Manchester United History

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Newton Heath 1877 - 1902

1877-1893: Newton Heath is Born

Newton Heath, a local Manchester team, had started playing in 1878, a group of railway workers for Lancashire & Yorkshire Railways making up the first team. They played at a small ground in North Road on Monsall Road Newton Heath. They were a resounding success that first season & soon picked up the nickname "The Heathens".

In 1885 they turned professional & in 1888 they were admitted to the Football Alliance after their efforts to join the Football League failed. Manchester played for three years in the Football Alliance, finishing their first season in 8th, the second in 9th and in the third season they finished 2nd, with only three defeats out of 22 games played and with 69 goals scored. Eventually they were admitted in 1892 when the Division one was expanded from 14 to 16 clubs and a second Division added. The club appointed its first paid secretary (manager) in 1892, his name was Mr A.H. Albut. Newton Heath's inaugural league game took place on September 3, 1892 against the then mighty Blackburn Rovers. The attendance was 8,000 and the game was played in a torrential rainstorm with the Heathens going down to a 4-3 defeat. A Scot named Robert Donaldson became the first player to score a league goal for the team that was to become Manchester United (he later transferred to Luton Town).

Newton Heath's first season turned out to be a near disaster with only a victory in a relegation/promotion playoff game saved them from dropping into the lower division. Their first home game was against Burnley & the result was a 1-1 tie, heavy defeats followed from Everton (6-0) Burnley (4-0), West Brom (4-0). Then came an amazing 10-1 victory over Wolves at the North Road ground, but more defeats followed & they finished their first season in 16th place (last) with 18 points and 85 goals conceded. They won their playoff game 5-2 against Stoke City in a replay after the first game turned out a 1-1, the game played at North Road in front of 4,000 on a mud path of a pitch. The facilities in those days were not very good & the teams actually changed in a pub down the road called the Three Crowns.

1893-1894: Relegated

Newton Heath's second season turned out to be worst than the first when they again finished bottom of the League, this time with only six wins in 30 games. They were again scheduled to play a make or break playoff game to decide their fate, this time the opponent was Liverpool who had only been in existence for two years & had won the second division without losing a game. This time there was no respite for the Heathens, they lost 2-0 & were relegated to the second. Visiting teams had complained so much about the apalling conditions at North Road that the Club moved across town prior to the season beginning to a ground in Bank street, Clayton. This new home proved to be not much of an improvement due to a chemical works that stood next to the ground that bellowed out toxic fumes that drifted across the pitch.

1894 was the first year of the Manchester Derby, it was played on November 3rd at the then Manchester City ground Ardwick. The teams had met before in the Manchester Cup, the Football Alliance, & even the FA Cup but this was the first League meeting of the two great rivals. The game was watched by 15,000 fans in threatening weather. The Heathens drew first blood on their neighbors with a 5-2 victory (also won the return fixture 4-1). The game was notable by the home debut of a Manchester City player named Billy Meredith who would go on to become United's first major star in future years.

1894-1895: Record breaking season

The Heathens had been playing at Bank Steet since leaving the mud of North Road in 1893, but Bank Street turned out to be just as bad & visiting teams continued to complain. On the 9th of March 1895 Walsall Town were the visitors, after arriving they inspected the pitch and immediately lodged a complaint with the League, they grumbled it was not fit for schoolboys to play on. Newton responded by throwing on another layer of sand and thus the fixture took place as scheduled.

This was a regular 2nd division match, with the Heathens attacking from the outset, & by halftime they had a comfortable lead of 3-0. Newton really went to town in the second half though, running a score of 14-0 before the ref blew the final whistle. The Football League however were not impressed with the Heathens victory & after more complaints from the Walsall players who were supported by the referee, Mr Jefferies, they cancelled the result & demanded the teams play again & after Newton had worked on the pitch for a week they did play, the result? Heathens 9 Walsall 0. Newton had scored a total of 23 goals in the two matches. The season was a little more successful than the previous, but although they spent much of the year in second place they did not gain promotion, because by the end of the year they stood in third position in division two.

1895-1896: Kit Change

The season 1895/96 wasn't much better than their first season in the second division. The Heathens couldn't adopt their style of playing to the second division & by the end of the season they were a long way off the promotion places, they finished sixth with 15 wins and 12 defeats out of 30 games played. In the FA cup they reached the second round, one round further than last year. 1895 was the year that Newton Heath changed their club's colours. Till this time the club colours had been green and gold, but it now changed to white shirts & blue shorts.

1896-1897: Promotion

After their best season in years Newton Heath finished in 2nd place in the 2nd division & in the play-offs with Burnley & Sunderland, who had finished at the bottom of Div 1, & Notts County, who had won the 2nd div Championship.

After beating Burnley 2-0 at home they lost by the same score in the return match & then faced Sunderland at Bank Street. The Sunderland team had been having much success prior to the season having taken the division 1 Championships in 92, 93 and 95, but they had fallen on hard times that year (although that was not to last very long). More than 18,000 fans turned out for the game which finished in a 1-1 draw & sent the Heathens to Roker Park & Notts County only needing a draw to secure a 1st div place, alas this was not to happen as they lost both games & had to settle for another season in div 2.

1897-1898

As 1898 drew to a close Newton Heath & across town rivals Man City were the top two teams in the 2nd div, with a team called "New Brighton Tower" in third. On Boxing day the two teams faced each other, the Heathens coming off a 9-0 thrashing of Darwen while City were also coming off a big win against Blackpool (4-2).

Confidence was high but it was City who came out the victors making short work of their neighbours in a 4-0 win. Newton never recovered from this & finished the season in 3rd place, 3 points behind Glossop North End and 6 points behind City who won the title and promotion to the first. Once more they had challenged for promotion only to fall by the wayside. In five seasons in the second they had never finished lower than sixth.

1898-1899: Player scandal

1899 was to be known for the infamous riots between Celtic and Rangers. After a Scottish Cup final replay the fans tried to burn down the ground and trouble continued for several hours in the streets of Glasgow with 81 policemen having to be treated in hospital. There was also trouble at Everton's Goodison Park after the ref had abandoned a game.

