For those that have access to the Yesterday channel on Freeview, there is a don't miss programme at 9.00pm tonight.
THE BERT TRAUTMANN STORY
"Documentary in which former Hitler Youth devotee and German paratrooper Bert Trautmann tells his remarkable story. After being captured by the British in 1945 and spending the remainder of the war at PoW camp in Lancashire, he went on to become one of Britain's most popular goalkeepers, famously playing on with a broken neck for Manchester City in the 1956 FA Cup final"
Should be good
Spot on Tony. Just in from work and thought i'd have a quick look at the site and a good job too! Read Bert's book Trautmann's journey and it was great, so, expecting the program to be good also. Set the sky box to record it so i can watch it over again. That'l annoy the missus no end!
ReplyDeleteGotta get some enjoyment somewhere!!!
Thoroughly enjoyed it. As Bob Wilson said, if he'd given you this story to read you would think it was a lovely piece of fiction, like Bruce Willis flying onto that asteroid to blow it up before it reaced Earth, you'd enjoy the story, but wouldn't believe it was true. I too read Bert's autobiography, but only through the medium of film does the story come to life. I'm just glad someone pieced this together so it is with us forever. Much as I love Colin Bell, he has years ahead of him and so I can't help wondering whether we named the CB stand after the wrong legend. Just a thought, do you think after watching bert's foul against the Spurs player that the FA may charge him in retrospect?
ReplyDeleteThanks for telling us about the programme, Tony. Great memories. The crowd scene outside the ground showed my Nan's house in the background, 202 Maine Road. She took bikes in her back yard for 6d and as she got older I helped then shot round to the Kippax just before kick-off then left just before the end (sorry!) to get the bikes out.
ReplyDeleteAfter the 56 final my Dad who worked at the Daily Mail got me a copy of 'Steppes to Wembley' Bert's biography signed by the cup-winning team (one of his jobs was paying out reporters expenses so I suppose he had a bit of influence). I later gave the book to my nephew to lure him away from Wolves, his dad's team; it worked as he and his 4 kids are all blues.
I loved Bert's description of catching buses to Maine Road; it reminded me of being on the 97 bus which stopped outside the Co-op on PlattLane and on got Cliff Sear and Ray Sambrook who lit up on the top deck. what a terrible role model!
My current wife has a photo holding the FA Cup in Roy Clarke's garden in Fallowfield which obviously affected my decision to get Wed!
We had a weep together when Bert described losing his son as our lad, naturally a Blue, was killed in in similar circumstances.
Once again, thanks Tony.
Geoff, my deepest sympathy. As a parent, I know how I'd feel if such a thing happened to me and it doesn't matter how long ago a tragedy like that happened, the scars never go away. Bert is a fantastic person and a living legend. I just wish that the club would do him the honor of naming a stand after him.
ReplyDeleteI often ask myself why I put myself through the emotional rollercoaster,caring about a group of footballers who mostly care little for Manchester City Football, club but it is a thread that has run through my life from the age of four giving me the illusion of permanence and continuity in a world that has little and in turn providing me with some magnificent memories, with the promise of more to come.
ReplyDeleteSo Roberto for Geoff and all City fans that have endured sorrows,give us another memory to cherish.
Got up early to watch the programme about Bert and echo all the sentiments noted above. It was a wonderful, well told. Honestly told as well, warts and all. Confirmed, if any confirmation was really needed, his iconic status and his position as one of my life time heroes. There must have been thousands of us kids in Manchester in the 50's happy to play in goal because we "wanted to be Bert"
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