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rondwisan

24-06-2010, 11:00 AM

[Legend] Duncan Edwards
ManUtd.com

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa130/bar_1129/2009_2010/Duncan_Edward.jpg

Matt Busby described Duncan Edwards as the most 'complete footballer in Britain - possibly the world'. The greatest tragedy is that his death aged just 21 from injuries sustained in the Munich air crash meant his full potential was never realised.

Armed with boundless stamina, an all-encompassing range of passing and a truly ferocious shot, Edwards was a player who could control any game he played in. His extraordinary ability had been noted across the country when he was just an 11 year-old playing for Dudley schoolboys, and he was coveted across the West Midlands by Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City. By that point his school master had already commented: “I have just seen a boy of 11 who will one day play for England”.

Despite the clamour to keep him tied to the Midlands – Wolves were the top dogs back then – Duncan signed as an amateur for United following a personal visit from Matt Busby on 31 May 1952. Although Busby recalled that he hardly had to sell the club, as Edwards said: “Manchester United is the greatest team in the world. I’d give anything to play for you.”

A hulking physical presence for one so young earned Edwards the nickname of ‘manboy’, and he made his Football League debut aged just 16 years and 185 days old on 4 April 1953, against Cardiff City. Edwards signed as a professional eight months later, on his 17th birthday, becoming a regular member of the team in the 1953/54 season. Although primarily a left-back, he could give an accomplished performance anywhere on the field.

As a player, Duncan Edwards never gave less than 100 per cent. His attitude on the football pitch was paralleled with a determination to succeed in life. When talking of his life after football he realistically said: “It's nice to be cheered, but you can’t live forever on cheers. It’s
what you have in the bank when you have finished the game that cheers a footballer most of all. People forget very easily and I don't want to become like some of the old-timers wearing tattered caps and cadging free tickets outside the grounds."

This probably prompted him to become one of the first players to make the most out of his status, sponsoring energy drinks and other products. He also wrote a book, just before his death, called 'Tackle Soccer This Way.'

On the football field his success was spectacular. By 21 he had won three Youth Cup winners’ medals, two league championships and appeared in an FA Cup final.

When he made his international debut he became the youngest player to be capped for England in the 20th century at the age of 18 years and 183 days. This record stood for more than 40 years until Liverpool striker Michael Owen was capped in February 1998.

Duncan died on February 21, 1958 from injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster, despite fighting bravely for over a fortnight. After Edwards’ death, England manager Walter Winterbottom said: "It was in the character and spirit of Duncan Edwards that I saw the true revival of British football."

When his body was brought home, over 5,000 people lined the streets in Dudley, as a tribute. He was buried at Queens Cross cemetery, Dudley, West Midlands.

The name of Duncan Edwards continues to invoke a sense of injustice that one with such a gift was halted before reaching his prime. Those who were lucky enough to see him play invariably regard him as the best player they saw, without ever seeing what he could truly become. And for the modern reader wondering what the closest thing in the game is to him now, the name of Wayne Rooney is regularly mentioned as the closest fit.

rondwisan

24-06-2010, 11:18 AM

untuk nyambung di Munich disaster di sini yaa ...

http://www.unitedindonesia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16

dancoloveunited

24-06-2010, 11:23 AM

untuk pictures nya nyambung kesini...

http://www.unitedindonesia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1249

Andi Istiabudi

24-06-2010, 11:59 AM

Duncan Edwards

Duncan Edwards (1 October 1936 – 21 February 1958) was an English footballer who played for Manchester United and the England national team. He was one of the Busby Babes, the young United team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid 1950s, and one of eight players who died as a result of the Munich air disaster.

Born in Dudley, Edwards signed for Manchester United as a teenager and went on to become the youngest player to play in the Football League First Division and the then youngest England player since the Second World War. In a professional career of less than five years he helped United to win two Football League championships and reach the semi-finals of the European Cup. Although he survived the crash of the team's aeroplane at Munich in February 1958, he died as a result of his injuries 15 days later.

Early years

Edwards was born on 1 October 1936 at a house on Malvern Crescent in the Woodside district of Dudley, which at the time was part of the county of Worcestershire. He was the first child of Gladstone and Sarah Anne Edwards and their only child to survive to adulthood, his younger sister Carol Anne dying in 1947 at the age of 14 weeks. The family later moved to 31 Elm Road on the Priory Estate, also in Dudley. Edwards attended Priory Primary School from 1941 to 1948, and Wolverhampton Street Secondary School from 1948 to 1952. He played football for his school as well as for Dudley Schools, Worcestershire and Birmingham and District teams, and also represented his school at morris dancing. He was selected to compete in the National Morris and Sword Dancing Festival, but was also offered a trial for the English Schools Football Association's under-14 team, which fell on the same day, and opted to attend the latter.

Edwards impressed the selectors and was chosen to play for the English Schools XI, making his debut against the equivalent team from Wales at Wembley Stadium on 1 April 1950. He was soon appointed captain of the team, a position he held for two seasons. By this stage he had already attracted the attention of major clubs, with Manchester United scout Jack O'Brien reporting back to manager Matt Busby in 1948 that he had "today seen a 12-year-old schoolboy who merits special watching. His name is Duncan Edwards, of Dudley".

Joe Mercer, who was then coaching the England schools team, urged Busby to sign Edwards, who was also attracting interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa. Edwards signed for United as an amateur on 2 June 1952, but accounts of when he signed his first professional contract vary. Some reports state that it occurred on his 17th birthday in October 1953,but others contend that it took place a year earlier.Those accounts that favour the earlier date usually state that a club official, either Busby himself or coach Bert Whalley, arrived at the Edwards family home soon after midnight to secure the youngster's signature as early as possible, but other reports claim that this occurred when he signed his amateur contract. Wolves manager Stan Cullis was indignant at missing out on a highly touted local youngster and accused United of improperly offering financial inducements to Edwards or his family, but Edwards maintained that he had always wanted to play for the Lancashire team. To guard against the possibility that he might not make a success of his football career, he also began an apprenticeship as a carpenter.

Football career

Edwards began his Manchester United career in the youth team and made several appearances for the team that won the first ever FA Youth Cup in 1953, but by the time of the final had already made his debut for the first team. On 4 April 1953 he played in a Football League First Division match against Cardiff City, which United lost 4–1, aged just 16 years and 185 days, making him the youngest player ever to play in the top division. Mindful of the fact that his team contained a large number of relatively old players, Busby was keen to bring new young players through the ranks, and Edwards, along with the likes of Dennis Viollet and Jackie Blanchflower, was among a number of youngsters introduced to the team during 1953, who came to be known collectively as the Busby Babes. Reviewing his performance on his first team debut the Manchester Guardian newspaper commented that "he showed promise of fine ability in passing and shooting, but will have to move faster as a wing half".

The 1953–54 season saw Edwards emerge as a regular in the United first team. After impressing in a friendly against Kilmarnock he replaced the injured Henry Cockburn for the away match against Huddersfield Town on 31 October 1953, and went on to appear in 24 league matches as well as United's FA Cup defeat to Burnley. Nonetheless he was also still an active part of the youth team and played in the team which won the Youth Cup for the second consecutive season.He made his first appearance for the national under-23 team on 20 January 1954 in Italy, and was considered for inclusion in the full England team, but on the day when the selection committee watched him in action, against Arsenal on 27 March, he gave a poor performance and was not called up.

