Through the Wind and the Rain Fanzine Archives

Writing this next piece had me confused, as there are so many things in my head on this subject but only one small door to let them out.

Saturday 15^th April 1989. Yes, we all know the terrible and sinful outcome of that day, but man will be unaware of Sheffield Wednesday's position on this. In 1981 they had crowd problems at the Spurs-Wolves semi final. They were given a temporary safety certificate until they made the ordered ground improvements. The day 95 friends died at that ground, they sill possess a temporary safety certificate. The club have never sent a sympathy card to any of the bereaved – nothing! Strange attitude, but I am of the opinion that it was a boardroom policy.

On that board you'll recall the name of Joe Ashton MP who besides being a well know Professional Yorkshireman, once tried to pass a ridiculous motion in the Commons to take points of Liverpool FC because they buy success. A Labour Mp who for years had a column in the Daily Star – the same rag a certain goalkeeper advertises, and a large majority of ignorant, thoughtless supporters read and sell, especially when there's a nice big picture of our 'heroes' on the front.

Sheffield Wednesday have never removed the advertising at the Leppings Lane end, in fact they've increased it. It must be the prime spot in the ground. How ironic they still have KEEP OFF THE GRASS signs on the pitch.

When we went back in April 1991, they left six trial seats on the terracing. Bad timing or trying to prove a point? Make no mistake, the club couldn't seat it quick enough, so they can apply for World Cup games; they've already submitted their bid. With idiots like Kelly running English football don't be surprised if you see Voeller scoring at the Leppings Lane end. They should build a supermarket on that ground.

Ron Atkinson (Mr Loyalty) said the club had suffered enough! Yeah right – how does he work that out? Suffered because of revenue lost through having that part of the ground shut. What about the lads still in comas? The bereaved? Thousands in silent torment? THAT is suffering.

How sad and shocking it will be to see LFC fans sitting there for this season's fixture. Won't they care? Or do you just leave your dead by the wayside and "get on with it?" I urge people not to go, don't give your money to that club, they helped to nearly kill some of you. Coming home from Hillsborough, I was follish enough to believe the Kop would have a song for the 95, but inside Anfield you'd have been forgiven for thinking it ever happened. Each one was a real-life Scouser Tommy – but then it was all an accident wasn't it? ONE OWES RESPECT TO THE LIVING. TO THE DEAD ONE OWES ONLY THE TRUTH (Voltaire) You'll Never Walk Alone.

Peter Rea & Stuart P Littlewood

FOOTBALL NEWS

Sheffield Wednesday, fresh from Rumbelows league cup final victory and bound for division one next season, show no signs of relenting on what is probably the most odious ground admission policy in the football league.

The club's shameful attitude dates from the tragedy in April 1989 at its Hillsborough stadium which claimed the lives of 95 Liverpool supporters. In the immediate aftermath Wednesday decided to close the ill-fated Leppings Lane terrace, mumbling platitudes about respect for the dead. When the club drew local rivals Sheffield United in a cup match the following season, however, "respect" was quickly forgotten as Wednesday saw the chance to cash-in. A sizeable portion of the standing area was quickly refurbished and more that 4,000 United fans were accommodated in comfort.

This surprised no one, since it was the so-called "safety" fences and the inadequacy of monitoring mechanisms which had claimed supporters lives, rather than the terracing per se. Yet immediately after the United match, Wednesday again closed the terrace, once more forcing all visiting fans to use seats.

In view of the tragedy, most away supporters accepted this decision with grim fortitude while noting that Wednesday's aversion to standing areas did not extend to their own fans, who remained free to use the massive Kop end.

Thus it is that Wednesday charge their hapless "guests" the full £8 for a Leppings Lane seat, while warning that any away supporter who tries entering the considerably cheaper "home" terrace faces arrest.

This policy makes Hillsborough the most expensive "away" ground outside the first division, and Wednesday do not even offer the standard concession to OAPs or juveniles. Wednesday's approach has more to do with money than memorials and threatens footballs' much-vaunted pursuit of the so-called "family audience."

Above clip from Private Eye

It's good to see that you're not taking the helpful advice from S.Yorkshire police and shutting up about the disaster. That's more important than ever – WE are the guardians of history, otherwise in years to come someone will actually believe it was a terrible but inevitable accident. There are those who say the Holocaust was nothing but a Jewish lie. Is there any difference between Hillsborough and Treblinka? Only in the number that were herded to their death.

Hillsborough wasn't just about incompetence; so what was the inquest all about? Taylor's problem was that he reached the wrong conclusions. If LJT had said it was all our fault, all the I's would've been dotted and all the t's crossed. ID cards rushed in, hang 'em/flog 'em loonies like David Evans going ape in the Commons; but it didn't turn out that way, and it did not go down too well in the Masonic lodges.

I remember the well-timed Police Federation attack in November 89; our return to Sheffield for a night game against Wednesday. I remember Chief Constable Wright assuring us the victims blood alcohol levels would prove drink was a major factor; well actually, no it didn't, but as long as the dead were defamed that's the main thing. The master stroke was Taylor 2 – The Rematch (subtitled An Inquest Of Our Own). No shortage of cooper's narks with tales of boozing, pissing in gardens and Sgt. Bullshit telling the one about the 12,000 rat-arsed Scousers coming down the Leppings. That's always good for a gruesome laugh.

Hand picked witnesses, tame coroner, homeboy jury. Ready cooked inquest – just add whitewash. A much more acceptable result. This tawdry charade will end when Duckenfield and Murray face a disciplinary hearing – wonder how that will turn out? They should have jumped long before this, but why only two? What about their cohorts, who in failing to respond to the situation like human beings ensured there were many more fatalities than there should have been.

What about them?

Steve Jones Penwortham