Now, I admit, I am no lover of Man U. but the 6th Feb is the 50th anniversary of the Busby Babes being decimated in the Munich air disaster of 1958.

some of the very cream of British football, at the time, perished, including local lads who played for the team.

Many were badly injured, including Sir Matt Busby himself, and household names like the Charltons.

One of the surviving babes distinguished himself further, by re-entering the plane wreckage, and rescuing a 22 month old baby girl and her mother.

Rest in peace, "Busby's babes", and may it never happen again.

Don't want to be overly pedantic in a sombre post, but only one of the Charltons played for Manchester United. It was Northern Ireland goalkeeper Harry Gregg who re-entered the plane etc. Apart from those killed a number of players were injured so badly they were never able to play again.

Amazingly, Manchester United reached the FA Cup Final at the end of that season.

Definitely concur with you Plain Talker. I just hope any commemoration is respected. Weren't there rumours that they're going to cancel a minute's silence at Old Trafford on Sunday for the Manchester derby? Talk of having people applaud instead.

So sad.

Weren't there rumours that they're going to cancel a minute's silence at Old Trafford on Sunday for the Manchester derby? Talk of having people applaud instead.

It was City's request, on the grounds that a minute's silence is easily spoilt by one utter idiot shouting and bawling through it; whereas a minute's applause would drown him out. A reasonable request, I thought, but United have (also not unreasonably, I hasten to add) said they'd prefer a minute's silence. We just have to hope that nobody does spoil it.

I can't see the city fans respecting it to be honest.

I can't see the city fans respecting it to be honest.

There's the problem. If one or two morons chant, it'll get reported as "City Fans Dishonour" when the vast and overwhelming majority of City fans will respect it.

yup- thats why man united should have accepted there request for a minutes applause and had a silence against a team who doesn't hate them with a passion.

There was a really good interview with Harry Gregg last night on radio 5
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/fivelive_aod.shtml?fivelive/munich_remembered

Well worth listening to if you have a spare 40 mins

I think the City fans may respect it.
After all, some of the lads who died were Mancs, and their ex Goalkeeper, Frank Swift also died.

I have much bigger fears for the England match on Weds. No way will a lot of those at Wembley respect the silence.

yup- thats why man united should have accepted there request for a minutes applause and had a silence against a team who doesn't hate them with a passion.

If City fans make a noise, the shame will be theirs, and it will serve only to fire up the crowd/United team.

If City fans make a noise, the shame will be theirs.

The problem is it won't; it'll make City as a whole look bad.

Definitely concur with you Plain Talker. I just hope any commemoration is respected. Weren't there rumours that they're going to cancel a minute's silence at Old Trafford on Sunday for the Manchester derby? Talk of having people applaud instead.

So sad.

I would far rather see, (especially in this instance) a dignified and respectful silence.

Sadly, as others have pointed out, there are any number of cretins and slack-jawed, bottom-feeding lackwits that could/ would spoil it by failing to be respectful, and keeping the silence.

I have witnessed this sort of stupidity and disrespect at any number of matches, home and away, that I have attended where there has been a silence observed. It really annoys me.

I know, if you have a small child, it's difficult to make sure the child observes the full silence. *shrugs* it can't be helped.

What does make me long, (big stylee) for a double-barrelled 12-bore is the grown adults and cretinous, (Often drunken) mouth-breathers who, despite it being blindingly obvious that we spectators are supposed to be observing the respectful silence, insist on making a racket, screaming and yelling, and showing themselves up for the brain-dead halfwits that they are.

Anyway, rant over, *back on topic*:-

In quiet remembrance of the Busby Babes, and the other passengers involved in this air disaster, *bows head*

You cant have a minutes applause for players so young dying in a tragic accident,you have a minutes applause for a player who has died old and had a decent playing career.
A minutes silence is needed and if any City fan spoils it they will show them for what they are.....scum
Man Utd players or not,they were young lads playing football and died because of it
And Dont forget it wasnt only players that died,everyday people including jornalists did as well,they deserve respect

50 years today the cream of British football was wiped out in a air crash.