The following season he made 36 first team appearances and scored his first senior goals, finishing the season with six to his name. His performances revived calls for him to be selected for the senior England team, and a member of the selection committee was despatched to watch him play against Huddersfield Town on 18 September 1954, but nothing came of it in the short term, although he was selected for a Football League XI which played an exhibition match against a Scottish League team. In March he played for England B against an equivalent team from Germany and, despite being criticised in the press for his "poor showing", was called up for the full national team a week later. He made his debut in a match against Scotland on 2 April 1955 in the British Home Championship aged 18 years and 183 days, making him England's youngest debutant since the Second World War, a record which stood until Michael Owen made his England debut in 1998. Three weeks later, United took advantage of the fact that he was still eligible for the youth team to select him for the club's third consecutive FA Youth Cup final. The decision to field an England international player in the youth team was heavily criticised, and Matt Busby was forced to pen a newspaper article defending Edwards' selection, which paid off for United as the player was instrumental in a third Youth Cup win.

In May 1955 Edwards was selected for the England squad which travelled to mainland Europe for matches against France, Portugal and Spain, starting all three matches. Upon returning from the tour, he began a two-year stint in the army, which was compulsory at the time for all men of his age under the National Service scheme. He was stationed at Nesscliffe near Shrewsbury along with team-mate Bobby Charlton, but was allowed leave to play for United. He also took part in army matches, and in one season played nearly one hundred matches in total. In the 1955–56 season, despite missing nearly two months of action due to a severe bout of influenza, Edwards played 33 times as United won the championship of the Football League by a margin of 11 points from Blackpool. The following season he made 34 league appearances, taking his total past the 100 mark, as United won a second consecutive league title,and was also in the team that contested the 1957 FA Cup Final, in which United missed out on the Double after a 2–1 defeat to Aston Villa. He also made seven appearances during United's first ever foray into the European Cup, including a 10–0 win over Anderlecht which remains the club's biggest ever margin of victory. By now he was also a regular in the England team, featuring in all four of England's qualifying matches for the 1958 FIFA World Cup and scoring two goals in the 5–2 win over Denmark on 5 December 1956. He was expected to be a key player for England in the World Cup finals, and was seen as a likely candidate to replace the veteran Billy Wright as national team captain.

Edwards began the 1957–58 season in good form and rumours abounded that top Italian clubs were seeking to sign him. His final match in England took place on 1 February 1958, when he scored the opening goal to help United defeat Arsenal 5–4. The press were critical of his performance, with the Sunday Pictorial's correspondent writing that he did not "think [Edwards'] display in this thrilling game would impress England team manager Walter Winterbottom, who was watching. He was clearly at fault for Arsenal's fourth goal when, instead of clearing, he dallied on the ball". Five days later he played his last ever match as United drew 3–3 away to Red Star Belgrade to progress to the semi-finals of the European Cup by an aggregate score of 5–4.

Death

Returning home from Belgrade, the aeroplane carrying Edwards and his team mates crashed on takeoff after a refuelling stop in Munich, Germany. Seven players and 14 other passengers died at the scene,and Edwards was taken to the Rechts der Isar Hospital with multiple leg fractures, fractured ribs and severely damaged kidneys. The doctors treating him were confident that he stood some chance of recovery, but were doubtful that he would ever be able to play football again.

Doctors had an artificial kidney rushed to the hospital for him the following day, but the artificial organ reduced his blood's ability to clot and he began to bleed internally. Despite this it is said that he asked assistant manager Jimmy Murphy "What time is the kick off against Wolves, Jimmy? I mustn't miss that match". Doctors were "amazed" at his fight for life, but after a long struggle he died of kidney failure on 21 February 1958.Hours before his death, by coincidence, a new issue of Charles Buchan's Football Monthly was published in the UK, with a photograph of a smiling Edwards on the cover.

Edwards was buried at Dudley Cemetery five days later, alongside his sister Carol Anne. More than 5,000 people lined the streets of Dudley for his funeral. His tombstone reads: "A day of memory, Sad to recall, Without farewell, He left us all", and his grave is regularly visited by fans.

Legacy

Edwards is commemorated in a number of ways in his home town of Dudley. A stained-glass window depicting the player was unveiled in St Francis's Church, the parish church for the Priory Estate, by Matt Busby in 1961, and a statue in the town centre was dedicated by his mother and Bobby Charlton in 1999. In 1993 a cul-de-sac of housing association homes near to the cemetery in which he is buried was named "Duncan Edwards Close". The Wren's Nest pub on the Priory Estate, near where he grew up, was renamed "The Duncan Edwards" in honour of him in 2001, but it closed within five years and was subsequently destroyed by arsonists.In 2006, a £100,000 games facility was opened in Priory Park, where Edwards often played as a boy, in his memory. In 2008, Dudley's southern bypass was renamed 'Duncan Edwards Way' in his memory.

Contemporaries of Edwards have been unstinting in their praise of his abilities. Bobby Charlton described him as "the only player that made me feel inferior" and said his death was "the biggest single tragedy ever to happen to Manchester United and English football". Terry Venables claimed that, had he lived, it would have been Edwards, not Bobby Moore, who lifted the World Cup trophy as England captain in 1966.Tommy Docherty stated that "there is no doubt in my mind that Duncan would have become the greatest player ever. Not just in British football, with United and England, but the best in the world. George Best was something special, as was Pelé and Maradona, but in my mind Duncan was much better in terms of all-round ability and skill. In recognition of his talents Edwards was made an inaugural inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

Style of play

Although he is primarily remembered as a defensive midfielder, Edwards is said to have been able to operate in any outfield position on the field of play. His versatility was such that on one occasion he started the match playing as an emergency striker in place of one injured player before being switched to central defence in place of another. His greatest assets were his physical strength and his level of authority on the pitch, which was said to be remarkable for such a young player,and he was particularly noted for his high level of stamina. Stanley Matthews described him as being "like a rock in a raging sea", and Bobby Moore likened him to the Rock of Gibraltar when defending but also noted that he was "dynamic coming forward". His imposing physique earned him the nicknames "Big Dunc" and "The Tank", and he has been ranked amongst the toughest players of all time.

Edwards was noted for the power and timing of his tackles and for his ability to pass and shoot equally well with both feet. He was known for his surging runs up the pitch and was equally skilled at heading the ball and at striking fierce long-range shots.After scoring a goal against West Germany in 1956 he was given the nickname "Boom Boom" by the local press because of "the Big Bertha shot in his boots".

Outside football

Edwards was a teetotaller and outside football was known as a very private individual, whose interests included fishing, playing cards and visiting the cinema. Although he attended dances with his team-mates he was never confident in social surroundings.He was described by Jimmy Murphy as an "unspoilt boy" and retained a strong Black Country accent which his team-mates would impersonate. He was once stopped by the police for riding his bicycle without lights and fined five shillings by the authorities and two weeks' wages by his club.

At the time of his death Edwards was living in lodgings in Gorse Avenue, Stretford. He was engaged to be married to Molly Leech, who was 22 years old and worked in the offices of a textile machine manufacturer in Altrincham. The couple met at a function at a hotel at Manchester Airport, dated for a year before becoming engaged, and were godparents to the daughter of Leech's friend Josephine Stott.

