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Post by bigjohnritchie on Mar 9, 2018 5:44:43 GMT
72 years ago today The Burnden Park disaster was a human crush that occurred on 9 March 1946 at Burnden Park football stadium, then the home of Bolton Wanderers. The crush resulted in the deaths of 33 people and injuries to hundreds of Bolton fans.[1] It was the deadliest stadium-related disaster in British history until the Ibrox Park disaster in 1971. The match, an FA Cup Sixth Round second-leg tie between Bolton and Stoke City, was allowed to continue, with the game ending goalless. The disaster brought about the Moelwyn Hughes report, which recommended more rigorous control of crowd sizes. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnden_Park_disaster
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Post by cheadlestokie on Mar 9, 2018 11:56:54 GMT
Always remember my Dad telling me he was at the game but new nothing of what occurred until arriving home and hearing it on the news.
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Post by localloser on Mar 9, 2018 12:27:03 GMT
Thanks for reminding us of this, Big John. I remember the piece in Sir Stan's autobiography where he said he was almost physically sick at having to play while people in body bags were lying near the touchline. Dreadful that they made them play in after a delay with so many people having died.
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Post by lawrieleslie on Mar 9, 2018 13:36:30 GMT
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Post by reuben on Mar 9, 2018 16:06:00 GMT
The old man and his brother were at this game,wouldn't talk about it much.
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Post by waffles on Mar 9, 2018 16:09:16 GMT
Do you know,I didn't realize that they played us that day.
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Post by nott1 on Mar 9, 2018 16:32:54 GMT
And still people want to stand!
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Post by Cast no shadow on Mar 9, 2018 18:41:45 GMT
And still people want to stand! Safe stand
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Post by andystokey on Mar 9, 2018 18:57:51 GMT
I find it sad that this and the Bradford fire are often overlooked and forgotten. The speed at which the fire took hold at Valley Parade was terrifying.
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Post by RICH68 on Mar 9, 2018 19:21:54 GMT
I find it sad that this and the Bradford fire are often overlooked and forgotten. The speed at which the fire took hold at Valley Parade was terrifying. Agree with that mate
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Post by bigjohnritchie on Mar 9, 2018 19:41:24 GMT
I find it sad that this and the Bradford fire are often overlooked and forgotten. The speed at which the fire took hold at Valley Parade was terrifying. I agree Andy, This video is pretty horrific, there was a bit of suspicion surrounding the chairman/ owner as I recall he'd been involved in five previous fires I think! www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/valley-parade-disaster-survivor-of-bradford-city-fire-martin-fletcher-casts-suspicion-on-chairman-in-10179599.htmlSir Oliver Popplewell told Sky News it was a “striking coincidence” that eight fires should be linked to the Bradford chairman, and that he would have investigated had he known. But he stood by his verdict, which concluded there was no evidence of arson and the fire was “an accident exacerbated by negligence”.
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Post by andystokey on Mar 9, 2018 19:48:41 GMT
I was in that wooden stand beforehand and it made me think about all the wooden stands I've sat/stood in while supporting football. The fags smoked and the piles of paper fallen between the cracks. It really upset me. I can't remember the actual number but a fire officer showed us the video once and it was about 9mins or so. It takes me that long to get to the big in the Boothen now!!! I'm sorry mate I can't watch the video it still upsets me :-(
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Post by bigjohnritchie on Mar 9, 2018 19:51:03 GMT
I was in that wooden stand beforehand and it made me think about all the wooden stands I've sat/stood in while supporting football. The fags smoked and the piles of paper fallen between the cracks. It really upset me. I can't remember the actual number but a fire officer showed us the video once and it was about 9mins or so. It takes me that long to get to the big in the Boothen now!!! I'm sorry mate I can't watch the video it still upsets me :-( Andy, sorry for posting it, I did think twice. But it does show, as you say , the devastating power of fire, as you say the speed is frightening.
