Caoimhin O’Muraile ⚽ on soccer stadia disasters.

Some weeks ago, I wrote an article for TPQ titled Those Were The Days My Friend We Were The Stretford End in which it may have appeared to some readers to be iconising football hooliganism during the 1970s. This was not, and is not my intention, but in that article I made reference to an incident which occurred at Ayresome Park, then home of Middlesbrough Football Club resulting in the tragic deaths of two home supporters. 

The game was against Manchester United whose fans had a reputation for violence back in those days. The game took place before a bumper crowd of 30,387 on 12th January 1980 and a large contingent of United fans were present. The United fans were held back by the police after the game to allow the home supporters to go home, but as the visiting supporters made a charge  - myself included, I had no choice as the pushing came from my rear - a wall collapsed killing Norman and Irene Roxby, two lifelong Middlesbrough supporters and season ticket holders. The club had no safety certificate at the time and eye witnesses outside said they could ‘see the wall bulging’ as the United fans pushed to get out to the home supporters who were taunting them from the outside. The club maintain they were in the process of obtaining a safety certificate but at the time did not yet have one. 

Does the decrepit state of the ground and the goading from the Middlesbrough supporters excuse the rampaging behaviour of the Man Utd fans resulting in the deaths of two home fans? No, it does not though the state of the ground could be a contributing factor as could the behaviour of some Middlesbrough supporters in goading the United fans but the hard fact remains if the charge at the wall had not occurred the Roxby’s would not have been killed.

Five years later prior to the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus played at the Heysel stadium, Brussels, a similar incident on a larger scale happened resulting in the deaths of 39 Juventus fans. Liverpool supporters charged at the Italian supporters forcing them against a wall crushing them as, similar to Ayresome Park, the wall collapsed. The media, ever friendly towards the “Kop” fans from Merseyside, blamed to a large extent the poor condition of the stadium and some people even blamed the Juventus fans for “sparking” the trouble. This excuse was not afforded to the Stretford Enders at Ayresome Park five years previous and frankly neither should it have been, but the ”Kop” could do no wrong in those days according to the media. The saintly Liverpool fans were given, by some, the benefit of the doubt which was wrong. They were as guilty as were the United fans five years previous at Middlesbrough because irrespective of the state of the ground if the Liverpool fans had not made their charge 39 Juventus fans would not have been killed, and that is the fact of the matter! Like Ayresome Park the condition of the stadium was a contributing factor but not the cause, as some Liverpool fans boasted of their exploits at Heysel. 

Fourteen Scousers were charged with manslaughter, probably the wrong ones, and given prison sentences. English clubs supporters were, not for the first time, banned from attending European games away from home [though this did not prevent us at Man Utd from attending European away games, much to the clubs annoyance and UEFAs enragement] and some, a tiny minority of Liverpool fans were heard to boast it was them, and not “United” who got everybody banned.

In 1989 Liverpool played Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup Semi-Final of that year at Sheffield Wednesdays Hillsborough stadium. As has been well documented 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death due to incompetent policing, even, arguably, murder. The press this time, in order to save the reputation of South Yorkshire police blamed the fans themselves for the tragedy. This was not the case as the police allowed the two centre pens of the Leppings Lane end to overfill leaving the adjacent pens half empty. This incompetence cost 96 supporters their lives. 

However, it was the events at Heysel four years previous which led to only tepid support for the deceased coming from many fans of other clubs around the country. I was at Old Trafford that day and at first the attitude was “fucking scousers at it again” which shortly after it became clear this was not the case. Disagreements began among the United fans, traditional enemies of Liverpool supporters, between those of us who could see plainly something was seriously wrong here and those who showed little sympathy due to the events at Heysel. Our attitude was two wrongs do not make a right until it became clear the only wrong at Hillsborough lay with the police. The media, usually friendly towards Liverpool’s fans, and hostile towards those of Man Utd, this time in order to protect the police and, no doubt their masters turned on their former darlings from “the Kop”.

It was only when it became apparent that there was one big cover up going on here that support for the deceased Liverpool fans and their families began to galvanise. Former sceptics came on board with their condemnation of the police and the obvious cover up which ensued. Some of those who once said “what about them poor bastards at Heysel killed when the scousers rioted” began to let that argument go as the corruption of the British state and, in particular the Home Office, became increasingly apparent in defending their policemen. It took years for the families to get some form of justice and it is not over yet, though a jury found the victims were killed “unlawfully” and West Midlands and South Yorkshire police forces agreed to pay six hundred injured and families of the deceased some compensation. 

It is my opinion, and only an opinion, the Hillsborough disaster was in some way planned by a state determined to get rid of standing areas at football grounds and impose all seater stadium with huge increases in profits. I think it was intended an incident would happen that day which got well out of hand and ultimately control but that again is just an opinion. It costs a lot more to sit at a match than it does to stand up and profits for the greedy club owners have soared on the backs of 96 Liverpool supporters.