The Flowers of Manchester

One cold and bitter Thursday in Munich, Germany,
Seven great football stalwarts conceded victory,
Seven 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 and the skipper Captain Thain,
Three times they tried to take her up and twice turned back again.

The third time down the runaway disaster followed close,
There was ice upon the wings and the aircraft never rose,
It ran upon the marshy ground, it broke, it overturned.
And seven of the team were killed when the battered aircraft 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,
Before the blazing wreckage went ploughing through the snow.

The trainer, coach and secretary, and a member of the crew,
Also eight sporting journalists who with United flew,
and one of them was Big Swifty, we never will forget,
the greatest English 'keeper who ever graced a net.

They said that Duncan Edwards had an injury to his brain,
They said that Jackie Blanchflower would never play again,
Matt Busby he was lying there, the father of the team
Six months or more did pass before he saw another game

Oh, England's finest football team its record truly great,
its proud successes mocked by a cruel turn of fate.
Seven men will never play again, who met destruction there,
the flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester

I believe United want to hold a minute's silence on Sunday before the derby match. City have responded by asking if it can be a minute's applause instead because they are worried their class-less, scummy fans won't be able to observe a minute's silence. If it is silence (rather than applause) let's see if the City fans want to humiliate themselves in front of millions of viewers.

I don't think a minutes applause is appropriate either. It's incredibly unfortunate timing that the game is against City...

Related thread here (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=304889). Please could a mod merge? Thanks!

they are doing a memorial tonight at the home match, Sir Bobby Charlton and survivors attending also. Although it wouldnt surprise me if they do it twice, so it can be remembered at the Derby as well, im sure my boyfriend will know as he is going. RIP Busby's boys..gone but never forgotten, clearly. xx

Shouldn't this be in the football thread ?
It's of no interest to most people and the thread title is misleading, I thought it was about the famous rock band.

Threads merged.

I never for one moment believed that City would not honour the minutes silence. I knew that the fixture was perfect as Mancunians as one would be able to take part. What was upsetting was members of the media and people who obviously know nothing about the depth of feeling in Manchester as a whole believing that City would spoil this event. Anybody who knows their history of the aftermath of Munich will know of the major part Man City football club and its fans played in helping United recover from the tragedy.

The whole thing will obviously be of great dissapointment to the media and other clueless idiots including contributors to this thread that the City supporters displayed great respect. Now you do not have the chance to sound off and be holier than thou. It may come as a great surprise to you that such bitter rivals are real football supporters and not the 'scum' you like to label them as.

I never for one moment believed that City would not honour the minutes silence.


No, me neither. But it only takes one moron to decide to hurl abuse, to ruin it for everyone. City's good name notwithstanding, it would've been all too easy for one such to get a ticket for the game. Thankfully they didn't, and were restricted to letting off fireworks outside to try and spoil the occasion.

No, me neither. But it only takes one moron to decide to hurl abuse, to ruin it for everyone. City's good name notwithstanding, it would've been all too easy for one such to get a ticket for the game. Thankfully they didn't, and were restricted to letting off fireworks outside to try and spoil the occasion.

Oh you mean the 23 fireworks set off by United staff to comemerate the 23 dead in the crash? I'm sure they'll admit it wasn't the best of ideas.

Oh you mean the 23 fireworks set off by United staff to comemerate the 23 dead in the crash?

No, I mean the ones let off during the silence, which the police were investigating the last I heard.

No, I mean the ones let off during the silence, which the police were investigating the last I heard.

The same ones which according to a source who works at the ground were a rather botched attempt at a salute to the dead. The police are aware of fireworks that's all. I wouldn't expect anymore to come of it but no doubt its a much juicier story it being fans trying to wreck the minutes silence.

I wouldn't expect anymore to come of it but no doubt its a much juicier story it being fans trying to wreck the minutes silence.

As you yourself pointed out earlier, it's not "fans" who would try such a thing. It's idiots who set out to make trouble, and give the fans a bad name when they succeed.