Edwards appeared in advertisements for Dextrosol glucose tablets and had written a book entitled "Tackle Soccer This Way", commercial endeavours which supplemented his wage of £15 per week during the season and £12 per week during the summer. The book was published shortly after his death with the approval of his family and, after being out of print for many years, was re-published in November 2009.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org

rondwisan

24-06-2010, 12:43 PM

Duncan Edwards
- A Legend -
duncan-edwards.co.uk/tribute.asp

Duncan Edwards was born in Dudley on 1st October 1936 and throughout his short life professed his pride at being an ambassador for the town wherever his football career took him.

From his earliest days his love for kicking a football around the streets signified a special feeling and enthusiasm for the sport. By the time he was playing for his junior school his footballing skill was already being noticed. One schoolmaster watching the 11-year-old Duncan noted that the youngster 'told all the other 21 players what to do and where to go and that included the referee and linesmen!'

That same schoolmaster later wrote to a friend 'I have just seen a boy of 11 who will one day play for England'. How right he was! Two years later the lad wrote an essay in his classroom in which he mused about 'playing at Wembley' and his wish came true that same year as he stood on the 'hallowed turf' wearing a white England shirt playing against Wales in a schoolboy international. That day in April 1951 his footwork on the field dazzled everyone and one talent scout was heard to remark 'by God, they've got a good 'un there!'

The name Duncan Edwards will forever be associated with Manchester United and the so-called 'Busby Babes', a concept developed by United's Manager Matt Busby in the late 1940's when the club was badly in debt and unable to afford to buy 'expensive' players. Busby and his trainer Jimmy Murphy decided to employ a radical youth policy developing their own young players, creating the stars of the future.

Duncan was pivotal in that scheme and he made his debut for the first team on 4th April 1953 against Cardiff City - the team lost 4-0! The lad from Dudley was a mere 16 years and 185 days old. Three and a half years later Duncan celebrated his 100th appearance for United and the 'Busby Babes' were beginning to create the sensational legend that took the footballing world by storm.

In this age of footballing megastars who become international millionaires, it must be mentioned that Duncan Edwards was the rising star in a most promising firmament. His contract with Manchester United can still be examined and reveals that this 'solid gold' prospect earned a paltry £15 a week during the season reducing to £12 a week during the non-playing summer months.

Of course even in the 1950's there were other ways to bolster a superstar's income and Duncan became one of the first footballers to earn money endorsing products. He promoted Dextrosol Glucose Tablets, which his adverts said 'were a natural source of energy which you could rely on anytime, anywhere'. Whether Duncan actually ever took any of the tablets, of course, remains unrecorded!

Following the Munich crash, Duncan's body was flown home and was buried in Dudley's Borough Cemetery. Over 5,000 people stood in silence outside the cemetery and lining the streets in tribute "to the lad from Elm Road on the Priory Estate.

Three years later, hundreds more turned out for the unveiling by Sir Matt Busby of two stained glass windows at St. Francis' Church in Dudley commemorating the life of Duncan Edwards who died tragically aged just 21. As Sir Matt said that August day in 1961 'there will only be one Duncan Edwards and any boy who strives to emulate Duncan or take him as his model, won't go far wrong'.

At the time of his death, Duncan Edwards had the world at his feet. His footballing skill far outpaced his rivals and young supporters the world over idolised this big lad with the sure feet. Off the field too, things were going well and a few days before he flew to Belgrade, the manuscript of his book 'Tackle Soccer This Way' was handed to his publishers and later printed word for word as he wrote it. In the book he offers youngsters hundreds of soccer tips such as 'always respect the referee and be reasonable at all times'.

Today we are left to wonder what this towering figure (in every sense of the word) would have achieved had there been no Munich. Perhaps the question was answered by soccer supremo Tommy Docherty who said of him 'You can keep all your Bests, Peles and Maradonas, Duncan Edwards was the greatest of them all!'

Dudley was and still is very proud of its own soccer hero and even now, more than thirty years after that horrific air crash at Munich, visitors in their hundreds enquire about Duncan Edwards. His grave in the Borough's cemetery is still a shrine for pilgrimage by soccer supporters and often bunches of red and white flowers appear there, especially if Manchester United has a Midlands fixture.

The two stained glass windows in Laurel Road and a display case (containing some of Duncan's shirts, international caps and other memorabilia) can be found at the Dudley Museum and Art Gallery in St James Road - the exhibition moved there from Dudley Leisure Centre in July 2006.

A statue has recently been erected in the main shopping square in Dudley. The Borough's Archive & Local History Department at Mount Pleasant Street, Coseley, has an interesting file of press cuttings featuring Duncan and you can see there also copies of three rare books about Duncan plus his own book of footballing hints. The three main biographies are:

- Duncan Edwards a Biography' by lain McCartney and Roy Cavanagh, published by Temple Nostalgia

- Duncan Edwards' by Derek Dougan, Hugh Jamieson & Frank Taylor, published by The Duncan Edwards Sports Medicine Centre Appeal.

- Duncan Edwards - Manchester United and England' by Geoff Warburton, published by The Dulston Press

Duncan's own book is called 'Tackle Soccer This Way' published by Stanley Paul. A rare chance to understand the man, appreciate his total feel for the game and sense the great man's kindness and modesty.

As Frank Taylor (the only pressman to survive the Munich aircrash) said 'So Long Dunc! It was great while it lasted!'

Redsbusby

28-06-2010, 01:22 PM

Redsbusby

03-07-2010, 05:06 AM

[Legend] Duncan Edwards
ManUtd.com

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa130/bar_1129/2009_2010/Duncan_Edward.jpg

Matt Busby described Duncan Edwards as the most 'complete footballer in Britain - possibly the world'. The greatest tragedy is that his death aged just 21 from injuries sustained in the Munich air crash meant his full potential was never realised.

As a player, Duncan Edwards never gave less than 100 per cent. His attitude on the football pitch was paralleled with a determination to succeed in life. When talking of his life after football he realistically said: “It's nice to be cheered, but you can’t live forever on cheers. It’s
what you have in the bank when you have finished the game that cheers a footballer most of all. People forget very easily and I don't want to become like some of the old-timers wearing tattered caps and cadging free tickets outside the grounds."

The name of Duncan Edwards continues to invoke a sense of injustice that one with such a gift was halted before reaching his prime. Those who were lucky enough to see him play invariably regard him as the best player they saw, without ever seeing what he could truly become. And for the modern reader wondering what the closest thing in the game is to him now, the name of Wayne Rooney is regularly mentioned as the closest fit.

Saya quote ya opa, bener2 kasih inspirasi ucapan diatas ini:-bd:-bd
Bener2 lifestyle yg layak dan layak ditiru! Berpikir sebagai seorang yg Besar!!!

Bukunya nyang Tackel SOccer This Way ada ngga opa?:D
Wahhh DUncan Edwards bener2 saya taruh diatas Ryan Giggs nih;;)

Duncan Edwards

Joe Mercer, who was then coaching the England schools team, urged Busby to sign Edwards, who was also attracting interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa. Edwards signed for United as an amateur on 2 June 1952, but accounts of when he signed his first professional contract vary. Some reports state that it occurred on his 17th birthday in October 1953,but others contend that it took place a year earlier.Those accounts that favour the earlier date usually state that a club official, either Busby himself or coach Bert Whalley, arrived at the Edwards family home soon after midnight to secure the youngster's signature as early as possible, but other reports claim that this occurred when he signed his amateur contract. Wolves manager Stan Cullis was indignant at missing out on a highly touted local youngster and accused United of improperly offering financial inducements to Edwards or his family, but Edwards maintained that he had always wanted to play for the Lancashire team. To guard against the possibility that he might not make a success of his football career, he also began an apprenticeship as a carpenter.

