The Ibrox Disaster, 2 January 1971 – “Their fans smear a man who attended to the dying and injured should hang their heads in shame”

Celtic supporter comments on The Ibrox Disaster,  2 January 1971….

“THANK GOD YOU’RE ALIVE”

I was at that game. I drove from Glenrothes to Tullibody to visit my In-laws for the New Year.  My wife Helen’s brothers Thomas and Duncan ran the local supporters bus and they offered me a spare ticket due to a cancellation.

The supporters bus went direct to Ibrox via Stirling and Cumbernauld. Also there was no radio on the bus only loads of alcohol and a hose with a funnel for phissing out the door. I viewed the game from a small standing area below the main stand. After the game I returned to the segregated  bus park near the Celtic end and boarded our bus with the other supporters not knowing of the tragic events unfolding inside the  stadium.

On returning to Tullibody about 6-30 pm the bus stopped outside my in-laws house on Stirling Road . A large family group had congregated at No 61 and as soon as I left the bus my wife Helen and our 2 children Pauline and Kevin ran towards me , Helen was distraught and crying. “Thank God you’re alive,” see cried.

The other supporters realising something was wrong joined us to find out about the tragedy and that there had been many fatalities after the game finished.

My only memory of game was the scorers, Johnstone and Stein, the fog and the celebrations of the Rangers fans were I was standing and in the seated area of the main stand. Why my ticket was in this area I don’t know.

Sad day for the fans who never returned home. JERRY WOODS

READ THIS…The Ibrox Disaster, 2 January 1971: Grim News of ’66 killed, 108 injured, boys among the dead’

HORRIFIC DAY

Horrific day for Rangers, there fans and family’s , 66 people lost there life’s at a football game , lost souls never coming home.RIP from the Celtic family. TORRANCETIM

AVOIDABLE DISASTER

I’m too young to remember this happening but it is terribly sad. Sending love to all those affected by this avoidable disaster. Rest in peace. BRIDIE BHOY

WE HUGGED OUR RANGERS MATES

Was listening to the game on the radio with my mates. A couple of them were Rangers fans, we were waiting on the post match analysis then we were getting reports trickling in that people had died, at first they reported 5 or 6 with many injured, then 10, 20 then 66 with over a 100 injured. It was pure disbelief we hugged our Rangers mates as they went home to find out if they had lost any family or friends, sad, sad day. RIP the 66. MICHAEL DUFFY

THE FIVE BOYS WHO DIDN’T COME HOME

I remember it well….These wee guys….not far from where I live . The five boys who didn’t come home.  LENNONO

READ THIS...The Ibrox Disaster, 2 January 1971: ‘We were absolutely stunned. It took us several days to come to terms with events”

NEVER FORGET 

My then to be father inlaw was at it but left before the disaster occurred. Apparently his family knew about it before he did and were worried beyond belief. I watched with my family on telly ,will never forget the scenes. STARRYNIGHT

ETCHED IN MY MEMORY FOREVER

It is etched in my memory forever. I was trying to listen to the match on Radio Scotland at the side of the house in Donegal. It was on a small transistor radio. Reception was appalling and breaking up. Thought we had won.Then picked up about the disaster. Knew there were two cousins working in Glasgow, who were at the game. News of the tragedy began coming through. Couldn’t make out which end it was. Ran up the road to my grandmother’s house where my uncle was listening to it.They knew nothing either. A truly terrible day. May they rest in peace. POD

FEAR AND TENSION IN THE HOUSE

Starry, Similar situation my dad was at the game and we knew about it before he did and before he came home. I remember the fear and tension in the house. But he came back. God alone knows for those families whose loved ones didn’t. It puts things in perspective. RIP. LMcBHOY

AN AWFUL TRAGEDY

An awful tragedy that could and should have been avoided…Months earlier there was a similar less deadly event at the same stairwell…an inquiry was sought and brought and Rangers never addressed what it found…then this tragedy happened and they again never took accountability for what happened… shameful that it could have been avoided and the devastation that it caused many families to suffer …RIP fellow football fans and humans

This is a very harrowing read…https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/dec/03/rangers-football-forgotten-tragedy-ibrox-stadium-disaster-glasgow. DOCCO

RELIEF WHEN WE TURNED UP

My two brothers and I and two friends were at the game. Getting back from Ibrox was always difficult so we waited quite a while at the Celtic end, then made our way to the Copland road subway. There was a huge queue but on the subway we started to hear rumours of ‘trouble ‘ – we thought , not unnaturally, that there had been fighting and people had been hurt.

It was after 7PM when we finally got home – and discovered that my dad, hearing of the tragedy but not aware that it was at the Rangers end, was at the local police station in Shettleston to report us all missing, possibly dead or injured. This was long before the days of mobiles, nor did we have a phone in the house.

