The Ibrox Disaster

[summerisle]

I'd heard about this, but didn't know any of the details. Lays bare the shocking negligence of Rangers' attitude to their stadium, and the invidious scourge of sectarianism in Scottish football.

'Singing and dancing to their deaths': football’s forgotten tragedy

The long read: In 1971, an Old Firm derby at Ibrox ended with the death of 66 fans as they celebrated a late goal. John Hodgman survived the terrifying crush and, 50 years on, asks how Rangers avoided taking responsibility

www.theguardian.com

 

[urquattro]

Kenny Dalglish was there, Heysel & Hillsborough.

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

2 disasters at that stadium.

 

[summerisle]

2 disasters at that stadium.

The author of the piece was at both.

 

[gonetomorrow]

My cousin was there as a messenger for one of the newspapers. He certainly never forgot what he saw.
There was much hatred and fighting on the terraces and streets in those days. Feelings are less obviously expressed now except on the internet where prods and papes still play out their eternal game of giving and taking offence in equal measure. And it has to be said that neither old firm club has done much to improve matters over the years.
It's almost as though they profit from the situation.

 

[tim gabbott]

I'd heard about this, but didn't know any of the details. Lays bare the shocking negligence of Rangers' attitude to their stadium, and the invidious scourge of sectarianism in Scottish football.

'Singing and dancing to their deaths': football’s forgotten tragedy

The long read: In 1971, an Old Firm derby at Ibrox ended with the death of 66 fans as they celebrated a late goal. John Hodgman survived the terrifying crush and, 50 years on, asks how Rangers avoided taking responsibility

www.theguardian.com

Never realised this happened never herd about it.. will read thanks

 

[Jamo Martinez]

Terribly sad.

 

[gonetomorrow]

Never realised this happened never herd about it.. will read thanks

The old firm in those days were run by mysterious men in dark coats and hats.

 

[degsy]

I'd heard about this, but didn't know any of the details. Lays bare the shocking negligence of Rangers' attitude to their stadium, and the invidious scourge of sectarianism in Scottish football.

'Singing and dancing to their deaths': football’s forgotten tragedy

The long read: In 1971, an Old Firm derby at Ibrox ended with the death of 66 fans as they celebrated a late goal. John Hodgman survived the terrifying crush and, 50 years on, asks how Rangers avoided taking responsibility

www.theguardian.com

I get the thing about how rangers brushed the whole crap ground thing under the carpet...but not the long preamble full of tales of everyday sectarian folk

They, the establishment...and rangers were very much part of that protestant establishment, ( secterianism again) were much better at cover ups and closing ranks back then, also it was up in Scotland, different laws, people to answer to and they always had the fall back of the Scottish 'Not Proven' verdict.

 

[davek]

I get the thing about how rangers brushed the whole crap ground thing under the carpet...but not the long preamble full of tales of everyday sectarian folk

They, the establishment...and rangers were very much part of that protestant establishment, ( secterianism again) were much better at cover ups and closing ranks back then, also it was up in Scotland, different laws, people to answer to and they always had the fall back of the Scottish 'Not Proven' verdict.

The 1980s were an Enlightened period in football when all the old ugly certainties were in the process of demolition: physical assaults on and off the pitch, the treatment of fans like cattle, the Souness Revolution at Rangers and the chipping away at the edges of sectarianism, the signing of Irish players at Liverpool.

It was the begining of the end of the dark ages in football in those respects.

 

[Alan Whittle]

It was a horrible tragedy that could and should have been avoided. I always wondered whether the judicial outcome would have been different had the incident been at the other end.

 

[H.H.]

A sad but good read and brings back memories of being badly squashed many times, another really bad one being a night game away at Porto I think in 1992?
I was a 17 year old Spurs supporter badly squashed in the 81 semi final at Hillsborough.
I saw on the news that I was on the video shown at the Hillsborough inquiry, I was climbing over the fencing (and ended up watching the game from the side of the pitch.) Things should have been done then to stop the many deaths just a few years later.
Gotta admit though, even though at the time we knew it was bad, we were also like “It’s just the way it is,” and on the way home in the minibus we probably only really spoke about the upcoming replay.

EDIT; The Porto incident wasn’t on the terracing but was on the stairs leaving the stadium.
We knocked them out, they held us in the stadium for about an hour then when they decided to let us leave, as we were going down the countless amount of stairs the bastards switched the lights off and were were in complete darkness.
Many people got hurt.

 

[Nymzee]

Had never even heard of this.

 

[winks74]

 

[The binman chronicles]

The author of the piece was at both.

I think he means this one:

1902 Ibrox disaster - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Reading that article I don't think I could go to another game if I had helped cause a death by trampling on someone albeit with zero control in the matter. I was at the Wales V Romania game in 93 and the death caused by the flare was enough to make me think twice.