Highbury Library Logo

Highbury Library Logo

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Value for money, A cover up of unbelievable magnitude

£10 for Arsenal v Coventry City


Finally the internationals are over and we can start to look forward to some real football this weekend. I've written nothing since the Liverpool game as there has been nothing I've felt compelled to write about. Bacary Sagna and Francis Coquelin opened their mouths in the French press, but that's par for the course in any international break. For what it's worth, I don't really see how Arsenal can negotiate a contract with a player who has had two broken legs in less than a year. As for Coquelin, this is the second time he has said things about his future and he really needs to be taken in hand.

I was struggling for some inspiration until last night. I watched the first ten minutes or so of the England game before turning over to the live paint drying on the other side. The only thing I noticed in the England game that grabbed my attention was the advert the FA was running on the pitch side hoardings for their game against San Marino. Given that at least half of the top tier was empty at Wembley last night I couldn't quite believe that the FA was advertising a cheapest seat of £25 for San Marino. If they couldn't get a decent crowd for the match against Ukraine (the strongest team in the group aside from England) what chance do they think they've got of selling tickets for a match with a Sunday league team? It immediately put me in mind of Arsenal's new pricing policy.
There has been a lot made of the fact that prices for some of the big games at Arsenal this year are now more expensive than ever before. Chelsea fans are apparently complaining (and even planning a boycott) about having to pay £62 for the game at our place in a couple of weeks time - the irony being that Arsenal supporters have been having to pay £60 to sit in the away end at Stamford Bridge for a couple of years. Those that choose to pick up on these high prices seem to overlook the fact that, for a number of other Premier League fixtures, there are tickets available at £25 - the same price the FA are charging for people to see San Marino. One or two of the fan groups have criticised Arsenal for their policy as it prices a lot of "ordinary" fans out of attending the big games. That may be true, but it also maybe gives an opportunity for young children to be taken along to other matches as it has been made just a little bit more affordable. I'm not saying I agree with the high prices - that would be nonsense - but I applaud any move that might allow the next generation of supporters the chance to see the boys play.
One other thing is always overlooked when looking at Arsenal's prices and that is the amount we pay for our League Cup tickets. For some years now, since before we left Highbury, Arsenal have dropped prices in line with the idea that a "first eleven" is not picked for these matches (apart from the semi-final with Spurs when our opposition objected to reduced prices in the interests of maximising their revenue). Arsenal charge £20 (£10 concessions) for upper tier seats and £10 (£5 concessions) for lower tier. This represents the most outstanding value for money available at any Premier League club. Last season Arsenal played Manchester City and kept the prices at this low level. The City fans certainly appreciated it as they sold out their large allocation. I don't recall a League Cup match since we moved where the home sections of the ground have not been sold out. If I went to watch my local side I would pay £12+ to stand for their Conference South fixtures. Last year I went to watch Arsenal v Bolton for a tenner (and Ju Young Park even got a goal!)
I will be buying my Coventry City ticket this week as I have managed to secure the night off work. I don't doubt that the ground will be pretty much full, and I expect Arsenal to actually have a pretty strong team out. I would have thought the FA might have looked at such a policy and implemented something similar for England v San Marino. It's not often that Arsenal get something right, but the League Cup ticket prices have been right for a long time.

I wasn't going to write about Hillsborough. It has nothing to do with Arsenal. However, it has been pointed out to me, correctly, that I write about things non-Arsenal on occasion. Another reason I was not going to write about it is that my views continue to be largely the same, despite the revelations of today, and are not popular with Liverpool supporters.
I'll start by saying that the absolution of blame for ALL Liverpool supporters in attendance is not something I agree with. I will always be convinced that the presence of so many people without tickets attempting to gain entry to the ground was the catalyst for the events that unfolded. The failure of the police to deal effectively with this pressure outside the stadium lead directly to the disaster. That is my opinion, and it will not change. I do not apologise for my view, even in the face of what was said today. I know that many other football fans who go to games, and who were going to games in the 1980s, agree with my viewpoint.
There can also be no doubt that the 96 people who died were innocent and I know of nobody who ever believed otherwise. If there is anyone out there who thought otherwise then they need to take a look at themselves. If this latest decision is some small crumb of comfort to the families then it must be welcomed. There are surely grounds for a new inquest to be opened in to the deaths, such is the weight of evidence now available.
What has been revealed today is one of the biggest scandals of modern times. It is now apparent that the cover-up the families always claimed had occurred had indeed happened. Thatcher's government was complicit in the whole thing, and I suspect swept as much as possible under the carpet to protect senior police officers and politicians. Such illegal behaviour, on such a grand scale, can not have been kept quiet without the hands of people with immense power. The politicians and senior police implicated must be brought to book for this perversion of justice. The magnitude and scale of this deception is beyond my comprehension - it was clearly a deliberate and co-ordinated hiding of the truth.
One other thing to consider, and to bring this slightly round to an Arsenal angle, is the fact that it wouldn't have happened had we not all been caged in to terraces across the country. The pressure of the crush would have been relieved had people been able to get on to the pitch. The FA took a dim view of Arsenal's flat refusal to erect perimeter fencing at Highbury. As a result FA Cup semi-finals were not played there for a number of years. We should be grateful for the fact that Arsenal saw their supporters as human beings, and not as animals who needed to be caged. Had Hillsborough been Highbury the disaster simply would not have occurred.