Newton Heath had their own problems with a "scandal" behind the scenes when two players (Boyd and Cunnigham) were suspended by the club for their extracurricular activities. The two players were have said to have been drinking, the Athletic News reported:
"If men who are paid good wages don't think it worth their while to keep themselves in condition they are better off out of the team."
The week following these suspensions it was the fans turn. After the Heathens took a 2-1 defeat at New Brighton Tower a group of supporters took action by surrounding the referee as he walked off the field, jeering & booing him. The situation could have been worse if it hadn't been for several club officials and Policemen who escorted the poor referee to dressing room safety. By all reports the referee had been very poor & the youths had been provoked by several dubious decisions. The result of the game seriously dented any hopes of Newton Heath's promotion chances for that year.

1899-1900

The start to the 20th century held little relief for the Heathens who had acheived little in recent years & were languishing in the shadow of their rivals Man City who had been recently promoted to the 1st division.

The team at that time did see a few changes with Frank Barrett in goal, Harry Stafford & Fred Erentz at the fullback positions, Morgan Griffiths & Carwright were regular choices as centre back, while up front Bryant, Jackson and Cassidy were the regulars. The club had forged strong links Wales at the time and boasted seven Welsh internationals in the line-up, many of them arriving in Manchester looking for work on the railroad. Although rich in Welsh international talent the Club had not a single English International on the books (Billy Bryant was picked to represent the Football League). But even with a solid team and a lot of Welsh internationals Newton Heath could not get the promotion they so desperately needed. For the third time in a row they finished fourth in the second division.

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1900 - 1901: Worst season in seven years

The season 1900/01 was the worst season for Newton Heath in seven years of second division football. They started the season with hopes of promotion to the first division, but finished a long way off their target.

They ended the season at the tenth place, with 16 defeats out of 34 matches played. Their goal average was just positive with +6 (38-32). This was the sign for the directors to fire their secretary Mr A.H. Albutt and appoint a new one. The new secretary was Mr James West.

1901 - 1902: Manchester United Football Club is born!

Newton Heath at the turn of the century were indeed at their lowest ebb. After a decade in the Football league all they had to show was two years in the top flight (both years finishing at the bottom) and eight years in the second. It was decided by the directors that new players had to be bought, but there were no funds available so a Bazzar was arranged by the club to attempt to raise cash.

The event was to start on Wednesday 27th February and run for 4 days, the Manchester Evening News reported that the Northern military and Bess-o'th'-barn Brass bands would be playing. The Bazzar ended on Saturday evening but after paying off the cost of renting the hall it was found that the event had hardly been a success and the funds needed still had not been found.

The Club's fortunes then took a strange twist, Harry Stafford the Newton Heath cap***n owned a St Bernard dog, he had taken the dog to the Bazzar and tied a collecting box around its neck, the dog escaped from the hall and was found wandering the City by a Pub landlord, who showed it to a Mr Henry Davies who was then a managing director of the Manchester Brewers.

Davies took a fancy to the dog and immediatley bought it off the landord. Feeling guilty Davies decided to trace the dog's owner and soon found out that it belonged to the Newton cap***n, after meeting with Stafford the businessman decided to help and made a financial contribution to the club, and made further promises of help for the future. Stafford did not forget that promise! Mr John Henry Davies would become chairman and president of the club in the future.

Newton Heath finished the season worse than last and by the end of the season they stood on a 15th place in the league, with 17 defeats out of 34 games played and a negative goal difference (38-53).

In this season Newton Heath changed their club colours again, this time the white shirts and blue shorts were replaced by red shirts and white shorts. The name of Newton Heath was not liked by all, they had left their home in Newton Heath 9 years previously, and following the reorganisation of the Club many called for a name change. Manchester Central was suggested, but it was decided that it sounded too much like a railway station, also suggested and rejected was Manchester Celtic, then a Mr Louis Rocca hit upon the name Manchester United. The name had been suggested before but had not met much support, but this time it stuck and on Saturday 26th April 1902 Newton Heath became Manchester United.

This must have pleased many of the visiting teams and supporters who for years had been showing up for games at the old Newton Heath only to find a dilapidated and empty pitch, and then had to dash across town to arrive minutes before the kickoff.

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Pre-War United 1902 - 1915

1902 - 1903
In this season Manchester United could recover a little bit of their bad run in the second division. With Mr. James West as manager they started the season well, but because of a bad run in the end they finished in 5th place.

In the FA Cup they could not go further than the second round.

1903 - 1904: Ernest Mangnall takes over at United

Manchester United's manager in 1903 was James West, under him they had begun the season very poorly with two defeats and a draw, on Monday 28th Sept he resigned his position and Ernest Mangnall became the new United manager. Mangnall joined the club from Burnley where he had served as secretary. He would go on to become United's first "great" manager.

The new manager had been born in Bolton and was well known in sporting circles in the North west. He was known in particular for his love of cycling, and during his youth had actually cycled the length of Great Bri***n from John O' Groats to Lands end, he could often be spotted riding his bike to the ground.

With United's financial status at last secure Mangall proved himself a shrewd buyer in the transfer market. He brought goalie Harry Moger to United, along with Alex Bell, Dick Duckworth, and a great centre half in Charlie Roberts. His greatest coup however was bringing the great Billy Meredith across from Man City, other Man City rebels quickly followed Meredith's path and United stole away Herbert Burgess, Sandy Turnbull, and Jimmy Bannister from their rivals. Meredith and Roberts at the time were considered the most talented players in the land. With the new manager and new players United finished third in the league and just missed promotion to the first division.

1904 - 1905: Building a team for the top

Manchester United's manager Mangnall was building a side that looked better than anything the fans had seen so far. 20 year old Charlie Roberts proved a great buy, signed from Grimsby for the grand total of £450. He was sturdily built and extremely fast, it was reported that he could run the hundred yards in 11 seconds. This was the time that the world record stood at 9.6 seconds!

Vittorio Pozzo the Italian national team coach was reported to be a huge fan of Roberts and took back to Italy a lasting memory of the player after he visited Clayton to watch him play. Pozzo went on to create one of the finest pre-war teams ever to play the game, he had stated publicly that Roberts had been his inspiration. Strangely enough, the English team selectors didn't seem to agree and Roberts only played for England 3 times, it was believed that his image as somewhat of a rebel contributed to him being ignored this way. Roberts wore his shorts short, this was a time when the FA had ruled that all shorts were to cover the knee, he had also been a pioneer in the Players Union becoming its chairman and later becoming a leader in the "outcasts" (to be explained later).

