Ex-Busby Babes Munich Survivor, Bill Foulkes, has died at the age of 81. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-25084845
RIP http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/nov/25/bill-foulkes-dies-manchester-united-busby-babes Another good read on him. To play 688 times for Man Utd says a lot.
And so another 'proper' footballer passes into the history book, one that survived a plane crash and didn't break down in the warm up for goodness sake. A guy who went on to great things, along with another survivor Bobby Charlton, that make todays footallers look like overgrown prima donnas from balet classes. It seems a degreee in acting is required these days, Ashley Young comes mind, or a degree in rolling agony at the least touch then rise and berate the referee for not getting the alleged free kick. Many years ago we use to berate Italian teams for such blatant behaviour but now we have plenty of our own. RIP Bill I only saw you once whilst you were still playing and boy you would have made mincemeat of some these mincers today.
I can still remember hearing news of the Munich disaster as if it was yesterday.I was 13 and had just finished choir practice (for posters of a more tender age church attendance was the norm in those days) at first I didn't believe it and can still remember how upset I was when my dad confirmed the news. The Busby babes had captured public imagination and were admired by football fans no matter what club they supported. C'mon ref is right, they were 'proper' footballers, players like Duncan Edwards and Tommy Taylor would have had fantastic careers. Off topic but does anyone remember Jeff Hall the Birmingham and England and full back who died from polio at an early age .Jeffs parents lived near us and when he came to visit them he would come down to the rec. for a kick about with the local kids.A great footballer and a lovely man.
