Belgians had no idea how to stage a match of this magnitude. There wasn't a great deal of security; thousands of people got into the ground with the stub still on their ticket. The worst mistake the Belgians and UEFA made was in allocating tickets to people not from the two clubs involved. That was a recipe for disaster. Of course it's sad when two sets of people cannot go and enjoy a game, cannot behave themselves, but you've got to be realistic. You've got to recognise the potential for trouble and do everything in your power to prevent any problems occurring. UEFA didn't do that." Again i am not condoning or defending the actions that night. I just feel the authorities should have been punished.

Jesus! Where you there? Did you even see it unfold live on T.V.? No! Thought not. For your information i was more concerned that night on protecting my 14 year old nephew than getting involved in violence. The ignorance and lies surrounding that night still affect me. The deaths that night were horrible , and the people responsible should be punished. Trouble was not enough were (by that i mean the stadium holders etc. because you wouldn't know would you)

I was at Heysel as was a friend , who was later arrested and convicted. As far as i am concerned Rome was not a factor when rocks and stones started to hit me. Heysel was an awful event that puts a blot on our great name . But what really gets to me is that the stadium and organizers got totally away with it ( apart from a ban of not holding a major tournament there for 10 years). Anyway as i said Rome was not even on my mind when i went to that match.

Hello everyone ! First post. I think this is great news. The stick Lucas still gets amazes and disappoints me. He just turned 24 and is only 10 months younger and 10 times better than Spearing , who some seem to laud over. I think Lucas is better than just a squad player.