On Boxing day 1904 united enter***ned Liverpool at Clayton, 40,000 fans showed up for the game and United defeated the Merseysiders 3-1. It was a high point in the season although Liverpool took their revenge 4 months later and hammered United 4-0 at Anfield to finish the season at the top of the table and again deny United the promotion they desperately desired. They finished on the third spot again with only five defeats out of 34 matches played and 81 goals scored.

1905 - 1906: Promotion at last!

After 12 unhappy seasons in the second division 1906 was the year that United finally claimed their place again in the top flight. One of the season's finest results in the club's young history was a Cup win over the mighty Aston Villa. Villa had won the League Championship in 1894, 1896, 1897, 1899 and 1900 and they had also won the FA Cup in 1887, 1895, 1897 and 1905. Everyone had Villa as hot favorites to hammer the 2nd div United, but before a record crowd of over 40,000 (gate receipts 1,460 pound) United proceeded to hammer the Villa team 5-1 on the mud bath Clayton pitch.

United's joy was short lived though as Woolwich Arsenal beat them in the next round 3-2. Promotion was clinched with a 3-1 victory over Leeds City (yes they were called City back then) and United finished the season in style by trouncing Burton United 6-0 at Clayton. When the final whistle blew the crowd invaded the pitch and carried the team shoulder high from the field. Ernest Mangnall addressed the cheering fans and promised them that this was only the beginning, he was right!

Although Manchester did gain promotion, they didn't win the second division. They finished on the second place with only 4 defeats out of 38 matches played and they scored an unbelievable amount of goals (90).

1906 - 1907: City's plight, United's opportunity

1907 was the year that Manchester United finally arrived as a major force in the footballing world. Boasting an exciting lineup and playing a brand of football that was to become a hallmark at the club. The backbone of the team had come across from their rivals Man City after a sensational scandal had erupted at the Ardwick club. Players were all supposed to be on a fixed wage of 4 pounds per game, it was discovered that City had been paying 6 or 7 pounds a week per player. The FA were furious about this discovery and dismissed five of the Man City directors and banned 17 of its players from ever appearing in a blue shirt again.

Mangnall acted swiftly and managed first of all to sign Billy Meredith (in 1906) later adding the services of four other City players. Meredith had also been involved in a bribe fiasco and it is said he was lucky not to be banned from the game for life. It is interesting to note here that although the players were signed in 1906, they all were serving FA mandated suspensions, so they did not make their debuts in a Red shirt until 1907.

Billy Meredith was known as the 'Welsh Wizard' as he provided the spark that set apart Man United from other clubs establishing a tradition for players of the highest quality to follow him. He was the George Best of the Edwardian era - rebellious, skilled and popular. Many questions about the player's long layoffs were soon answered in the first game of 1907 against Aston Villa when an inspired Meredith darted and teased the Villa defence, finally plotting its downfall by laying on a cross for Turnball to slam into the net.

By the end of the season United had climbed to 8th place and their brand of football was the talk of the town, more importantly they were poised to make an assault one the big prize, the Championship!

1907 - 1908: Champions!

The 1908 season began in fine style for the men from Clayton, a 4-1 hammering of Villa, a 4-0 win against Liverpool and a 2-1 win over Middlesbourgh. After 14 games had been played, United had only dropped 2 points and stood (for the first time) proudly on top of Div 1.

The wins were not squeaked out either, six against Newcastle away, five at Blackburn, four against Everton, Arsenal and Birmingham. United's football was the talk of the footballing press! But despite the roaring start to the season they finished it rather slowly, with a run of 7 defeats in a row.

But they were the Champions for the first time and set a new league record with 82 goals scored. Following the season's end the United board decided to reward the team with a trip to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They first played a combined Vienna Sport and Vienna FC team and won comfortably 4-0 before travelling on by train to Budapest for two games against Ferencvaros.

United won the first 6-2, but the second sparked off a minor diplomatic incident. United started the game in roaring style and the Hungarian fans applauded in admiration for the English Champions, but United continued to pile it on, and the scene turned sour as the referee sent off three United players and a mini-riot developed. Eventually the police got the scene under control and United finished the game with 8 players, and a 7-0 win. But it was not to end there, as the referee blew the final whistle stones were hurled from the terraces, players were spat on and police had to finally charge the crowd with swords drawn to disperse the throng.

United were transported by open top bus to their hotel, and encountered another mob that rained stones down upon them, several players sus***ned head wounds before the police again got the crowd under control. The Hungarian authorities apologised profusely and United diplomatically shrugged the incidents off and promised to return again the following year. Upon arriving back in Manchester, Mangnall vowed he would never go back to Hungary.

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1908 - 1909: Cup fever grips United

Following their first Championship victory United played QPR in the Charity Shield match, the game was played at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge and finished in a 1-1 draw. A replay was arranged and this time more than 40,000 turned out to watch United put on an impressive display with Turnbull getting a hatrick in their 4-0 win. In United's history they had come no closer to winning the FA Cup than the 8th round, with the Championship trophy tucked away in the boardroom they now set sights on the only major British trophy that had so far alluded them.

They started the campaign with a win against Southern league Brighton 1-0. And in the second round were drawn at home again this time against Everton. The Toffees were eliminated by a goal from Halse and the Reds marched on. The Rovers of Blackburn were United's next victims getting a severe 6-1 thrashing at Clayton. For the first time that year they were drawn away in the next round to 2nd division Burnley and were down a goal to nil and looked like they were going out of the Cup again at the eight round when Mother Nature stepped in, snow started to fall in the 18th minute of the game, it turned into a blizzard and the referee had no option but to call off the tie. The replay favoured the Reds and they won a 3-2 contest.

United were now in the semi-finals for the first time in their history where they faced stiff opposition from the Cup holders Newcastle. The Geordie's fell to another goal from Halse and United were through to the final. (Newcastle did go on to win the Championship).

The final took place at the Crystal Palace and Bristol City were United's opponents. The City of Manchester was gripped with Cup fever and train excursions to London were offered to the fans for 11 shillings each. United were forced to change their strip and instead of their usual scarlet red they wore white with a red "V". The City of Manchester poured into the Capital and despite the threat of rain 70,000 fans packed into the ground to watch Turnbull score the only goal of the game and with it win the Cup for United.

Billy Meredith is said to have been the difference in the two sides, although by most accounts it was a poor game. After their Cup win the United team were taken to the Alhambra Theatre where they were enter***ned by football's favorite comedian of the time, George Robey. Accompanying United fans in tweed caps and jackets were a stark contrast to the clientele of the dress circle in their evening jackets and bow ties. The next morning there was something of a scare when the lid to the cup could not be found, but it was eventually discovered in the pocket of Sandy Turnbulls jacket where some practical joker had hid it.

