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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Петък, 25 яну 2008г. 16:25:35 часа цитат | |||
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United fan Tom Clare's personal experiences of the crash and the aftermath The tragedy happened on a Thursday afternoon, and I can remember that day vividly. It was cold, and bleak, and some areas of the city experienced snow that afternoon. It was dark before 4p.m. After school, I had trudged down Ardwick Green, schoolbag on shoulder, and crossed Downing Street, into Rusholme Road. On the corner of that junction was a pet shop named Wyman's, and I was fortunate to have a job there, which was delivering pet food to various outlets in the area. I delivered a product that was really nothing more than horsemeat used for dog food, and it went mostly to business outlets that had guard dogs in the Fairfield, City, and Chorlton - upon - Medlock areas. Jean Wyman, and her husband David, who owned the business, always had a flask of Oxo prepared for me in those cold winter months, and I took this with me, and devoured it as I walked the delivery round in the winter cold, delivering to their customers. My spirit that Thursday was so good - and the the reason why? - well, the previous day, United had put on a marvelous performance in Belgrade to draw 3-3 with Red Star, the Yugoslavian Army team. They were into the semi-finals of the European Cup for the second year running, and the large majority of United supporters wanted them to be drawn against Real Madrid so that they could gain revenge for the narrow defeat in the competition the previous season. As I walked my round, I can remember that the banter between the customers, and myself, was terrific. They all knew that I was United daft, and were all pulling my leg as they paid their debts to me - we used to have threepenny bets on United's results! The first time that I had a bad foreboding, and sensed that something was wrong, was when I walked down Store Street, under the long arch, above which was London Road LMR Station (now Piccadilly) and out onto London Road. I used to deliver to a Wilson's pub across the road, on the corner of Whitworth Street, facing the Fire Station, named The White Hart. There was a newspaper man there every night, selling the Evening News, and the Evening Chronicle. As I crossed over to his side of the road, he had just finished putting up a poster with the headline " Stop Press -United Plane Crashes at Munich." The "Stop Press" was a column on the right hand side of the newspaper, which contained a late headline for any breaking news that had not been in the wires before publication time. It looked as though the newspapers had been run through a Gestetner machine in order to include these headlines, after the newspaper had actually been printed. I hurriedly paid my coppers to the paper man for the News, but all it said was "Manchester United's Plane has crashed at Munich Airport - more to follow in later edition." At first, we all thought that it was just something minor, and nothing to worry about. But as I got further down London Road, and into Downing Street, the news had started to filter through on the wireless. The publican at the old Gog and Magog on Downing Street was the first to tell me that there had been fatalities, although he couldn't say who they were. It was almost 6p.m. by the time that I got back to Wyman's, but Jean and David knew nothing of the unfolding tragedy. I ran hard all the way up Rusholme Road, until I reached Royle Street, where I lived, and I ran into the house, to find my father, sitting in his chair besides the fireplace, with tears streaming down his face. He'd arrived home from Henshaw's Blind School, where he was training to be a joiner after losing his sight, and had heard the news shortly after afterwards on the wireless. As time passed, more and more news was filtering through, and we sat there together, for the next few hours as the names of those lost became confirmed; Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Geoff Bent, Billy Whelan, Tommy Taylor, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Walter Crickmer, Tom Curry, Bert Whalley, Alf Clarke, Tom Jackson, Henry Rose, Archie Ledbrooke, Don Davies, and then finally, Frank Swift. The hours passed, and it was as if we were all in a trance, as though time had stood still. Mum was at home, my sister was at home, but there was little or no conversation - we just sat there, listening, waiting, praying, a heavy sadness enveloping the whole house. For me, a 13 years old at that time, it was unthinkable that I would not be seeing my heroes play against Wolves in a vital league game on the following Saturday afternoon. I cried so much that evening, and went to bed hoping that what I was experiencing was all a horrible and bad dream, and that I would awake the following morning to find that all was well. However, when I did wake, I was to find out about the harshness and reality of life. Dad didn't go to work that morning, as did hardly anybody else in the City. The reality was all there before us in the morning editions of the newspapers. Pictures, stories, tales of heroism, but more starkly, the decimation of a team of wonderful young boys, backroom staff, and the cream of the British Sporting Press. The atmosphere in the City during the days that followed was surreal - a great pall of mourning was constantly there. Adults openly shed tears as they went about their business. I can remember that as each day passed, I cried so much, could not eat, and had no interest in playing out, or doing anything much at all. So much so, that Mum had to keep me off school for some time. In hindsight, and something my parents agreed with me about years later, was the fact that I was in shock. I'd known a number of those boys, played with them during the summer months at the Galleon Open Air Swimming Pool in Didsbury. They were my idols, my heroes. During the previous three and a half years, I'd hardly missed a match at Old Trafford - in effect, I'd been growing up with them. It was beyond my comprehension that I wouldn't be seeing Tommy Taylor, David Pegg or Billy Whelan again - players I had got to know. If there was a light, it was that Duncan was surviving, and things looked optimistic for his recovery. A few days after the tragedy, the coffins bearing the bodies of those that perished, returned home, and at 9p.m. on a cold, wet, dark Monday evening, a long convoy of black hearses, brought them from Ringway Airport, back to Old Trafford, where they were placed in the gymnasium to remain overnight, before being released to their respective families. Huge crowds lined the routes and I stood in Warwick Road, with my Mum, as those vehicles passed by - not a sound could be heard , except the rumble of the tyres on the cobbled road, and the quiet sniffles, as people's emotions got the better of them. Funerals were held in the week that followed, and still, the mourning was so prevalent throughout the City. Attention became more focused on those that had survived, and the daily bulletin's concerning Duncan's recovery. Jimmy Murphy was going about the business of putting a team together to play Sheffield Wednesday in an F.A. Cup 5th Round tie on the evening of February 19th. The FA had allowed the club to postpone the game the previous Saturday, due to the closeness of the funerals, that had taken place earlier that week. People were trying to get some normality back into their lives as they came to terms with the shocking event that had happened. The second week after the tragedy, Duncan's condition began to yo-yo. Professor Georg Maurer, who had worked so hard at the Rechts der Isar Hospital, in