No Justice

I had the chance to go to the European Cup Final and eventually decided not to, mainly because I had not attended any of the previous rounds, and would inevitably have taken the seat of someone who had, but could afford to pay less. That to me is not the action of someone who loves Liverpool FC.

Having read the press and spoken to two (separate) mates who did go, that looks like a good decision.

Rumours of charging barricades and knowingly using fake tickets now appear to be true.

This is a difficult thing to have to admit, but it seems the behaviour of some of the Liverpool fans was a disservice not just to the club, but to the memory of the 96 supporters who died at Hillsborough.

I have no doubt that the situation was handled badly - though not as bad as at Hillsborough - but we must be responsible enough to ensure the authorities are not given the chance to cock it up. We must acknowledge there is a problem with very large games abroad and the culture of 'getting in' no matter what. It is a very serious situation, which could easily end in another disaster.

Of course there is a problem with ticket allocation and with the policing, but we must look at ourselves too.

This club is about more than football. It is the greatest club in the world, and it does have the best fans in the world, in any sport. But this isn't a right. We must remain vigilant. Hillsborough is, and must always be, part of our heritage and we must never forget what really happened that day (see below). But if the memory is to be truly honoured we must also be vigilant of our own fans' behaviour at all times. Unless we acknowledge that we have a problem with the European-adventure-get-in-at-all-costs type of fan then we risk debasing this great club, and the memory of the 96.