Product Description

On 6 February 1958, British European Airways flight 609 crashed in a blizzard on its third attempt to take off from an icy runaway in Munich. On board were the Manchester United football team, returning from their 3-3 draw against Red Star Belgrade, as well as a number of journalists and other passengers. Twenty-three of the forty-four passengers and crew aboard died. News of the disaster sent shockwaves around the world. For people who lived in Manchester at the time and for football fans throughout Britain it was one of those moments, like Kennedy's assassination, when everybody remembers exactly where they were and how they heard the terrible news. Manchester United, nicknamed the Busby Babes after their manager, Matt Busby, who had created the world-beating side, were the leading team of the day.Seven of their players were killed instantly in the crash - Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam Whelan. Three weeks later Duncan Edwards, one of the most promising players ever to come out of England, lost his battle for life. Two other players, Jackie Blanchflower and Johnny Berry, were so severely injured that they were never able to play again. "Manchester's Finest" tells of this terrible air crash, but it is also the story of the immediate aftermath of the disaster and the effect on the city of Manchester. It paints a vivid picture of Manchester at that time, from February 1958 to the end of the season in May when a patched-up team, carried along on a great wave of emotion, reached the FA Cup Final. It is about the fans, the people of Manchester and about the place of a football team in the heart of a city.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #101814 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

From the Inside Flap
On 6 February 1958 British European Airways’ flight 609 crashed in a blizzard on its third attempt to take off from an icy runway in Munich. On board were the Manchester United football team, returning from their 3 – 3 draw against Red Star in Belgrade, as well as a number of journalists and other passengers. Twenty-three of the forty-three passengers and crew aboard died in the crash. News of the disaster sent shockwaves around the world. For people who lived in Manchester at that time and for football fans throughout Britain it was one of those moments, like Kennedy’s assassination, when everybody remembers exactly where they were and how they heard that terrible news.

Manchester United, nicknamed Busby’s Babes after their manager, Matt Busby, who had created the world-beating side, were the leading team of the day. Seven of their players were killed instantly in the crash – Roger Byrne, Geoff Bent, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam Whelan. Three weeks later Duncan Edwards, one of the most promising players ever to come out of England, lost his battle for life. Two other players, Jackie Blanchflower and Johnny Berry, were so severely injured that they were never able to play again.

The Flowers of Manchester is about the terrible air crash, but it is also the story of the immediate aftermath of the crash and its effect on the city of Manchester. It is about what it was like in Manchester at that time, from February to the end of the season in May when a patched-up team, carried along on a great wave of emotion, reached the FA Cup Final. It is about the fans, the people of Manchester and their lives, and about the place of a football team in the heart of a city.

From the Back Cover
On 6 February 1958 British European Airways’ flight 609 crashed in a blizzard on its third attempt to take off from an icy runway in Munich. On board were the Manchester United football team, returning from their 3 – 3 draw against Red Star in Belgrade, as well as a number of journalists and other passengers. Twenty-three of the forty-three passengers and crew aboard died in the crash. News of the disaster sent shockwaves around the world. For people who lived in Manchester at that time and for football fans throughout Britain it was one of those moments, like Kennedy’s assassination, when everybody remembers exactly where they were and how they heard that terrible news.
Manchester United, nicknamed Busby’s Babes after their manager, Matt Busby, who had created the world-beating side, were the leading team of the day. Seven of their players were killed instantly in the crash – Roger Byrne, Geoff Bent, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam Whelan. Three weeks later Duncan Edwards, one of the most promising players ever to come out of England, lost his battle for life. Two other players, Jackie Blanchflower and Johnny Berry, were so severely injured that they were never able to play again.
The Flowers of Manchester is about the terrible air crash, but it is also the story of the immediate aftermath of the crash and its effect on the city of Manchester. It is about what it was like in Manchester at that time, from February to the end of the season in May when a patched-up team, carried along on a great wave of emotion, reached the FA Cup Final. It is about the fans, the people of Manchester and their lives, and about the place of a football team in the heart of a city.

About the Author
David Hall has been a lifelong Manchester United fan, and was eleven when the Munich air disaster happened. He has been a TV producer for over thirty years and made many television series with Fred Dibnah for the BBC. He is also the author of Fred, the definitive biography of Fred Dibnah, published by Bantam Press.

Customer Reviews

Manchester's Finest by David Hall
A wonderful book. Written with feeling and passion. Brilliant at conveying to today's generation exactly what it was like to have lived through this tragedy as a young Mancunian. In an instant one rewinds back 50 years.
The book is unashamedly subjective and makes no pretensions to be otherwise. So criticisms along the lines of 'non MU diehards feeling short changed' are wide of the mark. My own first loyalty is 10 miles from Old Trafford, but by the end of the book I was emotionally drained.
A point understated at the 50th anniversary commemoration is the equally savage impact on the England team. And the appalling gaffe by the 'selectors' in refusing to pick Bobby Charlton during the 58 World Cup. The spine of the 58 England team was ripped out. The WC final could and maybe should have been England v Brazil.
To be fair though the book is primarily concerned with the immediate aftermath and the effect on the club and the fans and the city.
It is just impossible to praise it too highly.

Memories


David Hall has written an autobiography tracing his support for Manchester United. As with any autobiography it's selective but in choosing the theme of the Munich air crash of 1958 as its focal point he's failed to do justice to the team that died.

The loss of Roger Byrne, Duncan Edwards and Tommy Taylor ripped the heart out of the United and England teams. All were exceptionally talented players, none more so than Edwards but it wasn't only Manchester which felt the loss, the emotion, or the tragedy of the occasion.

It was felt by everyone but the most stupid of partisan soccer "fans" who had been impressed with the Busby Babes, their exciting play and the cruel way they were beaten in the 1957 Cup Final by Peter McParland's goals and challenge on Ray Wood.

Most people in the post-Munich months willed them to win the Cup, a dream denied by Nat Lofthouse's unpunished foul on the hero of Munich Harry Gregg. Ten years later we were delighted when Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes were in the team which won the European Cup and could see the unexpressed pain and joy that was simultaneously written on the faces of Matt Busby and Bobby Charlton. The recovery from Munich helped to create the myth of Manchester United.

Hall has bought into the myth just as people bought into the Kennedy myth after Dallas. He defends that myth and in doing so glosses over the atrocious way the club treated many of the survivors of Munich, including Gregg and Billy Foulkes who played for two years with head pains and no treatment.

United itself survived because, unlike the great Torino team which perished in an air crash in 1949, there were survivors. They were fortunate too that Assistant Manager, Jimmy Murphy, missed the Munich flight because he was with the Welsh squad of which he was the manager. It was Murphy who got the best out of the players by instilling in them belief and confidence after the traumatic events in Germany.

Hall's book provides an interesting social commentary on the lives of Manchester's Catholic community but very little about Munich that is not already known. In his final paragraphs he makes comments about those Manchester City "fans" who goaded their United counterparts with Munich chants. In the derby match which marked the fiftieth anniversary of the disaster - and took place after the publication of the book - all City fans showed a respectful silence.

Manchester United diehards will like this book. Other readers may feel shortchanged by its autobiographical aspects. What is clear is that it's a far better volume than what passes for players's autobiographies and it is at least written by the man himself and not some ghostwriter.