<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>
For every generation of fans and players, there is always one player that stands out for a variety of reasons. For every Sir Stanley Matthews, there will be a George Best, for every Gary Lineker, there will be Paul Gascoigne. Players who captivated their peers but for some reason, lost the passion, fell into bad habits and faced battles off the pitch far worse than anything they ever encountered over the white line.
Yet one name stands out amongst all others in post war English football as 0ne that was stolen away from us. Along with the other 7 members of the Manchester United side that died on 6th February 1958 in the Munich Air Disaster, Duncan Edwards’ name has flowed down throughout the last 51 years.&nbsp; Edwards is held up as potentially&nbsp;the greatest English player of his time and maybe of all time. The plaudits which have been lauded on the likeable West Midlands born lad have continued since he passed away.

Edwards’ career began as most others in those days, playing local league football for both his school, Birmingham County and Worcestershire. Incredibly, it seems that even at 12 years old, he had sides chasing his signature, with 3 of the biggest of the time vying for&nbsp;his attentions ;&nbsp;Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa and Manchester United. Spotted by United’s scout Jack O’Brien, Busby was urged to sign&nbsp;“A 12-year-old schoolboy who merits special watching. His name is Duncan Edwards, of Dudley”
In time of course, the lure of Manchester United became too much to resist and he joined them in June 1952, still 4 months short of turning 16. Wolves’ manager of the time , Stan Cullis was livid and accusations of financial incentives were bandied about. Edwards however simply informed them that he had always wanted to play for United and that was all their was to it.&nbsp;Edwards stock was rising and it was with no surprise that he quickly forced his way into the first team squad making his debut in April 1953, aged 16.
<div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignleft" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20090803_WST_9332_29051_f260.webp&amp;width=221&amp;height=342" alt="" width="221" height="342"></figure></div>Over the next 5 seasons, Edwards would make himself a regular fixture in the exciting and dynamic side that Sir Matt Busby was building at Old Trafford. Two successive league titles saw United begin to push Wolves’ dominance of the First Division and the 1957-58 season saw both sides going for the title once again.&nbsp; Edwards, whilst primarily becoming renowned for playing as a defensive midfielder was equally adept at playing in most outfield positions. In one game for United, he started in midfield, was pushed up front as a replacement striker and finished the game playing in central defence.
Both Stanley Matthews and Bobby Moore were fans of his tenacity, coolness and the presence he had on the field of play. He played with a calmness that belied his years and in the 5 seasons he played for United, he appeared 177 times as well as turning out 18 times for England. By the beginning of 1958 the football world was at his feet. He’d now become a regular for England and was expected to play a major part in the attempt to win the 1958 World Cup, to be held in Sweden that year.
All that changed on 6th February 1958, when the plane carrying the Manchester United squad back from Belgrade crashed on the Munich-Reim runway. United had just qualified for the semi finals of the European Cup after a 3-3 draw against Red Star Belgrade had seen them win the tie 5-4 on aggregate. The plane skidded and lost control attempting to take off for the third time on a slush covered runway, smashing into the ground. Edwards suffered massive injuries, with multiple leg fractures, broken ribs and severely damaged kidneys. Edwards held on for 15 days but a kidney transplant caused internal bleeding and he passed away through renal failure on February 21st.
23 people died as a result of the crash, 7 United players and 3 members of Manchester United staff, 2 crew members, 9 journalists and 2 additional passengers. Amazingly 21 people survived, but it saw United’s season decimated and obviously the club struggled to maintain the season in the circumstances. At just 21 years old, Edwards’ light had flickered its last.
Edwards was laid to rest 5 days later in a grave next to his sister who had passed away in 1947. The streets of his home town Dudley saw 5,000 people for his funeral and the town is rightly proud of the brief but brilliant legacy this quiet young man left in just 5 years. Over the years the plaudits have continued to be given towards Edwards. His grave is still visited regularly, not just by United fans, but fans of all clubs and people who just want to pay their respects.
<div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20090803_WST_9332_duncanedwards.webp&amp;width=284&amp;height=384" alt="" width="284" height="384"></figure></div>
“He was the only player that made me feel inferior” Sir Bobby Charlton
“There is no doubt in my mind that Duncan would have become the greatest player ever. Not just in British football, with United and England, but the best in the world. George Best was something special, as was Pele and Maradona, but in my mind Duncan was much better in terms of all-round ability and skill” Tommy Docherty
“Edwards was like a rock in a raging sea” Sir Stanley Matthews
<ul>
<li>Played 177 games for Manchester United, scoring 21 goals</li>
<li>18 games for England and 5 goals</li>
<li>Potentially England’s greatest ever player</li>
<li>Held the youngest England international record until Michael Owen beat his record in 1998.</li>
</ul>

