He Was ....... Simply the Best!

[Republic of Mancunia]

In the picture, Best Law and Charlton are easy to recognise - anybody know who the other 2 players are?

First off, great video, thanks for posting.

Second, good question. Are you testing us young grasshoppers? :) or can't you make it out?

It's difficult, well for the likes of me it is as it's not exactly my era. Having watched the relevant clip just before that frame a number of times I'm still not convinced I know.

The big fella is wearing number 6 which as far as I know from that era would normally mean David Sadler but it doesn't really look like him to me. He does, however look a wee bit like Alan Gowling so that's who I'm going for although I'm not 100% sure.

The one at the back I'm even less sure of as you don't get as good a look at him. As a complete shot in the dark I'll say Willie Morgan although a few other names sprang to mind.

Wouldn't be surprised if I was wrong on both. :o

Edit: It does look like Highfield Road (Coventry) to me and I did a little research at www.stretfordend.co.uk

Those 5 all played together in a 3-2 win in 71/72 with Best getting on the scoresheet so I'm sticking with that. Still think I could be wrong but out of interest here was the line up that day:

Stepney, O'Neil, A Dunne, M Buchan, James, Gowling, W Morgan, Best, Charlton, Law, Storey-Moore.

Goalscorers: Best, Charlton, Storey-Moore.

Edit yet again, lol: Having taken a closer look at a few pics in a book of mine I now think it's Gowling and Storey-Moore. At least if nothing else this is helping me brush up on my history.

[Numquam Moribimur]

I completely understand everything you just said. And I know why people say that about Duncan. I have only seen limited footage of him, and even still footage doesn't do justice to the player he was. However, he unfortunately did not have time to make the impact on the club that George Best did. Edwards played in 175 matches for United and scored 20-22 goals if I'm not mistaken. Edwards would have been the best ever United player, maybe the world's best player, had he not died a premature death, but with that being said he did, and I find it hard to say that Edwards, even though he was an immediate legend, made a bigger impact on Manchester United than George best did who played 466 games for United scoring 178 goals, winning the European Cup, the F.A Cup, and he holds the record for most goals scored in a single match by 1 player. 6 against Northampton in 1970.

Honestly though, a debate llike this only shows one thing...how amazing of a football club Manchester United is to have had amazing talents such as these two, and many others in their team at one point or another.



Duncan had it ALL ...He could pass, tackle ,shoot and cross ...he could just play ever spot on the pitch beside GK. He could take over the game by himself. There is a story that good old paddy Crerand told ,they were playing in a youth cup game vs chelsea and Jim Murphy said "you are all great players, most of you are going to go on and play for England. we have a lad named Duncan and he's amazing talent but i don’t want you to get a Duncan complex give the ball to each other . well come halftime they were not playing that well and it was 0-0 and Jim Murphy goes ok change the plan whenever you get the ball give it to Duncan ! :D Most of the older reds who i have talked would said that if was not for Munich it would of been Duncan Edwards lifting the World Cup in 66 not Bobby Moore.

[TomClare]

First off, great video, thanks for posting.

Second, good question. Are you testing us young grasshoppers? :) or can't you make it out?

It's difficult, well for the likes of me it is as it's not exactly my era. Having watched the relevant clip just before that frame a number of times I'm still not convinced I know.

The big fella is wearing number 6 which as far as I know from that era would normally mean David Sadler but it doesn't really look like him to me. He does, however look a wee bit like Alan Gowling so that's who I'm going for although I'm not 100% sure.

The one at the back I'm even less sure of as you don't get as good a look at him. As a complete shot in the dark I'll say Willie Morgan although a few other names sprang to mind.

Wouldn't be surprised if I was wrong on both. :o

Edit: It does look like Highfield Road (Coventry) to me and I did a little research at www.stretfordend.co.uk

Those 5 all played together in a 3-2 win in 71/72 with Best getting on the scoresheet so I'm sticking with that. Still think I could be wrong but out of interest here was the line up that day:

Stepney, O'Neil, A Dunne, M Buchan, James, Gowling, W Morgan, Best, Charlton, Law, Storey-Moore.

Goalscorers: Best, Charlton, Storey-Moore.

Edit yet again, lol: Having taken a closer look at a few pics in a book of mine I now think it's Gowling and Storey-Moore. At least if nothing else this is helping me brush up on my history.

10/10 for you - Best, Charlton, Gowling, Morgan and Law - Sept 11 1971 away at Crystal Palace when they won 3-1.

