about time, 26 years of covering up and blaming innocent people who just went to watch a game of football, like we all do every Saturday, they treated all of us like scum in the 80's, we're all just lucky there weren't more tragedies. Well done to all the families for standing up to he establishment and uncovering their lies!

I compare the actions of Duckenfield and his senior commanders to those of Chief Super George Crawford and his staff at Selhurst Park. I can't imagine the gov ever letting events just happen while he watched in the control box. I can't imagine someone like SGT John Boldock (known as Ginger) just standing there while people were in distress wondering what to do. I certainly can't believe either of them or any other senior police official of South Norwood Nick lying about having taken a decision to open a gate the way Duckenfield did. He maintained that lie for 27 years and he was fully supported by his peers.

At our pre-season stewards meeting we were shown video of the Valley Parade fire, Heysel and Hillsborough. To the best of my memory, we were NEVER shown video of what happened outside the ground, including the lack of supervision at that tunnel. That video was NEVER made available to the club or South Norwood Police. The powers that be covered all that up because knowledge of it would have harmed the senior officials in Sheffield and the FA. It only came to light when the BBC got a hold of it years later. The innocent were blamed for over a quarter century for the acts of those who should have known better because acknowledging the truth would have been harmful to their careers. John Motson was fed a load of rubbish about drunken hooligans and he reported it, believing it genuine because "responsible people" told him it was. Imagine how angry he is over that. I know I sure am.

Not two years later there was a potential crush situation at Selhurst. The Tottenham team coach backed up to the player's tunnel before the end of the match in violation of his instructions. The exit gate to that end of the Main Stand was block. Both stewards and police instantly reacted and a potential disaster was averted. Imagine if a proper match cammander and experienced leaders with a well thought out plan were at Hillsborough instead of the hapless Duckenfield and his seemingly uninspired team of "leaders.". Imagine if SWFC had made the alterations to Leppings Lane that had been recommended for years instead of its chairman calling the threat of a crush was nonsense. Imagine responsible people taking responsibility for their actions. That's not hindsight. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but definitely not hindsight.

Edited by kenbarr (26 Apr 2016 8.15pm)

Divorced...And LOVING it!
VJRAM Rev.
CPFC since Boxing Day 1989 CPFC 2-2 CFC
Gregg Berhalter, US International & USMNT Head Coach
Jill Ellis, England International & Retired USWNT Head Coach
Trevor Francis, International PRAT

I cant believe there are people on here still blaming the fans. What will it take?
Duckenfield; Thatcher; The Sun; The Police Federation. Lying scum the lot of them. Your in good company.

Following Palace since 25 Feb 1978

Thatcher was trying to use Hillsborough to get a national ID Card scheme. It took the Taylor Report to scupper that. She was all set to use the tragedy to advance her agenda. The local MP at that time, a Tory, was telling anyone who would listen it was down to drunken hooligans who even tried to urinate on police and ambulance workers. That lie was exposed in the 2012 Independent Inquiry.

When I came to Britain in 1989, cash turnstiles were a shock to me. We never had that at any major sporting ground in the US. The semi was "all-ticket," so that wasn't a factor. As many have posted here, including Rudi, Cucking and more, today is the day that the real reasons for the deaths of the 96 were cemented into the law. There was a failure to uphold a duty of care. The police hierarchy failed to properly plan prior to the match, failed to brief their subordinate constables adequately enough and failed to react as the situation worsened. The commander lied about an order he issued. Sheffield Wednesday failed to provide a safe facility for the match. They failed to heed warnings that the facility had serious problems that needed to be addressed. They failed to train their employees, particularly match day stewards, and failed to place them at critical safety positions. They also failed to obtain a current safety certificate, which should have disqualified them from hosting a match of the magnitude of a FA Cup semi final. That, as I see it, is the verdict of the jury.

Divorced...And LOVING it!
VJRAM Rev.
CPFC since Boxing Day 1989 CPFC 2-2 CFC
Gregg Berhalter, US International & USMNT Head Coach
Jill Ellis, England International & Retired USWNT Head Coach
Trevor Francis, International PRAT

You are one seriously opinionated man. Just saying...

Jackson.. Wan Bissaka.... Sansom.. Nicholas.. Cannon.. Guehi.... Zaha... Thomas.. Byrne... Holton.. Rogers.. that should do it..

Very well written, Kenbarr.

I'd like to hope that everyday conscientious folk will stop buying The Sun as protest for their heinous, shoddy, arrogant treatment of Liverpool fans, especially under the editorship of Kelvin Mackenzie. And The Sun's response to yesterday's legal landmark = relegated to pp 8-9.