David Gwilliam
Well-Known Member
Apologies for the length of this post but the loss of the great Man U side should not be dismissed in a couple of trite sentences . Those with short attention spans are advised not to even start the post and pick up a celebrity magazine instead.
I thought the TV play United about the Munich Air Crash was superb and I recommend it although parts are inevitably harrowing.
It is remarkable that Manchester United was actually popular with other clubs fans in those days. They "played with a smile on their face" whereas their chief rivals Wolves while very talented relied on organization, physical strength and a superb defence.
This was also partly because of the personality of Matt Busby. The question of who is the greatest ever Man U manager can never be finally answered - Ferguson won more but Busby overcame greater difficulties (a bombed out stadium, an uncooperative set of football authoiries and then the aircrash). There can be no doubt who gave football a better image.
I almost typed that the players were of the very highest quality but this ignores the fact that they would have got better. Duncan Edwards quality has led people for forget how good the rest were.
Roger Byrne was one of the finest fullbacks this country has produced and was expected to inevitably replace Billy Wright as England captain and people were already saying that in the end Edwards would be England captain.
Tommy Taylor was the England centre forward. Nat Lofthouse one of theb greatest centre forwards ever once said "I was better than Jackie Milburn and Stan Mortenson but Tommy Taylor was better than me."
Everyone knew that Eddie Coleman would eventually become Edwards wing half partner for England.
There has been a tendency to see Harry Gregg as a victim because of the cup final goal in which Lofthouse banged him into the net. I had read how tough a character he was which makes sense since if forwards could go for goalkeepers then the keeper in turn had to be as hard as nails.
As for Duncan Edwards he played for England at the age of seventeen which was absolutely unheard of in the physical game of the time; but then he was built like the proverbial _____ house.
I have never seen a player with greater presence on a football pitch and he was only twenty when I saw him.
For me the greatest British player ever was Stanley Matthews although George Best had flashes where he was even better. I have often wondered whether Duncan Edwards would have been the greatest of them all.
Bobby Charlton would become one of the greatest players of all time and he said that Edwards was the only player he had ever been in awe of. When I saw the Busby Babes Bobby Charlton only got to play because left winger David Pegg was injured
Duncan Edwards was already at twenty acknowledged to be the best player in the best team in the country.
All credit to the cast. I have only seen interviews with Busby when he was older than in the play but the actor had the presence and voice of a younger Busby.
Also all credit for focusing on Jimmy Murphy; it had never occurred to me what a remarkable job he had done for his club.
Well done the BBC for this play.
I thought the TV play United about the Munich Air Crash was superb and I recommend it although parts are inevitably harrowing.
It is remarkable that Manchester United was actually popular with other clubs fans in those days. They "played with a smile on their face" whereas their chief rivals Wolves while very talented relied on organization, physical strength and a superb defence.
This was also partly because of the personality of Matt Busby. The question of who is the greatest ever Man U manager can never be finally answered - Ferguson won more but Busby overcame greater difficulties (a bombed out stadium, an uncooperative set of football authoiries and then the aircrash). There can be no doubt who gave football a better image.
I almost typed that the players were of the very highest quality but this ignores the fact that they would have got better. Duncan Edwards quality has led people for forget how good the rest were.
Roger Byrne was one of the finest fullbacks this country has produced and was expected to inevitably replace Billy Wright as England captain and people were already saying that in the end Edwards would be England captain.
Tommy Taylor was the England centre forward. Nat Lofthouse one of theb greatest centre forwards ever once said "I was better than Jackie Milburn and Stan Mortenson but Tommy Taylor was better than me."
Everyone knew that Eddie Coleman would eventually become Edwards wing half partner for England.
There has been a tendency to see Harry Gregg as a victim because of the cup final goal in which Lofthouse banged him into the net. I had read how tough a character he was which makes sense since if forwards could go for goalkeepers then the keeper in turn had to be as hard as nails.
As for Duncan Edwards he played for England at the age of seventeen which was absolutely unheard of in the physical game of the time; but then he was built like the proverbial _____ house.
I have never seen a player with greater presence on a football pitch and he was only twenty when I saw him.
For me the greatest British player ever was Stanley Matthews although George Best had flashes where he was even better. I have often wondered whether Duncan Edwards would have been the greatest of them all.
Bobby Charlton would become one of the greatest players of all time and he said that Edwards was the only player he had ever been in awe of. When I saw the Busby Babes Bobby Charlton only got to play because left winger David Pegg was injured
Duncan Edwards was already at twenty acknowledged to be the best player in the best team in the country.
All credit to the cast. I have only seen interviews with Busby when he was older than in the play but the actor had the presence and voice of a younger Busby.
Also all credit for focusing on Jimmy Murphy; it had never occurred to me what a remarkable job he had done for his club.
Well done the BBC for this play.