Perhaps it is time to take a moment to remember all football fans who have lost their lives in various disasters from the Burden Park, former home of Bolton Wanderers, disaster in 1946 killing 33 and injuring 400 to Ibrox Park in 1971. We must remember the forgotten tragedy at Ayresome Park in 1980 involving my own fans, Manchester United, to Heysel in 1985 (and lets not forget the Bradford fire again in 1985) through to Hillsborough 1989. 

What are the possibilities of another disaster happening now that stadia are all seated? In my experience quite high because if a sway ever happens by supporters standing up to celebrate a goal in these seated enclosures there are no crush barriers to stop the sway. The result would be unimaginable as tibia leg bones would break like match stalks! There was nothing wrong with standing accommodation at football grounds and even the Taylor Report into Hillsborough exonerated terracing as not been in any way to blame for the deaths. The terracing has now been replaced by plastic buckets, seats, and the atmosphere at grounds once generated by the fans is now stage managed, not least at Anfield home of Liverpool FC. The grounds are soulless Americanised theatres of the rich man’s profits as working-class culture has been replaced by bourgeois bores. The ruling classes once again got what they wanted!

Caoimhin O’Muraile is a Dublin 
based Marxist and author. 

From Ayresome Park ➖ Heysel To Hillsborough

Caoimhin O’Muraile ⚽ on soccer stadia disasters.

Some weeks ago, I wrote an article for TPQ titled Those Were The Days My Friend We Were The Stretford End in which it may have appeared to some readers to be iconising football hooliganism during the 1970s. This was not, and is not my intention, but in that article I made reference to an incident which occurred at Ayresome Park, then home of Middlesbrough Football Club resulting in the tragic deaths of two home supporters. 

The game was against Manchester United whose fans had a reputation for violence back in those days. The game took place before a bumper crowd of 30,387 on 12th January 1980 and a large contingent of United fans were present. The United fans were held back by the police after the game to allow the home supporters to go home, but as the visiting supporters made a charge  - myself included, I had no choice as the pushing came from my rear - a wall collapsed killing Norman and Irene Roxby, two lifelong Middlesbrough supporters and season ticket holders. The club had no safety certificate at the time and eye witnesses outside said they could ‘see the wall bulging’ as the United fans pushed to get out to the home supporters who were taunting them from the outside. The club maintain they were in the process of obtaining a safety certificate but at the time did not yet have one. 

Does the decrepit state of the ground and the goading from the Middlesbrough supporters excuse the rampaging behaviour of the Man Utd fans resulting in the deaths of two home fans? No, it does not though the state of the ground could be a contributing factor as could the behaviour of some Middlesbrough supporters in goading the United fans but the hard fact remains if the charge at the wall had not occurred the Roxby’s would not have been killed.

Five years later prior to the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus played at the Heysel stadium, Brussels, a similar incident on a larger scale happened resulting in the deaths of 39 Juventus fans. Liverpool supporters charged at the Italian supporters forcing them against a wall crushing them as, similar to Ayresome Park, the wall collapsed. The media, ever friendly towards the “Kop” fans from Merseyside, blamed to a large extent the poor condition of the stadium and some people even blamed the Juventus fans for “sparking” the trouble. This excuse was not afforded to the Stretford Enders at Ayresome Park five years previous and frankly neither should it have been, but the ”Kop” could do no wrong in those days according to the media. The saintly Liverpool fans were given, by some, the benefit of the doubt which was wrong. They were as guilty as were the United fans five years previous at Middlesbrough because irrespective of the state of the ground if the Liverpool fans had not made their charge 39 Juventus fans would not have been killed, and that is the fact of the matter! Like Ayresome Park the condition of the stadium was a contributing factor but not the cause, as some Liverpool fans boasted of their exploits at Heysel. 

Fourteen Scousers were charged with manslaughter, probably the wrong ones, and given prison sentences. English clubs supporters were, not for the first time, banned from attending European games away from home [though this did not prevent us at Man Utd from attending European away games, much to the clubs annoyance and UEFAs enragement] and some, a tiny minority of Liverpool fans were heard to boast it was them, and not “United” who got everybody banned.

In 1989 Liverpool played Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup Semi-Final of that year at Sheffield Wednesdays Hillsborough stadium. As has been well documented 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death due to incompetent policing, even, arguably, murder. The press this time, in order to save the reputation of South Yorkshire police blamed the fans themselves for the tragedy. This was not the case as the police allowed the two centre pens of the Leppings Lane end to overfill leaving the adjacent pens half empty. This incompetence cost 96 supporters their lives. 

However, it was the events at Heysel four years previous which led to only tepid support for the deceased coming from many fans of other clubs around the country. I was at Old Trafford that day and at first the attitude was “fucking scousers at it again” which shortly after it became clear this was not the case. Disagreements began among the United fans, traditional enemies of Liverpool supporters, between those of us who could see plainly something was seriously wrong here and those who showed little sympathy due to the events at Heysel. Our attitude was two wrongs do not make a right until it became clear the only wrong at Hillsborough lay with the police. The media, usually friendly towards Liverpool’s fans, and hostile towards those of Man Utd, this time in order to protect the police and, no doubt their masters turned on their former darlings from “the Kop”.

