Today marks the anniversary of the Munich air disaster when players and management staff of Man U together with air crew and journalists died. For me it is also the anniversary of my first wife's death many years ago. Below are some comments by SAF which emphasise how those of us who were alive on that day still feel a great sadness at what happened. " Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has described how he is still affected by the Munich air crash. Ferguson was 16 (I was 14 at the time) and unconnected to the club when eight United players and 15 others died, 55 years ago today, as a result of a failed take-off on a slush-covered runway. "I've been affected since a young boy. It was a sad time," said Ferguson, 71. "For many it's probably long forgotten but for someone like me who remembers the day, you won't forget it." Ferguson believes the event is one that should not be forgotten. "When you were caught up in the aftermath of it and the publicity, and when the papers detailed what had happened, you couldn't help but feel that enormous loss for anyone football-minded," he added. "That has carried on for a long, long time and every year you have to remember that." So for all the banter that we have with other club's supporters, we should never forget that we are all members of the world wide football community and we are all touched by others hurt. Have a good day everyone.
Well said and sorry for your loss all those years ago Fans and players everywhere who are used to multi-million pound transfers, massive wages, mansions, wall to wall TV exposure, private planes, ott publicity, and all the rest of the trappings that modern footballers enjoy would do well to take a few moments of reflection today. I know I will.
I was 10 years old when this terrible tragedy happened, has had a lasting effect on me & one of the main reasons I have no hatred towards any other football club, we are all part of the football family...sadly times have changed, the hatred in the game really makes me sick, I want to win & see my club Bristol City beat every team we come up against, not through hatred though but the shear joy it brings!!
Firstly sorry for your loss all those years ago. Banter is part of football, however when that goes too far and turns to hate it's very unhealthy. Sadly, and maybe it's just society, but that happens all too often these days. Personally I love talking about football to other fans, be they Rovers (very rare where I live), Cardiff, Man U or Accrington Stanley. I must admit that when you live some distance from Bristol, most football fans are very interested when you tell them you are a season ticket holder at Bristol City. I've just started a new job - the lad I work with supports Arsenal (his father and grandfather did) - he goes a few times a season so a proper fan. Interestigly he "hates" RVP but likes Fabregas. Football at it's best can unite people and do some good - let's all try to make sure that's what we do
Amen. I was 8 at the time and although I'd never seen or heard Duncan Edwards (no TV) there was a huge sense of loss. The way that club recovered so quickly was miraculous. As an aside there's a thesis waiting to be written on how and why the larger footballing public fell out of love with Manchester United.
Was a couple of days before my 6th birthday and as I had an uncle who was a fan of Manchester Utd he lived about mins from their ground I had seen them play a few times I couldn't quite take in what had happened at that time I couldn't work out why the players were so different to those I had seen just a few short weeks before I have continued o follow them from afarand on the terraces whn I lived in Manchester as well as watching Man City afer Gerry Gow went there, when I couldn't get to a BCFC game. At the time of the Munich crash Duncan Edwards was my second favourite player after Big John.
Cider, good luck to you mate, just a different angle, today is my wife's birthday, we've been married 43 years and I met her in the Cellar bars in 1965 and we've never been happier, she also comes from Horfield and is a massive Bristol City fan, so my world is complete...
Happy birthday to Mrs "Wizered". Hope you've had an enjoyable day and long may you both continue to follow City. It's not the worst way of spending one's spare time and leisure pocket money. COYREDS
I was a sports mad teenager when this disaster happened. Few folk had TVs in those days. We certainly didn't. Each day the newspaper arrived and reported the continuing deaths of the Busby Babes. The death of Duncan Edwards who seemed destined for great things, Bobby Charlton and Matt Busby seemed to be in a long term serious condition............Only a year or so before Rovers had walloped them 4:nil in the FA Cup. Likewise in '53 when Derek Dooley broke his leg playing for Sheffield Wednesday and had the misfortune that infection set in and amputation was necessary. These shuddering occurances never leave you throughout your life.
IMO if Duncan Edwards had not died and stayed injury free, he would have been recognised as the greatest English player of all time. He was awesome, could play anywhere on the team and do it brilliantly. For younger members of the Bristol City community, the only way I can descibe him is to say that if it was possible to combine the playing abilities of Bobby Charlton, Steve Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and Bobby Moore into one player, that gets somewhere near to understanding how good he was.