Om andi,
Boleh tau ngga neh apa sih bedanya antara yg dibold merah ama yg bold hitam?:amazed:

Duncan Edwards
- A Legend -
duncan-edwards.co.uk/tribute.asp

The name Duncan Edwards will forever be associated with Manchester United and the so-called 'Busby Babes', a concept developed by United's Manager Matt Busby in the late 1940's when the club was badly in debt and unable to afford to buy 'expensive' players. Busby and his trainer Jimmy Murphy decided to employ a radical youth policy developing their own young players, creating the stars of the future.

Kondisi waktu itu kira2 sama ngga ya opa dengan keadaan sekarang, dimana kalo diliat2 kan UNited kayaknya lebih prior pemain reserves ke tim Utama...

Redsbusby

17-07-2010, 05:42 PM

Ini dia TomCLare, saya juga pernah dapet artikel dari TOmclaire nyang dipost ama Opa ron, sepertinya ini orang penting, dedengkot MUST mungkin. Kalo nggak salah ttg Legenda United lainnya, Tomclare disitu sebagai editor BogSoccer :-?

Duncan Edwards

Over the last few weeks I have been transcribing the lifestory of Duncan Edwards, and it will eventually go onto the www.duncan-edwards.co.uk website. it comes from a publication that has been onsolete for a long time but is just about the best and most accurateaccount of the "big fella's" that I have ever read. Mainly because for the most part, first hand accounts and opinions by people who were around with him during his lifetime are recounted.

I know that this forum is mainly for an exchange of views and opinions about the day to day business of United, but I do think that this maybe of interest to the younger supporters who have little knowledge of Duncan's life, his exploits, achievements, and playing career. I'll post the opening chapter, and if it's okay with you all, I'll post a different chapter each day.

What might have been………………….

“A throw in to Manchester United on their left. Edwards down the line to Pegg, he beats his man, back inside to Edwards. Edwards, a lovely ball to Bobby Charlton, inside to Colman, a terrific ball out to the right to Best. Best, beats one man, beats the full back, crosses to Law, nods the ball down and back ……..EDWARDS scores again for United.”

Denis Law, Bobby Charlton, George Best, David Pegg, Eddie Colman, and Duncan Edwards, all together in the same Manchester United football team – what a mouth watering sight that would have been. Only an imaginary commentary, but one which realistically, was only prevented by the occurrence of the disaster at Munich.

Since that terrible disaster on February 6th, 1958, the legend of Duncan Edwards and the Manchester United “Busby Babes” has increased as every year goes by. Manchester United Football Club, unlike Duncan Edwaards, survived that disaster, and by their deeds, enhanced their own special image. The marvelous job that Jimmy Murphy did immediately after the crash, saw United reach Wembley for the F.A. Cup Final, only to fall to Bolton Wanderers. Sir Matt Busby watched the game whilst still having to use crutches, but even then, was already plotting to put his famous Club back at the top.

The glamour capture of Albert Quixall, followed by the signing of Golden Boy Denis Law from Torino, ensured that Manchester United were able to launch smoothly into the early nineteen sixties, and compete in what became a new and crowded entertainment scene. Car ownershisp, and new motorway systems providing the access means for fans that were attracted from far and near. The sudden emergence of George Best, alongside Bobby Charlton and Denis Law, invariably meant that Old Trafford was where they all ended up! Worldwide, the name of the City of Manchester became synonymous with that of Manchester United, and has remained so during the nearly fifty years since the time of the tragedy. Their legend is still there for all to see.

The story of Duncan Edwards’ football career could quite easily have been taken from a boys football annual, and had not that fatal disaster made its intervention, then it may well have continued on a course similar to that of the schoolboy comic strip hero, “Roy of the Rovers” who has played for what seems to be an eternity and has won every honour that the game has to offer.

It was obvious from an early age that he was going too have the ability to succeed in professional football, should he choose that particular course. Greatness is something that an individual is either born with, or sets about creating for his (or her) self in later years. In Duncan’s case, there was nobody with any outstanding sporting talent in the Edwards family. Born into a working class family in the Midlands, the only drug available then for youngsters was football.

Football is something that most youngsters participate in from an early age. Some find the basic skills easier than others, whilst in some cases, it is not until later years that true talent blossoms through. Kicking a ball came so naturally to this Dudley schoolboy, and when he realized that a living could be made from something so enjoyable, he was determined to succeed at becoming a professional footballer.

The whole of his life had the sensational symmetry of the day dreaming boy hero. His talent was so obvious to even a casual onlooker from a very early age. Mr. Geoffrey Groves, a Dudley schoolmaster, remembers an eleven-year-old playing for his primary school …”He’d just returned from hop-picking on the morning of the match, and he went straight into the school team and dominated the whole match. He told all the other 21 players what to do, and also the referee and both the linesmen! When I got home that night, I wrote to a friend, telling him that I had just seen a boy of eleven who would one day play for England.”

Once in a while, another promising schoolboy will come along, and an instant comparison will be made to Duncan Edwards, but can there be another player who will be anywhere near the status and ability of Duncan Edwards? Maybe at an early age he will show the same keenness for the game, and show special talent in an England schoolboy shirt, but football today is a different game from what it was some fifty years ago, and there are few players with individual ability to make the spectators flood to games in anticipation of watching a touch of brilliance.

Perhaps one of Duncan’s successors at Old Trafford, a certain George Best, was the last of such players to grace the British football scene. But although more than adequately endowed with football skills, he lacked the other necessities to keep him at the top and make the football world his oyster. Comparison between George Best’s footballing skills and wayward ways, and the dedicated lifestyle of Duncan Edwards, throw up an interesting comparison between two great players of different eras at the same club. By the time that Best cast his elusive shadow on the Football League, Britain was in an entirely different age, the swinging sixties. People had an equally different lifestyle, with more money and infinitely more ways to spend it.

Nobody today is in a position to judge if the temptations and money available to Best would have been enough to seduce Duncan Edwards away from his beloved football. When Sir Matt Busby took over as manager at Manchester United in 1945, he established a family atmosphere at the club, where senior players passed on their knowledge of the game to junior players. Everybody had respect and they worked as one to bring success to the club and to themselves. After Munich however, a great void was created at Old Trafford and the age gap between senior and junior players was reduced to virtually nil, leaving nobody to lend a guiding hand to those who needed it. The family atmosphere disintegrated and the players took on a more individual identity, leaving each other at the end of training or their Saturday afternoon work, to go their own ways.

It is safe to say that Duncan Edwards would never have succumbed to the lifestyle of George Best, but what if Best had appeared on the scene some ten years earlier? That of course is a completely different proposition. Going back those ten years to the early 1950’s, when players were on a maximum wage of fifteen pounds during the season and twelve pounds during the summer, supporters felt much closer to their footballing favourites, they could find themselves traveling to the match on the same public transport, as few players, or supporters for that matter, owned a car!

The tragedy at Munich also brought those supporters closer to the club, as well as having a nationwide effect, bringing the name of Manchester United into every household in the country. There remained the inter-club rivalry (though not the hatred for opposition teams that exists on the terraces today) but the supporters of other clubs felt profoundly the sorrow that befell the Mancunian people on that cold, dark, bitter February afternoon. Good football was appreciated by everyone who attended a game, and as the lyrics of the Manchester United Calypso record of the time went … ”If ever they’re playing in your town, you must get to that football ground.”

