|
|
The History Of Manchester United. (The Beginning) |
Manchester United are one of the biggest and most supported club in the world. They Began in 1878 as "Lancashire and Yorkshire railway company Newton Heath" or Newton Heath for short. They played in Grenn and Gold Halved shirts (exactly like the 1993 away shirt.) They played at North Street across from the railway track. They won their first trophy in 1886 winning the Manchester Cup. They applied to the Football League in 1890 but with no sucess. They were admitted to the expanded Football League in 1893 along with Manchester City.
They moved from North Street to Bank Street in 1895 but were declared bankrupt by 1902. They never made any money in transfers and owed £2600. The Club was bought by John Davies. He cleared debts and began a fresh start. He changed the name and strip to Manchester United and there colours to Red and White. Ernest Magnall was the first real Manager. During his twelve year reign (1900-1912) With him as Manager, Man Utd were promoted they also won the League twice as well as the F.A. Cup. The Man United Legend Billy Meredith was signed and led the team to the Title and FA Cup during Magnall's reign. John Davies moved Man United to the new Old Trafford in 1910. Magnall resigned in 1912 due to a bad relationship with John Davies. |
|
|
Many of the Man United players had been killed in fighting on Mainland Europe. Man United were struggling in 1919. Gates dropped mostly due to no Magnall or Meredith. Man Utd were fading away. Fans demanded action and The United Supporters Club propsed a document demanding a new manager, signing of quality players, new board, new scouting system and a new money-raising share issue. The Board refused each demand and the fans staged a boycott of the match versus Arsenal in 1930, some 20,000 still arrived. The team began to play useless, crowds dropped, the great depression kicked in and the debts were mounting. Man united were playing in the second division were on the brink of dissolution, until their saviour had arrived. James Gibson a loyal Manchunian agreed to pay off debts in return for a seat on the Board. Man United returned to the First Division in 1936 but the Man United climb was interrupted by War again. |
|
|
Busby's Babes/Busby Era (1945-1969) |
Old Trafford had been reduced to rubble after in was bombed during WWII. James Gibson met an ex-Man City player, Matt Busby. Both agreed on idea's and Gibson offered Busby a Five-Year contract. Busby set about building a team based around teamwork. He both inherited players and brought in new one's and gelled them together He also set up a new coaching and scouting team. Busby helped Man Utd finish runners up in his first season and win the FA Cup in 1948. Gibson thanked Busby for granting him his deepest wish.
Busby had led Man Utd to their first League Title, under his reign in 1952. He was now recruiting home-grown talent. Many produced by Man United Junior Athletic Club, but also spotted by the huge scouting system. Players like Bobby Charlton were spotted by scouts. In 1953 the junior team won the FA Youth Cup 5 times in a row. This new team, bolstered by younger players, won the 1956 title by 11 points. Bobby Charlton, Dennis Violet, who scored 20 league goals, and right winger Duncan Edwards were the star players. Man Utd entered the European Cup, to the dismay of the FA, and won 10-0 against Anderlecht in their first match. They won the title in 1957 and entered again.
Matt Busby and the Busby Babes were probably the best team in Europe at the time of the Munich Air Disaster. On Febuary 6th 1958, They had reached the European Cup Semi-Final after drawing with Belgrade 3-3, but after refuelling at Munich Airport, the Manchester United Plane crashed off the runway, after the third attempt off taking off. Twenty people had died. Seven Players were amongst the Dead. Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam Wheelan. Duncan Edwards died from injuries three weeks later in Hospital. Matt Busby was clinging on to life. Players Jackie Blanchflower and Johnny Berry, both survived, but never played football again. The Dream was over all across Britain the country mourned. Man Utd would have probably won the European Cup. Duncan Edwards had never had a chance to shine. He would have won the World Cup in 1966, as captain. But what would have been was never answered. Man United lost to Milan in the European Cup Semi-Final and reached the FA Cup final but lost to Bolton. Almost the whole country had supported them. People had begun to follow United and there fortunes.
For ten years, the crash had changed Man United and its manager. Busby felt guilty and wanted to quit management, but stand in manager Jimmy Murphy had pursuaded Busby to continue and win the European Cup. Busby found it hard to motivate his new set of players. But by 1963 the new team won the FA Cup. With the help of new chairman, Louis Edwards, Busby bought many signings. He purchased Pat Crerand, David Herd, The Brilliant Striker Denis Law and mixed them with survivors Bill Foulkes and Bobby Charlton as well as youth team talents such as Nobby Stiles and one of the greatest players ever, George Best, Busby Had his new Team. The Team had won the League title in 1965 and had a pop at Europe reaching the Semi-Final, but losing to Partizan Belgrade. United won the League in 1967 and had another go at Europe. Fate was on Manchester Uniteds side as they reached the final, Ten Years after the Munich Crash. They faced Benfica, led by Eusebio, in the final. They won a convincing 4-1 AET over Benfica. Two Goals by Bobby Charlton, another by 19-year old Brian Kidd and the glorious effort from George Best Rounded off the win. They had done it. They had won the European Cup for all the supporters and for the people lost on that snowy night in Munich ten years earlier. |
|
|
The sucess of 1968 did not lead to glorious years ahead. Sir Matt Busby retired as manager in 1969 but returned again for one season (1970/71). His first sucessor to the throne was Wilf McGuiness. He lasted one season, Busby then returned, Frank O'Farrell became manager next. He led Man United to a couple of semi-finals in a season, but won no trophy's. Its fair to say it's hard filling in the boots of an absolute legend and also that Busby left an old team. Then Tommy Docherty arrived. He was the Scotland manager when he joined Man United in 1972. Charlton had retired, Dennis Law sold to Man City and George Best, at the pinnacle of his career, Retired. Man United were relegated, in 1974. The relegating goal scored by Dennis Law, who didn't celebrate scoring. Man United were playing second division football, but with the likes of Lou Macari, Sammy McIllroy and Martin Buchan, United won the second division and were promoted only a year after being relegated.
