Manchester United Banter Archive February 06 2013

06 Feb 2013 23:44:43
Just want to say R. I. P to the lives lost in the Munich Air Disaster shame such young lives lost

BelfastRed (LiverpoolFan)

06 Feb 2013 23:20:21
Respect and blessings to those who lost their lives in the Munich disaster
YNWA

cozinoz

06 Feb 2013 23:13:13
As a liverpool fan, I like to say RIP busby babes.

Liverpaul

06 Feb 2013 22:15:14
Just wanted to say RIP to all who lost their lives in the Munich disaster and to all those still affected by it. Some things are bigger than football.

Keith (Liverpool fan)

06 Feb 2013 21:58:48
A genuine and sincere message of condolence to all those players and their families for the tragic loss of life at Munich all those years ago.

We play hard against United when the whistle goes, and we share banter with you, but we also share your grief at the loss of all those young players. A real tradegy.

Tel 1949
(LFC supporter)

06 Feb 2013 21:44:27
Strootman was just awesum 2nite. Dribbling + Shoot
Fergie get him

06 Feb 2013 21:35:14
Not much more to be said on the matter but rest in peace, young babes who never returned from Munich. Your legacy will live on as long as United continue to breathe.

Shappy

06 Feb 2013 21:32:28
just a few words of respect from one of the reds from 'the other side ' its a sad day for all football fans especially those of an older vintage who remember the busby babes, and to those younger fans who don't know what all the fuss is about, utube the busby babes and revel in duncan edwards, probably the most complete football player of all time. ynwa red eamo.

06 Feb 2013 21:22:42
Just wanted to say RIP to those who lost their lives in the Munich disaster, a day of remembrance YNWA

Square tomato

RIP to the angels united in heaven.

NickS

YNWA

06 Feb 2013 20:49:04
Just wanted to pay my pay respects to all Manchester Utd Fans on this sad day. R. I. P.
My Dad aways spoke fondly of the Busby Babes, he actually was fortunate enough to see them play.

Liverpool Fan
kidmillions

06 Feb 2013 20:30:22
Wilshire is the midfielder we need, if Arsenal don't finish in top 4 any chance?

Too soon, perhaps in a few years time.

Sydney!

No chance for a couple years at least. but the lad is absolute class fair play. Great touch and technique.

Gav

He's ready now syd. He was outstanding against Barca when arsenal played them, absolutely fearless.

Supasub

Supasub

I think Syd was saying he won't leave Arsenal yet when he says 'too soon' may be wrong though

Gav

06 Feb 2013 19:38:22
I think it is important to give some young players a chance next season. There is nothing better than a young player comming through your youth system like what barcelona do. We do not want to do what chelsea do (release one of their best young players-conor clifford) Clifford who captained the youth that won the FA Youth Cup in 2010. He scored the winning goal in the final.

06 Feb 2013 19:33:32
Liverpool fan here just wanted to pay my respects to all those lost in Munich 58 and good luck to England tonight!

Footydan

06 Feb 2013 18:27:53
Is Sir Matt winning the European cup 10 years after Munich the greatest football achievement ever?

Mumbles

06 Feb 2013 18:14:15
rip busby babes
y. n. w. a

06 Feb 2013 17:08:04
we will win the treble four bubsy babes guys, zee

Im sure we will zee.

Rip to the lost ones.

Singh

06 Feb 2013 16:37:56
There is not really anything I can say that hasn't already been said.

Sleep tight babes, in my opinion this side was the greatest footballing team that has ever lived.

We feel the pain, we feel the sadness, we feel the success because we are United.

The Moon.

06 Feb 2013 15:40:15
All hearts go out to Manchester united fc on this day its so sad our love is with yoo all respect, I hope speling ok. . serg Barcelona f. c. fan

06 Feb 2013 15:15:46
been down in the windsor hotel in portstewart many years ago. harry gregg took me around it showed me a lot off pictures off the busby babes. 55 years on just like 2 say rip all the ones that lost there lives on that fatal day.

