The Flowers Of Manchester
Idag är det 50 år sedan United's kanske bästa lag genom tiderna förolyckades. Bland de döda fanns 8 spelare, av dom en av världens bästa spelare, Duncan Edwards, av många ansedd som den bäste spelaren i United någonsin. I tragedin följde mängder med förlorade liga- och europacupguld, men det har också "hjälpt" till att göra United till den klubb man är idag...
Här följer texten till låten The Flowers Of Manchester. Texten är skriven av en anonym person och blev inskickad till folkmusibladet "Sing" i oktober 1958. Gruppen Spinners satte musik till texten och gav 1962 ut en platta med The Flowers Of Manchester.
Sedan 2001 är det tradition från supportrar att samlas under minnesplaketten på Old Trafford den hemmamatch som ligger närmast 6 februari för att sjunga låten..
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.
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 Johnny Berry n’ Jackie 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.