The United team arrived at central station Manchester at 3:30pm that afternoon and were surprised to find an estimated 300,000 fans waiting to welcome them back home. With the brass band playing "see, the conquering hero comes" Mangnall opened the door of his carriage and lifted the old trophy high to a huge roar from the crowd. Following Mangnall, dressed in cloth cap, came Charlie Roberts and the rest of the United team, many of them wearing red and white hats. A motor coach took them through the City and all along the route people hung from windows, climbed statues, perched on roof's all to get a glimpse of their hero's.

Never before had Albert Square seen such scenes. The procession continued to the Clayton ground where over 30,000 fans had been awaiting them for over 3 hours. It was to be the old Clayton grounds finest hour, for United had already given notice that they would be soon quitting its muddy fields for a new stadium being built at Old Trafford.

United still had a game left to play and not surprisingly lost to Arsenal, after the game United's chairman took the FA Cup and filled it with champagne, he then took it to the Arsenal dressing room and invited them to drink to United's health.

In August 1909, 4 months after winning the FA cup the whole Manchester United team was suspended by the FA for refusing to renounce the trade union they had helped form. At the outset it had been every professional player in the country that had joined the union, but after pressure from the FA they dropped out one by one until only the Manchester United team was left. The United players stood firm and gained themselves the nickname "the outcasts". It seemed like the end of the season before it started for the club that had just begun to taste success, but when all seemed lost Tim Coleman of Everton walked out on his team mates and sided with the United players. Newcastle United, Middlesborough, and Sunderland all changed their minds also and were followed soon by the rest of the Everton team and the Liverpool team. The FA backed down! A muddled agreement was signed and the crisis was over, but it is thanks to that United team that the player union survived and exists to this day. In the league Manchester did not continue their previous success, finishing a disappointing 13th.

1909 - 1910: Arise Old Trafford!

The move to a new stadium had been agreed in 1908, Clayton was a disgrace of a pitch. During the winter months it was a quagmire and hardly a fitting place for a team that had won the FA Cup and Championship. The old stadium was sold to the Manchester Corporation for 5,000 pounds and the new site in Trafford Park was purchased with the help of a grant for 60,000 pounds. The site for the new stadium was chosen and paid for by John Henry Davies, who paid all the costs out of his own pocket. The new stadium was planned to be the largest and finest in the country. It was originally designed to hold 100,000 fans, but after construction estimates soared an additional 30,000 pounds over budget, the plans were revised, restricting the gate to around 60,000.

United played their last game at Clayton's Bank street ground on January 10, 1910, defeating Spurs 5-0. Shortly after United officially left the old ground a gale swept across Manchester and blew down the Bank Street stand causing damage to houses in the surrounding area. The new ground was opened on February 19 and named 'Old Trafford'. Liverpool were the opponents that day and spoiled the party by beating United 4-3 after United had led 2-0. They soon got used to the new ground though and it was October 21, a year later, before they suffered another defeat at home.

The price of admission for the games at Old Trafford at the time was, best reserved seats five shillings, while to stand on the terraces cost sixpence. With the new stadium, United had a better season than last year, finishing on fifth in the league.

1910 - 1911: Champions again!

But after two disappointing seasons the 1910/11 season would be a great season for Manchester United, it also would be the last season of one of the great managers of United, Ernest Mangnall.

For the first time in their new stadium they became the Champions of the first division for the second time. This time United's title was clinched by just one point ahead of Aston Villa. United lost 8 of their 38 matches and drew 8 as well, they scored 72 goals. In the FA Cup United could reach the third round.

1911 - 1912

As League Champions United were once again invited to play in the Charity Shield. This time their opponents were Swindon Town, winners of the Southern League. The game was played at Stamford Bridge but only attracted a crowd of 8,000 which was a pity because the two teams served up 12 goals in a 8-4 win for United.

1911 began another bleak period for the Reds. Ernest Mangnall had created a great team, but in August 1912 he surprisingly left the club and joined Manchester City as their new manager. Earlier the same week he had turned down a 1,500 pound bid from City for United cap***n Charlie Roberts. After a emergency meeting of the board at Old Trafford it was decided that they could not change Mangnall's mind and he left with their blessings.

Eighteen months later City were top of division 1 and United were struggling next to bottom. Mangnall's achievements at United cannot be underestimated, not only did he win two championships and an FA Cup, he bought players of skill and flair who gave United an unmistakable touch of class and a reputation for attacking flowing football. He had also built the finest stadium in the land at Old Trafford to accommodate all this talent. It would take United 40 years to recover from the loss of him.

Without Mangnall the Champions finished the season a very disappointing 13th, with more defeats than wins (14 defeats and 13 wins).

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1912 - 1913

This was the last revival of United before a very bad period began for them. In this period they finished five times in the bottom of the first division and were finally relegated to the second division. In the second division they needed three years to come back to the highest platform. Hereafter they finished sixth years in a row in the bottom of the first division aagin and the sixth time the relegated again, they promoted again, but a few years later the were relegated for the third time.

In 1937/38 they gained promotion back to the first division. But from 1912/13 till the Second World War Manchester United continued to be trapped between the first and second divisions, not winning anything until 1948, except the second division in 1935.

This season was their last good season in the first division till 1945/46. United finished fourth in the league, with 69 goals scored, they also reached the third round in the FA Cup. But hard years lay ahead for Manchester United.

1913 - 1914

United were back in dire financial straits in 1913 following the building of Old Trafford. It was a huge debt to the club and with the war years beckoning it was indeed dark days for the Club. The move of their manager to City was a sensation to the Old Trafford faithful, but it got worse. Concerned with the debt the Board accepted a 1500 pound bid from Oldham Athletic for their cap***n and spiritual leader Charlie Roberts. This caused shock waves throughout the City.

The Mangnall move had marking the beginning of the end for United and the Roberts deal was merely another nail in the coffin. Players were being sold and the magnificent Manchester United team was finally broken.

War was declared on August 4 1914, the belief at the time was it would be a short affair and that the mainsteam life of the public would not be affected, therefore the League decided to continue on. Initially there was no affect on the game, but as players enlisted in the services to join Lord Kitcheners mighty Army the ranks of players became depleted and it wasn't long before the attendances fell way off as the public lost its appetite for fun after being faced with the reality of World War I. United ended the season avoiding relegation by the skin of their teeth.

