A tragic event - not vs related

Know this has nothing to do with vs or flying - apologies to the mods in advance but......

Would just like to express my sincere condolences to any family / relatives or friends of the fellow Hammer who tragically collapsed and died of a heart attack at the game on Saturday.

Also.....well done to the fellow supporter who although a complete stranger, left his wife and family to stay with the mans son, and even travelled back with him in a specially arranged taxi.

Good work fella [y]

RIP

Um...what is this topic actually about? I get it's a death, but I'm a little confused as to why this has any relevance to this forum.

[preiffer]

Have to admit, I think I must have missed something here... [?]

[RichardMannion]

Its regarding the FA Cup Final on Saturday - Liverpool vs West Ham (known as the Hammers).

No relevance to VS or flying as the OP indicated.

Thanks,
Richard

[Bazz]

Nick, on the face of it, you are right, this has no relevance to this or any other forum on this site.

However, we do not currently have a forum for 'off-topic' posts that members may wish to post and with the current bandwidth issues we may not have for a while.

I think Jon wanted to share his feelings for a fellow Westham supporter and his family with us and indeed apologised in his opening that the topic was not VS or air travel related.

I think we can afford to cut him a little slack on this occasion.

Hear Hear!

Originally posted by Jon B
Know this has nothing to do with vs or flying - apologies to the mods in advance but......

Would just like to express my sincere condolences to any family / relatives or friends of the fellow Hammer who tragically collapsed and died of a heart attack at the game on Saturday.

Also.....well done to the fellow supporter who although a complete stranger, left his wife and family to stay with the mans son, and even travelled back with him in a specially arranged taxi.

Good work fella [y]

RIP

Just a wee line or two to echo your condolences, John.

Tragedies such as this firmly puts football, fortnights in Orlando, and debating over the best seat on a 747 into perspective, and also demonstrates that for every hooligan, there are many more footie fans who care for their fellow human beings.

Originally posted by Bazz
Nick, on the face of it, you are right, this has no relevance to this or any other forum on this site.

However, we do not currently have a forum for 'off-topic' posts that members may wish to post and with the current bandwidth issues we may not have for a while.

I think Jon wanted to share his feelings for a fellow Westham supporter and his family with us and indeed apologised in his opening that the topic was not VS or air travel related.

I think we can afford to cut him a little slack on this occasion.

Yep, that's fine, I was just a little confused as to the circumstances of the death, which seemed a bit vague in Jon's post. Richard explained what I was confused about though.

Could someone provide me with a news article? I'm still a little lost.

Well, Google produces this one,Nick.

Best wishes

David

Its prbably not a big thing over in the US Nick but for a football fan to die at a game and then for the other fans to rally round like they did it makes a compassionate story. I am sure Jon wanted to share this with us and to be fair every now and then a Vflyer member uses the site to let off steam or have a say - as long as we are all happy with it then theres not too much problem.

Hmm. I've never really understood the whole business of wearing your heart on your sleeve, which seemed to take-off in UK after Princess Diana's death in 1997. I'm sorry that people die, but the fact is that they do. If the death was a family member of someone who I "know" through this site, I'd be moved to some degree of sympathy. But when it's someone who (apparently) none of us had heard of before this post, I'm not convinced it's the stuff of v-flyer.

I'll leave it at that, and I hope I haven't caused offence.

Best wishes

David

[Bazz]

Well if Prince William feels he can give 10 minutes of his time, I guess we can all give a little then? No offence taken David.

Everyone to their own, Bazz, and you crack on. Given my job I've spent too much time dealing with events including this one, this one and this one to be very moved. As I say, everyone to their own. I've said my piece and I'll bow out of this thread now.

Best wishes

David

[honey lamb]

David, I too am not taking offence but trying to give a perspective. A few years ago when on holiday in County Wexford a hotel guest died in the sea. We watched from a distance as doctors and nurses tried to revive her in vain. I had seen the good lady but once and other guests not at all. Nevertheless in the middle of all our jollity and excitement tragedy had come and even those who had not been there felt their time had been blighted. The fact that there was such a tragedy in the midst of celebration was unreal and almost obscene. It is so stark that anyone hearing it or caught up in it becomes part of the tragedy and feels a compulsion to share it with anyone who will listen and perhaps empathise with them.

We know from V-Flyer that many were supporters of Liverpool and West Ham and the tragedy - no matter how or when they heard of it - took from the game. Jon B, in his profile lists himself as a West Ham supporter as was the man who died. He is also a member of our community also and he is looking to us to help him make sense of it and since we are a community we should help him. OK it wasn't perhaps the most appropriate forum but I agree with Bazz who no doubt is supported by the other mods

Oh and David, I don't count it as wearing your heart on your sleeve. To be honest I've never really understood the British attitude to death since there's nothing we Irish like more than a good funeral!! And finally can I come over all metaphysical and quote John Donne:

"any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

[Bazz]

I am not a football fan so have no axe to grind one way or the other. I feel V-Flyer can be compassionate, whether the death is air travel related or not. We have always been an inclusive site and long may it continue; I can respect your point of view David and also sympathise with Jon, they are not mutually exclusive viewpoints.

Well in my job people expect me to be hardened to it or indiferent but
although people die every day and there is little we can do about it, a little respect and compassion does however make life more worth living

Christine

Eloquently, and movingly spoken.

I'm surprised by the response to this post, if you thought it inappropriate then why not let it lie, and simply recognise than there was a fella seeking to express his grief - then leave it at that?

Originally posted by DavidM
Hmm. I've never really understood the whole business of wearing your heart on your sleeve, which seemed to take-off in UK after Princess Diana's death in 1997. I'm sorry that people die, but the fact is that they do. If the death was a family member of someone who I "know" through this site, I'd be moved to some degree of sympathy. But when it's someone who (apparently) none of us had heard of before this post, I'm not convinced it's the stuff of v-flyer.

I'll leave it at that, and I hope I haven't caused offence.

Best wishes

David

Hmm realise this was not really vs related - as I pointed out

To try and explain why I posted it, well yes I guess I was just 'letting off a bit of steam' Having been sat no more than 20 rows behind the incident in the stadium and witnessed the paramedics trying in vain to save this guys life it was a little shocking and very moving. Sorry you found it so irrelevant that you had to make 2 separate comments to it......

To everyone else who replied with a slightly more compassionate view, a big thank you

Equally hope I've caused no 'offence'

Jon B

I don't think any offense was caused, it was just that some of us (noteably me) were confused.