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Duncan Edwards

Huyton_Red

By Huyton_Red
in General Football Discussion

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Huyton_Red

Huyton_Red

Posted
Posted

Been reading loads on him this week with it being the anniversary of the munich air crash

 

Me grandad (who was a blue) constantly went on about him when he was alive and how good he was

 

Forget george best he used to always say, duncan edwards was the best all round footballer the world has ever seen. My grandad used to talk about gerrard as the only player who was similar to him in that he could play anywhere and would still be the best player on the pitch. There are very few footballers who have everything but edwards had it, gerrard does as well but edwards was even better than stevie and he was only 21 and would have got better had he not died

 

Anyone ever see him play etc I would be interested to know if he really was as good as what people make out.

theredfella

theredfella

Posted
Posted
Been reading loads on him this week with it being the anniversary of the munich air crash

 

Me grandad (who was a blue) constantly went on about him when he was alive and how good he was

 

Forget george best he used to always say, duncan edwards was the best all round footballer the world has ever seen. My grandad used to talk about gerrard as the only player who was similar to him in that he could play anywhere and would still be the best player on the pitch. There are very few footballers who have everything but edwards had it, gerrard does as well but edwards was even better than stevie and he was only 21 and would have got better had he not died

 

Anyone ever see him play etc I would be interested to know if he really was as good as what people make out.

 

My Grandad described him a couple of years back as Steven Gerrard on steroids - obviously singing from the same hymn sheet.

Knoxy

Knoxy

Posted
Posted

He clearly was something special by all accounts, but I can't help but feel that there's a bit of romantic license given to him due to the tradegy.

Ostrich Man

Ostrich Man

Posted
Posted

from rawk posted on redcafe.

 

An eloquent and moving tribute from someone who saw him play:

 

 

RAWK poster Maggie May

 

 

His attributes and qualities? Its like asking "How do you describe perfection?" He was the most complete footballer I've ever seen. Immensely gifted.

 

I’m sorry this is a day later than I promised. I’ve redrafted this a few times because (stupid as it may sound), I didn’t think people would believe me when I told them how good Duncan Edwards was, and I was in the realms of fantasy. Well that’s to disrespect the man, so people can believe as they please, because Duncan Edwards was perfection.

 

He was a big fella. Broad chested and big built, tall, powerful and very strong. But his size didn’t affect his speed. He was very fast and could turn on a sixpence. He had tremendous stamina, was a superb athlete and never seemed to tire - he’d run all game long, and it didn’t seem to take anything from him.

 

He was a ferocious tackler, very brave and never hesitated getting stuck in - hard as nails he was, and his shots on goal were ferocious. But he was certainly no clogger, he had at times an almost delicate touch on the ball. He was equally strong with both feet. Both long ball passes and short ball passes were unerringly accurate always. Tremendous ball control with head or feet, and his reading of the pattern of play was fantastic.

 

Bear in mind that this was a very young man. He was only just turned 21 when he died (I believe he actually had his birthday while in hospital). He made his debut for the Mancs when he was just 16, and was the youngest ever England international at 18. His talents and skill far exceeded his years. I couldn’t possibly guess how much he’d be worth in today’s market.

 

I strongly dislike the word “awesome” because its so devalued these days, when its used to describe things which are in fact quite trivial, but Duncan Edwards was awesome in the true sense of the word. He was jaw-droopingly excellent in everything he did.

 

I mentioned before that he was one of the greatest players I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen plenty over all the years. But that’s wrong. Duncan Edwards was by far and away the greatest player I’ve ever seen. And short of a miracle, we’ll never see the like of him again.

 

 

Yes. I saw him play quite a lot. Strange as it may sound today, people did go to see a particular player they were interested in even if they didn't support the team he played for. My Dad always took me to our home games, but disliked going to aways, so we'd see if there was anyone we were interested in playing reasonably near, and we'd go there. (Which was how I came to see Stanley Matthews play at Goodison, though I was very young and don't really remember much about him). If the Mancs were at home, we'd always go to specifically see Duncan Edwards.

 

Duncan's position was wing half, so I'd say he would be well suited to midfield these days.

 

There is no single player today who could possibly compare to him. He had absolutely no weaknesses in his game. A combination? I'm not interested these days in non-Liverpool players, so I'd say the strength and tenacity of Carra, the power of shot of Stevie, the ball control of Kenny and Rush, the ferocity and tackling hardness of Tommy Smith and Souness, the speed of God in his younger days and the accuracy of pass and reading of the game of Jan.

 

Aye. A fairly decent player, all things considered.

 

Seriously though. When you hear an arl 'un going into raptures about Duncan Edwards, don't think its bulls*** and it couldn't be true because nobody could possibly be that good - it is and he was.

Murphman

Murphman

Posted
Posted
He clearly was something special by all accounts, but I can't help but feel that there's a bit of romantic license given to him due to the tradegy.

 

 

Is spot on. He was undoubtedly a special talent but the really top players reputations increase by default over the years as misty eyed old men recall their days watching -insert legend-, being killed at his age in such tragic circumstances would elevate him to immortality automatically.

Stevie H

Stevie H

Posted
Posted
Is spot on. He was undoubtedly a special talent but the really top players reputations increase by default over the years as misty eyed old men recall their days watching -insert legend-, being killed at his age in such tragic circumstances would elevate him to immortality automatically.

james dean syndrome.

matty

matty

Posted
Posted

He's Football's JFK, without a doubt. The whole world would have been different, the tectonic plates which underpin society would have shifted socially, culturally and politically had Edwards lived.

surf

surf

Posted
Posted
He clearly was something special by all accounts, but I can't help but feel that there's a bit of romantic license given to him due to the tradegy.

 

is sissoko hadn't played again after the eye injury, etc, etc

matty

matty

Posted
Posted
is sissoko hadn't played again after the eye injury, etc, etc

And Rob Jones after that c*** Gary Stevens did his leg.

Swipe

Swipe

Posted
Posted

Seen a few clips of him here and there on the interwebe (i know!)

 

Can see where the Stevie comparisons come from.

 

he was a tank of a fella.

 

One commentator said about him after he died "the greatest player of his generation. He could break a team single handedly".

 

Terribly sad loss. Intriguing to think if he would have been in the Maradona, Pele list, cos I don't think any British players have been.

John am Rhein

John am Rhein

Posted
Posted
Been reading loads on him this week with it being the anniversary of the munich air crash

 

Me grandad (who was a blue) constantly went on about him when he was alive and how good he was

 

Forget george best he used to always say, duncan edwards was the best all round footballer the world has ever seen. My grandad used to talk about gerrard as the only player who was similar to him in that he could play anywhere and would still be the best player on the pitch. There are very few footballers who have everything but edwards had it, gerrard does as well but edwards was even better than stevie and he was only 21 and would have got better had he not died

 

Anyone ever see him play etc I would be interested to know if he really was as good as what people make out.

 

Sounds like Edwards would have been as overrated in his time as Gerrard is now.

 

My grandad (another blue) saw Di Stefano run rings round them. Most overrated team in history.

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