Stretford End Flags have been given some copies of Philippe Auclair’s award winning book "CANTONA - The Rebel Who Would Be King" and we are offering this book as a compettion prize. To be in with a chance of winning, simply design your own Cantona Banner. The top 3 designs will win a copy of this book and who knows, if the winning banner is good enough, then it may even get turned into a Stretford End banner

The winning designs can be seen on the forum here

Philippe Auclair’s biography of one of the most extraordinary men the world of football has ever seen is out now in paperback.

'An artist, in my eyes, is someone who can lighten up a dark room. I have never and will never find difference between the pass from Pele to Carlos Alberto in the final of the World Cup in 1970, and the poetry of the young Rimbaud' Eric Cantona

Football, and art. Eric Cantona - legend, maverick, troubled artist or just plain trouble - never saw a need to make a distinction between the two. For all the heat and noise surrounding his infamous Crystal Palace 'kung-fu kick', it is for the sheer exuberant beauty of his play that Eric Cantona is chiefly remembered by English football fans. At Leeds United he transformed the team into title contenders, but became a true talisman at Manchester United, where to this day fans sing of 'King Eric'. And yet the effortless style of Cantona's play could not hide a darker side to his temperament. In his own words, 'I play with passion and fire. I have to accept that sometimes, this fire does harm.'

Leading French football journlist Philippe Auclair has interviewed over 200 key protagonists in Cantona's career, searching for the man behind the myth. Marrying a deep knowledge of Cantona's impact on the pitch with soulful, pin-sharp insight into the heart and inner thoughts of this most complex of characters, this is nothing less than the definitive biography of a one-time rebel of the French game, who rose to be the King of Old Trafford.

CANTONA - The Rebel Who Would Be King

February 6th 2010 see's the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Air disaster and our prayers once again turn to those who not only lost thier lives that fatal day in Munich, but tho those who survived, those who helped to rescue the victims and to the close friends and families of those closely affected to that tragic day. Lest We Forget

THE FLOWERS OF MANCHESTER

The singing of The Flowers of Manchester will take place under the Munich plaque at 2pm before the Portsmouth home game. This is only the 7th time since the tragedy that the 6th of February has fallen on a matchday and a minutes silence will take place before kick off.

The singing of the Flowers of Manchester will be conducted by Pete Martin of the folk group Hanky Park

More info can be found here as well as the lyrics to The Flowers of Manchester
http://munich58.co.uk/flowers/index.asp

If possible, you are encouraged to print off and bring along copies of the lyrics.
If possible, printing off a couple of lyric sheets and handing them out to those without would be excellent.

Please support this great tribute.

The Flowers of Manchester banner and the Lest We Forget banner will again be in place on the Stretford End, with the BABES banner now a permanent fixture above the last row of seats in Stretford End tier 2.