I received this brilliant letter from a Manchester United fan that was written to the Boston Globe over the Vile Hillsborough slur article written by Alex Beam.
We have received many messages of support from other football fans but I am sure that many fellow Liverpool supporters agree with me it sure means a lot to us to see this kind of support from our arch-rivals.
Please keep the pressure on the Boston Globe and Alex Beam until they apologise.
-Antoine
On Twitter @empireofthekop
——————————————————————–
I am a 38 year old United fan and I have emailed this to letter@globe.com
Saturday 15th April 1989. Its a date that still sends shivers down my spine. I know where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news. Many, many people are the same in this country. Of course, the early news that filtered through that day, was of something that seemed the normal for that period of time in the United Kingdom. Two teams. A football match. Rivalry. Hooliganism. Except these fans weren’t rivals. These were fans of two football teams, with similar traditions and similar ideas on how football should be played. Added to this, was the fact that this was no ordinary game. It was a showpiece. An FA Cup semi final. One step from Wembley and a final, the stuff that young boys grow up thinking they want to actually play in. Those that don’t make it in the profession, will be happy just to attend one in their lifetime!
As a Manchester United fan, arch rivals to Liverpool, I could understand the ridiculousness of Mr. Beam’s article, if I didn’t know it was so factually incorrect. There is no love lost between my team and that lot from the other end of the East Lancs Road. Certainly had it been Liverpool versus Manchester United, the game would have had the local constabulary more than a little worried.
But Mr. Beam’s article is the single most laziest piece of journalism I have ever read. And there can be no excuse. Not in this technological age. Not when there must be thousands, upon thousands of entries that refer to what happened on that fateful afternoon on the internet. I have read that Mr. Beam seeks to write such articles in an attempt to provoke. This may be hearsay, but I doubt it and as I have said already, there can be no excuse for such provocation.
If Mr. Beam had bothered to engage his brain before he started to write, he would have researched his story and come to the conclusion that his, was certainly not the best angle to take on a story surrounding Liverpool Football Club. Especially when his only real interest, is that he unfortunately shares the same nationality as the current owner!
I would suggest Mr. Beam sticks to a subject he has a better understanding of. The World Series (involving two teams from the same country) for instance. Leave football, not saw-cer, to the people that have grown up with the sport and who have a better education of this most fantastic of sports!
I would hope that the editor forces an apology from Mr. Beam prior to terminating his contract of course.
Brilliant read, just shows that behind the banter there is real people.
Thank you to that man. To that fan!
Well said !!!
Coming from an LFC supporter…I sincerely appreciate this letter. Thank You.
A wonderful gesture from the Man U fan.
Kudos!
Great email! Thank you so much!
Well said! We all slag off the United fans, and vice verca, but as Phil said we/they are real people behind the banter. Nice to see a United fan stick up for us :) Really appreciate it!
Well said , very nice too see a Utd fan take the time to put this attention seeking idiot straight .
Heartfelt and true , thankyou for the support from a true football fan .this man (Mr beam) should have paid attention at school, back of the the queue when the brains got dished out .
I’m glad that “good” fans stick up for the truth even if it involves a rival team.
Thanks for publishing this.
Nice coming from a rival.
I would like to thank the man u fan who stuck up for liverpool and that BEAM wonts to come to liverpool and say that to the fans and most of all the familys of the 96 who sadly pasted its like the sun news paper again but at least thay had the balls to say sorry. YWNWA
We really appreciate this gesture. God bless
Good on ya – well said. I am not even in UK – but we in Asia were aggrieved by this disaster. We have had many instances where American reporters tried to provoke, impose and interfere with our internal politics. This is typical of the American journalists – so insensitive. Mr. Beam, if u had any moral values, please apologise.
Classy stuff.
Much appreciated, mate.
Thanks very much the letter will mean a lot to many
Beam needs to go
We need to work together to get Beam the sack, he writes to provoke does he. would that be the same as my filming myself defecating on his door step, and posting it on you tube before scooping it up posting a piece to each member of his family. Would that provoke an a opinion?
Beam for the sack and lets get the bastard done fore defamation .
It goes to show football fans are the best of all fans in the world. I live in Canada and I’m very disappointed by the lack of impassioned and geographical rivalry. One thing we can always depend on is our rivals impassioned love for the game that is does not block their common sense. I was literally shocked to see this lazy piece of journalism which shows no obvious knowledge of the event or subsequent calls for inquests but most of all a blantant ignorance to the truth. I second the call for his resignation or stoning.
id like to buy that a beer! i may even consider not calling the red devils scumchester united in my joking manner well said young man
Very well written. Great post!
wonderful read
what he proves is that not only is the writer a Man Utd fan, he’s also a fan of football. the sport has lots of fans like him, decent, knowledgable and passionate but they seldom get the credit they deserve.
well done
Firstly we are people firstly and fans secondly… It does not surprise me that a Man U fan actually spoke up… He just like all of us are real and felt the disaster within our hearts! I am from Australia and everyone here felt sick and sad at what happened! I am a Liverpool fan but thats not why i was saddened… I was saddened for humanity that such a tragic incident happened, whether it was from football or from any other sport or incident!
