Jackie Blanchflower

Infobox Football biography
playername = Jackie Blanchflower


fullname = John Blanchflower
dateofbirth = birth date|1933|3|7|df=y
cityofbirth = Belfast
countryofbirth = Northern Ireland
dateofdeath = death date and age|1998|9|2|1933|3|7|df=y
cityofdeath = Manchester
countryofdeath = England
height =
nickname =
position = Midfielder
currentclub =
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1951-1958
clubs = Manchester United
caps(goals) = 105 (26)
nationalyears = 1954-1958
nationalteam = Northern Ireland
nationalcaps(goals) = 012 0(1)

Jackie Blanchflower (7 March 1933 – 2 September 1998) was a Northern Irish football player. He graduated from Manchester United's youth system and played for the club on 117 occasions, before his career was cut short due to injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster. He was the younger brother of Dennis 'Danny' Blanchflower, the captain of the Tottenham Hotspur side which dominated English football in the early 1960s.

Career

Manchester United

Jackie Blanchflower's first appearance in a professional game was for Manchester United on 24 November, 1951 against Liverpool, away at Anfield. He helped the club to two league titles during the 1950s. Nicknamed "Twiggy" by his teammates, he was renowned for his versatility. Initially, he played many games as a forward, but the Manchester United manager at the time, Matt Busby recognised his intelligent positioning sense and aerial power and chose to play him at centre-half. He scored 27 goals during his time at the club.

Munich air disaster

On 6 February 1958, the Manchester United team that had travelled to Belgrade for the second leg of a European cup tie had their chartered plane stop in Munich to refuel. Weather conditions caused the plane to crash when the pilot attempted to take-off from Munich airport and 23 of the 43 passengers on board were killed. Jackie Blanchflower was severely injured, suffering from a fractured pelvis and arms and legs, and crushed kidneys, and his right arm was nearly severed. He tried to return to football, but never made a full recovery. Doctors advised him not to return to football due to fears he would damage his kidney and a year later, Blanchflower retired from football. The Munich air disaster had ended his short career at the age of just 24, having earned 12 caps for Northern Ireland.

After football

After retiring from football, Jackie Blanchflower tried various jobs in the Manchester area, but misfortune dogged him:
*He ran a sweets and newspaper shop: a supermarket opened round the corner.
*He worked for a bookmaker: a hard winter with the land under snow for several weeks hit horse racing so hard that he lost the job.
*He took on a pub: two weeks later the breathalyser was introduced.
*He became a printer: he was made redundant in 1976.He eventually pursued studies in finance and began a career as an accountant. He later became an after-dinner speaker and was a regular on the after-dinner circuits until just before his death in 1998.

Death

On 2 September 1998, Jackie Blanchflower died of cancer aged 65. Of the players to have survived the Munich tragedy, he was the second to have died, the first being Johnny Berry in 1994.

External links

* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19980904/ai_n14165964 Obituary, with description of 1958 injuries]