“The Babes” like any other team, was essentially made up of eleven individuals, who combined together to be the best in their field. This was something that Duncan was always clear to emphasize. He left the limelight and glamour to those that enjoyed it. As a sports columnist of the time once wrote; “’He was a modest, unassuming young man, who would go to parties with the rest of the players, he would always be the first to leave. He would push past the pressmen and photographers, saying “You want the rest of the lads, I’m just one of the team.”

What then made Duncan Edwards that bit more special than the others? His footballing ability was never in doubt, and as with any sport, spectators take instantly to those who are capable of performing as near as possible to perfection in that particular event. His size was also an attraction to the multitudes on the sloping terraces and stands up and down the country. In almost every sport, competitors of large physique have a special appeal. If they are big and clumsy, they are endeared for the pantomime-style errors that they make. If they are of the physical type, the home side followers relish the sniff of blood that they bring. Big footballers are usually dependable though sometimes unimaginative. Duncan Edwards, however, was in a class beyond all this.

In his Dudley schooldays, and later playing against his own cousin, Dennis Stevens of Bolton Wanderers, there was the question of a hard side to his play. Was he too hard? Well, his great confidence on the field of play, along with his physical maturity, probably made him fee that nobody could stop him, and there is no doubt at all that he wanted to win at all times. Mind you, there were a lot of wing-halves in the 1950’s who are still remembered for their hardness, Tommy Docherty then at Preston North End, Roy Paul of Manchester City, and Jimmy Scoular at Newcastle United readily come to mind under that category. Certainly, Duncan Edwards does not!

Everyone loves a winner, and no one could possibly have the slightest doubt about Duncan’s will to win. It did not matter if it was a kick-about during training, or an England international match, Duncan was always in the thick of it, giving everything that he had. Even today, if you were to venture to Old Trafford on a match day, as the crowds make their way down Sir Matt Busby Way for the match, stop any of the older United followers and ask them about Duncan Edwards, they would all have their own special memory. “Oh what a player. I remember him playing against City over at Maine Road. Took on the whole of the Blues defence then unleashed a twenty five yard rocket which almost took the crossbar from the top of the posts.” Or you might be told, “The big lad was worth two of any other player, and I’ll tell you something else, if we had had him any time from 1968 onwards, then we wouldn’t have had to wait twenty six years for that bloody championship. He would have won it for us on his own.”

No matter how many people that you asked, these were the typical kind of responses that you would have been given. Others may have recalled a younger Duncan, literally standing head and shoulders above boys of a similar age in the F.A. Youth Cup during his early days with United. You didn’t have to know much about football to see that this young lad was something special. Even in one of his first newspaper interviews after signing for the club at the age of fifteen, with Arnold Howe of the Daily herald, the press scribe wrote; “He stood before me self assured, because he was working a football between his feet. He told me his ambition in just six words, “I want to be a footballer.” Not a mention of the honours that he hoped to win. Not a thought of having another trade. Football was going to be his life because as he told me with a shy grin, “That’s all I ever think about.” Howe ended his article by saying; “He won the affection of the crowds wherever he played because he played fairly, and won the respect of the opposition because he played well. Duncan Edwards was born to be a footballer.”

The sheer enormity of the Munich Air Disaster, obviously had an influence on the legend that has evolved since Duncan’s death. Has it made him more of a legend in people’s eyes than, if say he had died in a car crash such as the great West Indian cricketer, Collie Smith, or if he had been tragically killed as John White of Tottenham Hotspur and Scotland, when lightning struck him whilst he was playing a round of golf? John White, remember, had helped Tottenham Hotspur to achieve the “impossible double” of League Championship and F.A. Cup, and was an integral part of the Blanchflower, Mackay midfield combination. John White however, was the subtle, scheming, lightweight inside forward. Duncan Edwards was THE COMPLETE FOOTBALLER. He played flat out for the full ninety minutes, hard in the tackle, always with an eye for goal. He could play the marking role, following defensive instructions to the letter. His favourite position was left-half, but he played with equal skills at center –half, center-forward, or inside-left, both for Manchester United and England. Other careers have ended due to injury or when talent has not been joined to moral fibre. Alick Jeffrey from Doncaster, was one of England’s brightest hopes until an injury not only shattered his leg, but his whole career. Even so, precocious as Jeffrey’s talent was, he had never played for England, or even in the First Division.

Duncan had the ability and personal drive to keep him at the top until well into his late thirties, and when he had reluctantly decided to hang up his boots, he would have remained in the game which he loved so much as either a Manager or a Coach. His own book “Tackle Soccer This Way” was a clear example of how his mind worked, and how capable he was of passing on his own immense talents to the improvement of others. Those thoughts were also shared by his own late Mother, Sarah-Ann Edwards, who in a rare interview some years ago said; “He’d have been a manager of some team, or he would have coached the little ones. He’d have loved that. I can hear him saying, ‘Don’t do it that way, this is the right way’. He loved the children. They named a boys club after him here in Dudley, a lovely gesture. It keeps his name alive doesn’t it.”

Keeping his name alive was nothing that Mrs. Edwards ever had to worry about, especially in his home town of Dudley. In that part of the Black Country, his name will undoubtedly live on for ever, “Our Duncan” is still, even after all these years, very much the local hero. His grave is something of a shrine, as it is visited often by United supporters whenever they are in that area. Upon visiting Dudley today, if you should stop someone and ask for directions to St. Francis Church, they immediately ask, “going to see the windows are you?” as they know that a stranger on a non-Sunday visit to the church is inevitably going to see the two beautiful stained glass windows behind the font, which were dedicated to Duncan as a lasting memorial. St. Francis Church, being just around the corner from Duncan’s former home in Elm Road, where the old neighbours still remember the local hero, “Duncan was such a nice lad, he was hero worshipped here, even when he left to play for United and England, he would always have a kick about in the street with all the youngsters whenever he was home.”

So, if Duncan Edwards had been spared and played out the following 10- 15 years of his career, what might it have brought? Let us for a moment follow our earlier imaginary commentary and consider what just might have been……………

The F.A. Cup, lost in 1957, must surely have been United’s on their return in 1958 against BoltonWanderers, which would have provided Duncan a winners medal in that competition to add to his League Championships.

In 1961 saw the abolition of the maximum wage, Johnny Haynes being the first hundred pounds a week player. Edwards would have been a certain contender for that honour.

The captaincy of Manchester United and England beckoned, giving rise to perhaps the biggest hypothetical question of all – would the late Bobby Moore have ever made an England regular, never mind the Captain when you consider the jersey that he wore – Edward’s number 6. The European Cup would have probably been Manchester United’s long before 1968, with their potential line-up (Munich excepted) as would have been that elusive “Double”.

When Sir Matt Busby retired in 1969, the club turned to Wilf McGuinness as manager. Wilf, with all due respect, was only Duncan’s understudy, is it not more likely that Manchester United would have turned to Edwards as Sir Matt’s replacement?

All conjecture and hypothesis, but then this was potentially the greatest team that this Country has ever produced, certainly, in my opinion,thefinest team that Manchester United has ever had.

