Sir Bobby Charlton: My Manchester United Years

Bobby Charlton: My Manchester United Years

This autobiography was written with James Lawton, the much respected
Independent newspaper journalist, who also cooperated on the biographies of
Nobby Stiles and Joe Jordan among others and for 1p is the bargain of the
century !!

The book inevitably opens with the Munich tragedy and unsurprisingly revisits
that dreadful event of February 1958 on several occasions. Bobby Charlton
somehow survived that catastrophic plane accident when so many of his young
teammates perished. He awoke, still strapped in his seat, fifty yards away from
the crumpled Elizabethan airliner.

An event such as that is certain to affect anyone's life, how could it not, and yet
somehow it encapsulated the spirit of Manchester United Football Club. It took
ten years to re-build the team under their charismatic manager Sir Matt Busby,
to sufficient strength to compete for and eventually win the European Cup on
that memorable May night at Wembley in 1968.

The book is filled with interesting stories that will not just be of interest to supp-
orters of Manchester United but to football fans everywhere. Of his upbringing
and family difficulties, of his famous footballing forebears, and of how he would
beg tickets from Bill Shankly for Liverpool FC's early European glory nights,
and would regularly trek down the East Lancs road to the Anfield Stadium to
take in the spectacle, only to be warmly welcomed on his arrival there by every-
one. How things have changed in areas such as this, and not always for the better.

The book is a moving portrait of England's record goal scorer ever. Of his times
playing with Duncan Edwards and George Best and Denis Law, of his admiration
for Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson and Roy Keane, of how he first came across David
Beckham as a young schoolboy on one of his children's football courses. There is
praise too for the current manager Sir Alex Ferguson, a manager that Bobby has
supported at every turn since his appointment way back in the mid eighties.

At the end of the book you will find his selection of the best Manchester United
eleven from 1955 to the present day, and that makes very interesting reading,
and includes one or two surprises.

If you are interested in football, regardless of whether you follow the reds of
Manchester, you will find something here to warm you on a cold winter night.
Poignant, memorable, thrilling, are just three of the adjectives that spring to
mind that belong to those amazing times. I've read it once in record time, and
I shall read it again and again.

Back To Home Page...

Munich - Fifty One Years

The Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958 claimed
the lives of 23 passengers and crew.

Here, Carly remembers the eight Manchester United
players and three officials who died, through the words
of those who knew them best.

Roger Byrne - aged 28, full-back. 277 appearances, 19 goals,
33 England caps.

"An aristocratic footballer, majestic in his movement.
Roger was so fast but at the same time he controlled
his movement beautifully, like Nureyev." - Sir Matt Busby

Geoff Bent - aged 25, full-back. 12 appearances.

"When Geoff matured and reached his twenties there
were many clubs after him but he stayed loyal.

He could look after himself and was a great
tackler. Roger Byrne was a consistent player and
very brave, that was the reason Geoff got few
games, but was good enough to hold a regular
place in any team." - Jimmy Murphy

Eddie Colman - aged 21, half-back. 107 appearances,
2 goals.

"Eddie was a chirpy lad and a terrific player.
He pushed the ball - never kicked it - and he jinked
past players. He was known for his swivel hips."
- Wilf McGuinness

David Pegg - aged 22, forward, 148 appearances, 28 goals,
1 England cap.

"David would have been a great asset to any team because
he was a natural, left-flank player. David was very,
very clever.

Our best left-winger by a mile." - Sir Matt Busby

Mark Jones - aged 24, half-back, 120 appearances, 1 goal.

"Yorkshireman Mark was a really lovely fellow,
but my word he was a tough nut, and nobody took
any liberties with him on or off the field." - Bill Foulkes

Duncan Edwards - aged 21, half-back, 175 apps., 21 goals,
18 England caps, 5 goals.

"When I used to hear Muhammad Ali proclaim to
the world he was the greatest, I used to smile.
The greatest of them all was a young footballer named
Duncan Edwards." - Jimmy Murphy

"The only player who ever made me feel inferior."
- Sir Bobby Charlton

Tommy Taylor - aged 26, forward, 189 apps., 128 goals,
19 England caps, 16 goals

"I rate him as one of the all-time, best centre-forwards
in the game, and he had yet to realise all his potential.
He was a typically bluff Yorkshireman in many
ways, often acting the clown, and a great team man."
- Bill Foulkes

Liam 'Billy' Whelan - aged 22, forward, 96 apps., 52 goals,
4 Republic of Ireland caps

"Billy was a magician with a ball at his feet. I really don't
think he knew how good he was and how much
better he could have become. A world-class forward.
There is no doubt about that.

His vision and passing was sheer class." - Albert Scanlon

Walter Crickmer,club secretary/Tom Curry,trainer/
Bert Whalley,coach

"Walter Crickmer always reminded me of a little dynamo,
nothing was too much trouble.

