Full Circle - Why the Fences Went Up

[Owl in Nottingham]

I have thought about this for a while, I wonder what the football authorities would say if at Hillsborough had the fences put back up. At all places Hillsborough, but it is Hillsborough , where a donkey of a Bolton fan fell over from top to bottom tiers, and Hillsborough where this happened last Friday night. We put the fences up in the 80's and have had to endure part of the blame for the Hillsborough disaster. Now we are having the blame for last Friday, as Richard Littlejohn would say in his weekly column You could not make it up. I will say this once and for all, The Hillsborough disaster was not our fault, and neither was Friday.

No the disaster was not our fault. BUT the recent report does reveal some embarassing points for our stadium and the management at that time. There were near misses at previous semi finals. The Lep end of the ground was overcrowded. Safety standards were lax. We did not cause the disaster. However, the report shocked me into realising our club was a contributory factor.

Nobody wants another disaster at our ground. We all have to act sensibly to make sure it does not happen. That means not getting on the pitch no matter what we face from fans such as Leeds and others.

[Wednesday_Jack]

Agree 100% with this! Our stewarding left a lot to be desired on Friday. Police are getting cut in numbers year on year so we must rely more on private companies ie G4s etc. Look at the job they did for the Olympics!!!!!!!

Can you really compare the olympics to football in terms of the intensity of the crowd and passion etc... Especially a game such as Wednesday v Leeds??

I dont think there is a solution other than the policing needs to be upped and it needs t be much more strict!! The stewards are simply not the answer, some of them are to old (meant with all due respect) and they have no where near enough power stop any crowd trouble. 75% of the time they cant control this type of behaviour

[jp1981]

The warning signs have been there for a few years now and collectively football does nothing to stop it. The number of pitch invasions is increasing and some nasty incidents with players being attacked at a number of games. What we've not had yet to the best of my knowledge is a full scale pitched battle between supporters, but perhaps cameras everywhere has helped prevent this so far....... What happens when 2000 idiots charge towards the opposing supporters and they stampede for the exits? - This can happen and with lacklustre stewarding and policing what would stop them?

Post Hillsborough, the fences came down and nearly all fans respected the pitch boundary and it was better policed. Slowly it has been accepted to invade the pitch again on certain occasions and the taboo is no longer there. We seem to have forgotten why the fences went up in the first place and why they came down.

Even our promotion pitch invasion this year was totally different from 1991 when supporters went back off the pitch and we could at least enjoy some kind of lap of honour. This year we had at least 500 total w**kers of our own spoiling it for everyone else and charging on with players carrying infants in their arms. To my knowledge no one was charged and the apologists all say it was excusable, so of course they'll do it again and again.

And as for South Yorkshire police and the stewarding, it's totally hopeless. They allowed Palace to come on 2 years ago and on Friday there were nowhere near enough police on the pitch side (apart from NW corner), considering they had 15 minutes warning of what might kick off. That the lowlife could punch Kirkland, have time to stick the rods up and walk back to his seat says it all. They should make a trip to Manchester and ask how they managed to control 50,000 Man City fans with a length of rope and enjoy their celebration!

Serious points penalties need to be introduced along with high fines for anyone invading the pitch and long prison sentences for those invading with criminal or violent intent. Do I believe that the FA is a willing and able body to sort this? - about as much chance of them getting a decent professional refereeing system in place for a multi billion pound industry.

We should follow the rest of Europe and install nets and have water canons on standby. At least this ways if the stewards are at the front of the stand it is not as easy for fans to run on the pitch.

[MartinOwlMan]

Because for years anti social behaviour has barely been punished in society, so it will carry onto the pitch. And I bet you in the next few days the Guardian will call Cawley misunderstood and that putting him in prison is too harsh.

Agree with the first bit but the point about the Guardian is just wrong.