More tomorrow, hopefully starting to build towards Saturday.

22 comments:

  1. Are you really still clinging to the "hordes of ticketless fans" rubbish? This has been thoroughly investigated and discounted as a contributory factor by two independent reports but still you can't let your prejudice go. Shame on you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liverpool fan I assume?

      Typical idiot. If there were the right amount of Liverpool fans in attendance then nobody would have been crushed to death would they you idiot

      Delete
  2. Agree with you about the complicity of Thatcher's government.

    ReplyDelete
  3. for once a view on Hillsborough I can agree on. This belief that ALL pool fans are innocent little waifs is beyond the pail. Having lived thru this era what is forgotten is the horrendous rabid hooliganism that had pervading football for over two decades, and which turned the non football society against the football fan. From trains regularly taken out of service because they were trashed, to regular violence and knifeings, the Football fan had been branded an animal since the early 70's. Then in 1985 Liverpool fans were directly responsible for the death of 33 Italianjs at Heysel, charging through a neutral zone to attack other fans. The culture of scoiety across teh board and most certainly in those charged with maintaining the peace and order was most certainly a factor in the event some 4 years later, that again saw Liverpool fans at the center of death at a football ground. I am NOT saying all Liverpool fans were to blame, but the attitude across the board toward fans, and possibly Liverpool, was certainly a factor in the despicable cover up that followed. I agree that charges should most certainly be considered for those ordering the cover up. But then I also think investigations and inquiries should have brought charges against those Liverpool fans directly responsible for manslaughter. Justice must work both ways. I admit I DO have a kind of biased view of Liverpool fans. In August 1968, at Watford Gap Service Station, but for the intervention of a policeman and some members of the public I am in no doubt that my life would have ended on the recieving end of a coach load of flying feet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What your comment proves beyond any doubt is that 23 years later there are still mindless, narrow minded people like you who fuel misinformation from god knows what source?!?!
      Every dog has his day and i pray that i am standing next to you smiling when that day comes!!!
      The word fact is such a small yet powerful word and maybe one day you could do some research instead of spewing shite from your mouth with out giving your brain time to catch up!!!

      Delete
    2. see, this is what the whole country means when we talk about you lot. "Every dog has his day and i pray that i am standing next to you smiling when that day comes!!!"
      What a scummy little scouce prick you are.

      Delete
  4. Where is your evidence that loads of Liverpool fans without tickets went to Hillsborough!! The evidence examined has PROVED BEYOND DOUBT that this was just one of many many false allegations about Liverpool fans!! Are you a retard, or just pig ignorant!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ive been to over 500 matches, and Liverpool fans cause by far and away the most trouble.

    The facts are that there were more Liverpool fans than seats, which means Liverpool fans got in without tickets. If you don't have tickets to an Arsenal match, do you try to get in without one? Of course you bloody don't.

    You can powder it up however you like, Liverpool fans were the cause, the police didn't help.

    At the end of the day, the scoucers didn’t have tickets and still stormed into the ground. They killed their own fans and want to blame everyone else. Simple.

    Hillsborough and Heysel, the 2 biggest disasters in football, and they both have 1 thing in common.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is the finding of the report as stated by our Prime Minister in the commons today. Your opinion that ticketless fans are to blame is disgraceful in light of today's acknowledgment. Shame on you.

    The appalling death toll of so many loved ones lost was compounded by an attempt to blame the victims. A narrative about hooliganism that day was created which led many in the country to accept that somehow it was a grey area. Today’s report is black and white: the Liverpool fans were not the cause of the disaster. The panel has quite simply found no evidence in support of allegations of exceptional levels of drunkenness, ticketlessness or violence amongst Liverpool fans. (It found) no evidence that fans had conspired to arrive late to the stadium and no evidence that they stole from the dead and the dying.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WELL IF THERE WERE THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF FANS THEN NOBODY WOULD HAVE BEEN CRUSHED TO DEATH WOULD THEY YOU MORON!

      Have a look at the bloody pictures! clearly far far too many fans!

      Typical scoucer who won't take any blame. I suppose the Juventus fans caused their own deaths too?

      Delete
    2. It makes me sad that there are people like you in the world. So vile, abusive and hate-filled, I actually feel a little sorry for you as I guess it must really suck being you.

