Bert Trautmann at the COMS today...Picture

[Ticket For Schalke]

It was great to see how many people turned up to get their books signed. It shows how much of a legacy this man's left.

Make sure we all give him a decent homecoming cheer at the game today!

changed your tune ;)

 

[GermanBlue]

Have tears in my eyes when I read all the warm comments about Herr Trautmann. He is the reason I´m a City fan. He is the reason that I met so many nice english people. He makes me proud to be a German. Thanks for that, Bert!

 

[samharris]

the word legend on this forum get's over used far to much,

but here boys and girls we do have a legend.

we certainly do...<br /><br />-- Sun Apr 11, 2010 10:55 am --<br /><br />

Bert Trautmann WAS a Nazi! Part of the Hitler Youth. He was also a very accomplished paratrooper, and was a serious threat to the English....then he got caught as a POW.

Then after the war he became English. The English invited him to his home to have tripe for Chirstmas dinner. He lived with an English family (St Helens) and then some officials from Man City came to see him whilst he had the flu, and was in bed. He signed for City only because he needed a p!ss and wanted to get rid of the guys from City so he could go to the bog. His first games for City were surrounded by hatred and abuse by a lot of City fans, let alone the Jewish contigent who hated him because he German.

After a few games, the boos turned into cheers. Cheers turned into adulation. A hero was born.

Then Bert was the goalkeeper for us in 1956. The rest, as they say, is history.

Bert Trautmann was a Nazi, part of the Hitler Youth, who killed Englishmen in World War Two. But he was doing a job, a job he had to do.

But he is also probably the best ever player we had, he played with a broken neck, he collected his FA Cup winners medal from the Queen. He healed so many wounds.

I hope that we give Bert the welcome he deserves on Sunday. This man is more than legend, he's part of our history, his dedication and love for City healed so many wounds after World War Two.

If we renamed COMS the Bert Trautmann Stadium, I doubt many would complain. The bridge from the station to Wembley had to be named something, and the FA held a competition, in the end it was called White Horse Way, but the third choice was Bert Trautmann Way.

BERT TRAUTMANN IS A LEGEND, SURPASSED BY NONE.

Being Hitler youth was compulsary in Germany for kids in that era. He is a true legend and I believe there is not a shred of nazi in him. True gentleman and a role model for all.

I say they should name a stand at COMS after him.

The german youth were brainwashed by a very cunning and determined regime..all news from around the world was either banned or twisted in the favour of the nazi's..

we would have been the same.

 

[Ticket For Schalke]

everyone took scalls comments out of context, he ment its amazing how someone was at one end of the sprectrum, and then at the other, scall was trying to say its a credit to bert.

 

[Swordfish7]

Don't mention the neck. I mentioned it once but I think I got away with it.

 

[bluemanc]

Gary James did an article in the M.E.N before the Munich Memorial Derby at old trafford which to me showed what the man was really like,on page 222 of Manchester a football history he talks about Bert's efforts to help with translation & contact problems,Bert was the one that as Steve Fleet said "understood"what people were going through.
I've a feeling that Bert wouldn't have wanted any thanks for what he did.

 

[bluevengence]

Good interview from todays observer with Bert... <a class="postlink" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/apr/11/bert-trautmann-nazis-manchester-city" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010 ... ester-city</a>

 

[kevilldavies]

I was nine when I saw the famous Trautmann cup final on b & w TV. It might even have been in Germany where my father was serving in BAOR or the British Army on the Rhine.
Born in Gorton and a City fan since I can remember, the sight of Trautman carrying on despite his injury was truly inspirational. The last quarter of hour seemed an eternity to me but probably seemed a lot longer to Bert.
I shall be watching todays match on television as I live in Spain and hoping the televisors get a picture of him. A real legend.

 

[KentBlue]

He hasn't changed much. He still looks pretty much the same as he did 20-odd years ago.

His heroics in THAT cup final were in 1956 - the year I was born. Sadly, I never saw the man play.

 

[scall11]

I think my original comments weren't worded right, I was trying to make a point, but they got lost in my typing. But yeah, what Ticket for Shalke said.

Anyway, the reception Bert got today was as emotional and loud as I hoped it would be. As someone said today, Bert gets a better reception than Colin Bell, which when you consider the heroic status Colin has, says a lot. He's a very, very special man, simply on another level to anyone. He has a presence about him that few people could ever match.

God bless Bert.