One of English football's greatest-ever managers was born 100 years ago this Tuesday (26 May) in the Scottish village of Orbiston.
A former Manchester City and Liverpool player, Matt Busby accepted the position of United manager on 19 February 1945, and then joined the club full-time on his demobilisation from the armed forces in October 1945.
Together with his loyal assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, Busby created a team good enough to win the FA Cup in 1948 and to challenge for the League Championship. After finishing runners-up four times, Busby's men won the title in 1952.
Far from being blinded by their success, Busby and Murphy had the foresight to plan ahead and prepare for the day when their first great team would need replacing. The club's scouting system was expanded and reorganised, soon yielding a young team that won the title again in 1956 and 1957 and reached the FA Cup final in 1957. This young team was christened the 'Busby Babes.'
Busby trailblazed the way for English clubs by entering the European Cup in 1956/57 - initially against the wishes of the Football League. United reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual winners Real Madrid.
The following season, 1957/58, bristled with promise and United were still challenging in all three competitions by February when disaster struck. On 6 February 1958, the aeroplane bringing the team home from a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade crashed after refuelling in Munich. Twenty-three people were killed, including eight of Busby's players and three club officials.
Busby almost lost his life as well - he was twice given the last rites while lying gravely ill in a German hospital. Fortunately, he survived and returned to Manchester 71 days after the crash. Taking up the managerial reigns again in August 1958, Busby began to rebuild United, bringing in some big money purchases to add to his homegrown talent. The new group of players reached the FA Cup final in 1963 and beat Leicester City 3-1 to claim the Munich.
League titles followed in 1965 and 1967, giving Busby the chance to conquer Europe in the following seasons. In 1965/66, United reached the semi-finals, just as they had done in 1956/57 and 1957/58. But in 1967/68 they went further, to the final at Wembley where they faced Portuguese side Benfica.
On another night of great emotion, United triumphed 4-1 after extra-time to win the European Cup. It was a fitting tribute to the players and staff killed and injured 10 years before and was Busby's crowning achievement as United manager. Busby retired at the end of the following season, but stayed on as general manager while Wilf McGuinness became the man in charge of the team on a day-to-day basis. The new arrangement lasted little more than a year - on 28 December 1970, Busby was invited by the Directors to return to his old job and replace McGuinness until the end of the season.
A respected figure throughout his career, Busby was
awarded the CBE in 1958. Ten years later, was knighted following United's European Cup triumph. In 1993 Warwick Road North, the road which runs past Old Trafford, was renamed Sir Matt Busby Way in honour of the man described as 'Mr Manchester United'.
When, after a short illness, Sir Matt died on 20 January 1994, thousands of people lined the streets of Manchester and similar numbers of shirts, wreaths, pictures and scarves were laid in tribute at Old Trafford. A bronze statue of Sir Matt was unveiled at the stadium on 27 April 1996, as a permanent memorial to the man who epitomised the club.
Five years after Busby's death, United won the European Cup for the first time since 1968. Poignantly, the date of that triumph for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, 26 May 1999, would have been Matt's 90th birthday.
100年前的明天,英國歷史上至今為止最偉大的主教練馬特.畢士比爵士誕生在蘇格蘭的村莊奧比斯頓.作為一名曾經效力於曼城和利物浦的球員,畢士比爵士在1945年的2月19日卻接掌了曼聯主教練的教鞭.而在當年10月份,他離開了兵營,復原並全職當起了曼聯隊的主教練.
畢士比爵士和他忠誠的助教吉米.莫菲一起幫助球隊在捧起了1948年的足總杯冠軍,而此時畢士比和莫菲更多的考慮的是未來,為了能讓球隊重回巔峰,他們首先建立起了球隊的球探系統,而後他們又憑借一支青年軍獲得了1956和57年的聯賽冠軍.那只青年軍也開始被人們稱為‘畢士比寶貝’.
畢士比也率先開起了英超球隊征戰歐洲冠軍杯的先路,他率隊參加了1956/1957 賽季的冠軍杯並殺入了准決賽,可惜最終被皇馬淘汰.接下來的一個賽季,正在球隊三線作戰的關鍵時刻,在1958年的2月6日發生了黑暗的慕尼黑空難.23人在空難中不幸遇難,其中包括了8名畢士比寶貝和3名俱樂部的從業人員.
在這次空難中畢士比爵士也險些遇難,他在德國的醫院中已經兩次被報了病危.但幸運的是他最終戰勝了死神,並在距空難71天後重返了曼徹斯特.他在1958年的8月份重新拿起了教鞭,並且重新吸納了一批本土的天才球員以重建他的球隊.新的曼聯隊在1963年的足總杯決賽中3-1 擊敗了萊賈斯特奪冠,這也是俱樂部在慕尼黑空難後的第一座冠軍獎杯.此後球隊又在1965年和1967年兩奪聯賽冠軍,65/66賽季他們又殺入了冠軍杯的准決賽,最後不低貝爾格勒紅星.但在之後的一個賽季,也就是67/68賽季,畢士比爵士率隊歷史上第一次進軍到了冠軍杯的決賽,他們在溫布利球場的對手則是葡萄牙冠軍本菲卡隊.
在那個偉大的夜晚,曼聯透過加時賽4-1 擊敗了對手獲得了冠軍,那天距離慕尼黑空難已經過去了十年,這也是對在空難中死難的曼聯人的最好安慰.畢士比爵士在之後的一個賽季離開了主教練的位置,開始擔任球隊的總經理.但在不到一年後,時任主帥的麥吉尼斯就被解雇,受到俱樂部董事們的邀請,畢士比爵士重新出山.畢士比爵士的整個執教生涯都叫世人所尊敬,他在1958年獲得了英帝國軍官勛章.1993年,老特拉福德之的瓦爾維克路被曼城政府正式改名為馬特.畢士比路.
1月20日,畢士比爵士因病離開了人世.成千上萬的人來到了曼徹斯特,他們用各種形式來拜祭巴斯比爵士.老爵士的塑像在1996年4月27日建成,位置就在老特拉福德球場外.在畢士比爵士去世的5年後,曼聯在弗格森的率領下歷史上第二次捧起了冠軍杯.巧合的是,奪冠當天正好是畢士比爵士的生日.
歷史上一個教練同期做就三個歐洲足球先生...死而復生打造曼聯68年超級王朝
願你能夠再次帶領曼聯走上冠軍之路,曼聯亦會將歐洲冠軍送給你當作生日禮物
決賽當天,去到羅馬既曼迷將會展示一個巨型頭像既畢斯比圖案,向佢致敬... |
發表於 2009-5-26 06:11 AM
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