Ibrox Disaster - Fifty Years

[ClaretTony]

Thoughts with everyone at Rangers today on the 50th anniversary of those awful events on Stairway 13 at the end of the Rangers v Celtic game that took the lives of 66 people on 2nd January 1971.

I can remember hearing the news as if it were yesterday having just got home from our trip to Oxford for a postponed FA Cup tie.

[Dark Cloud]

Yes, it was absolutely awful and heart rending, even for me as 12 year old and I found the photos taken afterwards of the crushed barriers on the stairs are extremely chilling. Very, very sad.

[tim_noone]

Yes one of the most horrific Events in football. So many dads n Lads killed!!!! I was only 17 .. but I've had a life... those poor buggers didnt. Always RIP.

[ClaretTony]

Yes, it was absolutely awful and heart rending, even for me as 12 year old and I found the photos taken afterwards of the crushed barriers on the stairs are extremely chilling. Very, very sad.

I've just been reading something about it and there was a photograph of the stairs. Horrible to see even now.

[CleggHall]

Yes a tragedy but it took Bradford, Hershel and Hillsborough before something was done about ground and spectator safety.

[keith1879]

Yes a tragedy but it took Bradford, Hershel and Hillsborough before something was done about ground and spectator safety.

Apologies to those who dislike the Guardian....but I found this to be a very moving piece. It reminds us just how little attention was paid to our safety in days gone by. I doubt that Rangers were uniquely awful even though they pretty much had the same accident twice. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/d ... er-glasgow

[Awayfromburnley]

Just saw the piece on SKY sports about it. I have to admit I didn't really know much about it.

Heartbreaking and emotional watch.

[ClaretTony]

Just saw the piece on SKY sports about it. I have to admit I didn't really know much about it.

Heartbreaking and emotional watch.

These things get forgotten too easily and it is only right that they should be remembered. I would think, given it's the 50th anniversary and all the publicity around that, that a lot of people will be learning about this for the first time.

[Tribesmen]

I do recall it myself , now again only a nipper but after all these years was it when Rangers scored people tried to go back up the stairs and clashed with thoser coming down ?

[tiger76]

I do recall it myself , now again only a nipper but after all these years was it when Rangers scored people tried to go back up the stairs and clashed with thoser coming down ?

That what I always thought, but seemingly that wasn't the case, both teams scored in injury time, Celtic first and then Rangers equalised.

It appears that as fans were leaving via stairway 13, somebody fell and this caused a mass pile-up alas.

This was the worst tragedy on this stairwell, but it was by no means the first, and just like the preceding Hillsborough disaster sadly the warnings were not heeded.

A relative of ours who passed away recently was on first aid duty that day, and the memories stayed with him for the rest of his life, such was the harrowing scene that he and many others witnessed.

I believe Rangers do have plans to commemorate this anniversary at a later date when circumstances allow.

[ClaretTony]

There was always a theory that people turned back when they heard the roar when Colin Stein equalised for Rangers but it is believed that it was someone falling.

When you look at those stairs it was too steep and too long.

[tiger76]

There was always a theory that people turned back when they heard the roar when Colin Stein equalised for Rangers but it is believed that it was someone falling.

When you look at those stairs it was too steep and too long.

It does beggar belief now, but health & safety wasn't anywhere near as stringent back then, hence why many teams still had wooden stands into the 1980's prior to the Bradford City fire.

[DCWat]

It does beggar belief now, but health & safety wasn't anywhere near as stringent back then, hence why many teams still had wooden stands into the 1980's prior to the Bradford City fire.

It seems silly but it wasn’t really about it being wooden, it was about it not being maintained. You could literally see through the boards to all the years of rubbish below. A well maintained stand and that fire would never have happened.

[elwaclaret]

Thoughts with everyone at Rangers today on the 50th anniversary of those awful events on Stairway 13 at the end of the Rangers v Celtic game that took the lives of 66 people on 2nd January 1971.

I can remember hearing the news as if it were yesterday having just got home from our trip to Oxford for a postponed FA Cup tie.

I was reading all about it a couple of days ago. Once or trice I’ve feared for family members safety pre-Hillsborough for all the downsides to the bill, football is much safer than it was even in the late 70’s early 80’s.... though I keep having to be reminded how long ago that in fact was.... I just turned 50 and still think anyone born in the 80’s should be in their late 20’s.

[Taffy on the wing]

Apologies to those who dislike the Guardian....but I found this to be a very moving piece. It reminds us just how little attention was paid to our safety in days gone by. I doubt that Rangers were uniquely awful even though they pretty much had the same accident twice. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/d ... er-glasgow

What's wrong with the Guardian?........One of the few good papers left.

[elwaclaret]

There was always a theory that people turned back when they heard the roar when Colin Stein equalised for Rangers but it is believed that it was someone falling.

When you look at those stairs it was too steep and too long.

Was it part of the Archibald Leitch design for Ibrox? He has received so much credit for his designs, I kind of hope it wasn’t.

[ClaretTony]

Was it part of the Archibald Leitch design for Ibrox? He has received so much credit for his designs, I kind of hope it wasn’t.

Archibald Leach designed the current main stand at Ibrox which is iconic. The two old remaining stands at Goodison are too. I think Leach was more stand design.

[Fenwick]

I didn't know a lot about this but there was an article on the bbc sport website recently about a group of lads who went to the game from a village north of Glasgow. Some were Celtic, some Rangers but all pals. Only the Celtic lads came home. Heartbreaking indeed.

[ClaretTony]

I didn't know a lot about this but there was an article on the bbc sport website recently about a group of lads who went to the game from a village north of Glasgow. Some were Celtic, some Rangers but all pals. Only the Celtic lads came home. Heartbreaking indeed.

I think those from the village who died all had their funerals together. They were all school mates.

[tim_noone]

The crush at the back of the beehole end with thousands leaving from the Long side down those steps to was pretty scary back in the seventies....being overcome by the smell of p!ss from the Bogs incidentally right next to the food counter was another Hazard. Fondly Remembered.

[Awayfromburnley]

And some people bemoan health and safety now....

"elf and safety", "the good old days", "this lot are snowflakes"

Yep, we are fortunate and should be bloody grateful for the lessons we have learnt as a society and it should be reflected upon that many things we have in place now are due to tragic losses like this.

[Aclaret]

Remember being in the leppings lane end at Hillsborough for our semi final in '74. I was only 14, there with my dad, I didn't and could see anything of the game, packed in like sardines it was frightening alright.

[Roosterbooster]

I'm sorry to say I had never heard of this. The guardian article is definitely worthy of a read. I'm quite astonished that 66 died, more than both the Bradford fire and Heysel disasters, yet I don't ever recall hearing about it

[Roosterbooster]

I'm sorry to say I had never heard of this. The guardian article is definitely worthy of a read. I'm quite astonished that 66 died, more than both the Bradford fire and Heysel disasters, yet I don't ever recall hearing about it

Thoughts with those families today indeed