Bob Paisley, the man who himself did the impossible and replaced Bill Shankly at Liverpool, taking them to even greater honours, once said; “But for the tragedy of Munich, Sir Matt Busby would have set records nobody would have ever have come close to.”

Let us close our yes again …………………"Pegg, down the line to Edwards, inside to Bobby Charlton, lovely short ball to Eddie Colman. Colman, a shimmy of those hips and he’s gone past the tackler. Sweeps a beautiful pass out to the right to Best. Best teases the full back, goes outside him. Stops, oh he’s nutmegged him! Best is away, crosses………..Law rises majestically, heads it down, and there’s Edwards, racing in to sweep the ball into the net. What a goal, what players, what a team, Edwards – what a player!!!!”

Redsbusby

23-07-2010, 06:14 AM

"When I Used to Hear Proclaims to The World He was The Greates, I Used to SMile. You See The Greatest of Them All was an English Footballer Named Duncan Edwards!"

- Jimmy Murphy

Redsbusby

23-07-2010, 06:27 AM

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/03/30/article-1165657-0078D41A00000258-627_468x574.jpg

http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/birmmail/feb2008/1/5/40E5ACD9-C0DA-9411-88E9FE1736772576.jpg

http://www.expressandstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/wd2594241duncan-edwards.jpg

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00689/sport-graphics-2008_689550a.jpg

http://postalheritage.org.uk/exhibitions/onlineexhibitions/icons-of-england/images/Edwards.jpg

http://grahamleggatsoccer.com/images/memories-005.jpg

http://listverse.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/dunc7.jpg

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/12_04/edwardsDM2312_468x695.jpg

http://www.red11.org/mufc/images/player/edwardsd/duncthrowin.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/04/28/article-1174512-0009CC5A00000578-486_468x348.jpg

http://redlog.pl/wp-content/gallery/duncan-edwards/duncan-edwards_08.jpg

http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/21i5jq2h5f6dl/hcd3cu/munich682x400492810a.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2033/2257867602_1c1f08d13c.jpg

sellamanyaunited

23-07-2010, 07:10 AM

CIhuy..
AKhirnya "most of" ttg DUncan Edwards telah didapatkan!!
jadi tambah kagumm sama Edwards, meski liat maennya pun belom pernah.
Thanks opa :-bd, sumonggo :cek:,mewakili semua artikel dan totalitas untuk UI! =D>=D>=D>=D>=D>

Mohon terus bimbingannya ^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^

wahaha saya juga walaupun kaga pernah liat dia main paling gak saya tau lah tipe tipe model duncan edwards haha nambah ilmu lagi asoooy
http://img.kaskus.us/images/kaskusmobile_hp.gif

sellamanyaunited

23-07-2010, 07:16 AM

pemain sekelas Edwards sayang banget meninggalnya diumur belia begitu, andai aja kaga ada tragedi Munich Disaster mungkin ditaun 1958 kita udah dapet treble tuh! Edward lebih tertarik ke seni tari daripada sepakbola loh awalnya, pada tau gak yg soal ini? debut diumur 14 taun ditimnas inggris ckck hebat banget ane aja 16 taun masih disini haha
http://img.kaskus.us/images/kaskusmobile_hp.gif

Redsbusby

31-10-2010, 02:41 PM

Oh, Just read it,... Another SPlash side of 'The Big Dunc' Story .... unfortunately, this is not Fully Duncan Edwards... but still, I love you, Duncan!!! :(:(

'John, this is Duncan Edwards'
Sunday October 31 2010 | Irish Independent

Giles' first view of Old Trafford, perched like a beast over the city, was awe-inspiring and thrilling'I HAVE something to tell you,' my father said. We were in the pantry in 7A, a tiny room, and I had no idea what he was going to say. "Manchester United want you to go over . . ."

Until that moment, I wasn't aware that United had any interest in me, of any kind, let alone that they might want me to go over. As I listened to him telling me that United -- my team -- wanted me to join them for two weeks in the summer, during their pre-season, I felt a burst of elation beyond anything I had ever felt in my life. In that moment, the dream stopped being just a beautiful thought in my head and in my heart. It was going to happen.

"Manchester United . . . want you . . . to go over . . ." I was going to train with the Busby Babes in the summer.

I was fourteen.

Billy Behan was United's chief scout in Ireland and, apparently, he had been watching me for some time. My father and Billy went back many years, and my father knew that Billy was thinking of recommending me to United. The connection had been made.

But he never let me know about it. He got that right too.

Billy Behan was a tall, easy-going man, who had played for United as a goalkeeper. Over the years, he had famously sent over players from Ireland such as Jackie Carey, Liam Whelan, Joe Carolan and, later on, Tony Dunne and Kevin Moran.

He had a kind of a sixth sense for identifying the players who would make it, a bit like the way that, say, Vincent O'Brien could look at a yearling and in his mind's eye, see a Derby winner. At United, they valued their Irish links, not least because of the calibre of player that Billy Behan had found for them. Matt Busby and the assistant manager Jimmy Murphy would come over to Dublin to meet him, and he would be in regular communication with the chief scout Joe Armstrong.

Billy would be moseying around the junior football matches of Dublin, either standing on the sidelines or refereeing, a football man to the core. And he was not just a talent-spotter, he was an amiable man who was good at fostering relationships with a young player's family -- he was a non-drinker, which perhaps also helped to steady the nerves of worried parents. But even Billy, with all his powers, couldn't quite convince my mother that it would all turn out fine. As I prepared to leave for Manchester, she was fretting so much, she took the extreme precaution of sticking a safety pin through a pound note -- which was a lot of money at the time, certainly in Ormond Square -- and fastening it to the lining of my jacket, to be used in an emergency. She blamed Billy Behan for disturbing the peace at 7A.

Yet, especially by today's standards, her concerns were probably justifiable. After all, I was not flying to Manchester on a first-class ticket with Aer Lingus, accompanied by my parents and my agent, and perhaps even my media advisor, as the promising fourteen-year-old footballer of today might.

It was 1955, and I went over on the boat, on my own. I arrived in Liverpool early in the morning, and then I got the train from Liverpool to Manchester, on my own. Joe Armstrong was waiting for me at Manchester Central station. So amid all the excitement, I had worries too, about getting lost, or getting on the wrong train in Liverpool, or otherwise seeing my dream getting away from me through some mad misfortune.

My mother couldn't bring herself to see me off at the North Wall. She would probably get too emotional, thinking that this might be our last goodbye. It was my father who took me down to the boat for the night crossing. If he was worried in any way, he didn't let it show.

He knew I'd get there.

On the train from Lime Street to Manchester I saw Old Trafford for the first time.

It looked much bigger than I had ever imagined it, like some gigantic beast perched over the city. It was a sight that I found both awe-inspiring and thrilling.

I didn't know what Joe Armstrong looked like, and he didn't know what I looked like, but he spotted me easily enough, his eyes well trained after many years of watching young footballers getting off the train and arriving in wonderland. I stayed with Joe at his home in Stockport over the weekend, before settling into the digs on Monday. But first we got the bus to the ground. Nearly everyone at United got the bus in those days, when the maximum wage was £20 a week and £18 a week during the close season. Even Duncan Edwards got the bus.

As we got near the ground, I saw Duncan Edwards for the first time. He was sitting on top of a post box on the Stretford Road, eating an apple while he waited for the bus.

He was already famous, a full England international at eighteen, and widely regarded as the greatest young player anyone had seen for a long time. And since he was basically still a big kid, his potential was frightening. Joe introduced me to him.

