The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 273 The Fall of a Legend

One of the greatest managers in the history of the Red Devils, the creator of the Red Devils spirit, the patron saint who dedicated everything to the team - Matt Busby finally left the club he loved most and the football he loved.

--Inscription

Towards the middle and end of this season, the Red Devils received unfortunate news. On January 1994, 1, the Red Devils' meritorious coach and patron saint, Sir Matt Busby, passed away.

Busby's family informed the Red Devils board of directors of the news on the phone, "Matthew failed in another game. He lost to the ubiquitous cancer cells. But he told us that he had tried his best. Please don't be too sad."

The death of the legendary coach caught everyone in the Red Devils club off guard, and grief quickly flooded the Red Devils world like a tsunami. Although it has been a long time since we saw Busby at the Theatre of Dreams, the seat that belonged to Busby was completely empty this time, and the Red Devils fans still couldn't accept it.

The Manchester United club broadcast the news with great sorrow, and then all major television and newspaper media in England published the news. The Manchester United fans were in grief, and the entire European football world was also in pain. Busby's death even affected the world football.

FIFA and UEFA immediately issued statements expressing deep condolences for Busby's death. The Asian Football Confederation, the African Football Confederation and the football confederations of various continents also followed suit and issued statements to mourn the legendary coach.

Busby is the greatest manager in the history of the Red Devils, the symbol of the Red Devils spirit, and the biggest contributor to the Red Devils' conquest of Europe and winning the Champions League. He is the creator of the Red Devils' rebirth after the Munich air crash and the most outstanding founder of the Red Devils' entry into the top clubs. Throughout his career, he is the most beloved legend and the most respected manager by all Red Devils fans. In the minds of countless Red Devils fans, Busby is the symbol of the club. He has been closely linked to the Red Devils and can no longer be separated.

Busby's death also hit the Manchester United club hard, and the team fell into a heavy mood of mourning. In the history of the Manchester United, "Busby" is the greatest figure in the history of the Manchester United, the most respected legend, and a name that created epics and history.

At this time in 1994, Ferguson was leading the Red Devils back to the glorious path once created by Busby, leading the Red Devils to restore the Red Devils' former fighting spirit and making the Red Devils' tradition forged by Busby shine again, and striving towards the right path once guided by Busby. The news of Busby's death came at this time, making Ferguson and his team a little panicked for a while.

Ferguson and Busby have a deep bond. First of all, they are both Scottish, and both have the unique genetic code and spiritual characteristics of the Scottish. For Ferguson, Busby is even more of a benefactor to him. Before Ferguson coached the Red Devils, he had personally asked Busby how to lead the team. In the early days of coaching the Red Devils, Busby gave him selfless help and firm support. In Ferguson's most difficult season, Busby still trusted him and never said anything bad about Ferguson in the media. This legendary old man gave more positive encouragement to the Red Devils in trouble. He always believed that the Red Devils could regain their former glory under the leadership of Ferguson.

Busby gave Ferguson good advice on the youth training system and management, locker room control, dealing with the media, etc. The Red Devils youth training system established by Ferguson has the shadow of Busby's Red Devils training camp. Gathering talents from all over the world and teaching them is a common belief of both. The iron-fisted and gentle methods used by Ferguson in the locker room also have traces of Busby. Only in dealing with the media are the two Scots very different. Ferguson and the media had conflicts from the beginning, and the cold war became fierce and full of fire. Busby attached great importance to media publicity, was very good at handling media relations, and was widely respected by all walks of life.

When Busby passed away, the entire Red Devils world was in mourning. Although many Red Devils had been mentally prepared beforehand, when the bad news really came, the sadness easily defeated those fans who had been praying.

The Cliff Base and Old Trafford Stadium became places of mourning. Every blade of grass, every tree, and every light there carried the sorrow of the fans. The outer walls of the stadium were filled with jerseys, cards, and notes sent by fans. Busby's exclusive seat at the Theatre of Dreams was piled with flowers sent by fans. A huge memorial banner was hung on the stands of the stadium, and countless slogans were flying in the west stand. The road beside the stadium, named "Busby Road", was filled with wreaths and cards sent by fans. The lamp posts were tied with commemorative ribbons. The flying yellow-green (this was the original jersey color of the Red Devils) ribbons were the fans' eternal commemoration of Busby.

Ferguson said with great sadness, "This is a sad day. We Red Devils have lost our spiritual patron saint. The club has lost its greatest coach and I have lost one of my best predecessors. For all of us here, we have lost our best friend. The help Matt gave me before I coached the Red Devils was one of the key factors in determining whether I could fight here. It can be said that without his support, I might not have the opportunity to coach here and pass on his thoughts and spirit here."

Ferguson fondly recalled his interactions with Busby: "I will always be grateful for Matt's help. He always gave me constructive opinions and wise suggestions. I will never forget his kind face, his care and love for the Red Devils and me. He is one of the founders of the Red Devils' spirit and tradition. He is undoubtedly the best coach for the Red Devils."

