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The World Wide Web of United

; Edited by David Menashe

168 pages; Docutape Black; catalogue #97-0014; ISBN 1-55212-098-8; US$19.50, C$27.75, EUR18.10, £12.50

A brilliant collection of anecdotes, trivia, match reports, travels with the team, tips and opinions selected from Manchester United newsgroup postings on the Internet. Over 290 articles in total by over 90 authors--all die-hard Red Army members! $5 of the book's price goes to The Rainbow Trust, a Didsbury children's charity selected by Alex Ferguson.

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about the book     about the editor     A Few Excerpts     catalogue info    

About the Book

The Manchester United Electronic mailing list has over 2,500 members based in about forty countries. This book is a selection of the best posts of the season 1996-97. There are about thirty articles selected from each month and they cover a huge range of subjects - general United history, specific games from the past, original match reports from last season, statistical data, trivia, stories about encounters with heroes, European travels with United to Vienna, Porto, Dortmund. You get the idea. There are over 290 articles in total by over 90 authors.

What makes this book unique may be the fact that every article was written without publication in mind. These are just average United fans. Well, maybe above average but the authors are as diverse as the subject matter. Their ages are equally diverse. So is their length of service in the Red Army. Yes, these are simply United fans 'speaking' their mind to a group of other United fans.

This book is a good yarn of how technology, and the revolution people don't yet understand, can affect them. It has affected me in a way I never could have guessed. I may still not fully understand its implications. I have never edited a book before but technology allows an ordinary supporter like me to be able to put together a project like this. I have had a huge amount of assistance from many people. It has been a truly collaborative effort. About 20 people working in 10 countries have helped it to become a reality. I have only ever met one of these people and have only spoken with three of them. Over 1,000 email messages went back and forth across the globe as it took shape... The marvels of technology!

A Letter from Alex Ferguson's Office

In late June, I spoke with one of Alex Ferguson's assistants and expressed the desire that we would like the profits go to a charity of his choice. Below is a letter I received on July 11th from Alex Ferguson's Office.

To: David Menashe
Subject: The World Wide Web of United
COMMENTS:

Thank you for your fax outlining your book 'The World Wide Web of United'.

Mr. Ferguson has asked me to thank you for your generosity and he would like the profits to be donated to The Rainbow Trust. The Rainbow Trust is a hospice based in Didsbury for terminally ill children. All the staff work extremely hard to make things as comfortable as possible for the children and their families and we cannot think of a more worthy cause.

The address is as follows: The Rainbow Trust, St John Vianney Lower School, Didsbury Road, Heaton, Mersey SK42AA, Tel: 0161 443 2200

On behalf of Manchester United, I hope your book is successful for you.

Yours sincerely,
Lynn Laffin (I think - name is signed but not typed)
MANAGER'S OFFICE

So, now you have a great reason to buy the book. About $5 from the sale of each copy will go the The Rainbow Trust. As the letter states, it is in Didsbury and that's where I lived until I was 18 so I am particularly pleased with this selection. I will visit the Hospice in late September and I hope to be able to tell them that there is great interest and that initial sales are brisk.

.

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About the Editor

Contrary to popular belief, David Menashe was not born wearing a United scarf and rosette. At least that's what his mother tells him. He's not so sure! Born in Manchester in 1963, he started supporting United around 1969. By 1974, he had managed to convince his parents that it was a good idea to allow him to travel alone to Old Trafford every week to see United. Prior to that, he saw them a few times a season and always accompanied by adults. All that changed in 1974 - the year United were in the second division. That season, he missed only two home games. For the next eight years, he rarely missed a game at Old Trafford and went to a few away games to see his beloved Reds.

In 1982, he left the UK and relied on BBC World Service to keep informed. There was also a weekly phone call to family and the occasional game on TV. But when he bought his first computer in April 1996, it brought him what he had been thirsting for. After 14 years of relative drought, it brought him daily news of happenings at United. It also acquainted him with thousands of members of the United family from all over the world.

This is his first book. David had always wanted to write a book and doing one about United seemed to be the logical choice. He had no idea what he was taking on when he began this in Feb 1997. He has no idea how he completed this mammoth task but he swears he enjoyed every minute of it.

