What Munich Air Disaster means for Man Utd

While Lord’s comments appear shockingly unfeeling by today’s standards, the UK was then world-renowned for its ‘stiff upper lip’. ‘Keep calm and carry on’ went a ‘motivational’ Second World War promotional poster produced by the government, but that line of thinking inevitably encouraged people to suppress emotion and vulnerability.

Just because United fans did not openly confront or display their feelings about the loss of their heroes does not mean those feelings didn’t exist. The legend of the Babes was kept alive by those fans who had watched them play. But as late as the 1990s, there were fears among some supporters that Munich, and all it meant, would fade into history.

Mike Thomas and his wife Elaine Giles decided to take action, setting up the Munich58 organisation, which turns 20 this year.

“We started going to Old Trafford on 6 February quite a number of years ago, in the late ’90s – there was hardly anybody there, maybe six or eight people,” remembers Thomas.

“We sang The Flowers of Manchester and went home. At the time, there was not much information out there about the crash and each year there were fewer and fewer people turning up at Old Trafford to pay their respects, and the amount of coverage in the media seemed to be getting less and less. To us, it felt like it was being forgotten.”

The supporters’ group started to organise an annual service for the anniversary, something the club has offered its support to increasingly in recent years.

“United came to us and asked if they could be of any assistance,” he explains.

“They’ve always said they don’t want to step on our toes; they appreciate it’s our event, for the fans, by the fans. But they’ve helped us a great deal in terms of promotion and logistics.”