Bobby Charlton, Busby's former disciple and Red Devils' meritorious player, said, "I am extremely sad and heartbroken. I have lost the best teacher and the best mentor in life. The scene of us playing football together is still vivid, but this moment is separated from us forever. My professional honor was brought to me by my mentor, and my life was also guided by him. I still remember his fearless courage, unwavering determination, and wisdom that is unimaginable to us."

Recalling the old days, Charlton was too sad to say more. "I always believed that Matt was the Red Devil. We played for Matt and won for him. We united together, tried our best in every game, and never gave up until the end, just because we didn't want to let Matt down."

Cantona, who has always been unruly, looked solemn when he spoke on behalf of the Red Devils' first team. "We swear with our lives that our football will always be red and passionate. We will uphold and carry forward Matt's spirit and look for integrity, fearlessness and victory in football. That is the value of Busby and us." Cantona said: "Busby's spirit will always inspire us to move forward. We will keep his teachings in mind, pay tribute to him with wonderful football, and prove to the fans that we deserve the pride of the Red Devils."

Ferguson's assistant Kidd once played under Busby and won the Champions League for the Red Devils. He was also an important member of the Busby dynasty. Kidd was very sad when he was interviewed. "I can't accept the news that Busby has left us. It's not true. He is my best teacher and the greatest coach I have ever experienced. He has overcome all difficulties and defeated all setbacks. He is a legendary hero. I will never forget the situation back then. When we recovered from the disaster in Munich, we kept fighting with the belief that we must win. This is the enlightenment that Busby gave us, and this is also his greatest encouragement to us. We completed the impossible and stood at the top of Europe. I will never forget Busby's smile at that time, nor will I forget the pride of him leading us to realize our dreams."

George Best, Busby's most beloved and outstanding disciple, said: "I am speechless at the moment. I can't say much. My heart is full of grief. Busby is like a kind teacher, an enlightener of thought, and the patron saint of my wandering life in my heart."

Best said: "I have never paid attention to any rules and regulations. We played too many pranks on the old man (referring to Busby) in the past, but they were all accepted and forgiven. We were playful and unruly all the way, and never felt any severity or harshness. Busby always doted on us. He indulged our entire team, let us play happily, and let us enjoy the fun of football."

Best said, "I am still grateful for everything he has done for me, and for his tolerance and love for me. He is like my father and my patron saint, great and irreplaceable."

The confession of an unknown Red Devils fan at the memorial service represents the simple thoughts of the fans in paying tribute to Busby. He said: "Let us remember the spirit of this club, the spirit pioneered by Busby. The club we love is so legendary and glorious, and it is the glory brought to us by Busby. Fight bravely, never give in in the face of difficulties, keep improving, and strive for great victory. This is our life creed and the best pursuit of our team. We will not let Busby down. We will always support the Red Devils, support this team to fight, to play wonderful football, maintain the tradition established by Busby for the Red Devils, and never give up for victory!"

Busby became the head coach in 1945 and stayed until 1969, coaching the Red Devils for more than 24 years. He also coached for half a season in the 1970-1971 season. He set the record for the longest coaching time in English football. After leaving the coaching position, Busby also joined the management, making suggestions for competition, youth training and business operations. It can be said that he dedicated his life to the Red Devils.

Busby led the Red Devils to create many great records, not only regaining the English First Division Championship for the Red Devils, but also leading the Red Devils to win the first Champions League trophy. He led the Red Devils to win a total of 5 English First Division titles, an FA Cup title, and a Champions League trophy. Busby forged two generations of legends for the Red Devils, brought out a group of talented players, and established the Busby Babes youth training brand. When the whole team was unfortunately hit by the Munich air crash and he almost died, Busby still did not succumb to the fate of the disaster. Although he witnessed the death of his teammates in the air crash, saw the core players seriously injured, and even though he himself almost died, all this could not make him give up the Red Devils and give up football.

There are some clubs in the world that have experienced the same thing as the Red Devils, but no coach can endure the pain of losing eight beloved players and three coaches. After such a tragic blow, Busby returned to Old Trafford with difficulty. He not only defeated death, but also defeated disaster. Busby rebuilt the team and led the team to rise again. In 10 years, he rebuilt a new dynasty for the Red Devils and used a Champions League trophy to commemorate his colleagues and disciples who died in the plane crash 10 years ago.

Although the two Red Devils dynasties he established were short-lived, no one would blame him for this. Because only Busby could create miracles twice...

When the time finally came to 1994, Busby, who had defeated death once, finally failed to defeat aging and illness this time. He passed away peacefully in the Red Devils' triumphant season, bidding farewell to the team and home he had guarded for 23 years.

Busby died peacefully, and his family did not want to cause any unrest, but the news still hit thousands of Manchester United fans. Manchester United fans all over the world were in grief and held memorial activities.