Legendary Manchester United journalist

Born: 1930;

Died: October 2018

DAVID Meek, who has died of cancer aged 88, had two great loves outside his family – journalism and Manchester United FC. For most of his career, he had the good fortune to combine the two, covering his beloved club’s matches home and away, and often abroad, for the Manchester Evening News for nearly 40 years. Sir Alex Ferguson, whom “Meeky” defended during some of the manager’s more difficult days at Old Trafford, once described him as “part of the fabric of the club.” Others said he was “part of the Old Trafford furniture.”

Nevertheless, despite their mutual respect and loyalty, Mr Meek was not immune to Sir Alex’s famous “hair-brush” treatment if his articles were overly critical. “For instance, I felt the full force of his anger when we printed a story about his players visiting the SAS at Hereford in a bid to toughen up their attempts to win the league title,” Mr Meek recalled. “He slaughtered me and my editor because he said we were exposing his people to retaliation from the IRA.

“He said he was ending his cooperation with us, although he did tell me that it was nothing personal. That helped, because I realised he had exploded with rage because he wanted me to go back and tell the editor that on no account must we print any more stories against his wishes. I learned then that this remarkable manager aimed to have control of not just his football club but everything else that had a bearing on its welfare.” Needless to say, the newspaper did not accede to Fergie’s wishes.

Apart from reporting on United’s matches, training and behind-the-scenes activities, Mr Meek was also a “ghost writer” for the club’s managers – from Sir Matt Busby through to Sir Alex – helping them write their notes for the programme for home games, and editing the annual Manchester United Football Book. He also wrote several books about the club, helped set up the Manchester United museum and wrote the scripts for the panels of the Munich memorial tunnel at Old Trafford. The memorial, of course, refers to the February 6, 1958, Munich air tragedy in which much of the Busby Babes team was wiped out although Busby survived. By a twist of fate, the crash also launched Mr Meek’s career.

Manchester Evening News reporter Tom Jackson, whose beat was to cover United, died in the crash and in the following hours Mr Meek, then 25 and a political reporter, was given the job he would keep for 37 years until he retired in 1996. He first covered the moving aftermath of the crash, including the recovery of the badly-inured Matt Busby and the young Bobby Charlton. He went on to cover some of the re-born club’s greatest triumphs including their 1968 European Cup triumph over Benfica at Wembley. United became the first English side to win the trophy, a year after Celtic had done so.

It was in an earlier European Cup match against Benfica – in the quarter-final second leg in 1966 – that Mr Meek witnessed what he thought was “the finest United goal I had ever seen, George Best’s second in a 5-1 leg win for an 8-3 aggregate. I can still see him, slim, boyish, dark hair shining in the floodlights as he scythed through the Benfica defence. George’s second goal was the finest I saw in 37 years reporting on Manchester United. I can still remember leaping to my feet, against all press box etiquette, so stunning was the fluid movement from a boy of 19.” In 1974, when United got relegated to the Second Division, Mr Meek’s writing helped keep the fans upbeat until they won promotion the following season.

When Mr Meek was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2003 and was recuperating at home from treatment, Sir Alex phoned him. “This voice on the line said ‘The Scottish beast is on his way.’ He was at my door 20 minutes later and told me ‘don’t worry, you can handle it.’ Coming from him I found his words quite inspirational.” Mr Meek did indeed handle it and lived for another 15 years.

David Meek was born in York in 1930. He started off as a cub reporter for the Yorkshire Post but began following Man U as a young man, getting to as many games as he could, especially after he moved as a news reporter to the Manchester Evening News.

Many years later, he recalled that, when Man U’s results were not going well, there was an all-Manchester phone-in poll as to whether Fergie should be sacked. "The result of the poll showed a majority in favour of him going and I was asked to write a story accordingly," Mr Meek recalled. “But I argued that if you deducted the votes of Manchester City fans wanting to cause mischief, and you took into account the United supporters who couldn't be bothered to ring in, you were left with an overwhelming vote of confidence in Alex Ferguson” Fergie stayed and he never forgot Meeky’s influence and loyalty.

Mr Meek retired first to Sale, close to Old Trafford, and latterly to Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, but continued to get to home United matches and work as a freelance journalist and media consultant to the club until his health declined. He is survived by his wife Liz and extended family.

PHIL DAVISON