I FEEL YOUR PAIN
Gerrard: We must hope and pray no team and no city has to go through that again
STEVEN GERRARD has marked the 50th anniversary of the Ibrox Disaster with a heartfelt tribute and admitted the grief of the families carries a strong personal resonance.
Speaking ahead of today’s Old Firm match, the Rangers manager said his thoughts lay with all those affected when 66 lives were lost in a fatal crush at the ground
on January 2, 1971. Gerrard’s cousin, Jon-Paul Gilhooley, was just ten years old when he became the youngest of the 96 Liverpool fans to die in the Hillsborough disaster of 1989.
The Ibrox manager reflected on that bond of sadness between Liverpool and Rangers and expressed hope that such a loss of life could never again occur at a football match.
Covid-19 restrictions have forced the club to postpone plans to hold a full commemorative service, with supporters being urged not to gather at the ground today.
‘I can certainly connect from my own experiences of Hillsborough with what happened here and at Bradford,’ said the Rangers manager, also referring to the Valley Parade fire that killed 56 fans in 1985.
‘They were terrible, terrible events for everyone that was involved or had a connection to them and we all hope and pray that no other team and no other city ever goes through that again.
‘a lot of work has gone in to making sure that stadiums are a lot safer and try to avoid any of these situations in the future.
‘I certainly know what this disaster means to people and I want to send my full respects to all the families and the survivors. I also want to pay my respects to the people who passed away.
‘The club wanted to make a big deal before the game to show our support and respect but obviously due to Covid it will now look a lot different tomorrow.
‘Unfortunately, we can’t have people at the stadium to pay their respects and we can’t put on a service that we would like to put on but we will give it the same amount of respect.’
a club statement added: ‘It is with great sadness that the Covid-19 pandemic has prevented us from being able to hold a full, traditional service t o commemorate t he anniversary.
‘ Before t he i mpact of t he pandemic took hold, we had planned to hold a service that would be similar in style and scale to the one held at Glasgow Cathedral in 1971.
‘However, as there are no options that allow us to be completely i nclusive of all t he f amilies, survivors and representatives that should be present at such an occasion, we have decided to postpone a major event until circumstances allow us to hold a service that would reflect the significance and magnitude of the occasion.
‘We know how important a service is, not only in terms of an act of commemoration but also as a way for families to meet and comfort each other.
‘We understand that normally a lot of people would visit the stadium on January 2 to pay their own tributes. Unfortunately we must respectfully ask supporters and individuals not to visit the stadium this year as government guidelines related to the Covid-19 pandemic restrict non-essential travel.
‘Glasgow remains in tier 4 and it is important that everyone follows the guidelines to support the effort to control infection rates and assist the NHS.
‘as an alternative to visiting the stadium, supporters may wish to donate to St andrew’s First aid as a gesture of respect i nstead. St andrew’s First aid were first to attend to the disaster in 1971 and they continue to support matches to this day.’