Minute's silence for Munich Air Disaster

[Tryph]

BBC page:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7201817.stm

And debated on 606 here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A31406221


Now I know the debate of a minute’s silence has been done before but I think this really shows the mentality of these fans. I don’t want to say Northerners but, I’m sure its what we are all thinking.

I know I am sounding very high and mighty here but my reasons are as follows. When Arsenal’s David Rocastle died we Spurs fans performed an impeccable minute’s silence. In the Spurs programme at the next Spurs game, Arsenal fans had written to the club to thank us for our away fan’s excellent behaviour and wished that if it ever occurred the other way around, Arsenal fans would show an equal attitude.

Similarly, at the Chelsea F.A. Cup game, (the 3-3 result), last season, the announcer at half time came out and thanked us for the perfect one minute’s silence we gave Peter Osgood’s memorial in the previous league match at the Bridge. The Chelsea fans then all applauded our fans. Now I felt really chuffed that our fans were thanked for our respect.

Is it because our rivalry is not as great? Of course not. It’s because we realise that football is football and respecting the dead is another matter. Not an important thread, I know, but something I wanted to get off my chest.

 

[TheBlueRooster]

I think it's a hard one to really understand. On one point United have wallowed in the pitty of the air disaster, I've often felt it's been one of the reasons that they have a huge fan base. The crash did get them a lot of sympathy and people followed their progress after that. It was a tragic thing to happen but others lost their lives in that plane who get little or no recognition.

IMO do the clapping and drown out anyone who my want to ruin it. If you go for the silence then someone will shout something that John Motson will be shocked at.

Silence for the odd player now and again even if it's a bitter rival, will be respected as it's not going to be "marked" every year afterwards.

 

[AW?]

I just flew back form Italy last night and while i was over there all i was hearing about was planes fucking up. Slightly unsettling it was, but then again i'm not a huge fan of flying anyway.

 

[Tryph]

I hate flying too. I'm not afraid of flying, I just hate sitting there for four hours in a cramped space doing nothing.

I agree with you Blue Rooster, Man U have milked the disaster in the same way Liverpool have milked Hillsboro. However, I really don't think that it's the milking of the event that makes their rival fans act like that.

And remember, this isn't a run of the mill memorial, it is the 50th anniversary. I think that deserves some level of respect - City are doing something with their shirts as a mark of respect if I am correct.

 

[Bonjour]

I heard the BA plane crash at the weekend was a dress rehearsal for Man U's 50th anniversary display, soon to be held at Old Trafford.

 

[TheBlueRooster]

I hate flying too. I'm not afraid of flying, I just hate sitting there for four hours in a cramped space doing nothing.

I agree with you Blue Rooster, Man U have milked the disaster in the same way Liverpool have milked Hillsboro. However, I really don't think that it's the milking of the event that makes their rival fans act like that.

And remember, this isn't a run of the mill memorial, it is the 50th anniversary. I think that deserves some level of respect - City are doing something with their shirts as a mark of respect if I am correct.

Yeah I agree about the 50th annivesary and I expected something to be done, but who apart from Man Utd really care any more? Most of the fans I speak to think they played Bayern Munich that night.

The thing that gets me is what tit decided to have a Manchester derby at that time of the season? It's just as stupid as having Liverpool playing Juventus on the aninversary of Heysel (sp?).

 

[TheBlueRooster]

I heard the BA plane crash at the weekend was a dress rehearsal for Man U's 50th anniversary display, soon to be held at Old Trafford.

And that is so sick it's funny...:rofl::rofl::rofl:

 

[deathtoarsenal]

I agree with you Blue Rooster, Man U have milked the disaster in the same way Liverpool have milked Hillsboro. However, I really don't think that it's the milking of the event that makes their rival fans act like that.

City are doing something with their shirts as a mark of respect if I am correct.

Fuck off. Firstly, Hillsborough and the Munich Air Disaster are two events that should never be compared. The air crash was a tragic accident and no one's fault. The same can't really be said for Hillsborough.

Secondly, how have United milked it? It's never shoved in anyone's face and the anniversary is never made a fuss of. Some of this country's most promising players lost their lives and I don't think a fiftieth anniversary to pay respects is asking very much.

The shirts thing wasn't City's idea.