.

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A recent rave review

From: "Darren Wayne Caudill"  mufcusa@olywa.net
To: dmenashe@ix.netcom.com
Subject: Your Book
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 19:07:52 -0800

Hello David

I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your book, the World Wide Web
of United.

I have been a Reds fan since 1982 from here in the USA and a list supporter
for 3 years since I found everyone online!
I correspond with list members often and found your book to be a great
reference tool for arguments with some of the members..;-) I soak up every
bit of United material that I can find and just loved your work!!

I invite you to visit my humble web site and let me know what you think (if
you have a free moment)...it doesn't have the history that yours does but I
am working on that.

I am just up the coast from you in Olympia, Washington, maybe if I get down
that way sometime, I might have the great honour of buying you a few pints
to show my appreciation.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you and let you know that your work was
greatly appreciated!!

Cheers
Darren Wayne Caudill
Darren's Manchester United Page
www.mufcasa.com
mufcusa@olywa.net

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A Few Excerpts

26 August - Red Devil - Me

I think I read something here on the list about telling something about who we are etc....so here goes. I now live in South Carolina having moved here with my daughter in the 70s, but I was born and raised in Macclesfield, Cheshire and of course got the Red addiction at an early age. While I am not about to reveal to everyone my age it will suffice to say I watched the Busby babes as a young man.

My favorite recollections of going to Old Trafford are from the 60s. I would meet a group of friends (I suppose now they would call themselves "Macclesfield reds") and we would catch a train into Piccadilly. Then walk across town to another station (sorry I forget the name) and catch a train to Warwick Road (next to Lancashire Cricket ground.) Then that final 400 yard walk up Warwick Road to the ground. I can picture it now, oh those memories are so dear! Clutching my tattered (but lucky) scarf, and nibbling on a Holland pie bought on the way we would make our way to the ground. No souvenir shop in those days, but lots of hawkers sporting their wares, and ticket touts who all had the best tickets cheap! I can remember the "all ticket" games my Dad had a source for those tickets, and always got me a seat in the main stand, (which I traded outside for a Stretford End standing ticket.) We would always go in the Stretford End, and stand to the right side of the tunnel and we were usually in the first 100 or so people to get into the stadium. When they demolished my beloved Stretford End I had a friend go to the ground and beg a souvenir for me. So now I own a brass sign that says "Stretford End turnstile '89" (it's my most prized possession.)

I saw the greats come and go, Duncan Edwards, Roger Byrne, Johnny Carey, Denis Law, George Best, Bobby Charlton, Nobby Stiles.....the list goes on. I also saw the likes of Real Madrid, Benfica, Milan, Estudiantes, the Spurs double winning team, but none compared to my Red Devils! Does anyone remember the chap that stood outside the ground, with a sign that promised that the world would end tomorrow? He wore a bowler hat!

I had my first pint in the Trafford Arms, met my first girlfriend on the Stretford End. I sang, laughed, and cried in that hallowed stadium, and to this day I get a strange feeling on Saturday at 3:00 p.m., one that seems to tell me I should be at Old Trafford! Well, that's a little about me, I hope I didn't bore you too much and apologize for taking up so much space on the list!

.

3 October - Mark Armstrong - A theory about Cole

I have been thinking that young Ole seems too good to be true at the moment, and is there more to him than meets the eye? I have a theory that Alex has plucked an unknown footballer from nowhere and transferred Andy Cole's shooting ability into him knowing that as a new boy he would not get the close marking and attention during games that Cole gets. It's planned as one big joke on the Premiership. I mean, the name is a give away. I can imagine Alex and Brian Kidd talking after they create their new striker:

BRIAN Well, Boss, you picked a young 'un 'ere they'll never suspect. But what shall we call him?

ALEX Aye, Brian, he only looks 18 perhaps I overdid it. We could pretend he's Spanish and call him C. Ole. Another scotch, Brian?

BRIAN Yeah thanks. Na, that's a bit obvious; we could pretend he is Norwegian and call him Ole just drop the "C," Boss. It's a bit more subtle.

