14 FEBRUARY 1958, Page 7

MANCHESTER UNITED were the greatest English club side of all

time. Probably only Huddersfield Town in the 1920s and Arsenal ten years later could match them in consistency. What is more, in the normal course of events they would not have been expected to reach their best for two or three more years. The secret of their success lay in team spirit and in Mr. Busby's remarkable judg- ment of men and events. There was nothing par- ticularly sensational about their style; their players were as smooth and undemonstrative in action as they were pleasant and modest off the field. It was their youth and quietness that made them so popular wherever they played.