Our mother had died the previous year and my dad and sisters were frantic that we had been caught up in the disaster. Relief was not the word for their emotions when we turned up, completely unaware of the concerns we had caused by our late return. Sadly, many other families did not share my family’s happiness at our safe return. HH. MILLSY

READ THIS…The Ibrox Disaster, 2 January 1971: The Darkest of Hours for Scottish Football

BIG NORRIE LOST HIS BOY

Big Norrie at my work lost his son, he hit the drink for years then just went tea total, he never got over it he died a few years back now. He was a jovial type of guy but you always felt when talking to him he was just putting on a brave face. His heart was ripped out losing his son. I was always Celtic mad even at work but when I was around Norrie there was just this profound sadness about him.I never Knew for a few years after I met him and I only heard it throUGH other mates at work what had happened.Being the age I am now I don’t know how I would or would have coped if anything like that was to have happened to my own son. Imagine going to a game and never coming home? That is just not right, R.I.P. the 66. McGARRELL

TRIBALISM STOPPED – COMPLETELY

I have no recollection based on age on the Ibrox disaster as it was before I was born – but I know for a few hours my own family were concerned.

My Grandfather and Uncle had attended the game. My Grandfather and Grandmother had a rule on that particular fixture (as I had with my own Mother and now wife to this day) that you call in when you get to a pub just to say your safe. I even had to call my Gran after my Granda had passed on. My Grandfather for whatever reason had failed to call home. My Grandmother told me she was frantic. For whatever reason my Granda and Uncle had lost track of time discussing games and singing songs and hadn’t come home til late.

By which stage the house was climbing the walls. Not only was he late he was completely unaware given no social media, mobile phones etc of what had gone on. While he had spent the night having a few beers and lamenting a late equaliser he had no idea, nor did many the worry that had been caused until he crossed the threshold.

One thing that does stay with me with such stories being told is the tribalism stopped. Completely. Everyone knows the stresses, strains and danger on occasion of attending football matches especially pre taylor report changes. It didn’t matter your footballing persuasion or othewise. Families lost loved ones and I think both sides of Glasgow’s divide realised it could have been anyone from either side.

Your family should never expect that when you attend a football game you may never come home. I know my Grandfather spent the following day accountng for friends and workmates who had attended the game in the home end. That for me sums it up. NIALL J

MY MOTHER COLLAPSED

I was 17 and at the game and had no idea that it had happened. No such thing, as social media (as you say Niall) to update anyone. I normally caught the train straight home to get ready to go out on a Saturday night, but decided to stop off and pay a visit to my granny, as she lived close by the train station.

As I was having my tea, a newsflash came on, saying disaster at a British football ground today…and I thought “That looks like Ibrox”.

When it showed what happened, I bolted out the door (they hadn’t said which end it had happened at). I ran home like the Flash, and when I got there, my mates had showed up and asked if I’d made it home, as they had seen it on the news and knew I was at the game. My mother was in a right state, she collapsed, as I flew in the house. A terrible tragedy which took so many lives. DILLIGAF

A CLUB LIKE NO OTHER

Truly a club like no other we respect and remember those lost and their loved ones from our bitter rivals on our forum proud so proud to be a part of the Celtic family – WINTER

And they have the audacity to ask,,,what makes you any different from us..
Respect, compassion, thoughtfulness to name a few…GREEN SPRIG

PRAYERS FOR THE DEPARTED

I remember leaving that game with my dad I was 10, we never knew a thing about the tragic events that unfolded around us, when we got back to the car the radio informed us and my dad immediately thought, we had to phone my mum, no easy feat as we had no mobile and didn’t have a house phone, and had to phone our neighbour’s and she lived four closes away and ask her to let mum know we were okay. We found a phone box nearby and joined the cue of fans already waiting to phone their loved ones. As a ten yr old, I couldn’t figure out how mum would worry as it was at the other end of the ground, Dad explained I would figure it out as I got older, wise man that he was. Anyhow prayers for the departed offered – 50 SHADES OF GREEN.

BIG JOCK WAS A HERO

My auld da was at the game but had walked it home before he found out what had happened and he said he was horrified by the amount of deaths. I also knew one of the ambulance men who were first at the scene and it affected him so much that he couldn’t speak about it, even after all this time. He did say that he thought big Jock was a hero that night.

Rest in Peace those who went to watch a game of football but never made it home – THE SHAMROCK.

An awful day for football, thoughts go to those who lost loved ones on that fateful day. Their fans who sing and smear a man who attended to the dying and injured that day should hang their heads in shame – KELLY.

BIG JOCK WAS A STAR

My dad was at the game that night but he came out and walked to Govan without knowing anything about it until he saw the news.

I knew a guy who was an ambulance man (no paramedics at that time) and he was one of the first responders. He said the sights and the carnage was something he’ll never forget but will also never talk about it in detail to anyone. It must have been so horrific but he said Big Jock was a star. THE SHAMROCK

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