"John, this is Duncan Edwards," he said.

Duncan Edwards, sitting there on top of the post box, acknowledged me, and then went on eating his apple.:):(

I reported to Fallowfield on Monday morning. In his fatherly way, Joe Armstrong had treated me as if I was a member of his own family, helping me greatly to adjust to my new world. In those days, everyone at the club trained together in pre-season, which meant that I was training alongside Duncan Edwards, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Liam Whelan and the rest of the Busby Babes. I was the youngest player out there. I was in heaven.

It was the last year they used Fallowfield for pre-season training, and it was a beautiful place, in an area better known for the cycling track next door. There were two football pitches which were also used for cricket and we changed in the cricket pavilion rather than a football dressing room.

Everywhere I looked, I saw these great players doing their stuff, getting ready for the new season. I saw Jimmy Murphy giving the instructions and I met Matt Busby for the first time. The impression I formed of him after that brief meeting was that he was a very pleasant, modest, charming man. I would eventually learn that my first impression was just about right.

It was the club's aim under Busby and Murphy to go out and find the best schoolboy international players in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, an enlightened policy which was already paying off -- this team would win the league in the coming season of 1955-'56 and it was a privilege to be so close to them as they were making the breakthrough.

They were very kind to me for the few weeks I was there, especially the Irish lads such as Tommy Hamilton. I can't speak highly enough of Tommy's generosity and his patience. And though I was probably a total nuisance in the circumstances, I was given a great welcome by the late Jackie Scott, and by Liam Whelan, a Cabra kid who had established himself at inside-right in the first team the previous season.

Liam was known in England as Billy, the way that Jackie Carey became Johnny in England. Farther up the line, my own name would change to Johnny too, whether I liked it or not, but I was still John at Fallowfield in 1955. My own family and everyone I had ever known back home had always called me John and, later on, if someone called me Johnny, my mother would shake her head and say, "Ah, he doesn't know you."

Likewise, Billy Whelan was always Liam to me, a big brother.

Freddie Goodwin, the centre-half who I would later play with at Leeds United, was also very friendly. He also had the distinction of being one of the two United players at the time who owned a car, the other was the team captain Roger Byrne, who also played for England. They were not big cars, they might even have been second-hand cars. It was not uncommon at the time for footballers to play county cricket during the close season and Freddie, who played for Lancashire, was one of these dual stars. Presumably, the extra money he made from the cricket enabled him to splash out on the motor.

I remember watching the first and second teams playing each other, and it was a measure of the talent at the club that Bobby Charlton, then seventeen, couldn't get a starting place in the reserves. But I saw him coming on as a sub in practice matches a few times, and I thought he was special. I now believe that Bobby is the greatest player I ever played with or against, but with the Busby Babes in training that summer, he was just a substitute. In fact, he was a sub for the substitutes.

I knew him mainly as my bowling buddy. After staying with Joe Armstrong and his family over the weekend, I had moved into digs for the fortnight. And as there wasn't much to do there, I would go to a park nearby, where they played crown green bowls. I developed a liking for the game. Bobby Charlton didn't have much to do in his digs either, so he would also find his way to the park, where we would play bowls together. I've always liked Bobby as a person and revered him as a player.

He could be a bit quirky, but a really decent human being. A decent bowler too.

Sunday Independent

Redsbusby

21-02-2011, 11:02 PM

Disini ada lah dimana semua berakhir bagi seorang Big Dunc... One of The Flower of Manchester...
jika anda belum tau siap duncan edwards? berikut adalah testimoni dari mereka yg saya yakin bagi semua orang adalah juga legenda dalam perjalanan sepakbola eropa. setidaknya kita akan tau mengapa Matt Busby sampai mengatakan bahwa, "Hanya duncan yg bisa membuat saya merasa superior!"

beberapa paragraph adalah kontributor senior di TheBusbyWay dan menjadi orang 'yang cukup beruntung' bisa bertemu DUncan Edwards semasa hidupnya.... hmmmmm

hari ini adalah hari peringatan dimana Big DUnc pergi untuk selamanya @};-@};-@};-@};-
Setelah menjadi salah satu korban Munich DIsaster...

Duncan Edwards – A Myth – or – Just a Marvel?

Posted on Sunday, 20th February 2011 by
TheBusbyWay

In this day and age of media and television hype, everybody has got an opinion and I have no problem with that.

It would be a boring old world, and make for boring conversation if we all agreed. However, I did look at that poll and it had me scratching my old head. I believe that it was run by the Manchester United Magazine, but the question that I would ask is, what criteria was laid down to constitute a “best ever player”? Selecting a “best ever” player, is in my opinion, an almost impossible task – there are so many intangibles – the main one being the expanse of time between the different eras.

Now don’t get me wrong, great players are great players, no matter which era they come from. They all have that special “something’ which makes them a class apart, and takes them up to that “great” level.
Today I hear the eulogies of “world class”, “great”, “legend” etc etc, bandied about so freely and bestowed upon players, who in my own humble opinion, are anything but. It is not helped by this relatively new era of electronic media hype, and for the majority of players from eras that I have heard dubbed as “the black and white era”, and “the cloth cap era”, they are generally consigned to the historic garbage can.

Is that fair? I don’t think so. Today there are all sorts of historical records to look at when you look at the modern player – dvd’s, “You Tube” clips, even movie film. For those old players of long ago, there is nothing to gauge their abilities on apart from old newspaper reports, and micromesh film of old newsreels, stored away in the various city libraries archives. Their careers are marked by hard to get hold of books, out of date magazine publications, but mostly, they are remembered by word of mouth passed down through the generations of match going fans. Fans who actually saw these old players, and then passed on their recollections to their families and friends.

We all have differing views, and see things differently. A player, whom I think maybe “world class”, may well be dismissed as being “a donkey” by others. Fair enough, as the old saying goes, “one man’s meat is another man’s poison.” It’s all about opinion, and this is one of the main reasons why this wonderful game is attractive to us all as fans. However, I do find that players from bygone eras are all too easily summarily, and arbitrally, discarded these days. Their contributions to the game are far too easily forgotten, and that is a crying shame. I hear the same old stuff time and time again these days. “Oh he/they wouldn’t have lasted five minutes in the modern game” or, “there is no comparison, today’s players are much fitter, and both they, and the game are much faster.” Really?

I’ll concede that today’s game is quicker – but only marginally, and that I put down to the pristine playing surfaces which players have at their disposal week in, and week out; and also to the ball that is used today whereby it is at a constant weight and does absorb water like the old leather ball did. The ball moves across the surface quicker. As for fitness, yes again I’ll concede that today’s players are fitter, but for all the sports medicine and technology etc, again I’d say there is not a lot in it. You look at those grainy old films and pictures of the 50’s and 60’s and just look at the surfaces those old players had to contend with. The kit they wore was mostly cotton, and wool, and also absorbed water. For those old boys to get through 90 minutes on the pitches which, between October and April, only had a nodding acquaintance with grass, was great testament to their fitness levels and stoicism.

It would be interesting if say, we could see the likes of Best, Law, and Charlton, or Mathews, Lawton, and Finney, attacking today’s defenders. Just as interesting would be seeing the likes of Drogba, Torres, van Persie, Tevez, Rooney, lining up against the likes of Roy Hartle and Tommy Banks, Eddie Clamp and Ron Flowers, Tommy Smith and Ron Yeats. So let’s be under no misapprehensions – those old players from years ago, those who had “great” reputations, were just that – “great”. For a number of today’s wonderful players, they too fall into that same category – they truly are “great” players.

