ATTENTION: This is, quite probably, the most important thread in BigSoccer's Manchester United Forum history. It certainly will be a solemn and respectful one. The following posts are for Manchester United supporters, and for supporters of other clubs, to offer their thoughts, tributes, stories, links to stories, pictures, prayers, and condolences to commemorate one of the greatest sporting tragedies in history. However; be warned - anything that seems like a troll at all will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. We are typically one of the most lenient boards on BigSoccer, but not in this thread. We recognize that there is a need for a separate thread for banter and related discussions regarding the Munich tragedy, and you can find that here: Munich Open Discussion Thread jammybastard has started a "50 Years On: The Media Remembers..." thread. I highly encourage you to check it out, as seeing personal accounts on video really brings the experience and reality of what happened home. Check it out here: 50 Years On: The Media Remembers... The Media thread and other information about the Munich tragedy and other information about the history of Manchester United Football Club, is in our History SubForum as well. After 1 month's time, this thread will be closed again and then stickied in the Manchester United History SubForum indefinitely, so please make a significant contribution. And when we say "significant", we don't mean post alot of stuff (leave that for the Open thread), we mean post something personal and powerful. Something worth remembering... Thank you. ~Your BigSoccer Manchester United Forum Moderators~ 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 destruction there, The flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester Matt Busby's boys were flying, returning from Belgrade, This great United family, all masters of their trade, The pilot of the aircraft, the skipper Captain Thain, Three times they tried to take off and twice turned back again. The third time down the runaway disaster followed close, There was slush upon that runaway and the aircraft never rose, It ploughed into the marshy ground, it broke, it overturned. And eight of the team were killed as the blazing wreckage burned. Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor who were capped for England's side. And Ireland's Billy Whelan and England's Geoff Bent died, Mark Jones and Eddie Colman, 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 his team Three long months passed by before he saw his team again. The trainer, coach and secretary, and a member of the crew, Also eight sporting journalists who with United flew, and one of them Big Swifty, who we will ne'er forget, the finest English 'keeper that ever graced the net. 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. Geoff Bent Roger Byrne Eddie Colman Duncan Edwards Mark Jones David Pegg Tommy Taylor Liam Whelan Walter Crickmer Bert Whalley Tom Curry Alf Clarke Don Davies George Follows Tom Jackson Archie Ledbrooke Henry Rose Eric Thompson Frank Swift Kenneth Rayment Bela Miklos Willie Satinoff Tom Cable
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/080202/2/xv2p.html
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/02/02/sfnmun302.xml
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ma...AVCBQYIV0?xml=/sport/2008/02/01/sfnmun101.xml
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ma...AVCBQYIV0?xml=/sport/2008/02/02/sfnmun102.xml
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ma...1YourView&xml=/sport/2008/02/02/sfnmun202.xml
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion http://www.legacy.com/ManchesterEveningNews/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonID=102168163
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/shopping/products/026.html
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion Nice tribute up at Red Cafe: http://www.redcafe.net/archives/history/munich.php
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion Collection of Tom Clare's postings on Munich and the Busby Babes... http://www.redcafe.net/f6/50-years-tom-clare-183945/
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion Video of Sir Bobby on Munich: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/...4032.stm&news=1&nbwm=1&nbram=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/02022008/1/munich-resonates-united-stars.html
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion BBC's news bulletin reporting the Munich Air crash. Very painful to watch. Johnny carey's interview almost got me crying. http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/ne...511400/6511433.stm?bw=nb&mp=wm&news=1&bbcws=1
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion Sir Bobby Charlton: Munich Air Disaster still engulfs me with terrible sadness http://www.mirror.co.uk/munich/news...ulfs-me-with-terrible-sadness-89520-20308534/
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion Irish Munich disaster victim remembered http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0202/munich.html
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion Busby Babe Albert Scanlon recalls Munich disaster http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/...anlon-recalls-munich-disaster-98487-20307337/
MUST, the independent Manchester United supporters' trust has some articles on our site pertaining to the Crash and the 50th anniversary, including several essays from our friend Tom Clare, a passionate United supporter whose knowledge of the club is encyclopaedic. You can see these links on our homepage this entire week if you're interested. Just go to http://joinMUST.org. Also, if you are unable to attend the numerous anniversary tributes in person, you are welcome to join us on our website for the singing of The Flowers of Manchester on 6 Feb - 15:04 GMT. All traffic to the site will be automatically redirected to our online tribute, so you can simply go to joinMUST.org and we'll take care of the rest. - JD
Some of the Guardian's original reporting on the tragedy.. http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2251377,00.html
Ryan Giggs: We carry on for the Babes http://www.sportinglife.com/footbal...CCER_Munich_Nightlead.html&TEAMHD=premiership
Saw that Giggs interview earlier. The legacy of that side has never died. To play ther game the right way. The papers here have been full of articles regardnig this for the last week. Even though I'm 24 and far too young to have been there, it still brings a lump to my throat to read about it, especially the personal accounts of it from the likes of Harry Gregg, Bill Foulkes and Bobby Charlton. All depply saddening accounts of a trajedy that ruined the world of football. My deepest sympathies and respects go out to those who died and the families and friends they left behind.
I dont know about you guys, but every time I read something about how they Babes died or even think about it, I get shivers.
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion Amazing how the guys on the team were essentially no different in terms of pay from the folks working in town. I'm sure it gave the tragedy an extra connection to the people of Manchester. Really looking forward to hearing from the people who were around at the time over the next few days. Especially for those who attended the matches, it must have been on the level of losing your own friends, people you could identify with.
Re: The Munich 50th Anniversary Thread - Open Discussion Captain James Thain, the pilot, tried to take off twice, but both attempts were aborted due to engine surging. When a third take off was attempted, at 3:04 pm, the plane failed to gain adequate height and crashed into the fence surrounding the airport, then into a house, which was unoccupied at the time. Although the crash was originally blamed on pilot error, it was subsequently found to have been caused by the build-up of slush towards the ends of the runway, causing deceleration of the aircraft and preventing safe flying speed from being attained. During the take off, the aircraft had attained a speed of 117 kt (217 km/h) but on entering the slush speed dropped to 105 kt (194 km/h), too slow for flight, with not enough runway remaining to abort the take off. Aircraft with tail-wheel undercarriages had not been greatly affected by slush, due to the geometry of these undercarriages in relation to the aircraft's centre of gravity, but newer types, such as the Ambassador, with nose wheel landing-gear and the main wheels behind the centre of gravity, were found to be vulnerable. The accident resulted in the instigation of operating limits for the amount of slush build-up permitted on runways. Despite this conclusion, the German airport authorities (who were legally responsible for the state of the airport's runways, but generally not aware of the then unknown danger of slush on runways for aircraft like the Ambassador) took legal action against Captain Thain, who had survived the crash, claiming he had taken off without deicing the wings and that responsibility for the accident was his alone, despite several witnesses stating that this was not so. The basis of the German authorities' case relied on a photograph of the aircraft (published in several newspapers) taken shortly before take off, that appeared to show snow on the upper wing surfaces. When the original negative was examined, however, no snow or ice could be seen, the 'snow' having been due to the published pictures being produced from a copy negative. The witnesses were not called to the German inquiry and proceedings against Thain dragged on until 1968, when he was finally cleared of any responsibility for the crash. As the official cause, British authorities recorded a build-up of melting snow on the runway which prevented the Elizabethan from reaching the required take-off speed. Thain, having been dismissed by BEA shortly after the accident and never reengaged, retired and returned to run his poultry farm in Berkshire. He died of a heart attack at the age of 53, in 1975. - From Wikipedia