Munich 58 : 50th Anniversary+Poem on 5 Live
The Day We Lost A Football Team read by Crispin Thomas was broadcast on the 606 phone-in on Radio 5 on 6th Feb 2008 from Wembley along with other callers reflecting on the England game. .
On February 6th 1958, 23 people (of the 44 passengers & crew) lost their lives when a plane crashed at Munich Airport, while attempting to take off in snowbound conditions. Among the dead, were members of Manchester United Football Club, who were returning from a European Cup match, having just played against Red Star Belgrade. Munich was a re-fuelling stopover.
To mark the 50th anniversary, Manchester United are having a minutes silence before the match with their closest rivals, Manchester City.
We are marking the 50th anniversary by highlighting as many poems as we can find on the subject, that have recently, or previously been, uploaded onto this website by many of our contributors, paying their respects.
2008
50 years on … – Clik the mouse
Like the Shirts! – Denys E. W. Jones
Standing Together – Mark Thomas
Sir Matt’s Babes – Emdad Rahman
(Just) a moment of silence – Emdad Rahman
sixty seconds of silence – Mike Garry
Munich anniversary – Clik the mouse
Munich, Feb 6th 1958 – Clik the mouse
Imagine if – Pogue Mahone
Diamonds in the Snow – Me
Belgrade: 6th February 1958 – Ted Smith-Orr
Matt Busby’s Babes Play On – Dennis Gould
The Day We Lost A Football Team – Crispin Thomas
Fifty Years Sixty Seconds – S B Ingle
6.2.58 – Alan McKean
8.8.3 – Alan McKean
2007
Glasnevin Cemetary – Peter Goulding
More Than A Football Club – Andy Lockett
Munich 58 – John Fisher
Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes – Gerry Lawrence
Lost For Words – S B Ingle
Forever & Ever – John Fisher
The Flowers of Manchester – Eric Winter
2006
Our Busby Babe – Caddy
The Day A Team Died – A.M.
2005
The Last of The Busby Babes – Poet Shot
2004
Sir Matt Busby – Parry Maguire
We Will Remember – Alan Laine
The Busby Babes – Paul Collins
Flowers of Manchester – Ben Andrew
Also, a link to munich58.co.uk a worthy tribute site to the victims and it also includes the original ‘The Flowers of Manchester’ and article on the origin and author of the poem.
About This Site
Welcome to Football Poets -- a club for all football poets, lovers of football and lovers of (alternative) poetry. Discover poets in every league from respected internationals at the top of their game to young hopefuls in the school playground.
Publish your football poems here and then discuss them with your team mates and fans. We're archived by The British Library, so your masterpieces are in the safe hands of a world-class keeper. What a result!
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Latest Poems
John Gilbert Ellis
28th November 2024
joe morris
26th November 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
26th November 2024
Gacina Bozidar
26th November 2024
Wynn Wheldon
26th November 2024
joe morris
17th November 2024
Crispin Thomas
17th November 2024
kevin halls
10th November 2024
joe morris
10th November 2024
Clik The Mouse
10th November 2024
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
27th November 2024 at 5:55 am
‘You’re Supposed To Be At Home’ is an excellent and moving poem Denys.
You start off thinking it’s just about another oft-sung chant, one we personally heard a lot last season throughout our second relegation in a row here at Forest Green(FGR) ! I always love poems where you think they are saying one thing and then they suddenly pull you deeper to somewhere or something else else.
I’m currently helping in a local school for FGR in a voluntary capacity using football to help young students with reading. At an upcoming session we will tackle racism, just like we did in workshops at football schools and grounds when we first started this site 24 years ago. I’m gonna try and weave your poem into a session.
We’ve added it to the Anti- Racism/Kick It Out section under Crispin’s Corner.
Best C
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26th November 2024 at 1:59 pm
Great poem and great to see you back Wyn.
Don’t leave it so long next time my friend!
More please.
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13th September 2024 at 6:14 pm
Welcome to Football Poets Beth
Great evocative poem Beth….
More please !
Haiku always welcome.
Hope we (FGR) get to play you again soon
Best
Crispin
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26th July 2024 at 6:25 pm
Great poem Mike Bartram. Eddie was a legend, affectionately known in Liverpool as, “the first hooligan.” Even the hoolies were well dressed in those days. The amazing thing was he was only 26 when that picture was taken. He’d played for Everton youth team and was well known to the players. He never got arrested. They threw him out and he climbed back in, just in time for Derek Temples winner.
I used the picture of him being tackled to the ground on the front cover of my book, “Once Upon a rhyme in Football.” It’s worth looking on youtube and finding the re-enactment of the Wembley scene. Frank Skinner and Baddiel went around to Eddies home in the 1990’s and acted it out on the green outside. It’s hilarious, especially all the effort they put in to get Eddie sober enough to shoot the scene.
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10th July 2024 at 6:07 pm
Hi Crispin,
I don’t know if you’ve see the picture in social media today…
a picture of a teenage Lionel Messi cradling a baby in Africa as part of a photoshoot…. the family had won a lottery to have their baby pictured with him….
the photographer has just revealed that the baby is actually in fact Lamine Yamal!!!!
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26th May 2024 at 2:30 pm
Hi Denys…
Re Man City:
OK it was 20 years ago but Criag Wilson did write this and a few others on them back in 04/05.
BTW I’m more Forest Green Rover since 2014 (and Chelsea) these days . I drum and am a standing season ticket holder .
Best
Crispin
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29th April 2024 at 2:47 pm
Hi Denys,
Yes Richard Williams you’re a brilliant wordsmith, my friend. When I first saw your football poetry I thought it was the superb Guardian sports and music writer. I once had the honour of sitting next to Richard Williams while at the Independent on the sports desk. He writes about music and sport with immense knowledge and authority. I’ve read a couple of Richard’s books recently. Great writer rather like you Richard Williams the Pompey fan. Congratulations on promotion.
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28th April 2024 at 5:59 pm
Thanks Denys. Yes your replay poem was superb.
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26th April 2024 at 4:46 pm
Nice work, Joe. You were quick off the mark with that! Good one from Richard Williams too I see.
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25th April 2024 at 7:33 pm
Hi Denys,
Thanks mate. I’ll do it now.
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