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Post by andystokey on Mar 9, 2018 19:58:40 GMT
I was in that wooden stand beforehand and it made me think about all the wooden stands I've sat/stood in while supporting football. The fags smoked and the piles of paper fallen between the cracks. It really upset me. I can't remember the actual number but a fire officer showed us the video once and it was about 9mins or so. It takes me that long to get to the big in the Boothen now!!! I'm sorry mate I can't watch the video it still upsets me :-( Andy, sorry for posting it, I did think twice. But it does show, as you say , the devastating power of fire, as you say the speed is frightening. I think its only about 3 as I recall that the game stops and the stand is gone. We hear about Hillsborough and I have no doubts that was awful and we all went there too. As football fans we should all shiver a little and think, there but for good grace..
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Post by bigjohnritchie on Mar 9, 2018 20:09:53 GMT
Andy, sorry for posting it, I did think twice. But it does show, as you say , the devastating power of fire, as you say the speed is frightening. I think its only about 3 as I recall that the game stops and the stand is gone. We hear about Hillsborough and I have no doubts that was awful and we all went there too. As football fans we should all shiver a little and think, there but for good grace.. I was actually at the Hillsborough disaster with a Forest supporter friend...and as you say in the Leppings lane end for the 71 and 72 semi finals....the Stoke fans spilled onto the pitch side at one of those matches
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Post by andystokey on Mar 9, 2018 20:18:01 GMT
I think its only about 3 as I recall that the game stops and the stand is gone. We hear about Hillsborough and I have no doubts that was awful and we all went there too. As football fans we should all shiver a little and think, there but for good grace.. I was actually at the Hillsborough disaster with a Forest supporter friend...and as you say in the Leppings lane end for the 71 and 72 semi finals....the Stoke fans spilled onto the pitch side at one of those matches Can you image the Bradford Fire if the pitchside railings had been up? Doesn’t bear thinking about, so lucky that it was just early enough. That match had nearly double their crowd because of their celebration of the league as I recall.
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Post by bigjohnritchie on Mar 9, 2018 20:21:30 GMT
I was actually at the Hillsborough disaster with a Forest supporter friend...and as you say in the Leppings lane end for the 71 and 72 semi finals....the Stoke fans spilled onto the pitch side at one of those matches Can you image the Bradford Fire if the pitchside railings had been up? Doesn’t bear thinking about, so lucky that it was just early enough. That match had nearly double their crowd because of their celebration of the league as I recall. Never thought of that! Unbelievable. I've always said that whoever decided to fence fans in at football grounds has some responsibility for the disaster. There had to be a different solution ...to fence people in ,at something that should be an entertaining family event just does not make sense
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Post by brinsleymaclagan on Mar 9, 2018 20:27:15 GMT
Can you image the Bradford Fire if the pitchside railings had been up? Doesn’t bear thinking about, so lucky that it was just early enough. That match had nearly double their crowd because of their celebration of the league as I recall. Never thought of that! Unbelievable. I've always said that whoever decided to fence fans in at football grounds has some responsibility for the disaster. There had to be a different solution ...to fence people in ,at something that should be an entertaining family event just does not make sense Thatcher
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Post by andystokey on Mar 9, 2018 20:32:43 GMT
Never thought of that! Unbelievable. I've always said that whoever decided to fence fans in at football grounds has some responsibility for the disaster. There had to be a different solution ...to fence people in ,at something that should be an entertaining family event just does not make sense Thatcher Her demonisation of something she never understood is one of her many abominable legacies.
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Post by peterthornesboots on Mar 9, 2018 21:30:24 GMT
I wrote a couple of articles and delivered a number of talks last year detailing the Burnden Park Stadium disaster. There are a couple of links below for those that are interesting. Burnden Park ArticleBurnden Park TalkThe most haunting thing for me was the recollections and statements from the players, many of whom can vividly remember the game being played with body bags being lined up along the touchline. The Burnden Park disaster has more pertinence because it was remarkably similar to the events of Hillsbrough forty three years later. Very few of the lessons from Burnden were learnt or acted upon.