1914 - 1915: War!

On good Friday 1915 United faced rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford. United were struggling for survival while Liverpool were comfortable in the middle of the table, with no chance for either Championship or relegation. The game finished with a rather surprising victory to United 2-0, but it didn't end there. The referee had reckoned it had been a peculiar game to say the least, and the press had commented on Liverpool's laxadaisical approach. They had missed a penalty and never looked like the true Liverpool. Within a few weeks more speculation with a handbill that was being passed around Liverpool and Manchester put out by a firm of Bookmakers who it seemed had taken an unusual amount of bets for a United 2-0 win.

Although it was not unusual in those days to bet on football games it was unusual to bet on the actual score. The Bookies had laid 7-1 against United winning 2-0. Before long the Football league conducted a formal inquiry into the game and a commission came up with the findings that the game had indeed been fixed by players from both teams. Three United players (Turnbull, West, and Whalley) and four Liverpool players (Sheldon, Miller, Fairfoul, Purcell) were charged with the offense and all were found guilty. The ringleader was reported to be Sheldon an ex-United player playing for Liverpool. The players were suspended from the game for life, only West of United formally protested his innocence taking out a libel action suit against the FA, which he lost in court.

The League decided to lift the ban at the end of the war on all players except West who continued to protest his innocence, but he was never forgiven and the ban wasn't lifted on him until 1945 by which time he was a bitter and disillusioned man who had long since shunned all mention of Football. Interestingly enough the fix was done not to save United from relegation, but to put money in the players pockets. United survived the drop that year by exactly 2 points.

Football was officially suspended at the end of the 1914-15 season due to the war in Europe. In the place of the Football league a variety of regional divisions were established. United joined forces with Everton, Liverpool, Man City and Stockport County to form a Lancashire League southern section, but in time the Country was split into a North and South sections, a guesting system was set up as more and more players were called up for active duty. It was a dark period for United, their magnificent ground at Old Trafford stood silent and empty and with most of their team away fighting the war in Europe the results got worse and worse. Stockport, Oldham and Rochdale regularly beat them and in March 1916 they could only attract a crowd of 500 spectators to watch them lose by a single goal to Oldham and slump to the bottom of even their small league.

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The Roaring Twenties 1919 - 1930

1919 - 1920

In 1919 League Football finally resumed after its four year disruption. United started the season looking nothing like the powerhouse they had been before the war. Players had transferred out to other Clubs, Billy Meredith was arguing with the club over a transfer, West of course was still banned while Sandy Turnbull had been killed in action during the war.

John Robson was the new manager and he brought in a brood of young players he had been grooming, along with several modest signings such as Clarence Hilditich from Altringham, and Charlie Moore from Hednesford Town. The team did not challenge for the League or Cup but finished a respectable 12th place. Crowds were coming back to the stadiums to watch the game again, the average gate at all 1st division matches in 1920 was 22,000 while United's average was around 30,000. On December 27 1920 70,504 fans showed up to watch United take on Aston Villa, for the record Villa beat the Reds 3-1 that day. The Stadium that had been such a drain on their capital for so many years was now beginning to pay dividends, as it would for many years to come.

1920 - 1921

The 1920/21 season was even worse than the previous one. After an argument with the club, Billy Meredith was given a free transfer at the age of 48 and rejoined Manchester City. Billy Meredith played for United from 1906 till 1921, playing 332 matches for them. With this amount he stands at 30th places of the all time appearance records.

His departure was the beginning of the end. That season United finished 13th, with two more defeats than they had wins (15-17). In the FA cup they lost in the first round.

1921 - 1922: Relegated!

Since the end of the war United had finished up in 12th and 13th position in the league and had no joy in the FA Cup. The 1921 season started out in terrible fashion with just five points from 7 games. Their manager John Robson had become ill and it was agreed that he would step down to assistant manager to make way for John Chapman, a Scot United hired away from Airdrieonians. The deterioration continued under Chapman's watch with Man City thrashing them 4-1. United sank to the bottom of the league and stayed there the length of the season. They were relegated to the 2nd division again after finishing with only 28 points.

Joe Spence was the only bright light for the team. He had joined United in 1919 from Scotswood and remained at Old Trafford until June 1933 when he moved to Bradford City. In all he made 510 appearances for the club, a record that stood for 40 years when it was bettered by Bill Foukes.

1922 - 1923
In 1923 life in the second division proved to be more difficult than United had anticipated, they were favorites to return to the top flight on their first attempt, instead they finished in 4th place while Notts County finished as Champions and were promoted. During the season County had stayed on top and it was very surprising to them that while enter***ning United at the City Ground, United soundly thrashed them 6-1. County had a goalie that was considered one of the best anywhere, Albert Iremonger who stood 6' 6" tall, but on that day he spent the whole afternoon trying to keep the rampant reds away.

The man of the match was Frank Barson, the United centre half. He had been signed by United from Aston Villa for 5,000 pounds and the promise of his own pub if United gained promotion within three years. They were and the story goes that when Frank opened the door of his new pub he was swamped in the rush and decided then and there that running a pub was not the life for him. The story of United's season this year was one of a team that had all the talent, but maybe not the will to win.

1923 - 1924: Third worst season ever!

If 1923 wasn't difficult enough for United than this year was even worse. They had their third worst season in their history. They lost in the second round of the FA Cup but in the league they finished 14th, with 13 wins, 14 draws and 15 defeats. The club that had been the champions of England 12 years ago, now had to worry about avoiding relegation to the third division.

1924 - 1925

But there came no relegation. The next season United got themselves together and finished the league in a fine second position in the league. This meant that United were promoted back to the first division. In this season United lost 8 of their 42 matches, but won 23 of them, scoring only 53 goals in all their matches. In the FA Cup United lost once again in the first round. A combined United/City team met a Liverpool/Everton side in a testimonial match for Ernest Mangnall who had led United in two league Championships and an FA Cup triumph.

1925 - 1926: Settling back into Division 1

The first year back in the first division after four years was not a bad year for United. They finished a long way from the Championship, but they also never came in any danger of relegation. At the end of the season United finished in 9th place, with two more wins than defeats (19-17).

Their goal average was not so good, having only scored 66 goals while scoring 73 goals. In the FA Cup United did very well, they reached the semi finals, but couldn't get into the final. That season would be the last season for the United manager John Chapman, who was manager from 1921 till 1926. With him United had been relegated once and promoted three years later, he did not win any trophies with United in this difficult time for the club.

