NFR United on BBC tonight

[os5889]

It was quite clearly about Bobby Charlton and Jimmy Murphy, I thought it was very sympathetic to Sir Matt and the only real villian was Alan Hardaker

Not quite sure if Hardaker was portrayed as a villian - there was remorse on his part within the film IMO.  A petty bureaucrat, maybe, but not necessarily a villian.  That said, what was the history behind the League seeking to stop English teams participating in the European Cup?  Early on in the film Hardaker said he'd stopped Chelsea from competing the previous season.  Is that a fact?  I appreciate the whys and wherefores of that situation were beyond the scope of the film, but would be interested to know what that was all about nonetheless

http://www.europeancuphistory.com/euro57.html

1955 League Champions Chelsea had withdrawn from the inaugural competition before it began after pressure from the Football League who feared that the new competition would create too much fixture congestion, but Manchester United, under manager Matt Busby, were determined to accept their invitation to compete in the second tournament and pressured the Football Association into backing their desire to participate in the fledgling competition. Busby had the foresight to see that the European Cup was the future of football and that participation would be of great economic benefit to his club and would increase the footballing education of his players. He could also see that his United team was one that could challenge the best teams in Europe for some years to come. Christened the 'Busby Babes,' his young side had won the League Championship by a whopping eleven points thanks to exciting young talents such as Duncan Edwards, Eddie Coleman and Tommy Taylor, and, despite their domination of the English game at that time – they would retain the championship by an eight point margin – it was felt by many that their best days were still ahead of them. Edwards played most of his games at the centre of defence, but he was more than capable of playing in any position. He had made his United debut at the tender age of 16 and became the youngest England international ever just a year later. With the likes of a young Bobby Charlton and the playmaker Coleman ahead of him and Taylor up front with Dennis Viollet, Edwards and the rest of the Busby Babes had become the major force in English football. With Glasgow Rangers representing Scotland, Britain now had two league champions, who were also two of their biggest clubs, taking part in the competition, and they were expected to present a serious challenge to Real Madrid and the rest of Europe's top teams.

[leonffc]

A reminder that BBC have a documentary on Bobby Charlton on BBC2 on Thursday. I was lucky enough to see him play live many times. May be worth a look.

What sort of player was he. Did he compare to any modern day player. I was talking to my dad about this whilst watching 'United' and he only said "bloody good".
The only footage I've ever seen are those of Charlton spanking the ball in from distance. What else did he have 'in his bag'?

[The Doctor]

Some good research there, Owen.  Regarding the fixture congestion, I wonder how they worked it with international qualifiers?  Seeing as Murphy had to miss the trip to Belgrade for the Wales v Israel game, presumably some players found themselves having to make a choice between club and country on certain matchdays.  

Thank the lord that we have UEFA and FIFA to oversee the smooth running of the game at all levels nowadays  :wum:

[Peabody]

Yes he was a great player but was a bit tempramental inhis early days, as he got older and matured he became a complete player. He was more of an attacking midfielder, quite different from Johnny Haynes so was not really able to compare them. I tell you what though, he could really hit that ball.

[finnster01]

Some good research there, Owen.  Regarding the fixture congestion, I wonder how they worked it with international qualifiers?  Seeing as Murphy had to miss the trip to Belgrade for the Wales v Israel game, presumably some players found themselves having to make a choice between club and country on certain matchdays.  

Thank the lord that we have UEFA and FIFA to oversee the smooth running of the game at all levels nowadays  :wum:

I finally figured out what UEFA and FIFA stands for:
UEFA - Useless Errorprone French Arses
FIFA - Fat Individuals Fat A4envelopes

[HatterDon]

A reminder that BBC have a documentary on Bobby Charlton on BBC2 on Thursday. I was lucky enough to see him play live many times. May be worth a look.

What sort of player was he. Did he compare to any modern day player. I was talking to my dad about this whilst watching 'United' and he only said "bloody good".
The only footage I've ever seen are those of Charlton spanking the ball in from distance. What else did he have 'in his bag'?

Charlton began as a winger -- debut against Charlton [!] -- and became one of the first creative attacking midfielders in the "modern style." Haynes was another. Charlton could supply the forward line and control the supply from defense into attack. He could also lead the attack. He possessed a thundering left foot. Considering the ball weighed about twice what it does now, he could seriously smash it -- and accurately.

I saw Charlton four times in person -- once as player-manager of Preston -- and if there was anyone in today's game who was similar in impact on opponents [you'd better know where he was at all times] it's probably a fitter and somewhat younger Steven Gerrard. I didn't ever see Haynes in person, so Charlton remains the finest English player I've ever seen in the flesh.

[Lighthouse]

Saw both Charlton and Foulkes play many times. Foulkes actually moved seats before the crash and they say the plane broke under his old seat. His only injury was being hit onthe head with a bottle.

Saw the BBC prog and it was very moving if a little simplistic. Alan Hardaker comes over as a panto baddy. Have a signed copy of his book somewhere.

No mention of us being cheated in the semi final. But nevertheless worth a watch.