[TomClare]

Duncan had it ALL ...He could pass, tackle ,shoot and cross ...he could just play ever spot on the pitch beside GK. He could take over the game by himself. There is a story that good old paddy Crerand told ,they were playing in a youth cup game vs chelsea and Jim Murphy said "you are all great players, most of you are going to go on and play for England. we have a lad named Duncan and he's amazing talent but i don’t want you to get a Duncan complex give the ball to each other . well come halftime they were not playing that well and it was 0-0 and Jim Murphy goes ok change the plan whenever you get the ball give it to Duncan ! :D Most of the older reds who i have talked would said that if was not for Munich it would of been Duncan Edwards lifting the World Cup in 66 not Bobby Moore.

Listen to Wilf talk about both Duncan and George during his dinner speech last May.

http://media.putfile.com/Wilf-at-the-606Sub-2006-Dinner

[Republic of Mancunia]

10/10 for you - Best, Charlton, Gowling, Morgan and Law - Sept 11 1971 away at Crystal Palace when they won 3-1.

See what happens when I double-guess myself? Right first time. :D

Could of sworn that was Highfield Rd though but in retrospect the socks on what I thought were the Coventry players didn't look right. I never knew that Palace played in a kit that looked like that..... suppose that old adage about learning something new every day is true although that makes it two things today. :)

Like I said earlier, it was fun to look through that book of mine at some of our players from previous generations as I haven't dug it out in a while. Don't know if you've got it or have heard of it but it's entitled "Manchester United - Player By Player" by Ivan Ponting. It's basically a run-down of all the players to wear the shirt from the 50's right up until the mid 80's with pen-pictures and brief summaries of the careers of most of the lads. It doesn't go into great detail but it certainly helps fill in one or two blanks here and there although judging from your posting you don't seem to need that. Thanks for motivating to me to take a look at said book again.

[holytoledo]

Listen to Wilf talk about both Duncan and George during his dinner speech last May.

http://media.putfile.com/Wilf-at-the-606Sub-2006-Dinner

Wow just listened to the whole thing. Quite a laugh!

"Where would you be without a laugh eh? Manchester City." :D

[TomClare]

Wow just listened to the whole thing. Quite a laugh!

"Where would you be without a laugh eh? Manchester City." :D

It was a wonderful night and Wilf is a lovely guy. Paddy is the same - he did the evening for me a couple of years ago and brought all of his medals along. Passed them around the tables for people to have a close look at. Last year, although he is a "bluenose", Mike Summerbee spoke for me, and he is a wonderful speaker with a myriad of tales - especially about the days when he and George were single and knocked about together.

[holytoledo]

It was a wonderful night and Wilf is a lovely guy. Paddy is the same - he did the evening for me a couple of years ago and brought all of his medals along. Passed them around the tables for people to have a close look at. Last year, although he is a "bluenose", Mike Summerbee spoke for me, and he is a wonderful speaker with a myriad of tales - especially about the days when he and George were single and knocked about together.

Wow I can't even imagine. You are a lucky fellow.

[TomClare]

Wow I can't even imagine. You are a lucky fellow.


From l to r: Wilf McGuinness, Tom Clare, John White and Alan Keegan

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v495/tomclare/Village4.jpg

[holytoledo]

Now if you can just find a pic of Dark Savante you'll have done more in this board in a week then the rest of us have done our whole time here.
:D

[Lancashire Lad]

Very funny and interesting.

[sdotsom]

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/bob.dunning/bestie.jpg

BBC - "What do you say to those who say 'He could have been the best in the world, if he had been more focused?'"

Best - "I think I was the best in the world. I just didn't play long enough."

What a legend. Words can't do justice.

[israbeckham]

I started watching the Man Utd official history DVD that goes all the way from he beginning to 2002, and so far I watched all the way to the mid 1970's. I encourage everyone to do so because its amazing seeing how the club got started, Busby before Munich, the Busby Babes (I really do know who they are now:p) and the 60's with Best, Charlton, and Law (they were truly outstanding and I never realized how good they were.)

Its a shame Best retired when he was 27, the Big Dunc ended the brilliant start of his career at 21, and I seriously almost cried when I saw the footage of the Munich disaster and when they went through the starting 11 and player after player, was either Injured or Dead.

Great DVD that provides a lot knowledge.

[sdotsom]

It's funny how people cream over that Ronaldinho commercial where he's playing some indoor and tricking, etc.

George Best was doing that 40 years ago in the Daily Express 5-a-side Indoor Tournament, and doing it better. I never realized that United had fielded a team in an indoor footy tournament, but they did, and Best, Charlton et al won the first one.

[israbeckham]

It's funny how people cream over that Ronaldinho commercial where he's playing some indoor and tricking, etc.

George Best was doing that 40 years ago in the Daily Express 5-a-side Indoor Tournament, and doing it better. I never realized that United had fielded a team in an indoor footy tournament, but they did, and Best, Charlton et al won the first one.

You have no proof:cool:

[sdotsom]

WUM, right?

Watch the official bio dvd.