Great article on icNowt about how NUFC have been "deluged" with faxes and emails from ex-pats in the US thanking the team for Saturday's win. Also this bit re a collection for families of those killed, which I hadn't heard mentioned before now:

United do not think it will be appropriate to say how much was donated by their fans in last Saturday's collection but it was the largest amount they have ever raised and the club have doubled it.

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001

Answers

I said at the time that it would have been fitting if our opponents had also agreed to contribute the same amount as collected. Of course, they may well have organised an alternative means of contributing . Anyway - a nice gesture from NUFC.

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001

I am skint now like.

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001

Nice thing of course but I really think it's a waste to give money to america or american organisations. The US is the wealtiest country in the world and should be able to care of the costs themself. No disrespect to all the ppl getting killed, injured etc. Why not give the money to starving African kids or why not to organisations helping the people of Afganistan (not the Talibans).

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001

This is not necessarily going to Americans. There were many British people killed as well.

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001

Sudden, I think it's just about giving a practical outlet to how sad we all feel about this and I really hope that it helps an innocent family.

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001

I was watching Denis Leary on TV last, he's been instrumental in raising millions of dollars for the families of Firefighters lost last week. He said that there is no middle man if there is a check for 1 million and two families both get 500K. Plus the man is funny as F@ck too.

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001

NYC Firefighters - like our own - are not very well paid, and unlike here, their families will have limited social security support. This is a good cause, and I heard on Radio the Fund has already raised in excess of $100mm, with some big corporations making multi-million dollar contributions.

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001

I reckon it was a great gesture to organise the collection. The minute's silence was almost haunting - I have been in SJP during some pretty quiet moments, but you could hear a pin drop during that - the same against Brentford as well, albeit with less mobile phones going off. I swear I heard at least 30 phones ringing in the Leazes end on Saturday.

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001

I also think it's a nice gesture and I feel we should pay our respect to the victims any way possible. But if I should choose I would like to give the money to people who REALLY need it. I think a child who is starving to death in Africa or anywhere is in more use of the money to get food then a american, british, swedish firefighter, worker or whatever. The families of the people who died should get help from the goverment, they can afford it and they can help. In many parts of the world people cant get help from anyone exept help organizations.

Again of course we should pay our respect to all the people who died - I'm not questening that.

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001

Paul, I kinda know what you mean about the minute's silence. Obviously I wasn't there, but I've been stunned and have gotten chills with every match I've watched (full game or highlights) or listened to in the last week. Every minute's silence has been impeccable. Even on television or webcast you can normally hear the one or two chunderheads who can't keep their mouths shut for one minute. This week, it's been total silence. I guess the idealist in me would like to think that one of the good things to come of this tragedy is that it may serve to bring much of the world closer together. It's a small planet we share.

-- Anonymous, September 19, 2001

Unless I'm very much mistaken the majority of people who were killed were office workers - bankers, accountants and the like. Most of those would have had cover through work - their families are likely to be fairly wealthy by the time they receive this cover, plus a stack of them will get their mortgages paid through their insurance. It's certainly a monumental human tragedy & everyone concerned has my utmost sympathy but a financial contribution to the richest nation on earth seems somewhat odd to me. Hopefully the cash will go to those most in need - wouldn't surprise me if the firemen are poorly covered in comparision to the office crowd, that's the way these things seem to work.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

Al's dodgy knee, I am not sure how much insurance will cover it. A lot of insurance companies have terrorism and acts of war clauses.
Also a lot of those that have died will have very young families. It's okay being well off and having some money in the bank but when the money stops coming in you will struggle no matter how much money you have saved.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

A fine gesture by the club - credit where it's due. As far as fan contribution is concerned, surely it's about making the contributor feel they've helped in some way whoever the families are.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

good point bobby, but i'm a liitle bit with sudden here. why does it take death to get money out of people? there are people suffering (without real help) all over the world who could really do with it.

respect due though.

Ciara, in many ways it has brought people together. But in others it may have the opposite effect. I hope that the entire islamic world doesn't turn, otherwise it could be nasty.

I think the reaction of people would have been a lot less profound had the events not been televised. It's that proximity with your fate that has shocked most people.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

It is the proximity / ethnic familiarity that probably has made a number of people in this country and Europe react the way they have. But death and destruction always has had this effect - Band Aid for instance, Comic Relief. The human misery across the world doesn't go into a cupboard in between Telethons, it continues.

The problem is that western society chooses not to be informed about the ongoing sufferings - who sets the media agenda? Who decided that the telephone engineers in Chechnya murdered and decapitated are no longer worthy of attention? Who decided the millions of Afghan refugees in Pakistan should be ignored until recently? Who decided that the Mexican insurrections and US sponsored military response are not in the press / tv?

It is a huge question, but that some choose to make a small contribution can only be a good thing. Since when was charity means tested?

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

if it is indeed a revolution Gil Scott was wrong.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

A little village in Mozambique raised about £20 for a village in Sussex when it got flooded last year. £20 is an enormous amount in Mozambique and they surely know that the UK isn't exactly starving: they just wanted to be kind. Not entirely relevant but the sweetest story I've heard in years.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

Exactly. And that's the heart of it. People giving to other people. I do agree with the argument that people should be motivated to help the poor and starving everywhere in the world, and people do all the time. It's just not so highly publicized. Perhaps it should be. Personally, I find criticizing people giving of their own free will, in any way, to a humanitarian cause of their own choosing is a bit petty. Better to celebrate it.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

You got a good point there Ciara. Still I think they could give it to people to need it more. But I guess one should be satisfied that ppl actually give money for good causes.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

....... unfortunately ciara, "being petty" is a preoccupation with the media, and a popular pastime, in this country.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

As it is here, Clarky. :-( I was appalled to see a network news reporter trying to grill Bill Clinton about why he had failed to stop Bin Laden, while Bill and Chelsea(who had been 12 blocks from the WTC at the time of attack) were out on the streets talking to survivors and families of those missing. I think that was only 2 days after it had happened. Just wasn't the time or place for that.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001