RIP Denis Law
A player long before my time as a United fan but like Bobby Charlton and George Best was one steeped in the folklore of club.
These players along with some of the legends of the Ferguson era are what made Manchester United one of the biggest football clubs in the world.
Hopefully someday we’ll get back to those heights.
Aye. I followed Man Utd because my Dad followed them. If he was a SSB....perish the thought.
Anyway, when I get into something I get into it. I must have read a forest about the Babes and the journey to 1968 and it is in my unbiased opinion the greatest football story ever told.
Munich broke Sir Matt's heart and then when big Duncan Edwards died he wanted no more to do with football. Jimmy Murphy, his assistant kept the club going in those dark days, and eventually Busby decided to come back.
It didn't go well at the start though. By the early 60s West Ham were the coming club, and there was talk of Busby being am old man who ideas were jaded (he was in his mid 60s, a pup compared to Carlo) and United were flirting with relegation once or twice IIRC. They were certainly mid table mediocrity at best.
Charlton, I think wanted nothing more to do with football, but like Busby, he came back. Then Busby rescued Law from Torino, where he wasn't having a good time. It was around this time that Busby received the famous telegram from a Belfast scout that read "I've found you a genius".
United were champions again in 1965, and got to the semi finals where they were hot favourites to win against Partizan Belgrade. They lost the first leg 2-0 and won the second leg 1-0 but ot was not enough.
Paddy Crerand (I think) recalls a story where Busby was absolutely distraught after the match. Paddy consoled him saying, "Don't worry Boss, we'll win the league next year and win the EC the following year".
And that's exactly what they did. Best, Law and Charlton were the superstars of that team. Three Balon D'or winners in one team which was unheard in that time, and was for a long time after too (think Madrid might have had a few teams now, but not certain).
RIP Dennis, one of the greatest centre forwards that the world has ever seen.
Btw, if you're a United fan and like books, read Eamon Dunphys A Strange Kind of Glory, best United book I've ever read, and I've read a few..