It was only when it became apparent that there was one big cover up going on here that support for the deceased Liverpool fans and their families began to galvanise. Former sceptics came on board with their condemnation of the police and the obvious cover up which ensued. Some of those who once said “what about them poor bastards at Heysel killed when the scousers rioted” began to let that argument go as the corruption of the British state and, in particular the Home Office, became increasingly apparent in defending their policemen. It took years for the families to get some form of justice and it is not over yet, though a jury found the victims were killed “unlawfully” and West Midlands and South Yorkshire police forces agreed to pay six hundred injured and families of the deceased some compensation. 

It is my opinion, and only an opinion, the Hillsborough disaster was in some way planned by a state determined to get rid of standing areas at football grounds and impose all seater stadium with huge increases in profits. I think it was intended an incident would happen that day which got well out of hand and ultimately control but that again is just an opinion. It costs a lot more to sit at a match than it does to stand up and profits for the greedy club owners have soared on the backs of 96 Liverpool supporters.

Perhaps it is time to take a moment to remember all football fans who have lost their lives in various disasters from the Burden Park, former home of Bolton Wanderers, disaster in 1946 killing 33 and injuring 400 to Ibrox Park in 1971. We must remember the forgotten tragedy at Ayresome Park in 1980 involving my own fans, Manchester United, to Heysel in 1985 (and lets not forget the Bradford fire again in 1985) through to Hillsborough 1989. 

What are the possibilities of another disaster happening now that stadia are all seated? In my experience quite high because if a sway ever happens by supporters standing up to celebrate a goal in these seated enclosures there are no crush barriers to stop the sway. The result would be unimaginable as tibia leg bones would break like match stalks! There was nothing wrong with standing accommodation at football grounds and even the Taylor Report into Hillsborough exonerated terracing as not been in any way to blame for the deaths. The terracing has now been replaced by plastic buckets, seats, and the atmosphere at grounds once generated by the fans is now stage managed, not least at Anfield home of Liverpool FC. The grounds are soulless Americanised theatres of the rich man’s profits as working-class culture has been replaced by bourgeois bores. The ruling classes once again got what they wanted!

Caoimhin O’Muraile is a Dublin 
based Marxist and author. 

4 comments:

  1. Dunno. Every PL or CL game I watch the stadium is rocking.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My memory of the media relationship with Liverpool fans is very different. I recall them being hammered over Hysel. From time to time the Kop would feature in media coverage because it was considered a sight to see

    ReplyDelete
  3. Steve R
    The modern game so called atmospheres are stage managed. I include all grounds, including Old Trafford, and I suggest the next time LFC play in the European Cup (CL) watch behind the Kop goal. You will see just before KO after the manufactured of what was once genuine, stewards removing the flags and taking them away till the next game. To back up my case, watch when Liverpool score at what was once the Kop how many flags are waved, answer, unlike yesteryear, none. It is all stage managed right down to the time flags are removed by the stewards. Check it out next time the cameras are at Anfield.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AM and Steve

    Back in the seventies an LP was made of the Kop. There is no doubt that end at Anfield was loud, along with other less publisised ends around the league, but to make that LP mics were placed in the Kop roof to amplify the volume for purposes of recording. As the record took a number of weeks to record, so as bad language could be cut out, when it was completed the microphones were left in place, hence the volume on MotD which sounded like viewers were in the ground. That principle is still alive at Anfield today, hence the "stadium rocking".
    The Kop held around 20,000 people of which only the middle were active (vocal) at an average game. Big matches like Everton or Man Utd the vocals would be extended but this applied to all grounds, large and small if a local rival was in town.

    So on average about 8-9,000 on the Kop were vocal but, and this is important, in order to maintain the "Mersey Beat" culture dating back to the sixties photographic shots of the Kop were taken from an angle suggesting the whole end were singing You'll Never Walk Alone, which was not the case. I have been at Anfield many times with Man Utd, standing in the Anfield Road End and yes, the Kop could be well heard even though amplified by microphones, and, like the Fulwell End at Sunderland (Roker Park), the Holte End at Villa, was vocal and a grand sight but no louder or picturesque than the old Leassez End at Newcastle.

    You will hear the Anfield Kop held upwards of 25,000 which is rubbish. The South Bank at Moleneux, Wolves ground, held around 30,000 (it was bloody huge) and would dwarf the Kop. Shame Wolves fans could not do it justice, they went on the much smaller North Bank. We took over 20,000 to Wolves back in 1976 and still did not fill the South Bank, certainly not to capacity.

    Just trying to clear up some myths. The Stretford End at Old Trafford held 10,500 of which all were active. On big games, City and Liverpool, the vocalists were extended into the Strefrord Paddock, as at Anfield LFC big games the vocals were more numerous for such games. The difference was/is nobody else has the benefit of microphones.

    ReplyDelete