Munich, had said, that any lesser mortal than Duncan, would never have survived, given the injuries that he had suffered. Oh! how I wanted him to live! On February 19th, together with Mum, and her friend from Ardwick, Mary Donohue, we attended the first game after the tragedy. I can remember that although it was a 7:30p.m. kick off, we got to the ground at 4p.m as we wanted to be sure of getting in. It was no surprise that at that time, there was already long lines outside each turnstile. It was a bitterly cold, frosty evening, with a very clear sky. The turnstiles opened early, and people flooded into the ground. We stood on the "popular side" on the half way line, underneath the old shed, with the Glover's cables factory immediately to the rear of the stand. As the old steam trains drew into the station on the opposite side of the ground, the clouds of smoke came over the top of the main stand, opposite , making it look as though a fog had descended inside the ground. The programme was unique, and has since become a collector's item - United's teamsheet bore no names at all - just eleven empty blank spaces. At 6:45p.m. it was announced that they were having to close the gates - Old Trafford was jammed packed full - a far cry from my previous visit on January 25th, when I had watched my beloved "Babes" beat Ipswich Town 2-0, in the 4th round of the FA Cup. At 7p.m. came the announcement we had been waiting for - the team - I can hear that announcer even today - "In goal, Harry Gregg, Number two and Captain, Bill Foulkes; Number three Ian Greaves; Number four Freddie Goodwin; Number five Ronnie Cope; Number Six, and please welcome our new signing from Aston Villa, Stan Crowther - there was gasps when this was announced; Number seven Colin Webster; Number eight Ernie Taylor; Number nine Alex Dawson, Number ten, Mark Pearson; Number eleven Seamus Brennan. Ernie Taylor had been signed from Blackpool the previous week. It was a great signing because little Ernie was so gifted and experienced having played a full career with Newcastle and Blackpool, winning Cup Winner's medals with both of them. Stan Crowther's signing was the surprise, as it had taken place just an hour before the kick off, and had been specially sanctioned by the FA. Stan, had in fact played in a previous round of the FA Cup that season for Villa, and is still the only man to play for two different teams in the same season in the FA Cup competition. I can remember the roars of the crowd as Bill Foulkes led United out. Wednesday's skipper that night was Albert Quixall, who was later to join United the following year. Albert recalls the moment that he emerged from the tunnel, at the head of the Wednesday team. He said the wall of noise that met them, was like nothing he had heard before. In effect, poor Wednesday were on a loser whichever way that the game went - public opinion was dead against them, and God knows what would have happened that night had they won ? they would have taken a slating publicly. As it happened, roared on by the crowd, United won 3-0. Towards the end of the first half, United got a corner on the left hand side at the Scoreboard end, and Seamus Brennan whipped in an inswinger, which Jim Ryalls, the Wednesday keeper, could only help into the net. Shay scored again in the second half, and then big Alex Dawson, scored near to the end. The atmosphere was electric throughout the game and roars could be heard all over the city. Even the people who were locked out of the ground earlier that evening, did not go home - they stayed outside of the ground! To win that match 3-0 was beyond people's wildest dreams, and as the crowds filtered out, and the ground emptied, there was a kind of eerie silence on the way home. People had expended so much nervous energy in the preceding five or six hours, they were drained. Sadly, the elation, and jubilation, of the Wednesday evening, was to turn to tears once again, on the following Friday morning. I can recall my Mum coming upstairs to my bedroom, waking me with gentle shakes, and telling me quietly that Duncan Edwards had died in the early hours of that morning. Once more, my world was shattered. The one player that I idolised more than anybody else, was now gone. No more would I witness the boyish exhuberance of the man, as he emerged from the tunnel taking those great bounding leaps onto the pitch. No more would any of us hear him say "Come on lads, we 'aven't come 'ere for nuffink!" The Giant was gone, and the Legend had just begun. I used to find it difficult to talk about the tragedy - especially as I went from adolescence into manhood. There is no doubt that it left a big scar on me - and to be honest - not only me, but hundreds of kids like me. I'll be interested to hear of Johnno's recollections, and I'm willing to bet that he too suffered some kind of reaction as well. I was difficult to control for a while, and both Mum and Dad were so worried, that mentally, something had happened to me. As I said in my original post, in hindsight, we all realised that they were having to deal with somebody in deep shock. Even my schoolteachers voiced their concern to my parents, as I became disinterested, difficult, very introverted, and was only happy out on the sportsfield. I think I mentioned to somebody a week or two ago, that I would play "wag" (truant) from school, and walk up to Weaste Cemetery just to stand in front of Eddie Colman's grave, as his was the only one that I knew how to get to. I wrote lots of stuff about the team, and the players as individuals - I only wish that I had that stuff today. It was a micabre pattern of behaviour. But I had known a number of those boys as well, and I was also grieving. For a young boy, it was hard to come to terms with, losing heroes that I absolutely adored. At that age, knowing that I would never see them again had a profound effect upon me. I was United "daft" in the truest sense of the word, and no doubt in the future, you will read of some of the strange things that I got up to! I think that the main reason that the tragedy affected so many people in the way that it did, was because those players, staff, reporters, etc, were really all part of the community. In those days there was a very close proximity between players and fans, club and local community. It's hard to relate to today, and some of the younger members may find this unusual, but all those boys, men, were just ordinary, every day guys. There was no prima donnas, or pretentiousness. There was "stars" - yes, but in the nicest possible way. They were literally, "the boy next door." Just every day Joe's who happened to have the gift of being able to play football, and played for the club that they really loved - Manchester United. They were so accessible - if you waited long enough after a match, you could walk with them or trave with one of them on the bus; you would meet them in the shops, and always at the local dance halls The Locarno in Sale; The Plaza on Oxford Street; Belle Vue - mostly on Saturday evenings after home games. I have a few mates in Sale who are a little older than me, but who have related to me tales of how they used to sit with them in the Locarno, and the United lads would have a lemonade on top of the table, but half of mild underneath it! They always had time of day for people. continues.... |
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Петък, 25 яну 2008г. 16:26:03 часа цитат | |||