06 Feb 2013 14:42:19
Thoughts going out to all MUFC fans
RIP Flowers of Manchester

VGRed
LFC Fan
You'll Never Walk Alone

06 Feb 2013 14:21:01
Hold your tongue
Speak not ill of the dead
Find your own silence inside
Seeking only the truth
That boys in their prime perished that night
And the very heart of this city stopped beating
Manchester flowers
Scattered across a foreign field of powder white snow

News hissed through
Like the gas on a cooker whose flame had blown out
Freckled faced paper boys on Peter St and Piccadilly
Cried louder than they had ever cried before

Sons were lost
Mother’s sisters and wives deep sighed
Dads and brother died inside
And red and blue stood side by side by side
In silence
Because silence is so much louder than applause

G

06 Feb 2013 13:29:39
this isn't match of the day fever as i've seen quite a few blackpool games this season, but tom ince was quality last night for england 21's. Any chance of us going for him in the summer? I know we're signing zaha already but we've had some right issues with wingers this season and I think ince for a reasonable fee would be a good bit of business.

06 Feb 2013 13:05:32
As a Liverpool season ticket holder I would just like to say. R. I. P. THE FLOWERS OF MANCHESTER

06 Feb 2013 12:42:39
Respect to Manchester United and all those unfortunate families to suffer from the Munich air disaster. May you all rest in peace.
YNWA.
DublinRed.
Liverpool Fan.

06 Feb 2013 11:35:42
R. I. P to the Babes
Never to be forgotten by all in the football family
YNWA

Chris in Tamworth (LFC)

06 Feb 2013 10:13:30
Good morning Guys

I could not go through this poignient day without adding my tribute to a great team taken down in their prime.
It is a testament to them that 55 years down the line we still remember that fatal day and those that lost their lives.
They will forever be a major part of our history and this day will always bring sad memories to those families and friends involved with those who lost their lives.
My thoughts also go out to the Manchester City player and members of the press who also perished that day.
R. I. P. The Flowers of Manchester.

Bazza The Red

06 Feb 2013 09:09:30
Busby Babes always in our hearts. R. I. P.

kdevil10

06 Feb 2013 08:34:43
One cold and bitter Thursday in Munich, Germany,

Eight great football stalwarts conceded victory,
Eight men will never play again who met destruction there,
The flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester

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

(Two verses from 'The Flowers of Manchester' - a tribute song by The Spinners)

February 6 1958 will, in footballing terms at least, always be a date synonymous with disaster.

On that fateful wintry day, a plane carrying Manchester United's talented and youthful squad crashed on a treacherous Munich runway. In an instant, the very heart of a team lovingly assembled by legendary manager Sir Matt Busby was ripped apart.

"I felt the aircraft suddenly lurch off the concrete runway to the right, onto the grass, with the landing lights flashing by. Then there was a horrendous bang, and in my dazed state I thought I saw the port wheel crashing through a crumpled fuselage, " said survivor and journalist Frank Taylor when describing the horror before his death in 2002.

Of the Busby Babes - as United's band of stars had been dubbed - eight had their lives cut tragically short.

In the immediate aftermath tales of heroism, such as goalkeeper Harry Gregg's valiant attempts to repeatedly save fellow passengers, and sheer good fortune emerged, luck epitomised by Sir Bobby Charlton who, despite the carnage around him, was left relatively unscathed. Shock waves resounded around the world.

"It was catastrophic. I could not believe what was happening, but it was fact, " Charlton recalled years later.

Few could have imagined the tragedy that was set to unfold when, a day earlier, United had secured a 3-3 draw against Red Star Belgrade to claim a place in the last four of the European Cup, a competition which only a year earlier had seen the rising red tide defeated in the semi-finals by the indomitable Real Madrid.

With five FA Youth Cup titles to their name, not to mention the English Championship in both 1956 (when the team's average age was a mere 22) and 1957, the Busby Babes were clearly on a roll - their Belgrade triumph installing a belief that the Old Trafford outfit were on the verge of adding continental glory to their impressive domestic successes. It was not to be.

When flight BEA 609 crashed after attempting a third take off from a snowy Bavarian airport, 23 lives, including cabin crew, supporters and journalists, were lost, hopes of writing another triumphant chapter in United's history books brutally dashed.

Of the squad that had once promised to conquer all that lay before them, seven - Tommy Taylor, Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Coleman, Mark Jones, David Pegg and Billy Whelan - were pronounced dead in Germany, while the hugely talented Duncan Edwards succumbed a shade over two weeks later, John Berry and Jackie Blanchflower, due to the extent of their injuries, would never play again. Busby himself was critically ill before making a full recovery.

