Julian Denny said:
Tom, have you seen the Villa v United 1957 FAC Final DVD which is available via Amazon UK. I've seen it once and put my comments on a separate thread a little while ago. Those coincided quite a bit with KF's views which I found interesting. If you've seen it I'd be very interested to know what you think. Edwards features for most of the game in the role of centre half.
Yes I have Julian. Although not one of the "Babes" better games, you couldn't help but see the talent that was in that team. They were on the receiving end of one of the most premeditated, precalculated, acts of violence on a football field that I have ever witnessed - and this just 6 minutes into the game. That it altered the shape of the team for the rest of that game is without doubt. I also believe that it actually led to the demise of Ray Wood as a top class goalkeeper. The following season he was never the same and Sir Matt went out and bought Harry Gregg in the December of that year. I don't think Ray Wood played First Division football again after that.
Duncan as you said, had to drop back to centre half and spent all but the last 10 minutes of that game in a purely defensive role - something that definitely restricted Unitted's attacking threat. But you could still see his power, his ability, and his exhuberance for the game. Interestingly, when you watch the McParland/Wood incident, it shows clearly one of the few times that I ever saw Duncan incensed on the field. He strides over to McParland and stands menacingly above him as he lay on the turf hands covering his face. Duncan obviously counted to ten before the red mist descended and thought better of it.
Jackie Blanchflower was outstanding that day and gave a performance that many a goalkeeper would have been proud of. Just a few years before he died, I was able to talk to him at a Dinner at Old Trafford about that day and he told me that he was just so nervous and frightened about letting the team down. His actual words were; "I was shitting myself!" Wonderful man, great player and one who suffered a lot of adversity after the tragedy, but still never lost his lovely sense of humour.
Both Byrne and Foulkes did well that day - two startling opposites. Big Bill, tough, uncompromising and never feared to put his foot in; Roger, just such a cultured player and a great leader as well as a sportsman to the end. He gave a captain's performance that day as he tried to inspire his young team around him. I'll never forget watching him as he rounded up the United players after the game was over, and led them in the applause for the Villa team as they went up to receive the FA Cup. It must have stuck in his craw to do it after the injustice that they had suffered. Great player, great man, great captain, and a leader unquestioned.
Eddie Colman's display gave you glimpses of just how talented he was. Some terrific little cameo's in that game and showed how well he could pass the ball. Bobby Charlton was just coming onto the scene and had made his debut that season. He made the Cup Final team because of injury to Dennis Viollet. But again, there was some wonderful cameo's of him and you could see the player that was to blossom later in his play. Tommy Taylor led the line with courage but in all honesty, he never got the service that his game required that day. He tried so hard and how he scored his goal I just don't know because he was going backwards when he headed the ball.
If there was a disappointment for me in that game, it was the fact that the two wingers, Johnny Berry and David Pegg, didn't function as effectively as they could have. They had so much ability and had laid on so many goals throughout that season. Wembley, and the reorganization of the team after the Wood incident seemed to affect them and as the game wore on they tired in my opinion.
The man of the match for United in this game for me, was Billy Whelan. His work rate and skill, was there in abundance for all to see. A tremendously gifted player, who if anything, suffered from an inferiority complex. His touch on the ball and his dribbling skills were so wonderful to watch. His record is astounding when you look at it - 79 League appearances at first team level and 43 goals scored - and this from a position that today would be termed midfield. Interesting to see that the triumverate of Whelan, Taylor, and Viollet, made a total of 504 League appearances between them and scored an incredible 314 goals(Taylor 166/112 and Viollet 259/159).
Sir Matt used to tell a tale about that Final. At half time, with the score still 0-0, he was considering sending Ray Wood back in goal. So he asked the physio, Ted Dalton, to take Wood outside of the stadium and throw some balls at him to see how his reactions were. They went outside onto a grassy patch and Dalton started throwing balls at Wood. Unfortunately, his vision was blurred and he hardly caught a one. Just down from where this was taking place, some young kids who had been playing football on the grass amongst themselves were watching with interest. As Dalton went to take ray back to the dressing room, one of the kids approached them and said; "Mister, you can come and play with me and my mates if you like." Just yards away, inside England's premier stadium, 100,000 people were waiting to see if Wood would return to the field of play in goal - and here he was being offered a kickabout on the grass outside!
I get emotional just watching that dvd because at least there is something there for people to see, even though, as I said, it was not one of their better performances. It's sad that some of their best performances - particularly the game against Bilbao at Maine Road (which I still consider to be the greatest game of football that I have ever seen) are not captured either on video or dvd.
For those interested, there is a dvd around entitled "And Then Came Munich" which shows some nice film of Duncan and is centred all around his life. A book also well worth reading is Bill Foulkes' biography "Manchester United and Beyond" which has some wonderful photographs in it of the "Babes".
I did read the book "The Lost Babes" but wasn't too happy with it. The writer embroidred quite a few things and definiately misinterpreted some of the things told to him by former players. I also find it sad that Harry Gregg still has a snipe at various people and find it uncalled for.
