The Busby Babes: Part Five

So against this background of opposition from the powers that be and restrictive time constraints Busby and his young convention-defying team, which was already on the path to glory, began its last fateful journey together.

Having beaten Red Star 2-1 at Old Trafford a draw would be enough to see them into the semi-finals of the European Cup for the second successive season. On an icy pitch in Belgrade on the February 5th United raced into a 3-0 lead but, perhaps betraying United's youthful naivety, Red Star got back into the game. Nevertheless, despite a 3-3 draw on the day United won 5-4 on aggregate and secured a place in the semis.

The Busby Babes: Part Four

The Busby Babes line up for the very last time ahead of their last game together.

In the previous round United had struggled to get home in time for their league fixture against Birmingham City when their flight home after a game against Dukla Prague was delayed.

This time Busby wanted no such delays, no such worries ahead of United's vital game on Saturday February 8th against league leaders Wolves, a game of great importance to Busby who was aiming to secure the league title for a third straight season.

The Busby Babes: Part Three

Busby is a close as you can get in football to being regarded as a pioneer, as a visionary; with his ground-breaking youth scheme he re-wrote the way football teams were constructed and by recognising the potential of the European Cup he embraced a new frontier.

Under pressure from the English football authorities champions Chelsea did not enter the European Cup in its inaugural season in 1955/56, but despite the same opposition Busby led his championship winners into Europe for the competition's second season and managed to reach the semi-finals where they lost to Real Madrid.

After securing the league title again in 1956/57 United qualified once more for the European Cup in the 1957/68 season, and after their success in the competition the previous season United were automatically amongst the favourites.

Those walking the corridors of power at the Football Association and the Football League were diametrically opposed to the European Cup fearing it would undermine the integrity of the game at home, and so strove to make United's decision to compete as difficult as possible by dismissing any pleas to alleviate fixture congestion.

Under new league rules any team competing in Europe had to be back in England a full 24 hours before their next domestic fixture. In fact United's decision to charter a plane from British European Airways for that ill-fated round trip to Belgrade in February 1958 for the European Cup quarter-final against Red Star owed itself to this ruling.

The Busby Babes: Part Two

The scale of the Munich air disaster, the sheer tragedy of the events and their subsequent impact is difficult to impart to a new a generation of football fans. This was a team that had achieved considerable success and while so-doing won the hearts of a nation, not just the red half of Manchester.

Two consecutive league championships, a runners-up place in the 1957 FA Cup final, five back-to-back FA Youth Cups between 1953-57, a place in the 1957 European Cup semi-finals and the same again in 1958.

The Busby Babes were on the brink of greatness, the future was theirs. There seemed to be no limit on what they could achieve.

That they had managed to accomplish so much is remarkable in itself, but it was the manner in which it was achieved that endeared so many to that Manchester United team. It was a side that not only played with style and panache, but they did so with players who broke the mould.

The commonly held belief at the time was that to compete at the highest level required experience in every position, blooding a youngster represented a considerable risk. While Busby recognised the importance of experience he believed that youth was an undervalued asset and could give him the edge.

So rather than buying seasoned professionals, as was the norm, Busby built a side around youth; it was a gamble, but one that paid off. The average age of his 1956 championship winning side was just 22. The average age of the side which flew back from Belgrade in February, 1958 after securing a place in the European Cup semi-finals was 23.

The Busby Babes: Part One

It is the summer of 1968 and on Wembley's hallowed turf, underneath the famous twin towers and in front of 100,000 fans Manchester United have just beaten Benfica 4-1 to lift the European Cup.

Munich survivors Bill Foulkes and Matt Busby after winning the Euroepan Cup in 1968.

On the pitch the celebrations soon engulf Matt Busby. One by one his players find him, shake him by the hand and embrace him. Each expressing in these brief emotional moments feelings of joy, of thanks, excitement and something more; empathy.

It can be seen best in the fleeting glimpses the archives show of Busby with George Best and with Manchester-born Nobby Stiles, who shares a particularly poignant exchange with his manager.

Ten years on from February 6th, 1958 and Busby and United had achieved greatness.

It was an achievement born out of the necessity to honour the memories of Busby's Babes who died in Munich.