tomclare
13th March 2006, 17:18
I took the opportunity over the weekend to read Jeff Connor's recent publication entitled "The Lost Babes". As most of you probably know from pre-publication publicity, it is a book written about Munich, and the slant of it is, how badly those that were involved were treated by Manchester United Football Club in the immediate aftermath, and years after, the tragedy.
After reading the pre-publicity pieces in the newspapers during January and early February, I did expect, given some of the allegations that were made, to be reading of some new evidence that would support what was being said. It certainly turned out to be that this is NOT the case.
Jeff Connor is a professional journalist who was born and raised in Manchester and is my age. He and his family left Manchester shortly after the disaster, and during the period since that time, Mr. Connor openly admits in his introduction to the book, that he has been back to the City on no more than 4/5 occasions and to Old Trafford just once.
There is nothing revealing in the book, nor anything that hasn't been reported before. Also, there is nothing contained therein that you can't find in previous publications about Munich, and certainly on Mike and Elaine's site at www.munich58.co.uk.
The book itself revolves around interviews the writer had with Harry Gregg, Albert Scanlon, and John Doherty, the former two being survivors, and Doherty being a main member of the Committee which organised the Munich testimonial game in 1998.
In the early chapters the writer concentrates on pen portraits of the members of the United team at the time of the tragedy. There are lots of anecdotes given by family members of the survivors, friends, and the three ex-players that I have mentioned. To those that haven't read or heard them before, they will find them interesting. Again though, nothing new is revealed, and those same anecdotes have appeared in other publications and have been told so often down the years.
The middle part of the book deals with events on the day of the crash, and more than anything concentrate on Harry Gregg's recollections of what happened on that sad, fateful, February afternoon. That Harry did things above and beyond the call are indisputable, and he certainly was heroic in the actions that he took that grey, bleak, snowy day. What I did find distateful and have done throughout all the years since the tragedy, are the sniping remarks Harry continually makes about Bill Foulkes; especially the line "You should have seen the big ****er run!" Reading Harry's description of events (and I have just recently heard a full length interview that he gave to an Irish radio station where he graphically describes what happened that day) it makes me wonder, considering the things that he was doing, how he had the time to watch what Bill Foulkes was doing.
The latter part of the book deals with the alleged mistreatment by Manchester United Football Club of the victim's families, survivors and their families, and also castigates the people who are alleged to have made a lot of monies out of the Munich tragedy, and condemns the organization of the testimonial match in 1998 and the way that the monies from that event were distributed. Once more, there is NO fresh evidence of any wrongdoing regarding the testimonial in what has been written in this book. In fact, I find that Harry's comments in this book and what he says in the Irish radio interview that I have mentioned, regarding Eric Cantona's part in the testimonial, completely contradict each other.
The writer does no analysis whatsoever regarding how different things were back in 1958, as to what they were like on the 40th Anniversary in 1998. He makes a sweeping allegation that at the time of the tragedy, the players were vastly underinsured. I would take issue with what the writer says about this. He bases his fact on a Board meeting that took place in 1954 when Sir Matt told the Board that they had players on the books at that time that were worth a total of some 250,000 pounds. An astronomical figure during that time, but it related to everybody at the Club and not just the first team. The insurance figure involved for travel purposes was 100,000 pounds, and again, this would have been for the players that travelled, and once again, was a huge amount back then.
Albert Scanlon tells of his disappointment at his payout from the Lord Mayor of Manchester's Disaster Fund, which amounted to a sum of just over 300 pounds. What Mr. Connor fails to relate at any point in his book, is the stringent rules that were laid down at that time by not only the Charities Commission (of which the Lord Mayor's Fund was) but also the insurance companies regarding payout. If my memory is correct, and I don't think that I am far wrong, the families of those that perished, and those who could no longer continue their careers, were awarded 8,700 pounds by the insurance companies - that was still a huge figure in 1958 when the average yearly salary was around 650 pounds p.a. Those that were able to cintinue a career obviouly fared less well, and it's this contention that seems to stick in Harry and Albert's craw.
It may well have been that the Club could, and should have done better, and have found a way around the rules and regulations in order to help compensate everybody. But hindsight is always a wonderful thing, but if anything had come to light regarding any other payments from any other source, (and the authorities concerned at this time would have been watching events closely) then the very people affected by the tragedy would most certainly have had their insurance/charity awards minimised. In reality, the Club has always been in a catch 22 situiation regarding Munich - damed if they do, damned if they don't.