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Post by andystokey on Mar 10, 2018 12:05:21 GMT
I wrote a couple of articles and delivered a number of talks last year detailing the Burnden Park Stadium disaster. There are a couple of links below for those that are interesting. Burnden Park ArticleBurnden Park TalkThe most haunting thing for me was the recollections and statements from the players, many of whom can vividly remember the game being played with body bags being lined up along the touchline. The Burnden Park disaster has more pertinence because it was remarkably similar to the events of Hillsbrough forty three years later. Very few of the lessons from Burnden were learnt or acted upon. Thanks Martyn the police desicions are remarkable as are the similarities.
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Post by maninasuitcase on Mar 10, 2018 12:37:53 GMT
The saddest thing about Burnden, Bradford, ibrox and others of that time is that they are pretty much forgotten by the media and public outside of those clubs, fans and families who still remember and still pay their respects.
Hillsborough on the other hand is still wheeled out every year with full media coverage. It was a devastating and sad event and justice seemed to have prevailed, but to forget the others is unforgivable.
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Post by Cast no shadow on Mar 9, 2020 19:06:04 GMT
74 years..
Rip
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Post by PotterLog on Mar 9, 2020 19:49:51 GMT
Thanks for reminding us of this, Big John. I remember the piece in Sir Stan's autobiography where he said he was almost physically sick at having to play while people in body bags were lying near the touchline. Dreadful that they made them play in after a delay with so many people having died. I can never believe this about the Heysel game. Something serious was so obviously unfolding and they just played the game anyway.
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Post by rawli on Mar 9, 2020 20:01:09 GMT
Thanks for reminding us of this, Big John. I remember the piece in Sir Stan's autobiography where he said he was almost physically sick at having to play while people in body bags were lying near the touchline. Dreadful that they made them play in after a delay with so many people having died. I can never believe this about the Heysel game. Something serious was so obviously unfolding and they just played the game anyway. I think they did it to avoid even more crowd trouble. There are Liverpool supporters with blood on their hands but of course they blame the Belgian authorities and UEFA.
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Post by rawli on Mar 9, 2020 20:02:05 GMT
Never thought of that! Unbelievable. I've always said that whoever decided to fence fans in at football grounds has some responsibility for the disaster. There had to be a different solution ...to fence people in ,at something that should be an entertaining family event just does not make sense Thatcher Fences went up at Old Trafford in 1971.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2020 20:02:12 GMT
And still people want to stand! How is this anything to do with standing? It's an issue of crowd control. Even if we rebuild old-school style terraces (something I think should happen btw, safe-standing is a compromise that football supporters who want to stand shouldn't have to make) something like this could never happen again with modern practises and technologies. It's similar to Hillsborough in as much as the terraces are the scapegoats for other issues. Blaming this on terracing would be as nonsensical as blaming the bradford fire on terracing... Your 1 man crusade against standing gets more boring as the years roll by.
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Post by PotterLog on Mar 9, 2020 20:12:24 GMT
I can never believe this about the Heysel game. Something serious was so obviously unfolding and they just played the game anyway. I think they did it to avoid even more crowd trouble. Yeah, which is a pretty appalling thing for any authority in supposed "control" of a football fixture to admit to.
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Post by essexstokey on Mar 9, 2020 21:07:46 GMT
when the Bradford fire took place crewe supporters don't know how lucky they were to not be in a similar situation under the old stand made with railway sleepers there was tons of rubbish that had fallen between the gaps not accessible in addition at the end of the stand were the lawnmowers and petrol also gas canisters were kept underneath. one massive clean up took place before the next match the stand was eventually repaced
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Post by JoeinOz on Mar 9, 2020 21:23:52 GMT
Thanks for reminding us of this, Big John. I remember the piece in Sir Stan's autobiography where he said he was almost physically sick at having to play while people in body bags were lying near the touchline. Dreadful that they made them play in after a delay with so many people having died. I can never believe this about the Heysel game. Something serious was so obviously unfolding and they just played the game anyway. Bruce Grobelaar reflected years after it was daft that they had to play but footballers don’t have an opinion on anything. Thyey just do what they’re told. In any situation.
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