The Legend Of Munich

Yesterday, I sat in-front of my laptop and was feeling a bit bored. So, I decided to watch a movie.  But I have this strange habit to, you know, watch the same movies again and again. I have like this collection of a dozen of movies that are very close to my heart and I always prefer to revisit them in moments of solitude. So yesterday, I again turned on the laptop and started the 2011 movie “United” directed by James Strong. It was perhaps the umpteenth time I was watching the movie since I had downloaded it. But still, after an hour and a half, I again had tears in my eyes. This movie is actually based on the true story of 1958 Munich Air Crash that claimed the life of 23 people including 8 of Manchester United’s first team players or “Busby Babes” as they were fondly known. This team was the youngest side ever to win the football league in England but after that day in Munich, 8 of them would never again put on the shirt that they so revered.

Today, Manchester United is the highest valued sports team at $1.86 billion in the entire world and perhaps the most widely supported football team as well. But today it isn’t  just a mere football club, it has transcended all the boundaries to become a religion, a religion with millions and millions of followers who believe in what this club stands for. And for people like me it is perhaps the only thing that we worship. But how did this small club founded by the members of Carriage and Wagon Department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways depot at Newton Heath became so big, so popular and such a craze. Well, if there is one moment that perhaps defines Manchester United, the club that it is now and the club that everyone around the world loves so much is perhaps that tragic accident on that unfortunate afternoon of 6^th Feb, 1958.

               On 6^th Feb, 1958 the British European Airways Flight 608, took-off from Belgrade carrying the victorious Manchester United side along with a few supporters and journalists. The Busby Babes had booked a seat in the semi-finals of the European Cup against AC Milan after beating the Red Star Belgrade team, 5-4 on aggregate. The plane made a routine stop at Munich to refuel, landing at 13:15 GMT. After refuelling, the pilots tried to take-off but twice they had to abandon their attempts due to engine problems. But it was the third attempt that proved fatal. The plane couldn’t take-off and ploughed through the fence at the end of the runway before the left wing smashed into a farm-house. The wing, the tail unit and the undercarriage were ripped off and the house burst into flames. The right side of the fuselage behind the remaining wing had struck a wooden hut that contained fuel and truck tyres. The disaster had stuck. Manchester United lost 8 of its most beloved son, Roger Byrne, the captain, Geoff Bent, Mark Jones, Eddie Colman, David Pegg, Liam Whelan, Tommy Taylor and the mercurial Duncan Edwards who fought with death for 15 days to eventually die on 21^st Feb, 1958. Johnny Berry and Jackie Blanchflower survived but were never able to play again. But more than those who died, it was about those who survived. Harry Gregg, the Goalie who had just signed for United three months before the crash, was undoubtedly ‘The Hero of Munich’. He had sustained some minor injuries but despite that he remained behind to pull survivors including Bobby Charlton, Dennis Viollet, Jackie Blanchflower and Matt Busby from the wreckage. Gregg even played in the FA cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday, merely a week after the crash. He went on to represent United till 1966 playing nearly 250 games in the process. Dennis Viollet went on to play for United till 1962 scoring 178 goals in 291 matches. He still remains one of Manchester United’s finest forwards. Then there were Bill and Bobby. Bill Foulkes went on to captain United after the crash and played till 1970 representing United in 688 games. Bobby Charlton, perhaps one of the most easily recognized footballer of all-time wore the red-shirt of Manchester United for 15 more years playing in758 games as a United player, a record which lasted for 35 years before Ryan Giggs finally broke it in 2008. The other players who survived were goalie Ray Wood and wingers Albert Scanlon and Kenny Morgans.

                But it was not that people from across the planet support Manchester United because they feel sorry for them. Because people hardly choose their football team out of sympathy.  It was not the loss at Munich but the comeback that Manchester United made won the heart of millions and millions around the globe. A few United players died in the crash but the club didn’t. Munich resurrected United. Manchester United, after 6^th Feb, 1958 wasn’t just a football club they became an institution.