Tom Curry, the trainer, was someone we looked up to like
a father.

Bert Whalley was certainly a tremendous help to me when I
was a part-timer." - Bill Foulkes

.....Back To Home Page...

They Think It's All Over .....

So Real Madrid sign Van Der Vaart and this saga concerning The Slave
is all over ?

Fergie announced just hours after they made this signing "That's the
issue finished with now".

Calderon said "I think this will be our only signing this year".

I say "what a fiasco !"

This has been so unprofessional and childish it's beyond belief !
I always thought when you join a club then you play your heart out
for them or you don't join them. You have to be dedicated to the
cause or what are you doing there ?

The Slave has shown no commitment or loyalty at all during this
whole episode ! He worries about HIS dreams and HIS money. I
said 12 months ago he is greedy and ambitious to one cause, the
Cristiano Ronaldo cause. Seems I was right.

So now we have the question "How will the fans treat Ronaldo the
first time he runs out onto the hallowed turf of Old Trafford ?"

When I read stories about the likes of Albert Scanlon, Tommy Tay-
lor, Duncan Edwards, Liam Whelan, Harry Gregg, oh the list is
endless, it just makes you sit back in awe at their commitment !
They had loyalty second to none and they performed miracles.

Albert Scanlon spoke with the MEN back in February, I dont have
the article to hand but he was saying how, on match days, he
would get up with butterflies in his stomach, have a small meal
and then tie his bootlaces together and sling them round his neck
and walk to Old Trafford from his house in Salford.

They trained 5 days a week on top of this and were paid some rid-
iculous amount of money £10 maybe, probably less. Many of the
players back in those days had to have a second job just to survive !!

My God they played their hearts out too. They would be there for
the match no matter what ! Just as well because there were no
rest days back then, no substitutes to take your place if you were
a bit off colour. It was one way, once you ran on that pitch that
was it ... you finish the game.

So where did it all go so wrong ?

That question is for another day I think. All of this was way bef-
ore my time but I read about it and I am more in awe of these guys
from the Busby Babes era than ever before.

There was no questioning their commitment. They performed week in
and week out, winning league titles and cups left right and centre.
There was no cash cow or money carrot driving them on. The wages
were rubbish until the 80s.

It was all commitment and loyalty, shown by a rare few these days.

United have had some magnificent number 7s through the years but
right now we have .....

Ronaldo !!

Albert Scanlon Hit's Out At Ronaldo

MUNICH survivor Albert Scanlon has slammed United 'slave'
Cristiano Ronaldo - branding him 'a silly boy'.

Albert, who was one of the original Busby Babes hit out at the
£120,000-a-week Portugese 'star' after he backed FIFA president
Sepp Blatter's claim he had been treated like a slave by the Reds.

Albert is 72 years old now. He gains nothing from saying things
like this. So for him to feel it necessary to comment like this
kind of makes it hit home a little bit more than the rubbish we hear
about in the press. At his home in Salford where he has lived all his
life, Albert said Ronaldo's comments showed he was `naive' and
claimed he `lacked maturity'. At his peak Albert earned £25 a week !!



As reported by The Manchester Evening News Albert went on to say:

"He's not a slave is he? He is a silly boy. Who in their right mind would think that? He never has been - and if he
was I wouldn't have minded being in the same boat."

Ronaldo's future has been subject to a lot of speculation over the summer.

Real Madrid have continually stated their interest in him. He too has said it would be his dream to play for
them. I think Real Madrid need to learn a bit more about maturity and good manners too. For a club of their
stature and standing to behave the way they have is a disgrace !!

Ronaldo has four years of his contract to run and United have stood firm - prompting Blatter's outburst.

When asked about Ronaldo's `predicament' Blatter sparked fury by claiming: "In modern football there's
too much slavery."

And responding to the outburst in Portugal, Ronaldo said: "I completely agree with the president of FIFA."

Scanlon, who fractured his skull in the 1958 air disaster, tips Ronaldo to stay, but laughed off the claims
of the Portugese maestro.

"I've met him and he's a nice lad," he said. "But he's easily led and it looks like he's jumping on the
bandwagon by
agreeing with what headmaster Blatter has said."

Cristiano Ronaldo seems to forget HE DID HAVE THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE TO CHOOSE WHO HE
PLAYED FOR
AND WAS HAPPY TO PUT PEN TO PAPER WITH THE NEW CONTRACT HE SIGNED 12 MONTHS AGO !!!!

He wasn't forced to sign it and he was reported as saying to the press at the time he was happy
at United.

You have a contract Mr Ronaldo and you signed it !!

You ARE obliged to HONOUR it.

Now shut up and get on with it !!