Obituary: Shay Brennan

The club was reeling from the impact of the Munich air crash on February 6 1958, in which eight players died, when [Shay Brennan] pulled on a senior red shirt for the game against Sheffield Wednesday. Such was the uncertainty surrounding the formation of the team that Jimmy Murphy, in charge while S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Guardian (London)
Main Author Potter, Derek
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London (UK) Guardian News & Media Limited 13.06.2000
Subjects
Brennan, Shay
Deaths
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Summary:The club was reeling from the impact of the Munich air crash on February 6 1958, in which eight players died, when [Shay Brennan] pulled on a senior red shirt for the game against Sheffield Wednesday. Such was the uncertainty surrounding the formation of the team that Jimmy Murphy, in charge while Sir Matt Busby fought for his life in a Munich hospital, was unable to name his makeshift 11 for an FA Cup tie. Eleven blank spaces appeared in the programme instead of players' names. Football in Brennan's days was a stage of expression; United men - under Busby's guidance and Murphy's back-up - were encouraged to play as much from the heart as from the head. Brennan fitted easily and contentedly into the format on the field; off it he had an Irishman's casual charm and was eminently sociable.
ISSN:0261-3077