The book also reveals some unsavoury swipes at people like Bobby Charlton, Wilf McGuinness and the sports journalist, Frank Taylor. Gregg talks of the survivors reunion organized by EUFA, for them to attend the 1998 EC Final in Munich. He recalls the night before the Final when at a Dinner, Bobby was speaking and related the fact that there isn't a day goes by that he doesn't think of his friends who perished in 1958. Gregg says that he called down the table to Bobby; "Then why the **** haven't you done anything for them for all these years." I actually find that a little rich coming from a guy who isn't short of bob or two himself. Gregg also takes a swipe at Wilf McGuinness and his after dinner speaking, saying that Wilf continually pontificates that if it hadn't been for injury, he would have been more than likely on that plane. Harry says that he wouldn't have. He also swipes at Wilf saying that he was just a peripheral player at the time and as such wasn't really a Busby Babe. Nothing could be further from the truth. Wilf had travelled throughout both European campaigns of the time, and had played in quite a few games. He had experience of the competition and had he not been injured prior to Munich, then I am certain that it's a fair assumption that Matt would have included Wilf in the travelling party. As for him not being a Busby Babe, Wilf most certainly was and captained the very first youth team, came up through the ranks, and made many more appearances in the "babes" team than Harry did!
Let me nail a myth - Harry was signed on Decemeber 19th 1957 and made just 11 appearances with the "Babes" before the tragedy happened on February 6th 1958 - that's just 7 short weeks. He writes and talks about the players who perished as though he had known them all through his life - it's my opinion that although he certainly played alongside them, he didn't really know them as well as he thinks!
All three, Gregg, Scanlon, and Doherty take a swipe at Frank Taylor, and state that "he made thousands out of Munich." Maybe he did - he wrote a best selling book entitled "The Day A Team Died" It's a book that has sold well, especially to Manchester United fans since the day that it was published. Like all books, there are little inaccuracies in it, and Frank relates some things from what he was told afterwards. You have to remember that Frank was the last survivor to leave the hospital in Munich, almost 6 months after the tragedy - he was in a coma for two months I believe! He was also in demand in later life as an after dinner speaker, and obviously, Munich played a big part in his talks. Harry conveniently forgets that he has also written 2 books and has dwelt at times in them on Munich. What stopped Scanlon writing a book?
Albert Scanlon also has a huge swipe at Sir Matt and states that after Munich, he thinks Matt had it in his head to get rid of the majority of the survivors. I don't buy that at all. Yes players did move on - Kenny Morgans was nowhere near the player he was before the crash; Ray Wood would never have gotten back into the team due to Harry's own presence and young David Gaskell lurking in the background; Dennis Viollet was into his 30's by the time Matt let him go and it was some of his off-field activities that led to Matt releasing him; as was the case regarding Albert himself - he conveniently forgets the furore in his own private life that happened in 1960, and it was no surprise that weeks after that, he left for Newcastle!
The end of the book relates to the testimonial game in 1998. First of all, let me tell you that each family got in excess of 46,000 pounds as a result of that game. The Committee that organized that match (which included Doherty and PFA Chairman Gordon Taylor) worked and gave their time for nothing. What does relate in the book is the acrimony that that game caused. Gregg is condemning of the monies paid to and taken by, Eric Cantona - yet again, in the Radio interview I mentioned, he states he attaches no blame to Eric!
They (Scanlon and Gregg) criticise the Committe for a share being given to Bobby Charlton, and also the fact that Eddie Colman's share (he had no living descendents at the time the testimonial was played) was given to Salford (and Ordsall in particular where Eddie came from) children's charities. It really did irk me when I read this that they could say things like that. it's interesting to note that John Doherty says that the organizers of that testimonial match received just 4 letters of thanks for their efforts!
The bitterness of Harry and Albert really does show itself in this book, and it's no coincidence that members of other survivors do make note of it - and distance themselves from it.
Jeff Connor, in my opinion didn't really think too much in writing this book. As I said, most of what it contained could be gleaned from elsewhere and takes a massive swipe at Manchester United Football Club - the Club he is so quick to tell you in the introduction that he supports. Most of it is unjustified in my honest opinion. For a man that says he watched the "Babes" regularly as a boy - I would have much rather have read of his experiences back in those great days watching a wonderful set of young men, than to read the dreary same old stuff that has been brought up by writers before him, and in a more tasteful way.
