Terrace Talk

50 years ago, a team comprised of a set of talented youngsters swept through the English First Division with superb play, sublime teamwork, and sheer guts that exemplified the very best of the English game. In fact, such was their level of play that their run at glory extended beyond England. During a time when British clubs struggled to make the breakthrough against continental opposition, this Manchester United squad were considered one of the strong favorites for the 1958 European Cup.

A tough quarter-final away match in the unfamiliar confines of Belgrade had been played. Manchester United came away with a thrilling 3-3 result and ensure qualification to the semifinals of Europe’s biggest club competition.

These were the Busby Babes……

And 50 years ago today, those Busby Babes were ripped apart on a cold, wet, snowy night in Munich. Returning home from Belgrade, flight 609 Zulu Uniform failed to take to the skies, and the hopes and dreams of an entire city and country came crashing down to earth.


Overnight, the world changed for the game. People’s lives hung in the balance as doctors toiled to save the injured. Matt Busby, the coaching legend who had raised these young stars into a glittering team, lay on a gurney, unresponsive. Other survivors had a variety of injuries, some major, some minor.

And they were the lucky ones……

Lost At Munich

The roll-call of great United captains undoubtedly includes Roy Keane, Bryan Robson and Johnny Carey. But no such list would be complete without mention of Roger Byrne.

In 1956 he led United to the First Division championship. This was Busby’s second title triumph in five years but the team had changed almost beyond recognition in the intervening period, with only Byrne and Johnny Berry playing a part in both campaigns. By now, the Busby Babes had made their mark and the average age of the side was just 22.

In 1957 the team was more experienced and United almost achieved a unique treble, winning the league for a second successive season, reaching the semi-final of the European Cup and the final of the FA Cup, where they lost to Aston Villa.

Afterwards, Byrne commented: “Never mind, we’ll be back next year.” True to his word, United returned to Wembley the following season. Tragically, Byrne never did.


Geoff Bent was a Salford-born Red who died in tragic circumstances at Munich Airport.

The full-back only travelled to Belgrade as cover for injured defender Roger Byrne, who actually recovered in time for the Busby Babes’ clash with Red Star - thus rendering Bent’s presence on the trip unnecessary.

In his footballing youth, Bent played for Tootal Road Modern school and was the captain of Salford Schoolboys when they won the English Schools’ Trophy in 1947.

He signed for United as an amateur in August 1948, turning professional a year later in May 1949. He made his League debut on 11th December 1954 against Burnley, replacing the injured Roger Byrne at left full-back.

However, first team opportunities were limited and Bent only made 12 first team appearances for Manchester United, before his untimely death in Munich.

Nicknamed ‘Snakehips’ for his trademark body swerve, Eddie Colman, a cheeky young half back from Salford, was one of Old Trafford’s great crowd-pleasers.

A Busby Babe, the former Salford and Ordsall schoolboys player was almost ever-present in the first team. Colman signed amateur forms in 1952 before turning professional in November ‘53. He was a member of United’s Youth Cup-winning teams in ‘53, ‘54 and ‘55, captaining the side to the last success.

Colman’s half-back partnership with close pal Duncan Edwards really fired the imagination of the fans, Eddie a Jack-in-the-box of jinks and twisting trickery, Duncan a ferocious competitor who thundered across the turf. Colman was no shrinking violet, however. His ball-winning skills, mixed with astute passing, regularly left opponents flat-footed.

Colman had won two championship medals and appeared on the losing side in the 1957 FA Cup final by the time of the fateful trip home from Belgrade on 6 February 1958. Forever young, he’s remembered fondly by all those who enjoy seeing the game played with a smile.

David Pegg was signed for United as an amateur in 1950 after impressing for Doncaster Schoolboys.

In the following season he was capped five times by England schoolboys and his performances in the Reds’ youth team helped them win two FA Youth Cups (1953, 1954).

His first team debut came at the age of 17 in 1952 but he had to wait until the 1955/56 season to gain a regular place in Matt Busby’s side. In his first two full seasons in the first team – 1956 and 1957 – he won consecutive league championship medals.

He also played on the losing side against Aston Villa in the 1957 FA Cup final and, in the same year, won his only England cap.

Pegg’s greatest strength on the pitch was his delivery from the left-wing. He also possessed astute ball skills, which made it easy for him to lose his marker, and found the net 27 times in 150 appearances. In 1957/58 Pegg lost his place to Albert Scanlon, but travelled to Belgrade as a substitute for that fateful match against Red Star.


Mark Jones joined United as an amateur in June 1948 and was part of the era’s fruitful youth system.

An accomplished half-back, Jones had to wait patiently for his promotion to the Reds’ senior side. He was initially understudy for Allenby Chilton, but was an ever-present first team player in United’s 1955-56 Championship season.

Alongside Eddie Colman and Duncan Edwards, Jones made up what was considered to be one of the finest half-back lines in the country. The following season’s emergence of Jackie Blanchflower saw Jones miss out on a place in the 1957 FA Cup final.

A commanding half-back, Jones was a hard tackling player who was good in the air. A quiet man off the field, at the age of 24 he had not yet reached his peak and would almost certainly have been capped by England.


Matt Busby described Duncan Edwards as the most ‘complete footballer in Britain - possibly the world’. The greatest tragedy is that his death aged just 21 from injuries sustained in the Munich air crash meant his full potential was never realised.

