No Munich Air Disaster

[Nytram01]

On this, the anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster of 1958, I ask the question; What if it never happened? What if the Busby Babes were never destroyed through deaths and injuries? How would English football have developed with that great team still around and dominant?

Info on the disaster: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_...United_players

[hammo1j]

With Duncan Edwards we (England) could have been looking at 2 possibly 3 World Cup victories. Probably MU get another couple of European Cups.

Maybe Edwards might have over shadowed Best and thus Best would self destruct a bit earlier than OTL...

[Nick Sumner]

Originally Posted by hammo1j

With Duncan Edwards we (England) could have been looking at 2 possibly 3 World Cup victories. Probably MU get another couple of European Cups.

Maybe Edwards might have over shadowed Best and thus Best would self destruct a bit earlier than OTL...

Was Edwards that good? The Brazilians were becoming extremely strong at this time.

[Nytram01]

Originally Posted by Nick Sumner

Was Edwards that good? The Brazilians were becoming extremely strong at this time.

It seems that everyone who saw him play believed him to be the greatest player that they had ever seen. Sir Bobby Charlton said that Edwards was the only player he ever felt inferior to.

This is from wikipedia about Edwards legacy as a player:

Duncan Edwards was and is still admired by all those who knew him. Bobby Charlton, England's all time top scoring player, claimed that he wasn't fit to lace Duncan's boots, and that he "was the only player that made me feel inferior". The former England manager Terry Venables watched him play against his beloved Tottenham Hotspur as a youngster and said he was the greatest player he had ever seen. Edward's Manchester United team mate Wilf McGuinness holds him in similar regard, and commenting on the Munich air crash stated: "We definitely did lose one of the all-time greats". Sir Matt Busby described him as "the best player in the world".

Due to his potential brilliance, it has even been claimed that had he lived on it would have been he, not Bobby Moore, who lifted the World Cup trophy as England captain in 1966, and added to Manchester United's already impressive success during this decade.

Ability

According to those who played alongside and against Duncan Edwards on a football field, he was the 'complete footballer' without a single weakness in his game. He had unrivalled stamina and, it was said, could have run for days. He could shoot powerfully with both feet, was dominant in the air, could tackle very well, and was also a good passer of the ball.

Quotes

• "He was incomparable, I feel terrible trying to explain to people just how good he was, his death was the biggest single tragedy ever to happen to Manchester United and English football. I always felt I could compare well with any player - except Duncan. He was such a talent, I always felt inferior to him. He didn't have a fault with his game." - Bobby Charlton

• "You can keep all your Bests, Peles and Maradonas, Duncan Edwards was the greatest of them all" - Tommy Docherty

• "When I used to hear Muhammad Ali proclaim to the world he was the greatest, I used to smile. You see, the greatest of them all was an English footballer named Duncan Edwards." - Jimmy Murphy

[james31]

Just watched the drama on BBC2 tonight about this. Very sad tale. Not the only footballing disaster ofc - there was another 9 years earlier... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superga_air_disaster

Some people believe that the disaster is what transformed Manchester United from a normal club into a legend. I disagree.

I don't think that England's performances would have been benefitted at tournaments. Until Ramsey came in, I believe there were bigger problems than just 2 or 3 players could fix. A pre-Munich Manchester United side in 61/62 could even have prevented Ipswich from winning the league... weakening his credentials and perhaps giving England another manager.