1926 - 1927: Manager John Chapman suspended

On the 20th of September 1926 an FA investigating committee met at the Grand Hotel in Manchester to begin an inquiry into the affairs of Manchester United. The committe met again in Sheffield the following week and then met once more back in Manchester the first week of October. What they were investigating to this day remains unknown but on the 7th of October they announced to an astonished footballing public that United manager John Chapman was to be suspended from Football for improper conduct in his position as secretary-manager of the Manchester United Football Club. Nothing further was added and no explanation has ever been given to this day.

In Chapmans place United appointed Clarence Hilditch as caretaker, Clarence was the starting right half for United. To this date he remains the only player-manager in the club's history. Hilditch did a workmanlike job and managed to keep the Reds in the first division that year, but only by the skin of their teeth. United finished 15th in the league. Hilditch was replaced 7 months later by an old Friend of United's!

1927 - 1928: Avoiding relegation by a single goal!

The Old Trafford team began the 1927/28 season with a new manager, Herbert Bamlett. His claim to fame had been to take a struggling Middlesbrough from the second to the first the previous year. But United fans remembered him for something else. Bamlett had been an accomplished referee and had even referreed the 1915 FA Cup final, he was also the referee that had called off the 1909 Burnley - United Cup tie because of the snowstorm (United won the rearranged match and went on to lift the Cup). Maybe United owed him a favour for that decision?

The new manager did not bring good times back to Old Trafford, the team hovered just above the relegation zone all season and on April 22nd found themselves at the foot of the table. It was the last game of the season and the log jam at the bottom was so tight that there was only 7 points separating the bottom club from the 4th placed team in the league. United were 2nd from the bottom but all the three bottom clubs were level on points and games played. It was to come down to the last game of the season, and goal difference. The visitors that day were Liverpool and not many of the United faithful held much hope with both Spurs and Middlesbrough having better goal difference.

Within 11 minutes United favorite Joe Spence had shot United into the lead. Rawlings added two more before Liverpool replied and then Spence added another to make the halftime score 4-1. As the teams came out for the second half Old Trafford was electric, the 30,000 strong crowd willing the team on, and it worked, Spence scoring two more to complete a hat trick and send Liverpool home losers by 6 goals to one. At the end of the game the players stayed on the field waiting nervously for the Spurs and Middlesbrough results, had they done enough to stay up? They had!! Spurs and Middlesbrough went down and United had dodged the drop, they stayed up on goal difference. The 6th goal had proved decisive.

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1928 - 1929

United lost 15 matches before March 1929 was over and again were looking contenders for relegation. However thanks to a rousing end to the season they again managed to survive, finishing the last 6 games with 5 wins and a tie.

Most of the explanation for this turn around could be found in the signing of Tom Reid from Liverpool. Reid, a Scot scored 14 goals in 17 appearances that season and went on to score 67 goals in just 101 games before joining Oldham five years later. But United were still not setting the league alight, it seemed as though they stayed in a never ending battle to stay out of the relegation zone. And it was to get Worse!

1929 - 1930

And worse it got in the next season, when United had a lot of trouble staying in the first division. They finished the league in 17th place, just enough to stay in the top division. But from 42 games United lost 19 and won only 15, with a goal average of -21 (67-88). But although United played no role whatsoever in the title run-ins of the last few years, they did better in the FA Cup. In the 1925/26 season they reached the semi-finals of the competition. In 1926/27 they reached the third round, in 1927/28 they got to the sixth round, while in 1928/29 they lost in the fourth round and in 1929/30 United were knocked out in the third round.

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The Poor Thirties 1930 - 1939

1930 - 1931: Crisis at Old Trafford

As if the previous season had not been bad enough the 1930-31 campaign had to go down as one of United's worst. They started the season losing 4-0 to Villa, followed by a 3-0 loss to Middlesbrough, and then things continued to go downhill. Losses to Chelsea 6-2, Huddersfield 6-0 and Newcastle 7-4 and United's usual devoted support started to wane. By the time Newcastle were waxing them at Old Trafford the crowd numbered less than 11,000.

There was much discontentment from the terraces and the normally placid Supporters club began to make waves. Handbills were passed out outside the ground on match days calling for the Club to heed a five point plan that they had presented to them. The supporters wanted a new manager, an improved scouting system, some new signings, five shareholders elected to the board, and money to be raised through a new share issue. The club ignored the demands refusing to even meet with them, arguing that the Supporters Club was an unofficial body not recognised by the club and unrepresentative of the bulk of the supporters.

Results continued to get worse and by the end of September they had lost all of the opening eight games and were sitting at the foot of the table. On October 4th the team went across town for the derby with Man City under a threat from the Supporters Club that if the board did not respond to them there would be a mass boycott of the home fixture against Arsenal scheduled for the 18th of October. The club did not respond. Man City defeated them 4-1, and the following week West Ham hammered them 5-1. The Supporters Club called an emergency meeting to be held at Hulme Town Hall and as many as 3,000 were reported to have turned up. Mr Greenhough, secretary of the Supporters Club moved that the boycott against Arsenal should go ahead.

Charlie Roberts, the former club cap***n spoke against the boycott and argued that the fans should be getting behind the team not boycotting them. Roberts was shouted down and the vote was taken to boycott the Arsenal game which was to be played the following day. The visit of the previous years Cup winning team was considered a huge game, and the newspapers had talked about a possible 50,000 crowd, 23,000 made the effort. United lost 2-1 and followed that with a 4-1 loss to Portsmouth.

After these games the attendances slumped even lower and in fact the only time the crowd bettered 10,000 the rest of the year was the local home derby with Man City. In their final game 3,900 watched them play out a 4-4 draw with Middlesbrough. They had lost 27 matches while only winning 7 and conceding a staggering 115 goals. At the end of the season the board finally acted and fired Herbert Bamlett, there was no immediate replacement for him and secretary Walter Crickmer and Louis Rocca took over the reins. But even the long serving secretary, and the man who had named the club Manchester United could not help United's slide and as 1931 ended the club were once again almost bankrupt.

It was at this point that a fairy godmother came to the rescue, this time James Gibson placed 2,000 pound at the club's disposal and indicated he was ready to make further funds available if the board would reconstitute itself. James Gibson was made President and another financial crisis was averted, Gibson placing cash at the club's disposal and guaranting the players' wages.

