52 years ago today a plane carrying the Manchester United team crashed on the third attempt on the snow covered run way of the Munich airport. 23 people who were on the plane died after the crash, including eight Manchester United players. The team were returning to Manchester after a 3-3 draw with Partizan Belgrade and had stopped off in Munich. The tragedy meant that the Busby Babes would never play together again and is ingrained into the soul of the club. Today we remembered our fallen heroes – gone but never ever forgotten.

So many young players lost their lives in Munich playing for Manchester United. Below are the people who lost their lives on 52 years ago:

Geoff Bent
Roger Byrne
Eddie Colman
Duncan Edwards
Mark Jones
David Pegg
Tommy Taylor
Liam “Billy” Whelan
Walter Crickmer
Tom Curry
Bert Whalley
Alf Clarke
Donny Davies
George Follows
Tom Jackson
Archie Ledbrooke
Henry Rose
Frank Swift
Eric Thompson
Bela Miklos
Willie Satinoff

Below are the appearances and goals of each player who died:

Roger Byrne
Appearances: 280
Goals: 20

Duncan Edwards
Appearances: 177
Goals: 21

Geoff Bent
Appearances: 12
Goals: 0

Eddie Coleman
Appearances: 108
Goals: 2

Mark Jones
Appearances: 121
Goals: 1

Tommy Taylor
Appearances: 191
Goals: 131

David Pegg
Appearances: 150
Goals: 28

Liam Whelan
Appearances: 96
Goals: 52

The Flowers Of Manchester

One cold and bitter Thursday in Munich, Germany,
Eight great football stalwarts conceded victory.
Eight men will never play again, who met disaster there,
The flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester.

The Busby Babes were flying home, returning from Belgrade,
This great United family all masters of their trade.
The pilot of the aircraft, the skipper Captain Thain,
Three times tried to take off and twice turned back again.

The third time down the runway disaster followed close,
There was slush upon that runway and the aircraft never rose.
It ploughed into the marshy ground, it broke, it overturned.
And eight of that team were killed when the blazing wreckage burned.

Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor, who were capped for England’s side,
And Ireland’s Liam Whelan and England’s Geoff Bent died.
Mark Jones and Eddie Coleman and David Pegg also,
They all lost their lives as it ploughed on through the snow.

Big Duncan he went too, with an injury to his brain,
And Ireland’s brave Jack Blanchflower will never play again.
The great Matt Busby lay there, the father of this team,
Three long months passed by before he saw his team again.

The trainer, coach and secretary and three members of the crew,
Also eight sporting journalists who with United flew,
And one of them was Big Swifty who we will ne’er forget,
The finest English ‘keeper that ever graced a net.

England’s finest football team it’s record truly great,
It’s proud success mocked by this cruel turn of fate.
Eight men will never play again who met disaster there,
The flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester.

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On my way back from the capital earlier this week the long train journey afforded me an indulgence I don’t take too often, that being the reading of the good old fashioned printed word. Of course I keep upto date with all things football but that generally is done either online or via Sky Sports News.

There was an interesting piece in the Telegraph by Henry Winter that was invitingly titled “Premier League missed a trick with Manchester United centenary fixture “. The article is essentially referring to the 100th anniversary of United playing at Old Trafford which is due to be celebrated on the 19th February 2010.

Winter’s point is that there should be a “romantic” dispensation regarding fixtures and suggests that United hosting Liverpool on the weekend of the anniversary just as they did in the very first game. He closes with the paragraph:

“Sadly, the fixture computer does not boast a romantic button, allowing schedulers to make allowances for momentous club dates, but it should do. This is not tinkering with the present, simply honouring the past. A sport that forgets its roots forgets itself.”

It’s certainly an interesting topic. My two pence? Well, I completely disagree with the entire principle of it. The reason being is that it’s the unpredictability of such events that actually define the romance that Winter so wistfully pines for. The event such as the one illustrated in the image for this article, for example. Who could have predicted that a Manchester derby at Old Trafford would be the game straight after the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster?

Such occasions are part of the very fabric of the football club we love. On what would have been Sir Matt Busby’s 90th birthday we won the European Cup, a competition that in entering Sir Matt was a domestic pioneer. In the 50th year after Munich the current squad vicariously fulfilled the forever unknown ambition of their predecessors. Ryan Giggs scoring the goal to clinch the title in his record equalling appearance for the club; scoring the goal that won the Champions League as he became the holder of the appearance record. Paul Scholes scoring on his 500th appearance against Liverpool. A 17 year old coming off the bench to score at the Stretford End and revive United’s flagging title hope in a campaign they could finally level Liverpool’s championship tally. A “washed up ex-Scouse free transfer” scoring an injury time winner at the Stretford End in a Manchester derby.

The beauty of all these occasions, aside from the fact they are success stories for the club? That not one of the occasions were contrived, not one of them were manipulated to add romance to the event.

It would have lent an air of romance if Liverpool were the visitors that weekend (coincidentally, we’re in the city, playing Everton), but not if it were pre-determined. While I agree with Winter’s sentiment I would say that such manipulation would not add the romance to the occasion; rather completely strip it of it.

Controversy

United fan Jake Chorley has found himself with a 3 year ban from attending football matches for invading the pitch in the Manchester derby. Chorley is 21 and reportedly has a couple of charges to his name. Craig Bellamy ran 20 yards to confront Chorley who was already restrained by 4 stewards and felt it necessary to slap the defenceless kid. Bellamy, you’ll probably already know, was let off with a “warning”.

You can draw your own conclusions but in my view there is not that much difference in principle between this and the Cantona incidents. Obviously Cantona’s outburst was more violent than Bellamy’s but the point is about the reaction rather than the action.

Still, what can you expect from an FA that has shown such staggering inconsistency with such high profile cases as the Christian Negouai/Rio Ferdinand drugs tests or the Roy Keane / Jamie Carragher (not just once, but twice) autobiographies?

Conclusion

To finish on a more positive note and to return to the earlier point. Tonight marks the 5th anniversairy (technically it was Monday, but in terms of game dates) of Rooney’s debut with a hat-trick. He’s 20/1 with William Hill to get one tonight. What do you think?

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Sixty years ago today a plane carrying the Torino side back from a friendly against Benfica crashed into the hill of Superga – near Turin – killing all 31 passengers on board. Of course this has no reference to United at all, in terms of directly affecting the football club – however nine years after this tragedy – Munich happened.

Some people are unaware of the tragedy outside of Italy – which robbed Italy of one of their finest sides they had ever seen. Torino had won five Serie A titles on the trot from 1943 (45 & 46 were not contested due to the war) and was generally considered the best side in Italy – ahead of city rivals Juventus. Torino also boasted the talents of Valentino Mazzola, the father of Italian football legend Sandro Mazzola.

The similarities to our own disaster are vast – both cities were gravely effected by the loss of the team, both teams were widely considered the best in the land and would go on to achieve even more greatness and both clubs had players that would have contributed to the success of the national side in future world cups – however United were able to rebuild with the survivors of the air disaster and guidance from Jimmy Murphy through the dark days post Munich – with Busby still in hospital. Torino were never the same post 1949 as the whole side was wiped out – there were no survivors. City rivals Juventus became the most successful side in Italy and ironically won the 1950 title – something that would not have been achievable had Torino not flown that day. Torino have only won the Serie A title once since 1949 – in 1976 – and you feel that had this tragedy not occurred – the Turin club would have won a considerable amount more.

RIP all those who died in the Superga air disaster, sixty years today.

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For more information on the how you can remember the victims of the crash please visit – www.munich58.co.uk

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