      Delete
  7. Unknown - You are also a retard!! You think you know the facts about Heysel yet get the number of dead wrong!! What a tosser!! I see you conveniently failed to mention the dozens of Liverpool fans knifed by Italian fans in Rome in 1984, this directly lead to the ill feeling at Heysel and have you asked yourself why some many Italian fans were in the supposedly neutral section of the ground that was adjacent to the Liverpool section?? Could it be that UEFA fucked up the ticketing. Also that like Hillsborough, Heysel did not have a safety certificate and was falling to bits with holes in the walls that fans could easily access the stadium. The collapsed wall that caused the fatalities was in fact unsupported - WTF!!! Don't get me started on Heysel because you know fuck all about it - you think you do but you are pig ignorant like your mate DvbrisG - Yes, some scum Liverpool fans charged the Italians (most of which were not actually from Liverpool) but there were lots of contributory factors to that disaster and LFC fans were only partially to blame. Maybe one day the real truth of that disaster will emerge and not just the glib excuse that it was those fucking scousers!! That event was totally mismanaged by UEFA and the Belgian Police, they are the facts!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Catalyst! Really?
    Classless prick!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. And also, just because they say there is no evidence that doesnt mean it didnt happen. There wasnt any evidence that OJ Simpson killed his wife..

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mr DvbrisG, could you please read the independant panels findings before posting your bias opinions. Just read the last paragraph on page 2 along with all page 3 which relate to an almost similar disaster that was narrowly avoided at the same ground in 1981 when tottenham played wolves in an FA cup semi final.
    And also the fact that sheffield wednesday fc continually disagreed with south yorkshire police advice that the the maximun capacity for the leppings lane end, set at 10,100, was too high...i would like to hear your opinion after doing so...

    ReplyDelete
  11. here is a link starting at page 2 of the report
    http://hillsborough.independent.gov.uk/report/Section-1/summary/page-2/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Mr Gannon, how many Liverpool fans died at Heysel? And how long did it take Liverpool FC to apologise to the families of Juventus fans (not Roma fans) who were unlawfully killed (the term used by the Hillsborough Survivors groups)when they went to watch a match. And of what interest is it that Juve fans were in the neutral section? Are you saying that Liverpool fans NEVER infiltrate areas of the ground not reserved for them? How many Liverpool fans were charged with any offences that night in Brussels? You claim that the Liverpool scum who attacked the Juve fans were not from Liverpool. Two points - how do you know this??? Secondly, they were wearing Liverpool colours - end of. It's like the Rangers fans claiming it was not them who tore up Manchester a couple of years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Just a quick response the comments made:

    My opinion remains the same, and will always remain the same when it comes to this issue. I have no reason to feel shame for believing what I do.
    I find it interesting to see that, amid all the ramifications of yesterday, a scouser is trying to pass the blame for Heysel on to someone other than those responsible - Liverpool supporters. I daresay the individuale referred to, who were apparently not from Liverpool, are the mythical Chelsea fans that were supposed to have posed as scousers on the day of Heysel.
    Sadly there were three major tragedies for English football in the 1980s. Two of them involved the same Club. It would be incredible for that to be just a coincidence.
    As I said in the post itself, I wasn't going to write about it as I what the reaction would be. It gives me no satisfaaction to have been right about that.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Get Pilate to release the files on Jesus.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I know numerous people who were at both Heysel and Hillsborough. The facts are that Liverpool fans were in no way whatsoever to blame for what happened at Hillsbotough. The comment about there being too many fans is only right in the sense that there were too many in that pen, which if you know the facts was as a direct result of the gate being opened by the police and the tunnel entrance was the nearest entrance to the stand from that gate, the other pens were nowhere near full, but people could not move because they were caged in, and there was no seats in that stand either you fool. The fact that you say you will not change your opinion shows your lack of intelligence. As for Heysel, yes the Liverpool fans did charge, which was wrong, but the facts are they were kicked and stabbed all over Rome the year before and treated like animals by the Italians and all day in Brussels the Juve fans were the same. In the ground missiles were being thrown from the Juve fans and the Pool fans snapped, what would Arsenal fans have done, are you all saints? Finally both disasters did involve Liverpool, but both disasters were also caused by incompetent authorities, unsafe stadiums and shocking organisation. As a result of those disasters that is why you are now pampered as a football fan and thats because the mistakes were learned from, unfortunately people had to die. Would you still have the same opinions if it were Arsenal involved? I dont think so, stop letting football rivalry cloud your judgement or maybe just grow up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. James, with your own words you are actually saying because Liverpool fans were attacked in Rome and Brussels, they snapped and therefore inadvertently killed Juve fans at Heysel. You can't justify Heysel in any way, shape or form. Likewise absolutely no one can justify the deaths of 96 innocents in Sheffield. The writer of the blog has quite clearly stated there was a cover up perpetrated by the authorities, he just doesn't happen to agree that ticketless Liverpool fans should be absolved of any blame, I have to agree with him. The blog is after all his opinion, the clue is in the title. By the way, there's a certain song about Munich that you lot sing, hmmm.

      Delete