Harry Gregg

[Heatwave]

Harry Gregg, one of the Busby Babes and hero of the Munich plane crash, has died aged 87 in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. 

He's well remembered in these parts as manager of a pretty uncompromising Crewe Alex side in the 70s. May he rest in peace.

[TheSage]

Did he not play briefly for Stoke too before he became a manager? A well know name from that era for us old uns. Liked to wear a cap when in goal which you don't see that often now.

Sad news. There can't be many left from Munich now.

[Heatwave]

16 minutes ago, TheSage said:

Did he not play briefly for Stoke too before he became a manager? A well know name from that era for us old uns. Liked to wear a cap when in goal which you don't see that often now.

Sad news. There can't be many left from Munich now.

According to the report I saw online, only Bobby Charlton left of the Munich survivors.

[TheSage]

You are right. I just checked the story. A terrible event that was.

Charlton, Busby and a few other football experts always said that Duncan Edwards was the best player they'd ever seen and would have gone on to become one of England's greatest ever players. A powerhouse, could play anywhere, use both feet and a real man monster of a footballer. But in an odd way it galvanised Busby and the club to rebuild, create the Trinity, and win the European Cup in 67. The first English club to do so but second to the great Lisbon lions.

[points-with-bone]

Gregg played two games for Stoke before retiring

Points-with-Bone

[RailwayRowdy]

2 hours ago, Heatwave said:

He's well remembered in these parts as manager of a pretty uncompromising Crewe Alex side in the 70s. May he rest in peace

I seem to recall that the Munich survivor took exception to being described in the local media as “dirty” Harry Gregg by Vale fan and Advertiser sports reporter Steve D’Arcy, for which the Ulsterman demanded a public apology.

However, as The Railway Children’s team around that time included Bob Scott and Paul Bevan to name but two, it was not difficult to sympathise with D’Arcy’s viewpoint. Luckily for Steve the two were never to meet in a secluded dark alley.

However, sad news of the passing of another great from football’s glorious past.

[Phil1965]

Yes, Harry was our manager in the mid 70s, and we were probably the dirtiest team in the whole football league at that time. You could see the fear in some opposition players because Harry would always pick 3 or 4 hard men every week. We were regularly up in front of the FA for our terrible disciplinary record. I don’t think we were playing Vale at this time because you were in Div 3. It’s a sad day, and I expect we will have a minute’s silence on Saturday.

[Houston Valiant]

Imagine going back into the burning wreckage of a plane to pull people out, and then only 13 days later playing a football match. A true legend. 
 

Harry Gregg RIP

[capirex]

I never thought of Harry as a Busby Babe. He was 25 when he joined United having played nearly a hundred games for Doncaster. The Busby Babes were the young players like Duncan Edwards, David Pegg, Eddie Coleman and Bobby Charlton who had come through the youth system and we're still in their early twenties.

I used too travel to a lot of the more local grounds such as Old Trafford when I was a schoolboy to collect autographs. In those days players used too train at the grounds, and unlike today we're really approachable. I remember Harry arriving at the ground with his arm in plaster and in a sling, after having broken it the previous week. I asked him if he could sign with his left hand, and he gave me a (friendly) clip round the ear and told me not to be so daft. He was always a gentleman and happy too spend time with all the kids after training.

All the United players at that time were brilliant with the kids apart from Bill Foulkes who for some reason would never sign anything, and would just ignore you.

[RailwayRowdy]

On a real sideways slant to this thread, why did goalkeepers of the time always wear polo neck sweaters ? Their necks couldn’t have been that cold. 

[Old fort]

17 hours ago, TheSage said:

You are right. I just checked the story. A terrible event that was.

Charlton, Busby and a few other football experts always said that Duncan Edwards was the best player they'd ever seen and would have gone on to become one of England's greatest ever players. A powerhouse, could play anywhere, use both feet and a real man monster of a footballer. But in an odd way it galvanised Busby and the club to rebuild, create the Trinity, and win the European Cup in 67. The first English club to do so but second to the great Lisbon lions.

Celtic 67, Utd.68