Ive always thought their disjointed takes on Heysel have merely reflected damage limitation. Ive never experienced Reds I know consciously raising the subject of Heysel for discussion in keeping with their usual template if we don't talk about it, eventually its as though it didn't happen. (Remember the silence from the rest of them when people planted spurious accusations of Evertonians disrespecting Hillsborough etc inside and outside Anfield ? Ssssh...it never happened). Mark Lawrenson expanded the point however when he was quoted in the press on the 30th anniversary as saying "
Whenever as a group of players we get together, we never, ever mention Heysel. Ever. It’s as though deep down we do feel partly responsible for what happened".
Well that jars somewhat with Peter Hooton "of The Farm" - now 'go-to' RS media soundbite provider - who involved himself with Heysel peace events involving Juventus fans and bizarrely even Evertonians. He had the nerve to bring us into it as though we were involved whilst taking the snide proverbial with his cocky self serving article in The Echo 23/5/15, (edits from below....)
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/heysel-30-years---peter-9254188
"
The stadium was not fit for purpose...As a Liverpool fan I don't feel any culpability whatsoever".....In the stadium you saw skirmishes - but you saw skirmishes like that, as an experienced football fan, over the years.....“As a Liverpool fan I don’t feel any culpability whatsoever. I did not choose that ground. I did not make the security arrangements. I wasn’t involved in the fracas that happened by the chicken wire separating those Liverpool and Juventus fans. I watched the match and, in a way, I feel a little bit guilty that I did – but I don’t feel any culpability or responsibility because, as far as I was concerned, we were going to a ground that had met safety standards. But it had a breeze block wall outside, no sign of any turnstiles and the terraces were crumbling under your feet. It was criminal to stage a cup final there........
“When Juventus played at Anfield in 2005, some Juventus fans turned their backs when fans on the Kop displayed the Amicizia (friendship) mosaic. I just thought if they want to turn their backs that’s their right. I think their attitude was ‘It’s too little too late’ and I think that was the attitude of a lot of Liverpool fans. There’s a small plaque at Anfield but I think many Liverpool and Juventus fans think their clubs both wanted to move on from the disaster.
Our peace trip was grass roots and accepted as a genuine gesture. Liverpool and Everton fans were involved and no one ever said to us "what are you doing this for ?"
"There was no attempt at saying sorry because we didn’t feel any guilt. That might look bad in black and white, but we’d been having a laugh with Juventus fans all through the day of the match. Organising the visit was a way of saying ordinary people can get on. We didn’t want to brush what had happened under the carpet and wanted to show the Italians they could come to our city and be welcomed.”
“You shouldn’t use the deaths of people to get back at another club on any level so when you hear certain chants, or read things on social media, you want to come back with the facts. “When people chant ‘Murderers’ they may say it’s not about Hillsborough, but because of what The S*n said about Liverpool fans it will be linked to Heysel and Hillsborough."“The ‘Always the victims, it’s never your fault’ chant was started by Man Utd fans during the period Luis Suarez was facing allegations of racism (against then Utd player Patrice Evra). But of course you could say it brings in Heysel and Hillsborough. It’s a chant that does hurt people, especially those who lost loved ones at Hillsborough.
“Heysel was never raised by rival fans in the late 1980s. After the advent of the Premier League, I think there was a certain feeling that the European ban had affected Everton’s finances. And when Everton were flirting with relegation it manifested itself a little bit more then because people were looking for reasons why they were in this situation.
“Success on the pitch pales into insignificance when it comes to life and death and to bicker about it is wrong on any level.
Ahhh...so we just twisted it hey, la ? Unbelievable...but there in print.