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It was also a time when they had awakened the imagination of the British sporting public. Up and until around 1955, football teams had an average age of somewhere towards the very late 20's. All of a sudden, here was this team of really youthful young men, winning their first championship with an average age of 22, playing the most outrageous brand of attacking football. Sir Matt's long term vision and plan had been proved right, and the doubters, and there was many of them, were being proved wrong. Sir Matt, Jimmy, Bert Whalley, Tom Curry, had schooled them all in the correct way - the foundations of the Club that we know today, were laid by these great men, in those years immediately after Busby's appointment in 1945. Like the players, the staff were just as accessible - Walter Crikmer would walk around the outside of the ground on a match day, chatting with the fans. For the big matches that had to be "all ticket", the tickets were always sold on a Sunday morning. People would start queueing in the early hours, and by the time that the turnstiles were opened for sales (yes, they were sold at the turnstile!) at 10a.m. the queues used to stretch from the ground, down the bottom end of Warwick Road, then all the way down Trafford Park Road, and into Ashburton Road - some line I can tell you! But invariably, Busby, and Jimmy, would find time to walk down the lines, chatting here, chatting there - Crikmer would stand on the Canal bridge on Warwick Road as if he was counting the fans! After ticket purchase, when you were leaving the ground, it wasn't unusual to see players either arriving at the ground, or leaving because they had had to be in for treatment to injuries, or strains, suffered in the matches played the previous day. It's also interesting, that although it was the era when the maximum wage of twenty quid was in force, not one of those players, even Roger Byrne the captain, was on that amount as a flat rate! They used to get two quid for a win, and a quid for a draw! But you never heard the slightest moan, groan, whisper, about money! Those lads just lived to play football, and would have played every day! They were unusual in a lot of ways, because socially, they were also a very close knit set of guys, and were all mates together. Byrne was a great, great, captain and leader, and was Matt's mouthpiece in the dressing room. He was also the route to "the boss" for the players. Roger kept everybody in line. It's true to say that because they played the game so well, and in the right way, in capturing people's imagination - more people wanted to see them, and this was when attendances started to increase. BBC's Match of the Day had just begun around this time - they used to show clips of several matches on a Sunday afternoon - and those families that had television used to invite the less fortunate kids around to watch the programme. There was more exposure for them, and of course, then came Europe, and that really did capture people's imagination - especially after that first game against Anderlecht at Maine Road, on that wet, late summer evening, of September 26th, 1956, when they demolished the Belgians 10-0. There is no doubt, that the whole of England's football fans, (apart from City's!) at that time were really behind United in their push for the European Cup. The two epic games against the mighty Real Madrid in early 1957, also enhanced their reputation, especially after some dubious methods and tactics were used by the Spaniards in both of those games. The "Babes" were considered such great ambassadors for their Club, their city, and their country, and were held in such great esteem by everybody. Yes, even today I can get very emotional when talking about those times. And I'm certain that it's the same for most of the people that were around at that time. But in my opinion, these stories have to be told. The story of the "Babes" is such an important part of United's history - not so much the actual accident - but the story of those tremendous young men who lost their lives pursuing not only Matt's, and their own dream, but the dream of all of the fans as well. Their memory and legend must never be allowed to die. They were very extraordinary young men, blessed with tremendous abilities, who conducted themselves impeccably, and played the game in the right way - what we know of today as "The Manchester United Way." It's why our traditions are so strong, why mediocrity is not accepted, and why those traditions have to be passed on from generation to generation. It's why other clubs are jealous of us now, because we have always been there at the forefront, and they cannot compete with our history. It's why Manchester United is the FAMILY that it is, because when you are born into that tradition, it's there for life. When United bleeds, we all bleed. We can disagree with each other, curse each other, fight with each other, but at the end of the day, we all agree on one thing - THERE'S ONLY ONE UNITED  |
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Петък, 25 яну 2008г. 16:30:32 часа цитат | |||
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Петък, 25 яну 2008г. 16:40:27 часа цитат | |||
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Петък, 25 яну 2008г. 17:43:53 часа цитат | |||
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Matt Busby The Flowers of Manchester: Munich Memorial [size=10pt]Sir Matt and his babes,LEGENDS FOREVER![/size] |
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Неделя, 03 фев 2008г. 20:59:50 часа цитат | |||
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[size=10pt]Flowers of Manchester [/size] One cold and bitter Thursday in Munich, Germany, Eight great football stalwarts conceded victory, Eight men who will never play again who met destruction there, The flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester Matt Busby's boys were flying, returning from Belgrade, This great United family, all masters of their trade, The Pilot of the aircraft, the skipper Captain Thain, Three times they tried to take off and twice turned back again. The third time down the runaway, disaster followed close, There was a slush upon that runaway and the aircraft never rose, It ploughed into the marshy ground, it broke, it overturned. And eight of the team were killed as the blazing wreckage burned. Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor who were capped for England's side. And Ireland's Billy Whelan and England's Geoff Bent died, Mark Jones and Eddie Colman, and David Pegg also, They all lost their lives as it ploughed on through the snow. Big Duncan he went to, with an injury to his frame, And Ireland's brave Jack Blanchflower will never play again, The great Matt Busby lay there, the father of his team Three long months passed by before he saw his team again. The trainer, coach and secretary, and a member of the crew, Also eight sporting journalists who with United flew, and one of them was Big Swifty, who we'll ne'er forget, the finest English 'keeper that ever graced the net. Oh, England's finest football team its record truly great, its proud successes mocked by a cruel turn of fate. Eight men will never play again, who met destruction there, the flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester |
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Неделя, 03 фев 2008г. 21:05:39 часа цитат | |||