Man United were as good as ever, they reached the Final of the F.A. Cup in 1976, but lost to second division Southampton, and came third that season as well. Man United won the FA Cup in the next year, but was sacked a month later after an affair with the wife of the club's pysio, Mary Brown. Dave Sexton was brought in to fill the void left by "the Doc" He brought United to the FA Cup final in 1977, and gave a start to the Man United Legend, Kevin Moran. No trophy's mean't no job and Sexton was out in 1981.
Martin Edwards took over his fathers reigns in 1980, after the death of Louis Edwards. He appointed a manager to bring the spark bck to the club. He signed Ron Atkinson as manager in 1981. He set up United's best team since 68' with greats such as Bryan Robson, Paul McGrath and the young Norman Whiteside. He managed Man United as they won the FA Cup in 1983 and again in 1985. He also brought Man United to the brink of the Cup Winners Cup Final but was knocked out in the last minute against Juventus. By christmas 1985 Man United were top of the League and Mark Hughes was fast becoming the best player for United but he wasn't in Big Ron's "Golden Cirle". He was snapped up by Barcelona on a free contract. "Sparky's" for was lost, Morale dropped and Man United lost the league all because of the agreement of Man United and Barcelona to sell Mark Hughes. Big Ron was Sacked in early 1986. Martin Edwards needed a new Busby. Enter Alex Ferguson |
|
|
Ferguson, Domination, Lows and The Treble |
Fergusson took over the day after Big Ron left. He had previous experiance with Aberdeen leading them to a Cup Winners Cup Title and League Title's. But three years into the job, there was no McGrath or Moran, while a host of top quality signings couldn't gel. Ferguson was hanging on the edge. Man United were wallowing in the bottom half of the table, If they lost against Notts Forest in the FA Cup, Ferguson would almost certainly be sacked. Debutant Mark Robbins scored the winner as Man United went on to win the FA Cup in 1990. It all began to happen for Ferguson.
The next season as reward for winning the FA Cup, United went on to lift the Cup Winners Cup by famously beating Barcelona at Rotterdam. Mark Hughes scoring both goals. They also won the Super Cup in 1991. Man United came second to arch-rivals, Leeds, it a tightly fought battle in the 1991-92 season, They also won the League Cup that season. The Premiership was set up for the 1992-93 season. Man United won their first League title in 26 years after beating Big Ron's Aston Villa to the finish line. Ferguson had done it. He had transformed United into the club of the Busby era. The man on the pitch most certainly responsible for helping Man United win was Eric Cantona. He was one of Ferguson's best bargains at 1.3 million pounds.
The 90's were United booming years in terms of both money and sucess. Millions of pounds was being given to clubs , by Sky, for Television rights. Millions of pounds were put into re-developed Old Trafford. United became a PLC and shares were being sold on the stock market. But on the pitch Fergusons Fledgling's were rivals to Busby's babe's. Scholes, Beckham, Giggs, Neville Bro's, Lee Sharpe, Nicky Butt and others were coming through the ranks to replace ageing players like Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce, Kanchelskis etc. Cantona was the rock around which Fergie's team was built. New players like Roy Keane were bought. Man united dominated in the 1993-94 season winning the double with ease, but with some scare from Blackburn in the second half of the season. They beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final 4-0, Cantona scoring twice along with McLair and Hughes. They lost the League Cup Final to Aston Villa. Man United lost their crown on the last day of the season, largely due to the Ban of Cantona for 9 months for attacking a Crystal Palace fan.
In the summer of 95, Ferguson sold Hughes, Kanchelskis and Ince and replaced them with his fledglings. Twelve points behind Newcastle at Christmas, Fergie used mind games to help United cut back the gap and win the double in 1996 and the title in 1997. Cantona shocked the football world by announcing his decison to retire at the end of the 1996-97 season, at the age of 31. Roy Keane became the new captain, But Keane was ruled out for 10 months after Damaging his Cruciate Ligaments. United lost the title to Arsenal, and won nothing. But the next season was something special, proving that miracle's can happen. New signing such as Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke helped United to a fifth Premiership title after long Battle with Arsenal. United finished one point clear of Arsenal. They Beat Newcastle in the FA Cup final 2-0. But the Whole talk was about the Treble. Roy Keane had dragged United to the Title and the Champions League Final but was banned. On the 26th of May 1999, Man United faced Bayern Munich at Nou Camp. Six minute's into the match Mario Basler scored a free-kick to put Bayern into the lead. Bayern should have had United beaten on several occasions, But United stuck it out. In the 90th minute, Peter Schmeichel came up for a corner. United piled on pressure and dramatically equalised with 90mins on the Clock. Substitute Teddy Sheringham scored from six yards out after a shot from Giggs went straight to him. With 93mins gone it looked like extra time, but United had another corner. Schmeichel stayed back. Beckham crossed it in, Sheringham flicked it on and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, an 80th minute sub, only stuck out his foot to beat Bayern. Man United had done it yet again. On the Brink of failure United pulled together and won the European Cup for a second time, but this time they won it on what would have been Busby's 90th Birthday. Fergie now joined the ranks of Jock Stein, Bob Paisley, Brian Clough, Matt Busby and Bill Shankly. |
|
|
Error
Poll does not exist.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
