In April 1990 he decided there should not.The Sheffield coroner, Dr Stefan Popper, decided in the meantime to hold "mini-inquests", in which a brief "evidence summary" was read out about how each person died. No witnesses were called, nor was there any opportunity to cross-examine or even ask questions. Yet that was the only airing given to how each individual died, what treatment they did or did not receive, who helped them or who didn't. The main inquest, starting in November 1990, considered the general horror of the day but only up to 3.15pm, the controversial "cut-off" time imposed by the coroner. But mostly there is only a vague grasp of why they still feel such seething outrage.

Phil Hammond, the Hillsborough Family Support Group's chairman, whose 14-year-old son Philip died in the disaster, explained."First, Taylor said the police, football club and council were to blame, yet nobody has ever been disciplined or held to account," he said. "Secondly, the way the inquests were carried out, we have never actually found out how our loved ones died."To grieving relatives, that denies a basic human right and need and negates the very purpose of an inquest. After Hillsborough, the inquest was delayed until the completion of an investigation for the Director of Public Prosecutions into whether criminal charges should be brought against any individual. The Sun, desperate for sales on Merseyside, tried unsuccessfully to win over the families last year, suggesting that the families of the dead need the clout the newspaper could give them in order to achieve justice.The idea has settled, then, that the families have never received justice. A resounding reminder of the huge scale of this loss is the achingly long time it took for a candle to be lit, and the name read out, for each of the 96 dead. Liverpool's quarter-final ties with Juventus brought back memories of Heysel, which happened just four years earlier. Yet still, spread most notoriously by The Sun, the stories spewed out of drunkenness and misbehaviour.These days there is more general acceptance that the fans were helpless victims - although still, particularly in Sheffield, there are many who refuse to believe it. They were a reminder that hooliganism, which had nothing to do with Hillsborough, was the context for how the police, football clubs, Government, the Press and general public generalised football supporters, particularly Liverpool fans, at the time.Lord Justice Taylor's report established that mismanagement by the South Yorkshire Police and neglect by Sheffield Wednesday Football Club and Sheffield City Council led to a horribly unsafe ground and caused the disaster.

More than 6,000 people quietly filled the Kop's steepling seats yesterday, not to cheer Liverpool's qualification for the Champions' League semi-final but to remember the 96 supporters, mostly young, who died at Hillsborough 16 years ago. "You must be mad.""I know," I replied, "I'm just worried that if it rains this'll be like a giant sponge."He stopped smiling. "Hang on a minute - you're not actually running in that thing are you?""Er, yes.""You are mad," he said without malice but with lots of feeling.adrian.chiles btopenworld Donations can be made by visiting /sunfieldchildren. Baggie Bird can have as many as he likes."Even if I say so myself, given that I had no boots on and I was wearing a bird costume, I acquitted myself quite well "You doing the marathon?" said Neil Clement. But to my horror Nigel Pearson waved me on: "It's bibs versus no bibs," he shouted, "only two touches. I should have just spent the last decade running around urban parks dressed as a giant bird.A photocall was arranged at West Brom's training ground I strode out in full Baggie Bird attire Shyly, I kept my distance waiting for training to finish.

I just wish that when I went into broadcasting I'd known what I know now: for a good 10 years I've been doing my damnedest to entertain people on radio and television I wish I hadn't bothered. Now I know: they just run round and I'd say more than half of the general public take absolutely no notice whatsoever. Outside the Tube station a bloke emotionlessly asked me for 50p with absolutely no reference to the fact that he was begging from a giant throstle.But if half the general public ignore you, the faces of the other half truly light up, and it's tremendously uplifting I might break four hours tomorrow after all. But the rest of the costume, wings, tail and all, felt rather comfortable. Yes, this bird would fly.My first, and only training run, was in Ravenscourt Park, London W6, on Monday afternoon. I've always wondered how the fancy dress runners actually practice. I resigned myself to a time not much better than my last one - so slow that I would surely again have to endure the ignominy of being overtaken by some clever dick in fancy dress.But then, a brainwave! I nearly broke into 10-minute mile pace with excitement as the solution presented itself: I would be the clever dick in fancy dress! Not only would I raise more money for charity, I'd have an excellent excuse when I failed to break five hours Genius.And I knew exactly which costume I wanted West Brom have a mascot called Baggie Bird He was my man, or bird anyway.