Amid a myriad of what ifs and if onlys, we will, of course, never know what United's immediate future held. However, given the side's already impressive record, logic surely decrees that more honours were just around the corner.

With the likes of Edwards, a scintillating utility player seemingly destined for greatness, Taylor, a prolific striker dubbed the Smiling Executioner' and Dennis Viollet, an equally brilliant forward who survived the crash, in its ranks, the United side that met with disaster was, undoubtedly, on track to dislodge Real as the powerhouse of Europe. On track to become a true force within the world game.

It was a team - built with a far-sighted youth policy - that attacked with vitality, that knew each other's game inside out, each and every part operating like a well-oiled machine under the wily guidance of canny Scotsman Busby. What might have been has never been more appropriate.

Ten years later, United, still under the guiding hand of Busby, claimed the European Cup, a triumphant end to a decade of perseverance that finally enabled Busby to dedicate winning Europe's elite competition to the Babes who perished in 1958.

There had never been a miracle master plan devised by Busby, indeed he asked his players to simply "Pass to a red shirt, " or "Express yourselves. " Hardly rocket science.

This simplistic yet effective managerial approach, along with the added bonus that the vast majority of the Busby Babes had been bloodied together several years earlier - at any given moment they knew exactly what each other was thinking - reaped enormous dividends. United's relentless pursuit of trophies during the late 1950s should, therefore, come as no surprise. Boundless ability coupled with effortless, almost telepathic, teamwork will always be difficult to beat.

The Busby Babes that flourished prior to Munich certainly had the world at their feet, there seemed no end to what they could have achieved. When young lives were taken far too prematurely, when friends were lost, and when families were left to grieve, all that changed. Suddenly, tragically, a great football team - that could have been even greater - was no more. Life, like football, can be a cruel beast.

Several 'Flowers of Manchester' may be gone, but they are certainly not forgotten. May they rest in peace.

(The Manchester United players who lost their lives)

DUNCAN EDWARDS
Many who saw him play swear he would have gone on to be the finest footballer ever seen. Dudley-born Edwards made his United debut as a 16-year-old in the 1951-52 season, becoming the youngest player to appear in a Football League game at the time. Broke a post-war record when making his England debut aged 18, and had won 18 caps in total. He died of his injuries aged 21, 15 days after the crash.

ROGER BYRNE
The full-back was born in Manchester and made his debut for the Red Devils in the 1951-52 season, and impressed sufficiently to be the captain of Matt Busby's team. In total he made 245 appearances, scoring 17 goals, and died aged 28.

GEOFF BENT
Largely a reserve player, who was kept out of the side by first John Aston and then Byrne. The Salford-born full-back was handed his debut in the 1954-55 season but made only 12 First Division appearances for United. He was included on the trip to Munich only because Byrne was carrying a slight injury. He died aged 25.

EDDIE COLMAN
Salford-born Colman was the youngest player to die in the tragedy, aged 21. He made 85 appearances, scoring once from right half.

MARK JONES
Barnsley boy Jones made his debut in the 1950-51 season, and the centre-half made 103 appearances for the Red Devils and won two league titles. He died aged 24.

DAVID PEGG
A left-winger who won his first England cap nine months before the crash. Played in the 1957 FA Cup final and won two league titles with United, having made his first-team bow in 1952-53. He died aged 22.

TOMMY TAYLOR
Managed 22 goals in 46 games for home-town club Barnsley before joining United for a world-record fee just shy of 30,000 pounds. He had netted 112 in 166 games and he was also a prolific scorer for England, with 16 goals in 19 appearances. He died aged 26.

LIAM WHELAN
'Billy' Whelan was an inside forward who joined United from Irish side Home Farm, making his debut in the 1954-55 season. He was United's top scorer with 27 in the 1956-57 season. He died aged 22.

PRATEEK

06 Feb 2013 08:22:29
Forever in our hearts xx
R. I. P the busby babes
LP

06 Feb 2013 08:09:43
Van Persie claims that the attention to detail of fellow Dutchman Meulensteen has been crucial to United's progress so far this season.
"The way he (Meulensteen) trains is an exceptional, " Van Persie said. "He is truly one of the best coaches in the world. I have had a lot of good trainers, but it's the way he prepares our team for games. Every match is different, so every training session in the build-up to games is unique.
"We know exactly what to expect and he wins points for us through his training. We've won a lot of games by the odd goal and they are point winners, which we train for. For instance, against Chelsea I scored after a low cross from Antonio Valencia on the right. It might seem a fluke, but the whole week before the game was spent working on that move.

