RIP Busby Babes

[warrej]

I am too young to have seen you play, but I've sung about you at OT and I'll never forget you...

Forever and ever, We’ll follow the boys, of Man United, The Busby babes.
For we made a promise. To defend our faith, in Man United, The Busby Babes.
We’ve all sworn allegiance, to fight till we die, to stand by United and the Red flag we fly.
There’ll be no surrender, we’ll fight to the last, defeat all before us, as we did in the past.
For we’re Stretford Enders, with United we grew, to the famous Red Devils, We’re loyal and true.
To part-time supporters, we’ll never descend, we’ll never forsake you, we’ll be here in the end.
For we all remember that ‘58 day, and the plane that once stood on the Munich runway.
As it tried to take off, for the third fatal time, the immortal young Babes were cut down in their prime.
In the cold snow of Munich, they laid down their lives, but they live on forever, in our hearts and our minds.
Their names are now legend, for the whole world to see, why this clubs a religion, Spelt M.U.F.C.
So bow down before them and lift up your eyes, For Old Trafford’s glory, we will always survive...
Forever and ever, We’ll follow the boys, of Man United, The Busby babes.

[DanWilde1966]

Programme tonight, BBC4, 10.pm.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/features/munich_1958/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/whatson/prog_parse.cgi?FILENAME=20080206/20080206_2200_4544_21377_30

[jpig]

ManUtd.com and MUTV (UK only) broadcasting free all day for those who want to see the memorial service at 14.30.

[saltysam]

Far too young to have seen them but my dad assures me they were some side. he was telling me about a game he saw at goodison involving them,a 3-3 draw. RIP to all the players,staff and others who lost their lives that terrible day :(

[the_edge30]

RIP

Sad day for all, far to young to have seen them play, but as above, my dad assured me they were immense.

Dont know why I am getting so emotional, guess its just the club that I love and its a day of hurt, just saw Busbys son on sky talking about seeing him in hospital...

[Sam]

Quite a good memorial on the BBC site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7228670.stm

I too am too young to have seen them play but Munich is large scar in the history of the club I love and its right that we remember those who died, not just the Man Utd players but the officials and journalists also on that flight.

RIP
Roger Byrne
Mark Jones,
Eddie Colman,
Tommy Taylor,
Billy Whelan,
Duncan Edwards,
David Pegg,
Geoff Bent,
Alf Clarke,
Don Davies,
George Follows,
Tom Jackson,
Archie Ledbrooke,
Henry Rose,
Eric Thompson,
Frank Swift,
Walter Crickmer,
Bert Whalley,
Tom Curry,
Captain Kenneth Rayment,
Bela Miklos,
Willie Satinoff
Tom Cable.

[Cockeye]

Respect and thoughts from a Liverpool fan on this most dreadful anniversary. I hope there is much respect shown during the minutes silence, and I will be thinking of the Babes (and all who died) today.

[MaxNutter]

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 Captian Thain,
Three times they tried to take off and twice turned back again.

The third time down the runway, disaster followed close,
There was slush upon that runway and the aircraft never rose.
It ploughed into the marshy ground, it broke, it overturned,
And eight of that team were killed when 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 this team,
Three long months passed by before he saw his team again.

The trainer, coach and secretary and a member of the crew,
Eight great sporting journalists who with United flew,
And one of them was Big Swifty who we will ne'er forget,
The finest English keeper that ever graced a net.

Oh England's finest football team it's record truly great,
It's 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.

[Nujol]

Respect/thoughts from all those in the Arsenal thread.

[evilsly]

and respect from arsenal FC it seems

http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=News&article=487248&lid=NewsHeadline&Title=Remembering+Munich+-+February+6,+1958


as well as from everton FC

http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archive/munich-tribute.html


and also from Man City

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/default.sps?pagegid={DBD12D53-8346-431D-A04F-5D0F8664DE80**&newsid=530078

[HBK757]

I watched some of the memorial earlier, and have to say, Man Utd have handled this absolutely perfectly. RIP boys.

[barthez]

Never to be forgotten. Lets hope the lads can look down on Utd winning the Champions League this year.

[John Hodson]

I've watched much of this today and it's the survivors who have taken part who earn my undying admiration; the cost of recalling those terrible events possibly can't be measured, particularly Sir Bobby Charlton who was for many years unable to discuss that day even with close family members.

Yet now, despite the dredging up memories of 50 year old horrors, he's willing to put himself before the cameras, before numerous journalists, current players, most anyone who is willing to listen. He decided last year that he had a duty to tell the story, of the players who were footballing Gods, who would probably have dominated domestic and European football for a decade and more. He had to be their witness.

The pain of those memories is clearly etched on his face, the terrible survivor guilt, and yet there he is reliving the worst days of his life so that history will never forget Munich.

God bless him, bless all those who took part. God help the Babes rest in peace.

[barthez]

Very well put John