Eammon Holmes Drops Himself In It After Comparing West Ham Fans Chucking Bottles At Man Utd’s Bus To Hillsbrough Disaster

Chris Wright

11th, May 2016

3 Comments

Photo: Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images

Eammon Holmes has gone an dropped an almighty clanger after comparing West Ham fans lobbing bottles of beer at Manchester United’s team bus (zero casualties) last night to the Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 people died.

Speaking on his Sky News show, Holmes – a United fan by trade – began by berating the Hammers fans responsible for the moronic scenes outside Upton Park before casually comparing the incident to the worst stadium disaster in the history of British sport.

As footage of the bus riot was being screened, Holmes mused:

Now this is going back to the ’70s and to the ’80s to everything you were seeing that was bad about Hillsborough, for instance.

Unsurprisingly, the general reaction has not been sympathetic, with scores of fans imploring Holmes to apologise for his misguided observations.

The real bone of contention is obviously Holmes equating Hillsborough with base hooliganism, an especially foolish move in the light of the recent inquest hearings.

For what it’s worth, the man himself has subsequently responded to what he called “distasteful sniping”, saying:

If anyone concluded anything different my humblest and most honest apologies. I am a huge supporter of the Hillsborough struggle for justice.

Last night’s events do not remotely register in comparison.

I am an honest and decent football supporter and man and would never seek to create such an offence. Those who are trying to do so are very wrong.

I apologise unreservedly if anyone thought I was making that connection.

Okay, what’s done is done. Let’s just draw a line under this and move on, shall we?

Posted in FAIL, Liverpool, Man Utd, Media, Newsnow, West Ham Utd

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3 Comments

  1. Marc says:

    His apology was substandard, but you want us to accept it? Sure, why don’t you go tell the families of Hillsborough and the people of Liverpool that Kelvin McKenzie apologised too so we should forgive him? (Hint: It was another lacklustre apology from him too).

  2. Gazz says:

    We have been told for so long that Hillsborough was because of drunken hooligans.
    Sadly those thoughts and views don’t disappear straight away after you hear another version. Even if the other version is the truth.

  3. squiggle says:

    It’s not the connection he was making, I think, but there is a connection when it comes to what people expect of football fans. Reading Knees Up Mother Brown is pretty depressing as ManU are blamed for the time they turned up and the violence is excused.

    Hell, reading Red Cafe isn’t much better as the ManU players are criticised for sensibly getting out of the way of broken glass instead of ‘manning up’.

    If that’s still the sort of attititude today, how can we expect those who aren’t football fans to expect any better and not believe the worst of fans when disaster happens?

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