ALEX Nice one, Brian. Now what about his other names? I take it we're going to use him as a striker, and he should get plenty of shots at goal, so how about "Gunner?"

BRIAN Bit Arsenal, that, chief, and remember he is Norwegian. Let's change it slightly to Gunnar.

ALEX Like it! Now to finish it off pass over that phone book and I'll just stick a pin in it and take the first name I see, okay?

BRIAN Good one, Boss. Okay, who've you got?

ALEX I don't believe it!

BRIAN What?

ALEX It's fu***ng Shearer! Well, I always thought Shearer was a prick.

BRIAN Hang on! Here's a good one: Solskjaer. That's it.

ALEX Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sounds ridiculous but it might just work. Oh, and Brian?

BRIAN What, Boss?

ALEX You ain't going to Man City.

BRAIN Oh thanks Boss! You had me worried at first; thought you were going to let me go!

22 January - Linda Harvey - Giggs/Best; FA Cup tickets; Munich memories

Pete H posted some very interesting views on the Giggs/Best debate. I'm not going to compare them directly, because I don't think you can-they are different players, playing in a very different time. I would, however, like to give my view on what makes a 'great' Manchester United player. In terms of playing ability I would agree wholeheartedly with Pete, Best was a genius and there has been no other player to compare with him. Perhaps Eric and Duncan Edwards have come the nearest? Schmeichel should perhaps be in there somewhere too. However, it's not just ability that makes a great player. Commitment to the club, attitude to the game, etc., are also important; otherwise players such as Hughes and Bruce would not be called 'legends'.

IMHO, Bobby Charlton was on a par with Best because, apart from his outstanding abilities as a footballer, he was also an inspirational captain, a brilliant representative for the club all over the world, and he was there, doing the business, when Best was missing training, suffering hang-overs, etc. I know he can be criticised off the pitch, but on the pitch, Bobby never let United down. This was why he was my favourite player of that era and why Best wasn't. Ryan's temperament, commitment to United and professionalism will make him as great as Best, IMHO. He may never become quite the genius Best was in terms of playing ability, but God willing, by the time Ryan reaches the end of his career, he will have played for United for 20 years and will deservedly be called a United legend.

On another subject, Richard Martin apologised for 'burdening us' with his dad's Munich memories. Don't you dare apologise again, Richard! ;-) Memories of Munich are not a burden; they are never far from the thoughts of any United fan who was alive at the time and I'm sure the younger members of the list are fascinated to hear about it. When you said, Richard, that it was 39 years ago, that stopped me in my tracks--it seems like yesterday, and I still cry when I read anything about the disaster and its aftermath (I'm close to tears now.)

I too have thought about what it must have been like for those who knew the players as well as we know this present team. For those of us who didn't see the Babes play, all we have to do is replace their names with those of our heroes today, to imagine how devastating it must have been. I was only 10 years old, and had never been to a live game at OT, but the players were my heroes (especially Eddie Colman who was a Salford lad.) My most abiding memories of that time are seeing men crying in the street outside our local newsagent, whilst reading the Manchester Evening News the day after the crash, and going to Eddie Colman's funeral with my mum. I think all of Salford lined the streets. My grandparents are buried in the same cemetery and I still put flowers on his grave when I go there. I noticed last time I went that both Eddie's parents are now dead. I also noticed that you can see the new stand at OT from his grave-side (just on the other side of the canal.) Eddie spent his whole life within sight of Old Trafford and it somehow seems right that he should lie there now he's gone.

7 May - John R. Ellen - What a night!!!!

It is 2:50 a.m. (Wednesday) here on the rain forest West Coast of Canada, and I've just got home from the Hospital where I witnessed the birth of my first son. Incredible! Unable to sleep, I checked my mail and find that, once again, we have won the PL without kicking a ball. Not quite so incredible, as it seems we always win that way. I will now sit down with a can of Boddies (C$9.95 for a 4 pack - with widget. That's about £1.15 each I think) and read the rest of my mail while the double adrenaline rush dies down and this unbelievable day sinks in. I wanted to name him after our top scorer this season, but "she who must be obeyed" doesn't seem too keen on Ole Gunnar Ellen.

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Catalogue Information

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