After reading the pre-publicity pieces in the newspapers during January and early February, I did expect, given some of the allegations that were made, to be reading of some new evidence that would support what was being said. It certainly turned out to be that this is NOT the case.
Jeff Connor is a professional journalist who was born and raised in Manchester and is my age. He and his family left Manchester shortly after the disaster, and during the period since that time, Mr. Connor openly admits in his introduction to the book, that he has been back to the City on no more than 4/5 occasions and to Old Trafford just once.
There is nothing revealing in the book, nor anything that hasn't been reported before. Also, there is nothing contained therein that you can't find in previous publications about Munich, and certainly on Mike and Elaine's site at www.munich58.co.uk.
The book itself revolves around interviews the writer had with Harry Gregg, Albert Scanlon, and John Doherty, the former two being survivors, and Doherty being a main member of the Committee which organised the Munich testimonial game in 1998.
In the early chapters the writer concentrates on pen portraits of the members of the United team at the time of the tragedy. There are lots of anecdotes given by family members of the survivors, friends, and the three ex-players that I have mentioned. To those that haven't read or heard them before, they will find them interesting. Again though, nothing new is revealed, and those same anecdotes have appeared in other publications and have been told so often down the years.
The middle part of the book deals with events on the day of the crash, and more than anything concentrate on Harry Gregg's recollections of what happened on that sad, fateful, February afternoon. That Harry did things above and beyond the call are indisputable, and he certainly was heroic in the actions that he took that grey, bleak, snowy day. What I did find distateful and have done throughout all the years since the tragedy, are the sniping remarks Harry continually makes about Bill Foulkes; especially the line "You should have seen the big ****er run!" Reading Harry's description of events (and I have just recently heard a full length interview that he gave to an Irish radio station where he graphically describes what happened that day) it makes me wonder, considering the things that he was doing, how he had the time to watch what Bill Foulkes was doing.
The latter part of the book deals with the alleged mistreatment by Manchester United Football Club of the victim's families, survivors and their families, and also castigates the people who are alleged to have made a lot of monies out of the Munich tragedy, and condemns the organization of the testimonial match in 1998 and the way that the monies from that event were distributed. Once more, there is NO fresh evidence of any wrongdoing regarding the testimonial in what has been written in this book. In fact, I find that Harry's comments in this book and what he says in the Irish radio interview that I have mentioned, regarding Eric Cantona's part in the testimonial, completely contradict each other.
The writer does no analysis whatsoever regarding how different things were back in 1958, as to what they were like on the 40th Anniversary in 1998. He makes a sweeping allegation that at the time of the tragedy, the players were vastly underinsured. I would take issue with what the writer says about this. He bases his fact on a Board meeting that took place in 1954 when Sir Matt told the Board that they had players on the books at that time that were worth a total of some 250,000 pounds. An astronomical figure during that time, but it related to everybody at the Club and not just the first team. The insurance figure involved for travel purposes was 100,000 pounds, and again, this would have been for the players that travelled, and once again, was a huge amount back then.
Albert Scanlon tells of his disappointment at his payout from the Lord Mayor of Manchester's Disaster Fund, which amounted to a sum of just over 300 pounds. What Mr. Connor fails to relate at any point in his book, is the stringent rules that were laid down at that time by not only the Charities Commission (of which the Lord Mayor's Fund was) but also the insurance companies regarding payout. If my memory is correct, and I don't think that I am far wrong, the families of those that perished, and those who could no longer continue their careers, were awarded 8,700 pounds by the insurance companies - that was still a huge figure in 1958 when the average yearly salary was around 650 pounds p.a. Those that were able to cintinue a career obviouly fared less well, and it's this contention that seems to stick in Harry and Albert's craw.
It may well have been that the Club could, and should have done better, and have found a way around the rules and regulations in order to help compensate everybody. But hindsight is always a wonderful thing, but if anything had come to light regarding any other payments from any other source, (and the authorities concerned at this time would have been watching events closely) then the very people affected by the tragedy would most certainly have had their insurance/charity awards minimised. In reality, the Club has always been in a catch 22 situiation regarding Munich - damed if they do, damned if they don't.