1931 - 1932

In May 1931 Herbert Bamlett was sacked as manager after United were relegated, finishing bottom and conceding 115 goals. Walter Crickmer, who was club secretary at the time, took over the duties of team selection along with Louis Rocca, until August 1932, when Scott Duncan, an ex-player, who had guested for the club during the 1st world war, was appointed. Duncan had played with Newcastle, and Dumbarton and was also one of the few players who could boast playing for both Glasgow Celtic and Rangers. Duncan was to be paid a salary of 800 pounds a year and after taking over at the helm he promised to infuse new blood into the team and to re-vamp the Youth system.

But Duncan did not fulfil his promises, spending a very large amount of money on new players, mainly from his native Scotland. His signings included Neil Dewar from Third Lanark, Chalmers from Cowdenbeath, Byrne from Shamrock Rovers (Ireland) and Bamford from Wrexham. He had the huge task to bring United back into the first division, but he couldn't do it in his first season at the former English champions. His first season saw United finish 12th in the second division and reach the third round of the FA Cup, but the hard years for Duncan still had to come.

1932 - 1933

The second season of Scott Duncan as manager of United was a little better. After finishing 12th in his first season he now finished 6th in the league, but he never got United anywhere near the promotion places, so it was hardly a return for the outlay.

In the FA Cup he reached, just like the previous year, the third round, but again United lost at home to Middlesbrough 1-4 in that third round. In this year, just as last year, United managed to score 71 goals in the league, what is a large amount for a team out the middle group in the second division.

1933 - 1934: Drop to 3rd Division avoided on last day

On December 26th 1933 Grimsby Town defeated the United team 7-3, things just were not getting any better at Old Trafford. During the season United searched for the right blend, and by season end they had used 38 players. On May 4th 1934 Manchester United travelled to Millwall knowing that only a victory could save them from the humiliating drop into the 3rd division north. The `Manchester Evening News' had already wrote them off and called it "the most heartbreaking season in the history of Manchester United".

They stood next to bottom on 32 points, while Millwall were just above them on 33 points. If United won the game Millwall would be relegated. Millwall started the game with a flourish and pinned the Reds back in defence for long periods of time. Then against the run of play United got a breakaway goal to make the score at halftime United 1 Millwall 0. Within two minutes of the restart Cape added another goal for United and the team began playing with confidence and won the game comfortably 2-0. United's travelling supporters numbered over 3,000 and upon returning to Manchester Central that night the team found many thousands more waiting to welcome their hero's home. United had survived once again at the last gasp!

1934 - 1935

United could only improve after the worst season in their 47 years history. This season they finished in a good fifth place in the league playing good football, making it difficult for all teams in the league to beat them. But they only scored 55 goals themselves. In the FA Cup they did made good progress as well, reaching the fourth round.

By the end of the season United was tipped to gain promotion next year. At last things were starting to look up.

1935 - 1936

The Thirties had so far not been good years at Old Trafford and the 1935-36 season started out just as bad as the previous years. On January 4th they were to lose to Bradford City, but in an amazing turnaround this loss was to be the last of the season. By Febuary they had begun climbing up the table. Manager Scott Duncan claimed it was a new plan he had instilled that was the reason for the upsurge, he said they had been concentrating on getting a point away and two at home. Whatever the reason it was working and by mid-March they had jumped to 4th place just three points behind the leaders.

In April they were in 2nd place and Old Trafford was sensing the prospect of promotion. The crucial game came on Wednesday 29 April when they travelled to nearby Bury, United had beaten them on the previous weekend at Old Trafford and a win was needed to stay in the promotion race. As many as 20,000 fans made the short trip to see United win the game and keep their hopes alive going into the last week of the season. United did not disappoint their travelling fans and defeated Bury 3-2.

After the game the fans invaded the field and carried their hero's shoulder high to the dressing rooms. The following Saturday only a point was needed for United to be crowned 2nd Champions, it was duly achieved with a 1-1 draw. It had been United's home record that formed the backbone of their triumph. They had lost just two games at Old Trafford and drawn only three, scoring 55 goals.

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1936 - 1938

United's return to the top flight was indeed short lived. They returned to division two the following season. 1937 however was to mark the year two players were signed who would dramatically change the club's future fortunes. Johnny Carey joined the club from Dublin side St James' Gate for 250 pounds, he began life at Old Trafford as an inside forward, but would soon convert to become one of the all time great fullbacks the World had ever seen. A month after Carey's debut Duncan signed another youngster, this time paying Bournemouth 3,000 pounds for Jack Rowley. After the first 15 games of 1937/38 Duncan resigned to take over at Ipswich Town, despite having 4 years of a 5 year contract remaining.

Crickmer again took over the managerial reins in November 1937. At the time United were nothing more than a good 2nd division side, however his first game United hammered Chesterfield 7-1 and began a run that would again gain them promotion as runners-up, while reigning champions Manchester City were relegated. The next manager of United became Jimmy Porter. He stayed manager of United until 1944. Crickmer continued his combined duties at that point until February 1945, when Matt Busby was offered a 5 year contract by the Directors upon completion of his army duties. Porter managed to give United their promotion and he did what others before him couldn't do, keep United in the first division.

1938 - 1939

This was the first and only season for Porter with United in the first division. He had a hard fight to avoid relegation, but he managed to keep them there. They finished 14th in the league, with 11 wins, 16 draws and 15 defeats. United did not score more than 65 goals, but still had a high goal average of +27. A record Old Trafford attendance of 76,962 watches the FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town in March. By that time United were already out of the FA Cup, having lost in the third round.

World War II

There was much apprehension on the terraces that final Saturday before war broke out. Everyone knew that the deadline given to Germany by the British government to pull out of Poland was only hours away and everybody had realised by then that Hitler would not retreat. United were away to Charlton on what was the third game of a new season. They had begun the season brightly winning 4-0 at Grimsby followed by a weekday tie at Chelsea, but Charlton beat them this day 2-0. The next morning at 11am war was declared on Germany.

The football league met two days later and made the decision to cancel the League season. It would be seven years before League soccer reappeared, although soccer was played in some form or fashion through that painful duration. In place of League play a series of regional leagues were formed much like what had happened in the 1st world war, and a guesting system was introduced once more. This made for strange bedfellows indeed with some small 3rd division sides often fielding famous international stars that just happened to be posted close by, while some major clubs scratched around for players. In June 1940 United fielded an unusual lineup on one occasion with Man City star Peter Doherty and Stanley Mathews featuring on the same forward line as a center forward who had been drafted out of a local pub team. Throughout the 6 years of hostilities there were few prizes to be won, and even fewer spectators showed up to watch, United rarely attracted a crowd of over 4,000.