An interesting read and takes us back to the role Quiroz undertook but then it makes you wonder what Mike Phelan's role and responsibilities are if he isn't coaching the first team

Red Man

Red Man, I mentioned well over a year ago that Meulensteen is the brains behind the scenes. This is why it baffles me why he isn't the number two.

Sydney!

Mike Phelan is assistant manager - he is not first team coach. get off his case

Don't mind them mike.

CAIN

If that's your defence of Mike Phelan, no name then the phrase 'Too many chiefs, not enough indians' springs to mind. If his job isn't to coach the first team then what is it? A glorified PA to Sir Alex?

TK-Red

Sydney

We had a discussion at least a year ago and I posted about watching a Phelan interview where asked about his role he was so vague. Yes man comes to mind. Also mentioned was after I read Gary Neville's book and found it interesting in his lack of praise for Phelan.

Red Man

I hear that Phelan makes a really nice cup of tea.
PerthDave

06 Feb 2013 07:58:39
Always in our heart.

R. I. P Busby Babes.

-JakeW

05 Feb 2013 13:47:31
I understand if you can't post this. however, with the recent europol conference about match fixing in football. Is is in anyway related to the supasub posts about the champions league referee receiving money in his daughters name (if I remember the post correctly) from a prominent club and so on so forth.

Would love to have your views on this. or if you can't do that then please try and give your views on the immediate repercussions this news might have on the game!

Cheers

Rudi {Ed001's Note - right now, that doesn't seem to have any involvement, but nothing is clear, so it could well be. }

Hi, it was alleged payments to a fifa official from a big club also high up within one of the biggest sporting brands in the world, which was after the champions league final.
Ed/anyone there was meant to be an story (I think) in the guardian towards the end of 2012. Did it actually come out in the media? Is there anything going on behind the scenes coming up? The referee link is the fact that a referee who made some strange decisions in particular high profile champions league matches now heads up the refereeing in fifa (I think).

Supasub

06 Feb 2013 02:48:40
This date will forever be remembered. When I was a boy in the sixties my brother told me what happened at Munich but also what it was like around our home city of Manchester, on how the news impacted the people, supporters and non supporters alike. It is a day to remember all those who died on that runway not just the footballers we lost. We should also remember it changed the lives of so many. Back in the late sixties early seventies I knew one of the Munich surviving United players and he was a wonderful man, a true gentleman. To all those affected we will never forget.

This date has added significance because having told me all about Munich my older brother also passed away on this day a few years ago adding further sentiment. I write this from a long way away but we never forget.

Red Man

Good post Red Man, this must be a very emotional day for you especially. It does put things into perspective and clearly shows life can be short, so you must make the most of your life now.

Sydney!

Always a sad day redman, I was born in 1958 and after my old man had tried to force me to be a bluenose, I started going to games in my mid teens after I used to sit and chat with munich survivor jackie blanchflower at the pub he ran in millbrook stalybridge.
johndenton

06 Feb 2013 01:52:02
55 years ago today, the greatest team Manchester United and England has ever produced were cruelly taken away, not only from us, but from the world, by a cruel twist of fate. Not only were 8 players taken from us, but 15 other innocent souls perished too.

Duncan Edwards, Roger Byrne, Mark Jones, Tommy Taylor, Eddie Colman, Liam Whelan, David Pegg, Geoff Bent, Walter Crickmer, Bert Whalley, Tom Curry, Alf Clarke, Don Davies, George Follows, Tom Jackson, Archie Ledbrooke, Henry Rose, Eric Thompson, Frank Swift, Captain Kenneth Rayment, Bela Miklos, Willie Satinoff, Tom Cable.

Never Forgotten.

We'll NEVER Die.

G. A. G. U. S

06 Feb 2013 00:27:22
A broken plane.
A broken dream.
A broken heart.
A broken team.
A silent vow.
We loved you then.
We love you now.

RIP Busby Babes, 55 years gone yet still forever in our thoughts.

MPez

05 Feb 2013 23:55:06
Why would anyone want to sell begovic? DDG is by far the brightest prospect in goal keeping