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Manchester United squad that boarded BEA flight 609. Geoff Bent: Salford-born 25 year-old full-back who made his debut in 1954-55, but found his first-team opportunities limited due to the form of first John Aston, and then Roger Byrne. He played just a handful of games in the title-winning campaigns of 1955-56 and 1956-57. A 'poor flyer', he was not originally due to travel to Belgrade, but was ultimately included as cover for Byrne, who was carrying a slight injury. He died in Munich. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 12-0. Johnny Berry: A speedy winger who had played over 100 games for Birmingham City before joining United in 1951. He played for England on four occasions. He helped United win three League titles and played in the 1957 FA Cup final, that was won by Aston Villa. He was 31 at the time of the tragedy, but was unable to resume his playing career afterwards and he eventually ran a sports shop (with his brother Peter, another former footballer) in his native Aldershot. He died in 1994. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 247-13. Jackie Blanchflower: The Belfast-born younger brother of Danny was aged 24 at the time of the tragedy. He was unable to resume his career due to the injuries he received in the crash. Thus his tally of Northern Ireland caps remained at 12. His debut, and only appearance of 1951-52, came in a campaign when United won the League title. He was quite versatile, initially playing at inside forward, but was also equally adept at centre-half. He helped United win two League titles. He also went in goal when Ray Wood was injured during the 1957 FA Cup final. He died in 1998. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 105-26. Roger Byrne: Manchester-born 28 year-old full-back who made his debut in 1951-52. Matt Busby's captain, who was originally a winger, won 33 England caps. He helped United to win three League titles and captained the side in the 1957 FA Cup final. He died in Munich unaware that his wife was pregnant. His son, Roger, became a ball-boy at Old Trafford. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 245-17. Bobby Charlton: A member of the famous Milburn clan, the Ashington-born forward was aged 20 at the time of the tragedy. He made his England debut two months after the crash and went on to win 106 caps in total (scoring a record 49 goals). He collected a World Cup winners' medal along the way (alongside his elder brother Jackie). He was knighted in 1994. He made his debut in 1956-57 and was made captain in 1966. He skippered the side that won the European Cup in 1968. He also helped United win three League titles and the FA Cup. He also played in the losing FA Cup finals of 1957 and 1958. He holds the club records for League appearances and goals scored. He left Old Trafford in 1973 to become player-manager of Preston North End. He later played for Waterford United and was a director of Wigan Athletic. He has been a Manchester United director since 1984. Now aged 69. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 606-199. Eddie Colman: Salford-born 21-year-old right-half who made his debut in 1955-56. Nicknamed Snakehips, because of his trademark body swerve, he helped United win two League titles and was a member of the 1957 FA Cup final side. He was the youngest of those who died in Munich. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 85-1. Duncan Edwards: Dudley-born 21 year-old left-half who was the youngest player ever to play in the First Division when he made his debut as a 16 year-old in 1952-53. When he made his international debut in 1955, aged 18 years and 188 days, he became the youngest man to play for England since the Second World War. He was considered by many to have had the potential to be the greatest player in the world. He helped United win two League titles, played in the 1957 FA Cup final and won 18 England caps. He died of his injuries, 15 days after the crash, in hospital. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 151-20. He is pictured above in one of two the stained glass memorials to him at his local church in Dudley, West Midlands. Bill Foulkes: The only man to play in every Manchester United first-team match in 1957-58. He was born in Prescott, made his debut in 1952-53 and was 26 at the time of the crash. Originally a right-back, whom Busby switched to play in central defence later in his career. He won just one England cap (in 1955). He was appointed club captain immediately after the disaster. He helped United win the European Cup, four League titles and the FA Cup in 1963. He also played in the losing FA Cup finals of 1957 and 1958. He held the United record for appearances until his tally was surpassed by Bobby Charlton. His final game for the club was in August 1969. After hanging up his boots, he coached United's youth side before coaching in the USA, Norway and Japan. Along with Albert Scanlon, he presented the Premiership trophy to Manchester United at Old Trafford in May 2007. Now aged 75. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 566-7. Harry Gregg: Made almost 100 appearances for Doncaster Rovers before becoming the “most expensive goalkeeper in the world” when he moved to Old Trafford during that fateful 1957-58 campaign. Born in Londonderry, he was 25 at the time of the disaster. He won 25 caps for Northern Ireland and played in the 1958 World Cup finals. He missed the 1963 FA Cup final through injury and, although he played two League games in the 1966-67 season, was destined never to win a medal at Old Trafford. He moved to Stoke City in 1966 but only played twice. He later managed Shrewsbury Town, Swansea City, Crewe Alexandra and Carlisle United. He was also assistant-manager at Swindon Town for a while. He received an MBE in 1995. Now aged 75. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 210-0. Mark Jones: Barnsley-born 24 year-old centre-half who made his debut in 1950-51. He helped United win two League titles and also made three appearances in 1951-52, when the title was also won. Died in Munich, four months before his daughter was born. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 103-1. Kenny Morgans: The Swansea-born winger was 18 at the time of the tragedy. He made his debut during that fateful 1957-58 campaign, taking over from Johnny Berry on the right-wing. He only played a few times for United after the crash and joined Swansea Town in March 1961. He later played for Newport County. Now aged 68. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 17-0. David Pegg: Doncaster-born 22 year-old left-winger who made his debut in 1952-53. He helped United win two League titles and played in the 1957 FA Cup final side. He won his one and only England cap just nine months before he died in Munich. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 127-24. Albert Scanlon: The Manchester-born winger was 22 at the time of the disaster. He made his debut in 1954-55 and played a handful of games in the club's title-winning campaigns of 1955-56 and 1956-57. He was on the verge of signing for Arsenal at the time of the tragedy. He recovered from a fractured skull and played for United again in 1958-59 and 1959-60 before joining Newcastle United. He later played for Lincoln City and Mansfield Town. He played once for the Football League representative side. Along with Bill Foulkes, he presented the Premiership trophy to Manchester United at Old Trafford in May 2007. Now aged 72. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 115-34. Tommy Taylor: Barnsley-born 26 year-old centre-forward who netted 26 goals in 44 League appearances for Barnsley before joining Manchester United for a world-record fee of £29,999. He made his United debut in 1952-53 and helped them win two League titles, top scoring with 25 in 1955-56. He scored United's goal in their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the 1957 FA Cup final. He played 19 times for England and scored 16 goals. He died in Munich. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 166-112. Dennis Viollet: The Manchester-born inside-right was 25 at the time of the crash. He made his debut in 1952-53 and helped United win two League titles. He returned to the team later in the 1957-58 campaign and was one of four survivors who played in the 1958 FA Cup final. He was the First Division's leading scorer in 1959-60 (with 32 goals) and went on to win two caps, scoring once for England. Busby surprisingly sold him to Second Division Stoke City in January 1962. He later reverted to a midfield role and helped the Potters win the Second Division and reach the League Cup final. He later played for Baltimore Bays and Witton Albion, before becoming player-manager of Linfield. He also coached Preston North End and Crewe Alexandra, before moving to the USA and coaching various sides there. He died in 1999. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 259-179. Liam Whelan: Dublin-born 22 year-old inside-forward who made his debut in 1954-55. He joined the club from Home Farm. He helped United win two League titles, top scoring with 27 in 1956-57, and played in the 1957 FA Cup final. He won four caps for the Republic of Ireland. He died in Munich. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 79-43. Ray Wood: The Hebburn-born goalkeeper was 26 at the time of the disaster. He was bought from Darlington and made his debut in 1949-50. He was United's regular keeper when they won the League title in 1955-56 and again in 1956-57. His cheekbone was fractured early on in the 1957 FA Cup final and played part of the game as an outfield player before retaking his place between the posts. He had lost his place to Gregg before the crash and only made one more appearance for United afterwards. He joined Huddersfield Town in December 1958 and made over 200 appearances for them before also playing for Bradford City and Barnsley. He went on to coach in many countries abroad. He died in 2002. MUFC League Appearances-Goals: 178-0. |
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Вторник, 05 фев 2008г. 22:50:59 часа цитат | |||
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Вторник, 05 фев 2008г. 22:54:06 часа цитат | |||
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 [font=Verdana]Birth and Rise of the Babes[/font] As challenges go, the manager's job at Manchester United in 1945 seemed to be the equivalent of scaling Mount Everest in bare feet. During the 1930s, the club was twice relegated from the top division and was close to bankruptcy. Then in 1941, during the Second World War, the Luftwaffe (Nazi Germany’s air force) bombed Old Trafford, leaving United to play their home games at Maine Road - the ground of local rivals Manchester City. Such matters were, however, incidental to Matt Busby when he agreed to take charge at United on 19 February 1945. For Busby had a glittering vision: he saw beauty in that bombed-out stadium, and the chance to create a phoenix from those flames. A native of Bellshill, a coal-mining community in Lanarkshire, Scotland, Busby knew the value of hard work, and recognised what honest endeavour could achieve. Crucially, too, he knew both Manchester and its people, having played for Manchester City in their 1934 FA Cup success. His partnership with United would change the face of English football. and FA Cup double of the modern age with a controversial 2-1 win at Wembley. The scorer of Villa’s goals Peter McParland was the villain, his shoulder barge on Ray Wood resulting in the United goalkeeper fracturing a cheekbone. Despite that disappointment, time was on United’s side. Thoughts soon turned to capturing a third title in a row and another assault on Europe. Busby bolstered his Babes with another big signing, paying a world record fee for a goalkeeper to bring in Harry Gregg. The season unfolded much like the previous two with smooth progress both domestically and in Europe. February opened with a thrilling encounter against Arsenal at Highbury. In an absorbing match, United edged out the Gunners 5-4; ideal preparation for the daunting European Cup quarter-final second-leg trip to meet Red Star Belgrade... Liverpool wanted Busby back after the war as player-coach. But Busby wanted to shape the future - he dreamed of younger, fresher legs, players to mould in his image. He knew youth held the key, not only to United’s success, but the future of the game. He found a kindred spirit in his predecessor Walter Crickmer, who remained club secretary. Crickmer helped to establish the Manchester United Junior Athletic Club (MUJACs) in 1938 and from those seeds Busby’s empire was born. Busby set up an office two bus rides from Old Trafford. “In that small office there was not much room for dreaming, or much time but dream I did,” Busby reflected. He quickly appointed an assistant, his old army mate Jimmy Murphy, who took charge of the reserves, paying special attention to the youth team. Within two years, Busby’s pioneering, hands-on management delivered United’s first trophy for almost 40 years. The FA Cup was won in 1948 with attacking football against a Blackpool side featuring the legendary English player Stanley Matthews. After a couple of near misses, United won the league title in 1952. But the team was ageing - the time was coming for Busby to bring young, homegrown players into his senior squad. Roger Byrne - who had excelled in the latter stages of 1951/52 on the wing - soon became a regular at full-back. Jackie Blanchflower, who alongside Byrne had been the first players to be called “Babes”, was joined more regularly by centre-half Mark Jones, who’d also made a few appearances for 1952’s title winners. Next came Eddie Colman and a boy in a man’s body - Duncan Edwards, who made his first team debut at the age of just 17. Rise of the Babes Not all of Busby's players were homegrown "Babes". In March 1953, he signed centre-forward Tommy Taylor from Barnsley for £29,999. He was to form a formidable partnership with Dennis Viollet, especially in 1955/56, when at least one of them scored in 21 of the 27 games they played together. United ran away with the title, clinching it on Saturday 7 April 1956 against Blackpool, the club they’d beaten to win Busby’s first trophy (the 1948 FA Cup). The average age of the team was just 22. “The marks of the nursery cradle were on them, but they did not show,” said Busby, glowing with pride. The challenge was to prove that the title success in 1955/56 was no flash in the pan. But Busby wasn’t satisfied with domestic domination alone: he sought a new test in the shape of the European Cup. United entered it for the first time in the 1956/57 season, initially without the blessing of the Football Association. In the preliminary round, they demolished Belgian club Anderlecht 10-0 under Maine Road’s floodlights after a 2-0 away success. The result remains United’s biggest win in a competitive match. Having also beaten Borussia Dortmund and Athletic Bilbao, United exited in the semi-final, that great Madrid side proving too wily in a 5-3 aggregate win. At home, the Red army marched on. A fresh young hopeful, Bobby Charlton, scored twice on his debut, appropriately enough against Charlton Athletic – and was promptly dropped, such was the quality at Busby’s disposal. A fifth consecutive FA Youth Cup trophy was secured as the conveyor belt of talent continued to move. The league title was retained as Taylor and Viollet once again teamed up admirably, but the top scorer was Ireland’s Liam Whelan who hit 26 goals. United had became an irresistible force – almost. Aston Villa prevented them winning the first league |
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Вторник, 05 фев 2008г. 22:56:31 часа цитат | |||
