United vs City....

[Elano]

I hope to see a great derby!
I've heard both team will play with a special jersey to remember the victim of munich.....

[Elano]

The special retro kit to be worn by United for Sunday's Manchester derby has been unveiled.

The strip, which has been specially designed without kit manufacturer or sponsorship logos, is based on the kit worn by the Busby Babes in the 1950s - in recognition of this week's 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster.

Also abandoned are modern squad numbers, with United's 16-man squad set to don numbers 1 through 16 on Sunday after gaining special dispensation from the Premier League.

Chief executive David Gill said: "The sincere thanks of the Club go to AIG and Nike for their wholehearted backing for the kit change, and to the Premier League for allowing us to mark the event in a unique way."

Like United, opponents Manchester City will don a retro strip, free of sponsorship, especially for Sunday's match. A black ribbon motif, bearing the words ‘Manchester Remembers,’ has also been incorporated.

Both teams will observe a minute's silence and every fan attending will receive a special memento.


Manchester has this week been marking the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. City's club historian Gary James continues his reflection on how the entire city reacted to the tragedy at the time.
Virtually every City player was friendly with at least one of United’s players, and it was with real emotion that the players lined up for a two-minute silence – impeccably observed by all fans – at the Spurs-City match the Saturday after Munich. Those players did not want to play, but the game had to go on.  Understandably the crash affected the team that day and the game ended in a 5-1 defeat.

On 15th February the first game to be staged in Manchester following the disaster was a deeply emotional affair. City faced Birmingham in a match that has largely been forgotten by the media. This game was played only three days after City players Dave Ewing, Roy Little, Ken Branagan, and Joe Hayes had attended the funeral of Gorton born United captain Roger Byrne, while many others had attended funerals of other crash victims during the week. The tragedy seemed to touch each and every Mancunian personally.

Few City fans were in the mood for football and it’s clear there was no public appetite for the Birmingham game. It felt wrong to be playing an important match while people were still fighting for their lives, and others were being buried. Understandably a significantly lower crowd than usual – only 23,461 - attended Maine Road for this fixture. City’s average for the six previous home matches had been 43,000.

The City programme was full of tributes with most of its content focusing on the tragedy, and the game itself was played in an extremely mournful atmosphere. Abide with Me was played pre-match and every fan stood, head bowed to remember the city’s victims. The weather deteriorated as the game commenced and inevitably the match was abandoned in the 40th minute. The heavy rain and miserable atmosphere proved to all that life was more important than a game of football. Manchester had not yet found the strength to carry on and look to the future – that would come with United’s first home game.

City had invited United Chairman Harold Hardman and new secretary Les Olive to the Birmingham game as guests of honour. Olive was carrying out the awful task of trying to find players to fill the gaps left by the disaster, and City encouraged him to approach several players. FA Cup finalist and Irish international Fionan ‘Paddy’ Fagan was one player who almost made the move. City offered United whatever assistance they could. 

UEFA asked the FA to identify a team to replace United in the European Cup, with the European authorities stating that they wanted City to become Manchester’s representatives in the semi-final. City were quick to state that they would not take the place as they wanted United to return to action as soon as possible and play in the competition.

Since 1958 Manchester has continued to remember the disaster and City have continued to consider the way the disaster affected the lives of so many Mancunians, and others known to City. In recent years, a permanent tribute to all the victims of the crash was made at the City Museum & Tour shortly after it opened in 2004.  Various objects have been placed on display connected with the disaster each anniversary, while the City Memorial Garden has been used in the past by supporters and the club to remember victims of Munich, Hillsborough and other tragedies. 

City have always recognised that the Munich disaster affected all Mancunians and, as a team that is immensely proud of our Mancunian heritage, it is right for us all to think and remember what happened in 1958, and how all Mancunians felt.

In total twenty-three people died as a result of the air disaster:

United Players

Geoffrey Bent (12 League appearances for the Reds)
Roger Byrne (277 appearances in League, Cup and Europe; 33 internationals – he was two days short of his 29th birthday at the time of the crash)
Eddie Colman (107 League, Cup & Europe appearances)
Duncan Edwards (175 League, Cup and European appearances; 18 internationals)
Mark Jones (120 League, Cup and European appearances)
David Pegg (148 League, Cup and European appearances; 1 international appearance)
Tommy Taylor (189 League, Cup and European appearances; 19 internationals)
Liam ‘Billy’ Whelan (96 League, Cup and European games; 5 Eire international appearances)

United Staff

Walter Crickmer (United secretary, and manager in 1931-32 & 1937-45)
Tom Curry (trainer and former Newcastle & Stockport player)
Bert Whalley (coach and former Stalybridge Celtic and United player)

Journalists

Alf Clarke (Manchester Evening Chronicle)
Don Davies (Manchester Guardian)
George Follows (Daily Herald)
Tom Jackson (Manchester Evening News)
Archie Ledbrooke (Daily Mirror)
Henry Rose (Daily Express)
Frank Swift (News of the World & former City goalkeeper and England captain)
Eric Thompson (Daily Mail)

The other victims were:

Tom Cable (steward)
Capt Kenneth Rayment (co-pilot)
Willie Satinoff (Manchester businessman)
Bela Miklos (travel agent)

[Elano]

DAMN 2 - 0 for the city at the end of the first half
vassell and benjani 

[K.Dub]

DAMN 2 - 0 for the city at the end of the first half
vassell and benjani 

[Elano]

United City 1 - 2 

[es-jay]

its all over, Man Utd 1 - 2 Man City.

Arsenal need to extend that gap 2moro against Blackburn.

[Adam Donnelly]

OH YES

Im on the beer tonight 

[KURUPTION-81]

only just seen this, here's my thoughts from the other thread

as for todays game i haven't felt that low after a football match for a long time, leaving the ground i was really depressed.

Before the game i never imagined we would lose, thats not suppose to sound arrogant or be disrespectful to city. It was just due to the fact that we were playing at home, were out to avenge our defeat earlier in the season and the the fact it was the 50th anniversary.

I never thought the players would let us down on an a day like that. I don't know whether the occasion got to them, but they looked un organised, panicked and if the pressure was too much.

Fair play to city though, they were very well organised, defended well and deserved the victory. 
 
EDIT

Today showed badly why we needed to buy a striker, we cant trust saha to ever be fit and when either tevez or rooney doesent play we are dont have anyone who can come on and change the game if things arent going well.
 

[Boo-Yaa †]

Was glad to see the minute silence was aheared to!

The tribute scarfs that all the fans got are already on ebay 

[187_gangsta_crip]

Man Utd played so badly today.. i felt so low after the final whistle.. i had a terrible feeling before the match that it wasn't gonna be United's day..

[187_gangsta_crip]

Today showed badly why we needed to buy a striker, we cant trust saha to ever be fit and when either tevez or rooney doesent play we are dont have anyone who can come on and change the game if things arent going well.
 
[/quote]
Manucho should be coming this summer and its time to buy Berbatov.. Saha's time is over.

[K.Dub]

Manucho should be coming this summer and its time to buy Berbatov.. Saha's time is over.

When was his time?

[187_gangsta_crip]

Saha has been given enough chances but he always gets injured.. therefore Fergie should sell him. Berbatov is a must for United..

[Elano]

Rooney was out. why ?

[KURUPTION-81]

Rooney was suspended, berbatov is a great player but if we get rid of saha we need a player who can run in behind the back of defences.

Someone who has a lot of pace.

Im def not gonna be putting my scarf on ebay, there is a letter from david gill in it and also a replica programme of the first game after munich against sheffield wednesday.