SIR Bobby Charlton is convinced had it not been for the Munich tragedy Manchester United would now be embarking on a bid to win their fourth European Cup.

United begin their latest Champions League quest against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday night, shouldering the burden of extra nostalgia given that the 50th anniversary of the air crash which devastated Matt Busby's Babes will be honoured on February 6 next year.

Talk of winning the competition has taken on added poignancy as the memories of the eight players who died in Munich - including the legendary Duncan Edwards - come flooding back.

Charlton, one of the lucky survivors when the Elizabethan airliner failed to take off at the third time of asking after a refuelling stop during a flight back from Belgrade, still has daily flashbacks to what he believes to be the biggest disaster to hit British sport.

And the images in his mind of the team-mates he lost on that awful day are enough to confirm his theory United would have won the tournament that year and gone on to eclipse Real Madrid as the first kings of Europe.

"The accident was the biggest tragedy for sport in Britain," he said.

"I suppose, the more convinced you are we would have won the European Cup that year, the bigger the tragedy. We would have won it too - I am certain of that."

Horror

Charlton has never gone into great detail about his recollections of the horror he experienced, although the mere mention of Edwards' name is enough to bring a tear to his eye.

In his recently-released autobiography 'My Manchester United Years', Charlton recalls the names of Tommy Taylor, Roger Byrne, David Pegg, Billy Whelan, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones and Geoff Bent being read out to him in solemn terms by a German doctor and then the word 'Dead' at the end.

Edwards, still regarded by Charlton as the finest English player of all time, lost his battle for life two weeks later.

"I never get fed up of talking about these lads," said Charlton.

"My own feelings at being part of that accident are very difficult to explain and I have never wanted to go into too much detail because it is not right for the relatives. But people also have to understand what a great team it was and what English football lost that night."

It has been claimed that not only did the tragedy cost Manchester United a European Cup, it also effectively ended England's hopes of winning the World Cup in 1958.

But, according to Charlton, what it did not do was make United into the global phenomenon they are today.

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon, a man who should know much better given his links to the Red Devils, has suggested a major reason why his current club are not as 'big' as his old one is because 'we have not had a Munich'.

Stories

It was a crass comment and one Charlton believes to be totally false.

"The accident did not make Manchester United," he said.

"Even before Munich, United were the team to beat.

"It probably goes back to Billy Meredith and the post-War days when we had to play at Maine Road. There are a lot of stories added together which have made the club what it is now."

Although he is one of the players who did eventually conquer Europe, on a tear-stained evening at Wembley in 1968, Charlton concurs with Sir Alex Ferguson in his belief that United have underachieved for a club of their size.

While Real Madrid and AC Milan boast 16 European Cups between them - and Liverpool have five - the Old Trafford club remain anchored on two, the solitary, if astounding triumph in 1999 the only addition to the victory over Benfica Charlton was part of 31 years earlier.

But, as Charlton confirms, there could be no better year to put that statistic right.

"It is important the club recognise Munich in the right way and to win the European Cup this season would be very fitting indeed," he said.

"We have underachieved in Europe. Sir Alex has always said we should have done better in Europe given the players we have had and the standard we have maintained for the last 20 years.

"To win it once in that period is not really as good as we could have expected for what is considered to be the biggest club in the world. It is something that needs addressing and it would be very poignant if that happened this year."