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 [font=Verdana][size=10pt]How we heard the awful news[/size][/font] Seven men connected with the crash or the club recall how they learned of the tragedy... Ronnie Cope, former player - left United in 1961, three years after the crash “It had been my wife’s idea to go shopping in Manchester, to take my mind off the disappointment of not going with the team to Belgrade. We were in the city centre when I heard this man shouting, ‘Plane crash! Plane crash!’ I didn’t take any notice at first. We walked halfway down the street and then… I couldn’t believe what happened next... an old lady walked in front of a bus and was killed. I was mesmerised, but I had to take my two children away from the scene and as I was doing so, I saw the placard - ‘Manchester United plane crash.’ When I got home, my next door neighbour told me what had happened. It took me a long time to get over it. Geoff Bent lived up the road from me. We used to go out together with our wives and kids. I just couldn’t bear to meet Geoff’s wife after the crash because he’d taken my place in the team and he’d been killed as a result.” Noel McFarlane, former player - left United in 1956, two years before the crash “I was at home when my wife came in and said, ‘Have you heard the news?’ I said, ‘What news?’ My wife replied, ‘A plane’s crashed, United were on it.’ It's difficult to say how I felt. Obviously I was sad because the players who died were my friends and some of them were very good friends. But in a way I suppose I felt lucky, not to have been there with them. I can’t really say any more about it.” Pat Crerand, former player - joined United on the 5th anniversary of the crash “I remember I was going to Celtic Park (Glasgow Celtic’s ground) to train. I was travelling on what we called a trolley bus when it went past a newspaper stand and the placards read ‘Manchester United in plane crash’. Even in those days, you just thought, ‘Oh, they’re just trying to sell papers with that headline.’ When I got to Celtic Park, it was about quarter to six. The conversation then was about who had been killed and we knew that Duncan Edwards, the big hero of young kids like us in Glasgow, was seriously ill.” Sir Alex Ferguson, United manager - aged 16 at the time of the tragedy "I'd been studying in the library that afternoon, so my first awareness of the crash came at about half past six when I arrived for training at my local football club. I remember seeing grown men in a terrible state. Training, of course, was cancelled." David Meek - became the Evening News' United reporter after the crash “I was working at the Manchester Evening News, then reporting on politics, not sport, when suddenly word went round about the United plane being in a crash. The atmosphere in the office was suddenly highly charged. The editor Tom Henry knew it was a major story. He cleared the office except for a few senior people who would bring out a special edition of the newspaper. They kept updating it as more news came in from Munich." Mike Jackson, son of victim Tom Jackson, Evening News journalist “I was walking home from the school bus stop when I heard some lads shouting amongst themselves, ‘The United plane’s crashed.’ It was Thursday and I knew my father was expected home that night. I thought, ‘That can’t be right, they’ve got that wrong.’ So I quickened my step, got home and found the house full of neighbours and relatives and my mother looking extremely distraught. My mother and I eventually settled down to watch the television and see what news was coming through. I remember saying, ‘No news is good news’, thinking there was still a possibility he’d survived because his name hadn’t yet come up. But clearly the authorities were still sifting through the remains, trying to name people.” Bryan Hughes, lifelong United supporter “I was standing at a bus stop and this lady said to me, ‘Isn’t it terrible about that crash?’ I couldn’t believe it. When I got home, I asked people who lived nearby, was she right? We didn’t have a television then, we couldn’t afford one. We couldn’t even afford what we called a wireless (a radio) so we had to rely on other people telling us the news or wait for the evening newspaper to be delivered. When the headlines appeared on placards outside the newspaper shop, I knew it was true. It was one of the worst moments of my life. I felt the same kind of sadness as when my dear old mother died. It took me ages to get over it.” |
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Вторник, 05 фев 2008г. 22:58:42 часа цитат | |||
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 [font=Verdana][size=10pt]From sorrow to success[/size][/font] As Matt Busby lay immobile in Munich, his trusty assistant Jimmy Murphy - who missed the trip to Belgrade because of his duties as Wales manager - had to pick up the pieces. Busby had told him, "Keep the flag flying, Jimmy." As goalkeeper Harry Gregg recalled in his autobiography, the players who were left and able needed to play again. He wrote: “It (playing football) saved my sanity. I couldn’t get to the ground quick enough for training. Those brief moments spent running, diving, kicking, arguing and fighting were my escape valve.” United’s chairman Harold Hardman was in full agreement. Just 13 days after the crash, the rescheduled fifth-round FA Cup tie with Sheffield Wednesday went ahead in front of a highly charged Old Trafford crowd of 59,848, with thousands more fans locked outside. Beneath the headline ‘United will go on’, Hardman’s message on the front of United Review (the club's match programme) was simple, yet effective. “Although we mourn our dead and grieve for our wounded, we believe that great days are not done for us… Manchester United will rise again.” The teamsheet in the United Review was poignantly blank. But Jimmy Murphy had followed his boss’s instructions and somehow put together a side to face Sheffield Wednesday. Crash survivors Gregg and Bill Foulkes were in the line-up, alongside new signings Ernie Taylor from Blackpool and Stan Crowther from Aston Villa, the team that had beaten United in the 1957 FA Cup final. Crowther signed just over an hour before kick-off and was given special dispensation to play having already appeared in the Cup that season for Villa. The remainder of the team was a mixture of juniors and reserves: Ian Greaves, Freddie Goodwin, Ronnie Cope, Colin Webster, Alex Dawson, Stan Pearson and Shay Brennan, who scored twice on his debut as United won 3-0. Brennan would go on to play in the 1968 European Cup final ten years later. For central defender Ronnie Cope, the game was a defiant stand, the chance to show all was not lost. “We’d lost some of the best players and the greatest players, but we hadn’t lost the spirit - that was what carried us through, the spirit.” Riding the tide of goodwill, United made it through to Wembley where they met Bolton Wanderers in the final. The frail Busby sat on the bench and watched his team finally run out of steam, losing 2-0. Murphy and his charges had pulled off a minor miracle to get that far. In the weeks and months following the crash, they had proved beyond any doubt that United would indeed go on. In the European Cup semi-final they beat Milan 2-1 at Old Trafford, before a valiant, yet comprehensive 4-0 defeat in the San Siro. Though Busby had considered quitting, wrongly blaming his own sense of ambition for the chain of events that had ended in tragedy, his wife Jean and son Sandy convinced him to continue. Having overseen the building of greatness from an uncertain future, they believed he could - and should - aim for the sky again. Success in '68 On 29 May 1968, ten years after Busby’s brave boys were lost in the snow, a tense night in north London climaxed with the knowledge that Matt had paid a debt to their memory. Fittingly, the exuberance of local youth - the driving force behind Busby’s dream - played a full part in United winning the European Cup final at Wembley. Brian Kidd, a young striker from Collyhurst, Manchester - deputising for the injured Denis Law - celebrated his 19th birthday with United’s third goal in the 4-1 win over Benfica. Another Collyhurst boy, Nobby Stiles, became one of only two Englishmen to win both the European Cup and the World Cup - the other was Bobby Charlton. As a kid, Stiles had idolised Eddie Colman; on this night, he tackled and ran for all the Babes. Another young man from Manchester, John Aston Jr, whose father had played in Busby’s FA Cup-winning side of 1948, was man of the match. As they continue to do today, United had taken the crowd at Wembley from ecstasy to despair - and ultimately back again. And as Busby collapsed into the exhausted embraces of Charlton, Foulkes and Brennan, he felt a weight had been lifted. “When Bobby (Charlton) took the cup, it cleansed me,” he said. “It eased the guilt of going into Europe. It was my justification.” |