Armed with boundless stamina, an all-encompassing range of passing and a truly ferocious shot, Edwards was a player who could control any game he played in. His extraordinary ability had been noted across the country when he was just an 11 year-old playing for Dudley schoolboys, and he was coveted across the West Midlands by Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City. By that point his school master had already commented: “I have just seen a boy of 11 who will one day play for England”.

Despite the clamour to keep him tied to the Midlands – Wolves were the top dogs back then – Duncan signed as an amateur for United following a personal visit from Matt Busby on 31 May 1952. Although Busby recalled that he hardly had to sell the club, as Edwards said: “Manchester United is the greatest team in the world. I’d give anything to play for you.”

A hulking physical presence for one so young earned Edwards the nickname of ‘manboy’, and hemade his Football League debut aged just 16 years and 185 days old on 4 April 1953, against Cardiff City. Edwards signed as a professional eight months later, on his 17th birthday, becoming a regular member of the team in the 1953/54 season. Although primarily a left-back, he could give an accomplished performance anywhere on the field.

As a player, Duncan Edwards never gave less than 100 per cent. His attitude on the football pitch was paralleled with a determination to succeed in life. When talking of his life after football he realistically said: “It’s nice to be cheered, but you can’t live forever on cheers. It’s what you have in the bank when you have finished the game that cheers a footballer most of all. People forget very easily and I don’t want to become like some of the old-timers wearing tattered caps and cadging free tickets outside the grounds.”

This probably prompted him to become one of the first players to make the most out of his status, sponsoring energy drinks and other products. He also wrote a book, just before his death, called ‘Tackle Soccer This Way.’

On the football field his success was spectacular. By 21 he had won three Youth Cup winners’ medals, two league championships and appeared in an FA Cup final.

When he made his international debut he became the youngest player to be capped for England in the 20th century at the age of 18 years and 183 days. This record stood for more than 40 years until Liverpool striker Michael Owen was capped in February 1998.

Duncan died on February 21, 1958 from injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster, despite fighting bravely for over a fortnight. After Edwards’ death, England manager Walter Winterbottom said: “It was in the character and spirit of Duncan Edwards that I saw the true revival of British football.”

When his body was brought home, over 5,000 people lined the streets in Dudley, as a tribute. He was buried at Queens Cross cemetery, Dudley, West Midlands.

The name of Duncan Edwards continues to invoke a sense of injustice that one with such a gift was halted before reaching his prime. Those who were lucky enough to see him play invariably regard him as the best player they saw, without ever seeing what he could truly become. And for the modern reader wondering what the closest thing in the game is to him now, the name of Wayne Rooney is regularly mentioned as the closest fit.


Tommy Taylor is regarded by those who saw him play as the greatest centre-forward ever to represent Manchester United and England.

He was the finest header of a ball in his era, his control and first-time passing immaculate, his scoring rate for club and country extraordinary. In fact, he was so good that the great Alfredo Di Stefano of Real Madrid dubbed him ‘Magnifico’.

Taylor is often inaccurately labelled a Busby Babe. Although he was member of Matt Busby’s team of youngsters, he was not home-grown, but signed from Barnsley for £29,999 in March 1953 - a fee agreed so that Taylor would not be burdened with the label of a £30,000 player – a tea lady getting the extra pound.

The big Yorkshireman’s path to Old Trafford was an unusual one in modern terms. At the age of 14 he was working at the Warncliffe Colliery, a job he left to begin a professional football career with Barnsley FC.

At 18 he began two years’ national service and on 25 May 1950 duly became Gunner Taylor 22366853, being posted to Oswestry with the Royal Artillery.

In 1953 United were coming to the end of an era, with Matt Busby and Jimmy Murphy on the look out for a new centre-forward. Taylor fitted the bill and once signed he soon justified their faith. In 189 appearances for United he scored 131 goals, giving him a goal ratio - of two every three games - that remains unsurpassed.

He won championship medals in 1956 (scoring 34 league goals) and 1957 and netted an impressive 16 goals in 19 internationals for England.

Tommy lost his life in the Munich air crash: The world at his feet, his future had been snuffed out at just 26, leaving many to reflect on how he good he could have become.


Liam Whelan was one of the outstanding youngsters who rolled off United’s production line in the 1950’s. Scouted by Billy Behan while playing for Home Farm in Dublin, he started his Reds career by winning an FA Youth Cup medal.

The success continued as Whelan progressed to the first team. His strike-rate of more than one goal per two games helped United to win consecutive League Championships in 1956 and 1957 - although he was also in the team beaten by Aston Villa in the 1957 FA Cup final.

In the following season, Whelan vied with Sir Bobby Charlton for the position of inside-right. The competition between the two players meant that although Whelan had lost his place in the team, he still made the trip to Red Star Belgrade for the quarter-final of the European Cup.


Whelan’s loss was not only felt by Manchester United, but by Ireland too - he won four caps for his country before the crash cruelly cut short his life and promising career.

The Flowers of Manchester


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 Captain Thain,

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


The third time down the runaway disaster followed close,

There was slush upon that runaway and the aircraft never rose,

It ploughed into the marshy ground, it broke, it overturned.

And eight of the team were killed as 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 his team

Three long months passed by before he saw his team again.


The trainer, coach and secretary, and a member of the crew,

Also eight sporting journalists who with United flew,

and one of them Big Swifty, who we will ne’er forget,

the finest English ‘keeper that ever graced the net.


Oh, England’s finest football team its record truly great,

its 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

R.I.P. the Flowers. Lest we forget……