- David Busst
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David Busst Personal information Full name David Busst Date of birth 30 June 1967 Place of birth Birmingham, England Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Playing position Defender Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1991–1992 Moor Green 1992–1996 Coventry City 50 (4) ??? Highgate United ??? (???) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).David Busst (born 30 June 1967) is a former English footballer and current football community manager and coach. Busst played all of his professional career at Coventry City before suffering a broken leg during a match which ended his career. His injury is often considered as the most horrific in the history of the Premier League to date.[1] Busst is currently employed by Coventry as the Director of Football in the Community.
Contents
Club career
Busst played as a defender, and started his career at non-league Moor Green in Birmingham, before moving to Coventry City in 1991.[2] A solid and well-respected defender, Busst was good enough to play over 50 times for the Premiership side and become a regular member of the team.
Injury
His playing career came to an end on 8 April 1996, whilst playing for Coventry against Manchester United. Two minutes into the match, having ventured forward after his team won a corner, Busst collided with United players Denis Irwin and Brian McClair, resulting in extensive compound fractures to both the tibia and fibula of his right leg.[3] The match had to be delayed for 12 minutes while blood was cleaned off the grass. It is reputed that Manchester United's goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel vomited on the pitch upon seeing the injury and had to have counselling afterwards, along with a number of other players.[4] The injury is often cited as one of the worst in the history of football. The subsequent injuries suffered by Eduardo da Silva, Luc Nilis, Aaron Ramsey and Preston Burpo[5] have been compared to Busst's injury by many observers.[6]
Busst's injuries were so bad that at one point he ran the risk of having his leg amputated.[4] While in hospital, Busst contracted MRSA, which caused further damage to the tissue and muscle in the injured part of his leg[7]. Despite having 26 operations, Busst remained a member of the official Coventry squad for a further seven months, but never played again and retired from the game following advice from his doctors on 6 November 1996 at the age of 29. It was however, not the break that ended his career, but the infections he suffered afterwards.[8]A specialist who treated Busst had warned him that had the injury been suffered 20 years earlier, it would probably have required amputation. However, just weeks before his retirement, Busst had been hoping to return to training the following spring and be ready for first team action by the start of the 1997-98 season.[9]
His testimonial match, played on 16 May 1997 against Manchester United, was a sell-out.[10]England internationals Paul Gascoigne and Les Ferdinand, guested for Coventry in the game, which was also notable for being the last game that United captain Eric Cantona played, as he announced his retirement as a player two days later.[11]
Post playing career
Since his retirement, he has worked for Coventry's backroom staff, working for their Football in the Community programme, of which he is now director.[12] In the meantime, he has also trained as a coach, earning several UEFA coaching badges. Busst went on to manage non-league Evesham United, having previously taken charge of Solihull Borough. He currently acts as defensive cover for Highgate United of the Midland Combination Premier Division where his brother, Paul, is the club's assistant manager.
References
- ^ Lawford, Mark (2010-09-15). "After Antonio Valencia's horror injury, Sportsmail recalls the worst bad breaks suffered by Premier League players". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1312173/After-Antonio-Valencias-horror-injury-Sportsmail-recalls-worst-bad-breaks.html. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
- ^ "Soccerbase Entry". Soccerbase. Racing Post. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=1181. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- ^ Davies, Christopher (1996-04-09). "Cantona keeps United on top as Busst injury casts shadow". London: The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1996/04/09/sfgmau09.html. Retrieved 2007-10-18.[dead link]
- ^ a b Philip, Robert (2005-01-18). "Busst counts his blessings and looks ahead". London: The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2005/01/19/sfncov19.xml. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- ^ Dane Richards Challenge Breaks Preston Burpo’s Ankle
- ^ All-time Worst Football Injuries | Champions League
- ^ Busst, David (2008-02-25). "Eduardo's biggest pain will be fear his career is over". London: The Guardian. http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2259653,00.html. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
- ^ "Busst backs Eduardo to play again". BBC. 2008-02-25. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/7263029.stm. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Testimonial for David Busst". The Independent (London). 1997-05-16. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/testimonial-for-david-busst-1261841.html.
- ^ [2]
- ^ "Football in the Community". Coventry City F.C. website. 2007-09-24. http://www.ccfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Community/. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
External links
Categories:- 1967 births
- Living people
- English footballers
- Moor Green F.C. players
- Coventry City F.C. players
- Premier League players
- People from Birmingham, West Midlands
- Highgate United F.C. players
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