When you spend a lifetime watching the game, and your own team, you watch literally thousands of players, see some wonderful, extraordinary moments, (Wayne Rooney’s goal against Manchester City was one of them) and those memories get encased in your memory’s back pocket. Your memory has a computer image of all of these names, moments, occasions in your life, locked away, and as you get older and progress through your life, you do relive them over, and over again – especially when younger fans want to thirst on your knowledge. For example, today I was asked to recall “the three greatest goals that you have ever seen scored at Old Trafford” – it’s nigh on an impossible task, but I will sit down later and try to answer. It is fun.

I have been very fortunate in my life to have lived through the great football periods that I have. I’m blessed with seeing the many hundreds of truly “great” players that I have – both British, and Foreign. There have also been many wonderful teams to recall along my journey. Teams that played the game in the right way, and with style and grace, and who upheld the ethos of the game. But over the years, the questions which I have had to field more than any others are;

“Tell me about Duncan Edwards.” “Just how good was he?” “Surely, most of what has been written about Edwards is myth?” “It’s impossible for any player to be described as good as what Edwards has.” “Edwards can never have been that good because he never reached his full potential?”

Dear Duncan. It speaks so much of him, that even now, almost 53 years after his passing, (his anniversary is tomorrow February 21st) he is still probably the most talked about player in Manchester United’s long, and rich history. I was lucky enough to meet him so many times, sometimes to the point of being a nuisance to him. From the time he lodged at Mrs. Watson’s at number 5, Birch Road, Old Trafford, then after he moved to 19, Gorse Avenue, Stretford, and then on to 2, Barlow Road, Old Trafford.

Just how good was he? Let me assure you good people that there is certainly no myth as to regards Duncan’s playing abilities. He was simply the most “complete” player that the game has ever seen. That’s not sentiment speaking, nor is it any kind of sentimentality. It is not only my own opinion of him, but simply the judgement of his peers, and his contemporaries, the very people who played with him, alongside him, and against him. It is also the views of some of the most respected men in football’s great history.

This is what some of those people had to say:

Sir Matt Busby; ‘I rate Duncan Edwards the most complete footballer in Britain – perhaps the World.’

‘He was a Colossus. Whatever was needed, he had it. He was immensely powerful. He was prodigiously gifted in the arts and crafts of the game. His temperament was perfect. His confidence was supreme and infectious. No opponent was too big or too famous for Duncan. A wing-half, he could have been a great centre-half, or a great forward striker. He would have been one of the great leaders with his sheer inspiration. If there was ever a player who could be called a one-man team, that man was Duncan Edwards. His death, as far as football is concerned, was the single biggest tragedy that has happened to England and Manchester United. He was then, and has always remained to me incomparable.’

‘We looked at Duncan right from the start and we gave up trying to find flaws in his game. (Remember – this was Edwards when he was just 16 years old). Nothing could stop him and nothing unnerved him. The bigger the occasion the better he liked it. While other players would be pacing up and down the dressing room, rubbing their legs, doing exercises, and looking for a way to pass time, Duncan was always very calm. He was a good type of lad too. Duncan didn’t want to know about the high life. He just wanted to go home or to his digs. He just lived for the game of football.’

Sir Bobby Charlton; ‘I find that I think about Duncan a lot. I have seen all the players who in their time have been labelled the best in the world – Puskas, Di Stefano, Gento, Didi. John Charles and all the rest – and not one of them have been as good as Big Duncan. There was no other player in the world like him then, and there has been nobody to equal him since. The man was incomparable.

Sometimes I fear that there is a danger that people will think that we who knew him, and saw him in action, boost him because he is dead. Sentiment can throw a man’s judgement out of perspective. Yet it is not the case with him. Whatever the praise one likes to heap on Duncan is no more than he deserved. He was out on his own at left-half and a First Division player in every other position. There was no one else to start with him.

I am not a person to dramatize things or dispense fulsome praise. It is not in my make-up. A man is a good player or he is not. A few are great, and they deserve respect. But Duncan Edwards was the greatest. I see him in my mind’s eye and I wonder that anyone should have so much talent. He was simply the greatest of them all.’

Sir Stanley Mathews; ‘Duncan Edwards, the boy-man, made his début for Manchester United at 16 and was an England regular by 18. You could play him anywhere and he would slot into that position as if he had been playing there season after season. For all of his tender years, he was the most complete player of his time and it was a tragedy that his life was taken in the Munich disaster of 1958. When the going was rough, Duncan would be as unmoved as a rock in a raging sea, but for all of his considerable size, he possessed the most deft of skills.’

Jimmy Murphy; ‘Duncan was the Kohinoor Diamond among our crown jewels. Whenever I heard Muhammad Ali on television say he was the greatest, I had to smile. There was only ever one greatest, and that was Duncan Edwards. There was nothing that needed to be coached into him – even at such a young age of 16 – he simply had it all.’

The eulogies about Duncan could go on, and on, and on.

rondwisan

02-10-2011, 11:40 PM

Mestinya kmrn ultah yaa .... :(

Duncan Edwards

Born: 1 October 1936, Dudley
Signed from: Trainee
Debut:*4*April 1953 v Cardiff City
Appearances: 177
Goals: 21
Honours: League (55/56, 56/57)

ManUtd.com - 01/10/2011 18:42
Memories of Duncan

http://www.manutd.com/~/media/1A26B3882D2541ADB72024C62DFE44F5.ashx?h=179&la=ar-SA&w=240&rgn=0,835,2656,2816

A player of the highest potential,*Duncan Edwards was the*shining light of Matt Busby's all-conquering team of the 1950's.*

His premature death, due to injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster, left his massive potential tragically unfulfilled. Yet there is some consolation in knowing what a great*player he was before he was taken from us, at the age of just 21, alongwith seven other Manchester United team-mates.

The ‘boy-man’ with thighs like oaks was the poster-boy for Busby’s Babes, his brave post-Munich fight showing a voracious appetite for life so redolent in his driving performances from midfield. Consecutive league titles in 1956 and 1957 would just have been the beginning for an absolute one-off.

One of Edwards'*mentors at*Old Trafford,*assistant manager Jimmy Murphy once said, some years after the player passed away: “When I used to hear Muhammed 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.”

Born 75 years ago this weekend, on 1 October 1936 in Dudley, West Midlands, Duncan Edwards will never be forgotten.
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Andi Istiabudi

03-10-2011, 07:30 PM

Kalau tidak salah ini pemain favoritnya Redsbusby. Betul gak, Gung ?
Sayang dia harus mati muda. Semoga Duncan Edwards kini tenang disana ...

Redsbusby

04-10-2011, 10:18 AM

Kalau tidak salah ini pemain favoritnya Redsbusby. Betul gak, Gung ?
Sayang dia harus mati muda. Semoga Duncan Edwards kini tenang disana ...

Duncan edward ini ada penjelmaannya di tim utama..
si rooney, tp dgn gaya bermain phil jones :).. yg punya moto menyerang adalah salah satu cara bertahan yg baik....hehehehe

Andi Istiabudi

04-10-2011, 10:52 AM

Kalau Duncan Edwards masih hidup, mungkin usianya kayak Sir Bobby Charlton yach ...