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Вторник, 05 фев 2008г. 23:00:59 часа цитат | |||
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 [font=Verdana][size=10pt]Sir Bobby: A survivor's story[/size][/font] Sir Bobby Charlton survived the Munich air disaster to become one of the most renowned players in world football, an ambassador for his club and country. His personal recollection of the crash, as told in an exclusive interview with MUTV, begins with the fateful European Cup fixture away in Yugoslavia... The battle of Belgrade The two games against Red Star Belgrade were tight. We were only a goal ahead after the home game, which was strange because we normally took control at home. Confidence was high that we could beat them, but they had good players like Šekularac and Kostic, who scored from a free kick, bending it over the wall. We were ready for the tie because we’d had tough games already. But when we were drawn against Red Star it was a new challenge for us because we’d never played anyone from that part of the world before. They were very efficient and had a volatile crowd. But we were well prepared and within the first half hour were 3-0 up against one of the best teams in Europe, and this was to get into the quarter-finals! The pitch was bad. It was muddy, it had been drained and had thawed, but there was a crust of snow and ice on the top - making the ball ping about. It was great for shooting, though. And then we started cruising, taking things easy and got ourselves into all sorts of trouble. I think it was inexperience, playing in Europe was new to us. Back at home, we’d never lose a three-goal lead. Then, with five minutes to go they equalised and it was very tense, thankfully the referee blew his whistle and we were through - it was fantastic. The crash at Munich The weather was bad. There was snow on the runway and the facilities airports have these days were not available. The pilot had three attempts at taking off. After two we came back and stayed in the airport. Eventually the officials said it was okay to go. The slush on the runway was the problem. The plane, the Elizabethan, took a long time to take off as it needed a long runway but it didn’t make it. Even now it’s hard to take in. We went through the outer fence and everyone knew then something wasn’t right. It was a dreadful thing, the worst thing to happen in a sporting context - young players at their peak taken away. People were so excited about what United were doing in Europe - we were representing our country. I didn’t know where I was. I was still sitting in my seat - which had somehow been ripped from underneath the plane. I thought I’d just closed my eyes. Afterwards, Harry Gregg and Bill Foulkes said I’d been unconscious for quarter of an hour. In that time they’d been going in and out trying to help people out. It was a very brave thing to do - the plane was on fire and broken in half. Those two ought to be thanked for what they did. The first two times we failed to take off I had taken my coat off leaving the plane. For the third time I didn’t, because I thought if I have to get off the plane again I wanted to have it with me because of the cold. After the crash, when I saw Matt Busby near me in a pool of water, I put my coat underneath him. It was clear he was seriously injured. The news sinks in We reached the hospital and tried to see the rest of the players. I remember it very clearly, sitting in that waiting room. I had concussion and cuts on my head, but I started ranting and raving at this poor lad. A medic put an injection in my neck – and I don’t remember anything else until the next morning. There was a young lad in the same room as me the following day and he had a newspaper – he told me all about the accident. His English wasn’t great, but he was gesturing. Then I went through the list of players in my mind – and he told me if they were alive or dead. There were a lot of men on the flight who were just guests. There were people on the plane such as journalists, representatives from the embassies and their staff from Belgrade coming to England for a stay. They were all killed, too. Frank Swift – a great goalkeeper who played for England and Manchester City, a great name in the football world, then a journalist, also died. I’m just so fortunate that I was able to walk away from it. Duncan [Edwards] was seriously ill – but he didn’t pass away immediately. People tell me that perhaps with today’s medical advances he could have been saved. He was in the Army with me and it was a huge shock for him to die. We lost staff members, too. Bert Whalley, Jimmy Murphy’s assistant, Tom Curry, the old trainer who organised the boots, equipment and training and, of course, the club secretary Walter Crickmer – we lost them as well. The recovery Once the accident happened we suddenly thought about how it would never be the same again. By that we meant would we repeat performances that resulted in us beating Arsenal twice that season by playing excellent football with confidence? We were so good as a team that when Munich happened it was so bad. It was demoralising for everyone; the families, the players, the fans. It was unbelievable. You hear about these things and think it’ll never happen to you. Looking on the brighter side - Harry Gregg and Bill Foulkes came back to play, I followed after that and we had to pick ourselves up. It was our quest that Manchester United win the European Cup because if it hadn’t been for that accident we would have done it that year - of that I’m certain. We feared no-one, no challenge was too big. The comeback: 1968 We knew it would take a long time to rebuild. Matt Busby said it would be five years before we would win a major trophy. Almost five years to the day we lifted the FA Cup. And 10 years later we were champions of Europe. Winning the European Cup was a debt of gratitude to those that died - they had started the cause that we were fighting. That night in 1968 was something special. Everyone in the world wanted us to win at Wembley and doing so was part of the history - it was important we managed it. |
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Вторник, 05 фев 2008г. 23:02:49 часа цитат | |||
