Sympathy for the Devils

A poignant week for people of a certain age, for football fans and in particular followers of Manchester United. Wednesday sees the fiftieth anniversary of the Munich air crash that shook a nation and a sporting world. The 'Flowers of Manchester' lay decimated, broken bodies strewn across a frozen runway. News spread like a vile illness; players dead, United finished, the end of the Busby Babes.

There will be a deluge of coverage this week, tributes paid, special kits worn, to commemorate the loss of a generation of footballing talent. As a life-long United supporter I'll soak it all up with mixed emotions. That frozen afternoon in Germany not only saw tremendous loss of life and talent, it also created a force that survives within the club today; a burning desire to succeed. If the tragedy was to have any meaning for those left behind it was to continue investment in precocious, youthful talent, to play football illuminated by dazzling skill and attacking flair. It hasn't always delivered victory, and the modern United have certainly bought as much talent as they have created, but their flair has warmed the hearts of supporters and neutral observers for decades and is as fitting a tribute as any to the spirit of the Busby Babes.

What does all this mean for 'other' football fans? How are they supposed to feel about something that, frankly, happened to 'that bloody football club' so many love to hate? Sympathy? Give us a break. Wealth drips from the ramparts of the Devilbowl, money yielding yet more riches and, occasionally, trophies. Their fans are brash, arrogant, liable to celebrate wildly, dismissive of all others. Their manager is an irascible, gum-chewing yobbo who picks fights with all and sundry, refuses to speak to the national broadcaster and greets any implied criticism with flame-thrower vitriol.

Bobby Charlton, celebrated survivor and England great, said last week that Duncan Edwards, just 21 years old when he succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash, was the best player he ever played with. Charlton played with Best and Law, watched over Cantona and Beckham and currently sits in his seat at Old Trafford under his big fur hat delighting in the frolics of Rooney and Ronaldo. He played with Bobby Moore for goodness sake; the boy Edwards must've been some player. The Busby Babes, say observers of the time, were 'nailed on' to win the European Cup in '58. They'd just held Belgrade 3 - 3 away to qualify for the semi-finals where a make-shift side were destined to lose 4 - 0 away in Milan. The world lay at their dazzling feet, thier National sides ready to greedily gobble up their burgeoning skills. Championships, FA Cups, European glories, even World Cups were theirs for the chasing. As a mark of respect and in part in recognition of the potential of those lost UEFA offered United an unprecedented second slot for the '59 European Cup competition. The English FA refused, reiterating that only the champions, Wolves, could take part. Of course the FA never wanted United to take part in '56, fearful that the European game might, as Busby had foreseen, be the future.

To understand the impact of Munich '58 on the nation imagine the same thing happening today. Imagine the Arsenal team, packed with fabulous young talent, decimated by tragedy. Fabregas, Adebayor, Almunia, Gallas, Flamini . . . Arsene Wenger given the last rights, not once but twice, as Busby was. Or the current United side. Rooney, Ronaldo, Vidic, Giggs, Hargreaves, all dead or fatally injured. Imagine the hours of television, the miles of newspaper spilling off the news stands. Those boys in '58 weren't millionaires; they were lads, staying in Manchester digs, living at home or with landladies, some on apprentice wages, their bright futures stolen by cruel fate in an accident that would probably never happen today.

I'm certain the tribute at Old Trafford on Sunday, when United play City, will be marked with respect. Everyone in Manchester, Red or Blue, wept floods of tears at the time. A minute's silence is the only right way to mark such a solemn occasion. Whilst I don't expect the rest of the country to show much sympathy, it might be a good time to spend sixty seconds to reflect on what happened on that day fifty years ago, when a nation held it's breath and everyone who remembers knows exactly where they were when they heard the terrible news.

Comments

[Sweder]

I got an e-mail telling me that this comment - from the DA - had been posted here but it's nowhere to be found. I'd like to respond so I've re-posted it here.

"I'm certain the tribute at Old Trafford on Sunday, when United play City, will be marked with respect." I'm not. And I think it was a bad decision to stage the Manc derby this weekend. "Everyone in Manchester, Red or Blue, wept floods of tears at the time." 'At the time', yes. 50 years on, and with all the stuff that's happened in between, emotions are much more complicated. "A minute's silence is the only right way to mark such a solemn occasion. The tumultuous noise during the minute's applause that marked the passing of George Best, at the QPR game I attended, was one of the most moving things I've ever experienced. It would have been far better in these circumstances too - for a whole range of reasons.
Just my view.

[Sweder]

The minutes' silence was beautifully observed by both sides of the Manchester divide. I simply can't agree that a minutes' applause is the right way to commemorate a tradegy of this nature. It wasn't just United who wanted it this way; the families let iot be known that they prefeerred the traditional mark of respect. Applause to celebrate a players' life - as with Georgie Best, Alan Ball or Phil O'Donnel - I understand and readily support. Would applause be appropriate to mark the anniversary of Hillsborough or Hysel? I think not.

If I've learned anything new from the endless rounds of interviews with survivors the Munich '58 tradegy impacted the whole city of Manchester. I do agree times have changed, that partisan allegiance is more myopic than ever before, but it still seems fitting to me that the two teams from Manchester and their supporters shared the occasion.

What this call for applause suggests - and it's an unpalatable a truth of modern England - is that the fabric of our society is so rotten, has descended so far that we cannot trust our fellow men and women to respect the dead. Moreover that because yobs elect to disrespect this traditional tribute we should do away with it alltogether. Perhaps we should refrain from playing National Anthems before internationals.

What kind of country do we live in? The neanderthals who tainted the occasion at Wembley on Wednesday night are of similar genetic stock to those who kicked a father to death in front of his children. They care for and respect nothing of substance; if it's there, take it and to hell with the consequences. The world owes them a living and if they don't get their way they'll kick and scream and spit and punch and trash your property and wreck the neighborhood, kick your lifeless, interfering body until they get bored. They should be drowned like rats instead of setting the tone, for future generations.

This country is fast becoming an ugly place to be. Those that can are leaving in droves, heading for the Colonies to start anew. The world looks on, shaking it's head. How have we fallen so far in such a short period in our history? It's too depressing. The police seem unable or unwilling to tackle known offenders; they'd rather chase speeding motorists or enforce parking restrictions than tackle drunken youths who may or may not be carrying knives. It's all about quotas, meeting targets. The PC brigade defend to the last the rights of people who appear for all the world to be regressing, devolving back towards the primeval slime from whence we once came. Should we stand up for core values, or pander to the whims of those who would lead us to new dark ages through violence and iintimidation?

I'm sorry, this issue has sparked a rant that's been brewing for a while! It's not intended as an attack on the DA's argument - I just had to get if off my chest.

If we've come to a time when we can't reasonably ask people to stand quietly for 60 seconds in memory of the dead then it's time to ask wider questions about where we're headed. Congratulations to City and their fans. They stood tall and honoured the memory of the fallen before their players took to the field and imparted a footballing lesson on their opponents. There may not be much love in the heart of the city, but today there was at least, for one minute, respect.

[Devil's Avocado]

I can assure you that there's a suppressed "rant" on the other side of the fence as well.

I'm just glad that life can get back to normal for another 350 days.