Legends of English Football: #7 Duncan Edwards - World Soccer Talk

Legends of English Football: #7 Duncan Edwards

<figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" src="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/billy-wright.jpg" alt="billy-wright" width="475" height="640" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-147956" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2009/07/billy-wright.jpg 475w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2009/07/billy-wright-150x202.jpg 150w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2009/07/billy-wright-300x404.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 475px) 100vw, 475px"></figure>
If one player ever encapsulated the prestige, honor and sacrifice that being a one club man, then few could match the career of <a href="http://www.sirbillywright.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Billy Wright</a>. Like Dean and Matthews, he set standards and records without batting an eyelid. In these modern days of superstar footballers, loathed and loved in equal measure, Wright personifies a halcyon era when respect and honor went hand in hand. Universally loved around the country, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house for his final match.
<a href="http://www.wolves.co.uk/page/GoldenOldies/0,,10307~65471,00.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wright</a> was another of the great stars of English football, whose career, whilst magnificent, could have been even greater if it were not for the outbreak of World War II. Given his first team debut in 1939 at only 15 years of age and he signed a full time contract in 1941, but as with all league football at the time, it would be another 5 years before he pulled on the old gold and black kit and became enshrined in a unmatched period of success for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It had been his performances throughout the war that brought him to the attention of both the F.A and Wolves and his career took off immediately after he had been de-mobbed from the Army in 1946. He’d been a Physical Education Instructor as well as playing representative games and had earned a reputation as one of the best defenders in the world. He was joining a side that had closed the two seasons prior to the outbreak of war finishing as runners up in the First Division and also lost the F.A Cup final to Portsmouth in 1939.

<figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignright" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/newsimg.bbc.co.uk/about/admin/newsimages/BillyWright.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="251"></figure>That first full season for Wolves saw them once again miss out on the title by losing the last match of the season, but the next 14 years would cement Wolves as one of the top sides in England. Wright replaced the Wolves captain Stan Cullis after he retired in 1947 and one year later Cullis returned to Wolves to become the new manager. The relationship between manager and captain became a period of unparalleled success and they captured the F.A Cup together in 1949.
By now Wright has become England captain as well and held the position in every remaining game he ever played for his country. During the next ten years Wright would lead Wolves to 3 league titles, 3 runners up places and 3 third places as Wolves became synonymous with footballing success. Along with Manchester United, they were the team of post war Britain and it often came down to which of the two would hold their nerves the longest.
Wright’s talent as a footballer was that whilst he was noted for his hard, even ferocious tackling, he still played the game fairly and as a true sportsman. As he was never booked or sent off in his career, it’s rare thing for a defender to go their entire career without at least one blemish on their record. Despite being only 5′ 8″ he was almost unmatched in aerial battles, with an uncanny ability to be seemingly able to levitate when he jumped for the ball, the Michael Jordan of his day.
<figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignleft" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/newsimg.bbc.co.uk/i/pix/2008/06/11/article-1025838-0191840500000578-462_468x591.jpg" alt="" width="271" height="378"></figure>Wright never tried to things he couldn’t do, but what he could do, he did bloody well. An excellent reader of the game, with a sweet burst of pace, Wright seemed to be able to read the play before it had happened and break it up and give to a Wolves player to charge back down the pitch toward the opponents net.&nbsp; “I only had two things on my mind as a player: to win the ball and then to give the simplest pass I could to the nearest team-mate,”
Wright then became even more of a household name; if that were possible, when he married Joy Beverley, from the 50’s pop group <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4570298.stm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Beverley Sisters</a>. As Britain’s premier female group and the first British female group to break in to the American top ten, it was similar to the England captain marrying a member of the Spice Girls. Make no mistake about it, they were massive. On his way to the secret location for the wedding in Poole in Dorset, Billy and Joy ran into a traffic jam. When he asked a police officer what on earth had gone on to make everyone queue so long, the officer just laughed and said “They’ve all come to watch you two get married.” Thousands turned out for the “Secret wedding”
Wright finally retired in 1959 as Wolves won the league title for the last time in their history and was awarded the CBE after announcing his retirement. He had a year off before becoming the manager of England’s youth, Under 21 and Under 23 sides but left in 1962 to become the manager of Arsenal, guiding them into 7th place in his first season and gave them their first ever season of European football.
Yet things didn’t quite work out for him at the Gunners and he was sacked in 1966, moving into television as Head of Sport for ATV, a post he held for over 20 years. He retired in 1989 and the year after joined the board of directors following Sir Jack Hayward’s purchase of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sir Jack paid him the ultimate honor of naming one of the stands after him, an obvious, yet fitting tribute for such a player. When people think of Wolves, they think of Stan Cullis, Steve Bull and Billy Wright. Sadly, Billy passed away much too soon, as stomach cancer claimed him in 1994. My grandfather cried all day when he heard the news.
<ul>
<li>First player in world football to earn 100 caps for his country</li>
<li>Played 70 consecutive international matches</li>
<li>Captained England 90 times</li>
<li>Amazingly missed 7 seasons due to the Second World War</li>
<li>Captained England in 3 consecutive World Cups (1950, 1954, 1958)</li>
<li>Never booked or sent off</li>
<li>England 5th most capped player with 105 caps and 3 goals</li>
<li>541 games and 16 goals for Wolves</li>
</ul>

Legends Of English Football No.5 # Billy Wright

Legends Of English Football No.5 # Billy Wright - World Soccer Talk

Latest news from Stan Cullis. Find out about all the news related to Stan Cullis on worldsoccertalk.com

ALL POSTS TAGGED "Stan Cullis"

General

Legends of English Football: #7 Duncan Edwards

News

Legends Of English Football No.5 # Billy Wright