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 [font=Verdana][size=10pt]Giggs: The importance of Munich[/size][/font] Ryan Giggs tells ManUtd.com how the current United players learned about the Munich air disaster and discusses the impact it had on them... Can you recall when you first learned about Munich? As a fan growing up, you’re aware of Munich but as a kid you don’t really know too much about it. I gradually learned more as I joined the club full-time and began to see Sir Matt Busby around Old Trafford. I used to see him regularly because the room where we used to pick up our wages as apprentices was near to his office. Then we had Sir Bobby Charlton coming down to watch the youth team, which he still does today. We had never seen Sir Matt manage or Sir Bobby play so we used to ask what they were like. Inevitably, Munich began to come up around those questions and I began to learn more about it. Patrice Evra has talked about United's "strong identity" and his urge to learn about the club. Do you agree current players need to understand the history? Yes, I do. New players, especially the foreign players, are joining a club which they think is great and offers them everything that comes from United being successful over the last 10 to 15 years. But also when you actually come to the club, you learn more about the support that we’ve got worldwide and you gather more information about the history. We all watched a DVD about Munich recently. It was really important for the squad to watch that and learn about what happened. Not only about the crash itself but also the success they had before it and how the team moved forward in the aftermath, from winning the next game to winning the European Cup 10 years later. Did anything surprise you when you watched the DVD? Yes, there were things I didn’t know about the crash. I didn’t know how soon United played again afterwards, just 13 days later, and that players like Bill Foulkes and Harry Gregg who survived the crash were in the team. I thought that was unbelievable. But it wasn’t just the DVD that surprised me. Sir Bobby also spoke that day as someone who witnessed every thing first hand. It was great to hear him speaking about his experiences of playing in Europe at the time and how different it was then. He gave us a picture of how the players prepared for games, for example. Now if we’re playing in a big game like a Champions League semi-final, we’ll watch videos and know everything about the opposition. Everything. Then I think Sir Matt would go on one scouting mission and that would be it. The Babes couldn’t see videos of the players they were up against and the system they used. Once Sir Matt went to watch Real Madrid and when he came back, his players asked him what they were like. He didn’t want to tell them because Real Madrid were that good! It was great to hear stories like that from Sir Bobby. His talk was a real insight into how football has changed and how good that team was. It must be difficult to appreciate how good the Babes were, when you can only watch a few minutes of footage from the era… It is difficult. The first thing that struck me was how big Duncan Edwards was, he was massive! Sir Bobby played with Denis Law and George Best but he still regards Duncan as the greatest he played with. He must have been some player, equally at home playing centre-half or centre-forward. What was the general response from the squad after your meeting on Munich? It was quiet. At the end, Sir Bobby asked if there were any questions but nobody spoke up. I think the players were still in awe of Sir Bobby talking and still affected by the DVD. I’m sure everyone had a question though and if one person had asked theirs, then everyone else would have done the same. A lot of the players didn’t know beforehand what they were coming in for, they didn’t know a lot about it. After all, some of the players who’ve joined us are from different countries and are still young at 19 or 20. It was interesting to see the effect it had on them. Everyone was moved. How important is it for everyone - players and supporters - to know what happened at Munich and the story of how the club recovered? I think it’s very important, to know how the Busby Babes played and how successful they were before the air disaster and to know how Sir Matt built another great team. There are so many things that are relevant to us today and we need to carry on their legacy. For example, fans want to see young players coming through and doing well which they do on a regular basis at this club. And both as individuals and as a team, we have to play in the right manner, to excite supporters and get people off their seats. That has got to go on because it’s one of the things that sets this club apart. It’s also a club that never stands still, it always goes forward. Sir Alex keeps producing great teams, just like Sir Matt did, and that will go on throughout the future of this club. |
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Вторник, 05 фев 2008г. 23:04:13 часа цитат | |||
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 43209877,0.9856262833675564,0.5524691358024691&cvt=jpeg" alt="" />[font=Verdana][size=10pt]Sir Alex: My respect for Sir Matt[/size][/font] Sir Alex Ferguson admires the qualities which enabled Sir Matt Busby to rebuild United after the Munich air crash decimated his talented young team... Obviously the crash had a huge impact on everyone - and Scottish people particularly, with Matt Busby being such a respected figure. Matt had gathered a great affection for the way his United side were playing, but the esteem in which he was held up there wasn’t just down to that alone - it was also because of how he’d built his teams. I’d gone to see them as a teenager in 1953 play in the Coronation Cup against Rangers and Celtic - but United were the main attraction. What we see at United today has its foundations back in that era - in particular, the way it was done with young players. And that’s really the saddest part of all; that these young men lost their lives almost before they’d started to really enjoy their football: Duncan Edwards, Eddie Colman, David Pegg, just young lads at the start of their careers; such a terrible tragedy. I was lucky enough to see Duncan play for England U23s against Scotland - he scored a hat-trick. I trust Bobby Charlton’s opinion without question, and when he says Duncan, at just 21, was the best he ever played with, that tells you everything. I recall reading that it took Matt a long time to deal with how he would face the players again, of how he’d lain there in hospital knowing he’d lost all these young lads, but had to go back to those that had survived. He felt commitment to do something about it, which gave him the drive and purpose to rebuild. But it takes special people to do what he did, to come through that and carry on. I think if he’d retired there and then, people would have understood. It tells you something about the man’s character and the steel he had. It’s about having a foundation you can rely on - and I think Matt had that: the concept of loyalty, a work ethic and the trust of and in those around him. I think you bring these things to your job; be it sport, business, or whatever - and I think it’s an asset, because you’ve got something to fall back on during trying times. And that’s what ultimately saw him through. If I’d have been there that day, I’d have had a bet on him doing it, because he had the will. Of course, Matt lovingly rebuilt his team to win the European Cup in 1968 - again in all the right ways - with all but a handful of that side homegrown. It was a staggering achievement: one that, in part, has helped to create the romance associated with United today; an affection across the world engendered by playing the game in the right way, with entertaining and attacking footballers. Manchester United was the perfect club for me (to join in 1986), particularly as Bobby Charlton was desperately keen to have a rebirth in developing the young players. He, along with (former chairman) Martin Edwards, saw the right way in terms of rebuilding, and I needed that support because, like them, I felt this wasn’t so much a football team as a football club. |
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| ManU Fenka | Публикувано на: Сряда, 06 фев 2008г. 18:08:52 часа цитат | |||
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