My Bean you are a fool if you think you will get away with a gutless, thoughtless and stupid article… I can tell you now that not only will you be hated by all in the UK, but even this part of the globe you are a fool!
If i was your employer, i would make sure you wrote a formal apology followed by your resignation!
If you think this is good journalism… I think you should re evaluate your role!
But most of all… Your in humane story!!!
Thank you very much from a true football supporter even tho a manc,thank you sir for the truth to a so called ROUNDERS fan from across the pond who is given the americans a bad name and MUST BE REMOVED from his post.
YNWA ,JUSTICE FOR THE 96.
Marco
well said….
a MAN U fan’s writing makes it more special..
Well said that man, especially coming from a Man Utd fan!
Read this and take heed Mr Beam, you absolute plank with zero class
To the Man Utd fan. Hats off to you sir for coming up with such a great response to an utter piece of garbage of a journalism proven here by Mr Beam. I bet my savings that even Mr Bean would have come up with a better piece of article than you did.
This response goes to show how much insensitive and insincere you have been to towards humanity and towards your profession.
If you have any self respect you should come up with an apology to all the footballing fans across the world.
To the Man Utd fan – YNWA(You’l Never walk Alone)
Antoine I sent this email regarding the Article;-
Alex, Alex, Alex,
Where do I start??
For the record I am a massive Manchester United fan. As you obviously have no grasp of what you decided to write about, let me just explain my comment. Manchester United and Liverpool fans have a long running rivalry which runs extremely deep and at times the chants between the 2 have possibly stretched the boundaries of what is acceptable; the point I am making is that I really don’t care to much for Liverpool FC.
Having read your disgraceful article relating to “Liverpool football club” and us “deranged, bonkers European soccer fans” I had to comment. You obviously have as much knowledge about your chosen subject as you have you class and decorum, extremely little.
You mention that after 21 years the bonkers Liverpool fans are still agonising over the 96 that were killed. I mean, how dare people grieve for their lost relatives eh!! As a Brit I must ask, is there a time limit for grieving; only I must have missed that lesson when I was at school?
In a further ten years, will you feel that relatives of the thousands killed in the 9/11 atrocities should just get on with it if they too are still grieving for their lost loved ones. Granted, the circumstances surrounding their deaths are completely different and I am not trying to draw comparisons between the two events; but for the unfortunate relatives that lost someone it really doesn’t matter how they passed, just that they have been taken away from them.
It’s one thing to write sensationalistic stories to get a response but it’s another to just be blatantly nasty. Having read your article (see I did my research) numerous comments make it very clear that you dislike Europeans and it’s also obvious that you are a nasty piece of work that abuses your role as a journalist to spout your poison. I read more than one article and I must say I am not at all impressed. What happened?? Did your mummy and daddy not love you, did they not buy you that bike that you wanted for Xmas?? Get over yourself.
At the end of the day I could go on all day and write an in depth, clever and witty email and pick apart the entire article but the fact is as a journalist you should know that the first thing you have to do when writing an article is research your chosen subject. This is such an appalling and vicious article that I really feel you should think about a change in profession, maybe take something in customs or politics. Everyone hates politicians, you’d fit like a glove.
and if you don’t take this decision yourself your employers have a responsibility to take the decision for you. The correction that has been written is unacceptable and it shows the lack of class at the Globe!! A marriage made in heaven maybe?
Anyway, have a truly awful Christmas, here’s hoping you get frost bite on your manhood.
Regards
Nikki Edyvane
Deranged, Bonkers European
Means a hell of lot, especially coming from a Man U fan. Nice one
thank you, a well constructed letter and sincerely appreciated by many Liverpool supporters.
Hi,
As the Manchester United fan who was the author of the email, I would just like to say “thanks” for the postive comments that it has received. Obviously I was wary that it might be easily dismissed, given the rivalry that exists between our two famous clubs. I am glad to know however that, whilst there is rivalry (and dare I say it “hatred” on match days), there are also some fans on both sides that have a bit of class.
I have a season ticket on the Stretford End, although I’m not originally from Manchester. I will always remember Hillsborough, because as a 17 year old boy (as I was at that time), I could recognise that this is something that could happen to any fan of any football team. I believe in the season before Hillsborough, United fans were also caught up in some kind of crush there.
I can’t begin to understand the grief, but it is something that should never be forgotten – even if there is finally any justice for those that went to an FA Cup semi final and never made it home. No-one should go to a football match and never come home, regardless of who they support.
Thanks again for the comments.
YNWA
as a Villa fan and YES i do remember what i was doing the day this happened i am DISGUSTED to read the article
BUT im proud of the fact a man u fan as sent this in to remind the writer that NOT everything he reads online is correct !
that can only be the reason for such a vile article