Yeah I agree about the 50th annivesary and I expected something to be done, but who apart from Man Utd really care any more? Most of the fans I speak to think they played Bayern Munich that night.

The thing that gets me is what tit decided to have a Manchester derby at that time of the season? It's just as stupid as having Liverpool playing Juventus on the aninversary of Heysel (sp?).

Who cares anymore?! Everyone with an interest in football I would hope. Duncan Edwards would have gone on to become one of this country's greatest players, not to mention the other great talents which English football lost.

It's nothing like your Heysel analogy. Liverpool and Juve fans were both responsible for that. United and City are just football rivals - if City can't respect that then they should be shown up for the scum they are. No need to change fixtures because one set of fans are too low to act respectfully for one minute.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

I remember when the plane crash happened; I was nine years old. We didn't have a TV but read it in the morning newspaper and heard about it on the radio as the tragedy unfolded. We followed the news day by day as some players in hospital didn't make it and as Matt Busby eventually came out of the oxygen tent and survived.

There were so many lives lost, not just the Man U team but also reporters and other men involved in football. One of my heroes, retired goalie turned journo Frank Swift, died and of course Danny Blanchflower's brother Jackie's leg was so badly damaged that he never played again.

Marking the 50th anniversary is fine with me and I'll observe the silence as a mark of respect for some very fine young men who died on that terrible day. Bear in mind that Man U went on to great success despite losing most of that team, a true demonstration of courage and spirit in adversity.

Maybe they did pick up a huge fan base as a result, but that's not surprising really.

 

[Kendall]

It's got fuck all to do with being northern you total fucking muppet.

There are idiots all over this country who will boo and heckle anything.

 

[Bonjour]

It's got fuck all to do with being northern you total fucking muppet.

There are idiots all over this country who will boo and heckle anything.

Boooo.

Get off you muppet.

 

[SpurSince57]

I remember when the plane crash happened; I was nine years old. We didn't have a TV but read it in the morning newspaper and heard about it on the radio as the tragedy unfolded. We followed the news day by day as some players in hospital didn't make it and as Matt Busby eventually came out of the oxygen tent and survived.

There were so many lives lost, not just the Man U team but also reporters and other men involved in football. One of my heroes, retired goalie turned journo Frank Swift, died and of course Danny Blanchflower's brother Jackie's leg was so badly damaged that he never played again.

Marking the 50th anniversary is fine with me and I'll observe the silence as a mark of respect for some very fine young men who died on that terrible day. Bear in mind that Man U went on to great success despite losing most of that team, a true demonstration of courage and spirit in adversity.

Maybe they did pick up a huge fan base as a result, but that's not surprising really.

I was a bit younger than you and we did have a TV, an enormous walnut-cabineted thing with a tiny screen, and my dad or grand-dad had to get up and thump the thing every ten minutes. I've still got hazy memories of the flickery news pictures. In fact I think I asked if Jackie Blanchflower would be all right.

Easy to be blasé about it now, but it did stun the entire country at the time. And United never have milked it. If anyone has, it's been City, and then Leeds, 'supporters' who keep on singing 'Who's that dying on the runway?' And whilst it did get United a lot of sympathy, I'm pretty sure most neutrals were backing Bolton as the underdogs in the '58 cup final.

Applause seems pretty inappropriate to me. Fine for a great player who's died, but for this? Silence, please. Using the applause of the majority to mask out the ****s is pretty pisspoor.

 

[deathtoarsenal]

Applause seems pretty inappropriate to me. Fine for a great player who's died, but for this? Silence, please. Using the applause of the majority to mask out the ****s is pretty pisspoor.

Absolutely and that's why it's going to be silence. No doubt there will be a sizeable minority of City fans who'll show themselves up for the subhuman scum they are, but to start bending over to accommodate these types is madness.

 

[Liquidator]

I think it's completely appropriate to show silent respect for - in Sir Matt Busby's opinion - Man Utd's greatest ever team. However, it would also be appropriate if they were some 2nd Div team.

It's not like anyone's milking it - but it is the 50th anniversary - the last opportunity for anyone involved or who lost someone to reflect upon an enormous sporting tragedy.

And if the FA don't have the balls to organise a tribute at Wembley, then the stupid bleeding idiots should NOT have organised an England match for that night.

Those blazered fools make me despair.