Quote: tigertot "I have seen the video numerous times. As a SWFC fan of 30+ years who used to stand on the Leppings Lane every other week, including during that period, I am well acquainted with the location. I have been in crowds of that intensity, not just at football, many, many times. It has frequently been very uncomfortable, but I have never feared for my life, & the situations were not too different from the videos I have seen. I am not denying there was crowding & (relative) crushing, I am asking for evidence for the possible loss of life suggested & why that is different to, say, the scrum after the GF at Trafford tram stop, where I have seen far more drunkeness than I witnessed on the video.'"
As there was no loss of life, or injury outside the ground, it will be difficult to ascertain 100% if there was a genuine threat of serious injury or worse outside the ground. This is one thing that even going back to the time of the Taylor report, was agreed on by both fans and the police. It's easy for us to retrospectively try and use hindsight to apportion blame, or try and avoid it.
My feeling is that the fate of those 96 sould was sealed weeks before the game when the experienced police commander was replaced by someone witha lot less knowledge of the ground on busy match days like that was.
the difference between then and now is that things like tram stops, stadium concourses etc... are designed and built to avoid these problems because of the Hilllsborough disaster. People didnt think about it until it was too late! that is the same as putting speed cameras ona road when someone has been killed!