Munich air disaster anniversary

Fifty-seven years ago today, on Feb 6 1958, the second and greatest of three Manchester United teams built by Matt Busby were flying home from their 3-3 draw with Red Star Belgrade in the European Cup quarter-final second leg, a result that out them through to the semi-final with a 5-4 aggregate victory.

They had stopped over to refuel in Munich and made two attempts to take off that were abandoned due to problems with the left engine. Despite snowfall, the captain decided to make a third attempt, hit slush on the runway and the plane crashed through a fence and hit a house.

It was the darkest day in the club’s history and in the 73 years of the English professional game. Seven Manchester United players were killed at the scene – Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, Billy Whelan, David Pegg, Geoff Bent and Tommy Taylor while the magnificent Duncan Edwards died of his injuries 15 days later.

Three members of the United staff – Walter Crickmer, Tom Curry and Bert Whalley were mortally wounded and eight journalists travelling with the team – Henry Rose, Donny Davies, Tom Jackson, Archie Ledbrooke, Eric Thompson, George Follows, Alf Clarke and the former England and Manchester City goalkeeper turned News of the World correspondent Frank Swift – lost their lives along with the Manchester United fan Willie Satinoff, travel agent Bela Miklos and two members of the aircraft’s crew, Ken Rayment and Tom Cable. In addition two players, Jackie Blanchflower and Johnny Berry, were so badly injured they never played again.

The outpouring of grief in a far less tribal age was universal. Thousands of people attended memorials to the Busby Babes, youthful, vibrant, fearless players who appeared both to have the world at their feet and their feet on the ground.

They had won the league in 1956 and 1957 by 11 and eight points respectively in the era of two points for a win, playing a brand of athletic, attacking football that remains an imperishable memory for all who were fortunate enough to see a team bristling with vitality and potential.

Footage of the incomparably powerful Edwards, the swerving and swivelling runs of Eddie ‘Snakehips’ Colman, the lethal finishing of Tommy Taylor and the quick, graceful captain Roger Byrne still emphasises the magnitude of the loss.

Jimmy Murphy, the man who nurtured them for Busby, summed up the duty of the survivors best: "I know those lads better than anyone. I found them. I nurtured them. I was there with them every morning, noon and night, piss and rain and gales and snow. They let me mould their lives from the ground up. They repaid me, they repaid this club with their skill, their passion and now their lives.

It's not about honouring their memory. It's about showing who we are to the world. Showing we'll not be bowed by tragedy. Because how we are in the future will be founded on how we behave today."

Manchester United survived, eventually recovered and prospered but there remains a sorrow at the heart of the club that drives those who respect it and the game to pay tribute to the eternally poignant memory of those beloved lost lads.

Louis van Gaal has paid a poignant tribute to those lost in the Munich air crash, on the 57th anniversary of that fateful day in 1958.

He laid a wreath at the Munich air disaster memorial to remember the 23 people killed in the tragic crash.

The Manchester United manager joined hundreds of fans who attended an annual memorial service at Old Trafford on Friday and laid a wreath beneath the commemorative plaque. During his weekly press conference, van Gaal then quoted lyrics from The Pride of Football, one of two songs that were sung at the emotional gathering.

"I represent the club nowadays as a manager and I represent my group of players," the boss explained to reporters. "There were a lot of players who had given a lot of joy to the people at that time [in 1958]. They have played a big part in the history of this club and I think we have to remember that always.

Friday 6 February 2015

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/11394795/Manchester-United-Munich-Air-Disaster-anniversary-emphasises-the-magnitude-of-footballs-loss.html

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2015/Feb/louis-van-gaal-pays-respect-to-victims-of-munich-air-crash.aspx