Telling the story of Munich to young Reds
When Matt Busby’s exciting young team overcame Red Star Belgrade in the European Cup quarter-final second leg on 5 February 1958, United’s season was brimming with possibilities.
Tragically, smiles were wiped off every face associated with United a day after that second leg at Red Star. In Munich, Germany – where the team’s plane had stopped to refuel – disaster struck. Twice the plane attempted to take off, without success.
On the third go, slush and snow forced the aircraft off the runway, through a fence and into a nearby house. Many passengers died immediately; others were taken to hospital. When the legendary Duncan Edwards passed away on 21 February – over two weeks after the crash – he became the 23rd and final fatality.
MANCHESTER MOURNS
The disaster took the lives of eight players: Edwards, Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam ‘Billy’ Whelan.
Three staff members also perished: Walter Crickmer, Tom Curry and Bert Whalley. Many journalists who covered the team were also onboard, and eight of them were taken too, including the famous former Manchester City goalkeeper Frank Swift.
It was the darkest day in our club’s history, and the effects are still felt to this day. The whole of Manchester mourned for those lost, and the crash’s devastating impact traumatised Britain’s football community.
Initially, many thought it would mean United’s demise as a major force. The injured Matt Busby would not return to England until April, 71 days after the crash.
Busby's heartbroken assistant, Jimmy Murphy – who had missed the trip because he was taking charge of Wales – was made temporary manager.
It wasn’t the end of United, though. Our first game after Munich came on 19 February: an FA Cup fifth-round tie against Sheffield Wednesday at Old Trafford, which we won 3-0. On the cover of the match programme was a powerful, now-famous message: ‘United will go on.’
In a statement below it, chairman Harold Hardman wrote: ‘Although we mourn our dead and grieve for our wounded we believe that great days are not done for us... The road back may be long and hard but with the memory of those who died at Munich, of their stirring achievements and wonderful sportsmanship ever with us, Manchester United will rise again.’
Hardman would eventually be proven right, although it would take years for United to return to the levels of glory delivered by the Busby Babes. But there were immediate signs of huge determination and spirit.
While AC Milan knocked us out of Europe, and we fell away in the league – winning just one of our 14 remaining games – our mashed-together team battled all the way to the FA Cup final, against the odds.
Murphy’s men were a mixture of survivors (Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes and Harry Gregg), inexperienced youngsters (Shay Brennan and Mark Pearson) and hasty transfers (Stan Crowther and Ernie Taylor). But, inspired by United’s support – and the goodwill of the entire nation – we reached Wembley, only to fall 2-0 to Bolton.
Failure has never been more heroic.
Munich had broken Manchester United and destroyed arguably our greatest-ever team, but in the months after the tragedy, there was already clear evidence that the club could be remade.
And though the road ahead would indeed be “long and hard”, as Hardman predicted, our epic journey in the decade that followed would cement the club’s place in footballing legend.
This is chapter taken from our official children's book, United Chronicles, explaining the history of our club to young Reds.