The book also reveals some unsavoury swipes at people like Bobby Charlton, Wilf McGuinness and the sports journalist, Frank Taylor. Gregg talks of the survivors reunion organized by EUFA, for them to attend the 1998 EC Final in Munich. He recalls the night before the Final when at a Dinner, Bobby was speaking and related the fact that there isn't a day goes by that he doesn't think of his friends who perished in 1958. Gregg says that he called down the table to Bobby; "Then why the **** haven't you done anything for them for all these years." I actually find that a little rich coming from a guy who isn't short of bob or two himself. Gregg also takes a swipe at Wilf McGuinness and his after dinner speaking, saying that Wilf continually pontificates that if it hadn't been for injury, he would have been more than likely on that plane. Harry says that he wouldn't have. He also swipes at Wilf saying that he was just a peripheral player at the time and as such wasn't really a Busby Babe. Nothing could be further from the truth. Wilf had travelled throughout both European campaigns of the time, and had played in quite a few games. He had experience of the competition and had he not been injured prior to Munich, then I am certain that it's a fair assumption that Matt would have included Wilf in the travelling party. As for him not being a Busby Babe, Wilf most certainly was and captained the very first youth team, came up through the ranks, and made many more appearances in the "babes" team than Harry did!
Let me nail a myth - Harry was signed on Decemeber 19th 1957 and made just 11 appearances with the "Babes" before the tragedy happened on February 6th 1958 - that's just 7 short weeks. He writes and talks about the players who perished as though he had known them all through his life - it's my opinion that although he certainly played alongside them, he didn't really know them as well as he thinks!
All three, Gregg, Scanlon, and Doherty take a swipe at Frank Taylor, and state that "he made thousands out of Munich." Maybe he did - he wrote a best selling book entitled "The Day A Team Died" It's a book that has sold well, especially to Manchester United fans since the day that it was published. Like all books, there are little inaccuracies in it, and Frank relates some things from what he was told afterwards. You have to remember that Frank was the last survivor to leave the hospital in Munich, almost 6 months after the tragedy - he was in a coma for two months I believe! He was also in demand in later life as an after dinner speaker, and obviously, Munich played a big part in his talks. Harry conveniently forgets that he has also written 2 books and has dwelt at times in them on Munich. What stopped Scanlon writing a book?
Albert Scanlon also has a huge swipe at Sir Matt and states that after Munich, he thinks Matt had it in his head to get rid of the majority of the survivors. I don't buy that at all. Yes players did move on - Kenny Morgans was nowhere near the player he was before the crash; Ray Wood would never have gotten back into the team due to Harry's own presence and young David Gaskell lurking in the background; Dennis Viollet was into his 30's by the time Matt let him go and it was some of his off-field activities that led to Matt releasing him; as was the case regarding Albert himself - he conveniently forgets the furore in his own private life that happened in 1960, and it was no surprise that weeks after that, he left for Newcastle!
The end of the book relates to the testimonial game in 1998. First of all, let me tell you that each family got in excess of 46,000 pounds as a result of that game. The Committee that organized that match (which included Doherty and PFA Chairman Gordon Taylor) worked and gave their time for nothing. What does relate in the book is the acrimony that that game caused. Gregg is condemning of the monies paid to and taken by, Eric Cantona - yet again, in the Radio interview I mentioned, he states he attaches no blame to Eric!
They (Scanlon and Gregg) criticise the Committe for a share being given to Bobby Charlton, and also the fact that Eddie Colman's share (he had no living descendents at the time the testimonial was played) was given to Salford (and Ordsall in particular where Eddie came from) children's charities. It really did irk me when I read this that they could say things like that. it's interesting to note that John Doherty says that the organizers of that testimonial match received just 4 letters of thanks for their efforts!
The bitterness of Harry and Albert really does show itself in this book, and it's no coincidence that members of other survivors do make note of it - and distance themselves from it.
Jeff Connor, in my opinion didn't really think too much in writing this book. As I said, most of what it contained could be gleaned from elsewhere and takes a massive swipe at Manchester United Football Club - the Club he is so quick to tell you in the introduction that he supports. Most of it is unjustified in my honest opinion. For a man that says he watched the "Babes" regularly as a boy - I would have much rather have read of his experiences back in those great days watching a wonderful set of young men, than to read the dreary same old stuff that has been brought up by writers before him, and in a more tasteful way.