Wow just listened to the whole thing. Quite a laugh! "Where would you be without a laugh eh? Manchester City."
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.
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.
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.
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) 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.
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.
George Best made his United debut on this day in 1963. 2 minute "Best of Best" here: http://boss.streamos.com/download/twii/manutd/mufc_george_best_comp_sps.flv
From Harry Rednapp's Autobio when he played once against Best. George had plenty of good games against West Ham, but one stands out. We'd gone up to Old Trafford to play them near the start of the 1971/2 season and I'd got talking to David Sadler, their center half, before the game. He told me there'd been uproar earlier that day. "George didn't turn up at the hotel, Harry," he said. "He missed the team meeting, he's been out all night. Been off with a bird, had no sleep. Look at the state of him!" I must admit the figure warming up across the other side of the pitch did look a bit disheveled. I went straight back to our dressing room, keen to pass on this juicy gossip. "This is handy, lads," I told the group. 'I've just found out that Best's been out all night on the piss! He's just turned up on the ground now, missed the team bus, missed the meeting, they're only playing him because they got no one else!" We went out that afternoon full of confidence, and you can imagine what happened next. George scored a hat-trick and we lost 4-2. He got a header for his first goal, and a fantastic shot on the turn in the middle of a penalty area scramble for his second. For the last goal, United got a corner, and George went toward it, telling John Aston he would score from there. John played it short and George took it past about four of us from this acute angle, bomp, bomp, bomp, made to shoot, left Bobby Moore on his arse and stuck it in the far corner. I don't think I've seen a better goal! The rest of the players were looking at me as if to say 'Thanks for that tip, Harry!' But he just had this incredible natural ability. I should have known that one night in a thousand wasn't going to affect George.