                On 4^th May 1949, a plane carrying the then Seria A champion Torino crashed in a church in a Turin suburb and everyone was killed including 18 players, 10 of whom were Italian internationals. With just 4 matches remaining that year, Torino did won the scudetto as their opponents were instructed to field their youth teams because Torino had no choice but to field their youth team. But Torino never recovered from that tragedy. After five years, they were bankrupt, had to even sell their ground and more often than not play in Seria B thesedays. Many felt Manchester United might follow the same path but I can proudly say that they didn’t and that is what has defined the club. Manchester United chairman Hardman said that United should fulfil all the fixtures in all the competitions they were involved in, even if it meant heavy losses. The League game against Wolves on the 8^th of Feb was delayed and the FA cup game against Sheffield Wednesday was rescheduled four days later, which United won and the whole nation rejoiced perhaps with the exception of the blue half of Sheffield. Red Star Belgrade wanted United to be declared that season’s honorary European Champions but the club didn’t want that. They wanted to survive on their own strengths and they did. Perhaps nothing more than the spirit of Matt Busby and Jimmy Murphy defines what this club stands for. When Murphy went to meet Busby in the hospital after the crash, Busby through a morphine haze instructed him: “Keep the flag flying, Jim, till I get back.” And Murphy did keep the flag flying high. Manchester United went on to the finals of the FA Cup with mostly youth team player and the Munich survivors. Though they lost the final to Bolton 2-0, a team they had thrashed 7-2 in the league in January. They could just win one of their remaining league fixtures to finish 9^th that season but ya, they did beat AC Milan 2-1 in the first leg of the semi-finals just to lose the tie 5-3 on aggregate with Milan winning their home leg 4-0. But what that season proved more than anything else was that Manchester United will go on and on and on.

 On the afternoon of 6^th Feb, 1958, Manchester United stopped being just another football club. The tragedy spread the club’s name around the globe in hours following the accident. “Before Munich, it was just Manchester’s club,” said Bobby Charlton. “Afterwards everyone owned a little bit of it.”

Today, when I look at Manchester United with all the trophies and all these successes and fan followings, I just can’t seem to disagree with Rio Ferdinand.

Rio Ferdinand on the 50^th anniversary match, “Munich was the starting point, really, for the tradition, the start of settling down the standard for Manchester United Football Club.”

 A tribute to all those who died on that dreadful Munich afternoon.

The Flowers Of Manchester by Spinners

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.

The 'De Gea' Conundrum

          At just 21, David De Gea surely looks like a tenderfoot, but believe you me, he is one of the most expensive Goal-Keepers in the history of football. On 29th June, 2011, when Manchester United signed this young Spanish Shot-Stopper from Atletico Madrid for a whooping £18 million, it raised a lot of eyebrows and a couple of those were mine too.

          Personally, I would have liked to see Lloris or Neuer as Van Der Sar's replacement and frankly, when you are paying such an ostentatious amount, you expect to get someone with some visible experience. But here we were, with a 20 yr old kid who wasn't even the 3rd choice Goal-Keeper of the Spanish National Side and just had a couple of seasons with Atletico (BTW, they finished a lowly 7th in La Liga in 2010-11 season). Honestly speaking, I feared the worst. Sir Alex did make a few blunders while replacing "The Great Dane" and I was petrified with the thought that he was repeating them this time as well. But then there was a ray of hope as well, as many experts believed that he had the talent but that it needed grooming. I sincerely wished Sir Alex's punt pays off otherwise we might be in big trouble this season. And now after 9 months, it seems that the punt has paid off and he again proved that he is the best judge of footballing talent. De Gea's last few performances has vindicated gaffer's decision and may I now say, it has also helped us to bury our fears. Over the last few weeks, this kid has surely turned the corner and proved that he belongs to this great club.

          But it wasn't like that a few months ago. De Gea certainly had a baptism by fire at the Theatre  of dreams. He made a horrendous start to life at Manchester and people had started writing him off before the league season even started. His performance in the Community Shield game inspired none. His first few months at Old Trafford were, let's just say, far from a pleasant stay. People questioned his decision-making capacity, his shot-stopping ability and even his attitude and looks. They said, he looks like a complete moron with that beard and the Shirt tucked out. He is far from a disciplined goal-keeper. Some even said that he is the polar opposite of Edwin in every aspect, talent included. And I can understand, if at that point he felt a bit let down by himself. But all these reactions to him were understandable. He had done hardly anything on the field to inspire confidence in him. And add to it the fact that he was coming to a big club and was trying to replace a big star, a national hero & a double- champions-league winner. Surely, he himself didn't expect anything but a lot of scrutiny.

David De Gea has revealed the criticism he endured in his early days at Manchester United has inspired him to prove his critics wrong. He said, "The criticism I received only served to make me a stronger person. The time I spent on the bench helped me to reflect and think. It encouraged me to keep fighting and work."

          But, I guess, at the end of the day, this kid deserves accolades. He has moved on, tried to look more comfortable between the poles, is making far less mistakes and has had a, if I could say, pretty successful past few weeks. His performances against Norwich and Bilbao are certainly testament to his temperament & endorsement of the great talent he possesses and in someway, a vindication of Sir Alex's and Eric Steele's decision to get him despite his over-the-top valuation by Atletico. Despite all the mistakes that De Gea committed in the past, there is no denying to the fact that this kid has oodles of talent and I can even go a bit further and say that he looks like one of the best "Shot-Stopper" if not the best "Shot-Stopper" in the world at this point of time. He has got stunning reflexes and that 6'4" frame of his allows him to have a good command of the penalty area. Maybe, he just needs to gain a few pounds without really compromising on his reflexes.

