During Busby’s absence, assistant Jimmy Murphy took charge of the team and they defeated Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 in the FA Cup at the end of February that year. More surprisingly, MU once again won the English championship after 7 years and became the first English team to win the C1 Cup when defeating Benfica at Wembley exactly 10 years after the tragedy.
Do not submit to death
After the tragedy that year, no one thought MU could exist anymore or sooner or later it would fall into destruction. But coach Matt Busby’s advice “No matter what, keep the club flag flying” to his partner Jimmy Murphy is like an eternal message, affirming that Man United will always exist.
The team’s reconstruction was immediately launched by coach Matt Busby’s assistant Jimmy Murphy, who did not come to Belgrade due to family matters. Of the nine surviving players, Jackie Blanchflower and Johnny Berry, due to serious injuries, never played again. The remaining 7 entered the new cycle: Bobby Charlton became team captain, along with Gregg, Foulkes, Viollet, Wood, Morgans and Scanlon.
Just 13 days after the accident, on February 19, MU returned to play. FA Cup 1/8 round match against Sheffield Wednesday and won 3-0. Old Trafford Stadium was packed with people (58,250 people) to pay their respects to the team. The lineup in that match included two survivors, goalkeeper Gregg and defender Foulkes, four players making their debuts: Brenan – who scored 2 goals, Crowtwer, Taylor and Pearson. The remaining 5 were members of the squad, but had hardly played until then: Greaves, Godwin, Cope, Webster and Dawson (1 goal).
Great coach Matt Busby reappeared at Wembley in 1958 (Photo: Internet)
From that day on, the team competed in all three tournaments with the highest possible spirit. In the National Championship, the club ranked 9th. In the FA Cup, the team reached the final. In the final, at Wembley, in front of 100,000 fans, MU lost to Bolton Wanderers 0-2. Coach Matts Busby was on crutches, reappeared in public after a long recovery period and returned well the following season. The team pinned a special shield on their jerseys, with an image of a phoenix rising above flames. And in the European Cup, MU was unlucky when they were eliminated from the semi-finals by Milan.
Sir Bobby Charlton was lucky to survive the accident (Photo: Internet)
As one of the surviving members after the disaster, Bobby Charlton has truly grown up, becoming one of the pillars that helped England win the 1966 World Cup and with Man United won their first European championship in 1966. 1968 was only 10 years after the disaster that shook the aviation industry as well as world football.
Become one of the greatest teams
The most brilliant period of development of the “Red Devils” is associated with the name Sir Alex Ferguson, the Scottish coach who led this team for 27 years, winning 13 Premier League championships, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups. , 10 Community Shield titles, 2 Champions League titles, 1 Cup Winners’ Cup title, 1 European Super Cup and 2 Intercontinental Cups.
Sir Alex Ferguson at the 60th anniversary of the Munich disaster (Photo: Internet)
The Munich disaster is a tragic chapter in MU history, which every player playing here must remember. In 2008, before the 50th anniversary, Sir Bobby Charlton asked Sir Alex Ferguson to meet the players privately. He talked to them and gave each of them a DVD of “Busby Babes.” MU players were really shocked at that time. They were speechless when witnessing the talent of their short-lived predecessors. Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Nani, Anderson, Park Ji Sung, Patrice Evra… recounted how the conversation with Sir Bobby Charlton had a “deep impact” on them, a source of motivation transmitted to the players’ minds. somehow helped the MU team win both the Premier League and Champions League in the 2007/08 season.
Images of fans at the 60th anniversary of the Munich disaster (Photo: Internet)
At the “60th anniversary of the Munich disaster” commemoration ceremony held at Old Trafford in 2018, Sir Alex Ferguson mentioned his two predecessors Matt Busby and Jimmy Murphy, who inspired and motivated him. He was in charge and won many honors for MU.
He affirmed: “The Babes are a part of the club’s history, always an example for the next generation of players to strive for. Their tragedy has left the world with a beautiful epic, praising their contributions. contributed from beautiful, courageous and effective play. The spirit of today’s team comes from the young people of Matt Busby.”