Source: Team_Talk
Rush: Emotions still high after Heysel
Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Heysel disaster Ian Rush thinks Liverpool and Juventus have done a great deal to put the past behind them.[LNB] Five years ago a section of Juve fans, at Anfield for a Champions League tie, turned their backs on a tribute to the 39 fans who died at the 1985 European Cup final when a wall collapsed after trouble flared between supporters, with the travelling Liverpool contingent receiving most of the criticism.[LNB]Rush, who with ex-Juventus star Michel Platini led the tributes that night, said he did not blame those Italians for their actions.[LNB]But he feels it is now time to move on and look towards a more positive future.[LNB]"We should never forget it happened but we need to move on as well," he said.[LNB]"Five years ago, when I went on the pitch with Michel Platini, some of them turned their backs but they have their reasons.[LNB]"There were lots of lives lost so you have to see their point of view.[LNB]"Slowly things are changing but you are never going to be completely there and you have to respect what they believe in.[LNB]"I think more work has been done (between the clubs) and it is getting better and better."[LNB]Rush speaks from the privileged position of having turned out for both sides in a long and distinguished career.[LNB]Even if his spell in Turin lasted only a season, he has fond memories of his time in Italy.[LNB]As a Liverpool player moving to Juventus just two years after being involved on that fateful May 29 night at Heysel he may have had some cause for concern about how he would be received.[LNB]However, even now he has nothing but praise for the backing he was given.[LNB]"Liverpool was the biggest thing in my life and when I moved to Juventus Platini told me 'You've come to the biggest club in Italy but at the wrong time'," added Liverpool's record goalscorer.[LNB]"For Platini to say that told me Juventus was special and I just hope there can be a better relationship.[LNB]"But one thing you can always say about Juventus fans is they supported me when I played for them and they were very good to me.[LNB]"They made me feel really welcome and when I left they wanted me to stay.[LNB]"Even though people say it was not the best period for me - although I didn't think it was too bad - one thing I'll never forget is the supporters.[LNB]"I gave 100% and they were behind me. I think if I had stayed at Juve another year I wouldn't have come back.[LNB]"I felt I was ready for my second year but Liverpool came back in for me and they were the only club I would go back for.[LNB]"My time in Italy made me grow up as a person and I became a better all-round player as I had to do more work outside the box.[LNB]"I didn't score as many goals but I learned a lot from that.[LNB]"I always look for the Juventus result as I still have a big feeling for them."[LNB]Even 25 years on Rush is still critical of UEFA and the Belgian authorities for their staging of the match at a dilapidated Heysel.[LNB]"There should never have been a European final played there because the ground was not up to it and the segregation was not good enough," said Rush, who tragically was also in the Liverpool team which had to endure the Hillsborough disaster four years after Heysel.[LNB]"I don't remember much of that night, it is one of those things that is all a blur.[LNB]"We were waiting quite a long time for the game to start and we weren't sure whether it would go ahead.[LNB]"I remember Joe Fagan (manager) and Phil Neal (captain) going out to speak to the supporters but the rest of us were inside trying to prepare for the game and we weren't sure what was going on.[LNB]"We weren't sure exactly what had happened and we just wanted to get the game over and get back to the families we had there as well.[LNB]"The longer it got delayed the less focus was on the game."