          At just 21, a Europa League, a European Super-Cup and an U-21 European Championship medal doesn't look bad in his trophy cabinet but with the talent he possesses & the temperament he has exhibited in the past few weeks and couple to it the fact that he now plays for Manchester United, it certainly looks like he should consider installing a bigger cabinet in his house. A English Premier League medal would be good for a start. :)

          He is by no means a finished product but the process of turning critics like me around has already started. I hope he continues his startling performances & helps United in their quest for trophies. On 29th June, 2011, a young Spaniard came to the Theatre of Dreams with the dream of becoming the best goal-keeper in the world and I can now see the dream, slowly but surely turning into reality. Best of Luck, David.

P.S.: I see the world through red lenses. And bias is a word that exist in my dictionary but with a prefix of "red" :P :P

A Dream To Fulfil

          

          People have often asked me about my ultimate goal, the one desire that I wish to fulfil so dearly. And my answer to them has always been “a trip to Old Trafford to see Manchester United play.” Yes, one day I dream of sitting in the Stretford End at Old Trafford and watching my club Manchester United play at their best. From my childhood days, United have been the only football club I have supported and it will always remain that way till I die. It means something more than a football club to me, it’s my religion, it’s my belief now. The passion which arouses within me when I see United play is something that I can never express in words. Perhaps my passion for cricket in general and Indian Cricket in particular is something that may just come near it. I sometimes wonder what a poignant scene it would be to watch my heroes play infront of my eyes sitting in Old Trafford. Wow, even such a thought fills my heart with jubilation, the reality, well, it will certainly be something inexplicable.

Infact, my first real encounter with international football was during the World Cup in France in the summer of ’98. People remember that WC for a certain genius by the name of Zinedine Zidane who mesmerized the whole world with his skills and trickery. I for one remember the event for something else, it was my introduction into the beautiful game called Football. For we Indians, perhaps there is nothing else which even comes close to Cricket and I agree, it should be that way because that is what we are best at. But perchance after WC’98, the avid cricket fan inside me faced a tough opposition from the ever-growing passionate football follower within me. The introduction was great but what followed has perhaps transformed me from just a sports lover to an ardent football follower. After WC’98 my interest in football started growing exponentially and I started following it on ESPN. Though I didn’t really used to watch each and every match but still on weekends, did tune on the TV and watch football as much as I can. I didn’t know who all were playing but they were certainly not France, Brazil or Argentina and I couldn’t find Suker as well. Oh! I forgot to tell you about him, Davor Suker, my hero of WC’98. He was the top-scorer in that edition and being a striker, it was obvious that he will attract attention from a newbie like me. It’s a different thing that later I came to know that he played for Real Madrid and Arsenal, two of the clubs that I really dislike or you can simply say hate. As I started following it more and more, I found a team wearing red and white jersey were playing really attacking and great football and I just loved it. They were Manchester United. It was completely incidental though that, that was the very year in which they won “The Treble”. And it(supporting United) was something that came naturally, not predecided because it used to greatly sadden me when they lost a match and my joy knew no bounds when they won one. So, I decided come hell or high water, I am gonna be a United supporter till I die. And thus started an unending and loyal relationship. As my resources increased, I started collecting more information about the team and the game I truly loved, till then it was only ESPN. I think ESPN deserves accolades for the way it has helped in the promotion of football in this region of the world. India perhaps is one of Manchester United's largest fanbases. I don’t know officially but can say this with utmost confidence that Manchester United is the most followed club in India, way ahead of any other club. And I am one of those followers ;) ;).

Oops! Sorry, I was to tell you about my dream and here I am telling you my story. In reality, my ultimate dream may sound absurd to some, hence, it’s sometimes better to give an explanation. Returning back to my dream, well, I know that someday I’ll be there at the Stretford End cheering for my heroes. But maybe, somewhere, a part of that dream will remain unrealized. I know I’ll never be able to see the likes of Giggs, Scholes, Neville, Keane, Beckham play for United again. But I just hope that the day I eventually fulfil my dream, the likes of Rooney and Fletcher will still be wearing United’s colour proudly.

Glory glory Man United,

Glory glory Man United,

Glory glory Man United,

As the reds go marching up up up!

P.S.: Originally Dated: 28th August, 2009