For the record United won the Lancashire Cup in 1941, beating Burnley, and topped their regional League in 1941-42, there was little else to boast about other than a few spectacular scorelines. New Brighton were hammered 13-1 in 1941 and Wrexham were beaten 10-3 the same year, while Burnley were defeated 9-0 in 1944.

On the night of Tuesday 11th March 1941 there was a roar around Old Trafford, but it was not coming from the terraces but rather from the drone of German planes overhead. The magnificent stadium sus***ned heavy bomb damage, and was in a dilapidated state, a shadow of its former self. The terraces were covered in weeds and grass and out on the famous turf a 6' high bush had sprouted. Thanks to the kindness of Manchester City, United were given use of Maine Road, although they didn't return any favors slamming City 7-1 a month later.

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The Busby Babes 1945 - 1957

1945 - 1946: Matt Busby takes charge

Actual News report as reported in the Manchester Evening News Monday 19th Feb 1945:

Matt Busby signs as United Manager
Company Sergeant-Major Instructor Matt Busby, Liverpool right back and Scotland cap***n, today signed an agreement to become manager of Manchester United when he is demoblised. Only a few years ago Busby (now aged 34) who has proved himself one of the great half backs of modern times, was the "forgotten man" of International Football.

ATTRACTIVE PLAYER

His thousands of Manchester fans, remembering him as a stylish and attractive player when he turned out For Manchester City, unswervingly believed in his brilliance when Scotland's selectors seem to have neglected and forgotten him. And he justified their faith. After one pre-war international cap in 1934 we was ignored until the 1941-42 season, since when he has appeared for Scotland in eight games, several times as skipper. in these games he has been outstanding, and today he made a name in Scottish Football. "Busby has had a number of offers, but he approached us himself as he particularly wanted to come back to Manchester," Mr W. Crickmer Manchester United secretary explained today. "He will build up the team and put it where it belongs-at the top." Busby who played with Alex James as a boy, left Manchester City for Liverpool in 1936 at a fee of 8,000 pounds, and has been released from his appointment as Liverpool's post-war coach.

Although nobody could have known it, the signing of Matt Busby was as momentous an event as any in the history of Manchester United. It ranked alongside the appointment of Ernest Mangnall, the signing of Billy Meredith and the timely intervention of JH Davies to save the Club from bankruptcy.
At the time Busby was still on Liverpool's books and still in the Army as an instructor at the Sandhurst Military Academy when he received a letter from Louis Rocca, the United scout, informing him of the managerial vacancy at Old Trafford. Busby was keen to come to Old Trafford and quickly arranged a meeting with Crickmer the United secretary. The rest is history.

Busby's footballing career had ironically enough began at Manchester City where he begun as a 17 year old and played more than 200 games before moving to Liverpool. Busby, the son of a Scottish miner, was a stylish half-back with Manchester City and Liverpool before World War Two and although he won only one full cap for Scotland, he skippered his country in several wartime internationals. He was only 34 when he took over at Old Trafford, but even so was in great demand, turning down Spurs, Liverpool, Reading and Ayre United to join the Reds. There was no doubt that Manchester was where Busby's heart lay. His arrival was to spark the fusion of two great forces.

1946 - 1947: Busby's great team is born

It was 1946 and the war was over, and League football kicked off again. The crowds flocked to the games hungry for football again after the long lay-off. Crowds were averaging 50,000 at the large clubs and United were getting 40,000 every week although playing at Maine road due to Old Trafford still not having being rebuilt yet. The United team that started the season was indeed impressive, with Jack Crompton in goal, Johnny Carey and John Aston in front of him, while Chilton, (who had been wounded in the war) Warner and Cockburn formed the halfback line. Up front there was Jimmy Delaney a 4,000 pound buy from Celtic and Stan Pearson a rugged energetic and scheming player who partnered the great Jack Rowley. Charlie Mitten prowled the left wing. It was an oustanding team and with Matt Busby and now Jimmy Murphy at the helm it was one that would transform United from the music-hall joke of pre-war football to giants of the post war years. United began the 1946-47 Season in great form with 5 victories, including a 5-0 win over eventual Champions Liverpool.

United were leading contenders all year along with Liverpool, Stoke City, and Wolves, but Liverpool out lasted them and won the title with United finishing as runners up. It had been a brave campaign by Busby's new team, who struck 95 goals and boasted fewer defeats than anyone else. Jack Rowley was leading scorer with 26 goals, followed by Stan Pearson with 19. Bert Whalley had been chosen regularly at half back, however in 1947 he decided to hang up his books and take a coaching job under Busby. This would prove to be highly significant in future years. Bert Whalley was an instant success as a coach, guiding, developing, and motivating a group of youngsters at the Club who would find recognition of their own in the near future, this group of youngsters would be later known to the Football world as: The Busby Babes.

1947 - 1948: Busby's first trophy

The 'News of the World' Newspaper called the 1948 Cup final 'Wembley's finest'. This was maybe a slight exaggeration, although there is no doubting it was one of the finest games ever played on the Wembley turf.

United had arrived at Wembley via a most difficult route. In the third round they defeated Aston villa 6-4 after being down a goal in 13 seconds, at half time they were leading 5-1 but Villa fought back to 5-4 before Stan Pearson scored a sixth for the Reds. Then they drew current League Champions Liverpool at home, but because Old Trafford was still not ready to be used and Maine road was not available due to City being also drawn at home United had to find another ground to play the Cup tie at. They plumped for Liverpool's rivals ground at Everton and it proved to be a lucky venue for the Reds as they won 3-0 at Goodison Park in front of a 74,000 crowd.

Next up was Charlton, but City had again been drawn at home and this time United chose to play at Leeds Road Huddersfield. Again the Reds won their 'home game' when they beat the London Club 2-0. On to the quarter-finals and a game against Preston North End, Man City having a league fixture arranged for the same day the Reds had to find yet another place to play, this time it was Villa Park and another win for United 4-2 in front of yet another 74,000. Derby County were to provide the opposition in the semi-final and it was slated for Hillsborough Sheffield. Stan Pearson hit a hat trick to add to the 4 goals he had already scored in the remarkable cup run, and United ran out winners 3-1.

United had faced 1st Division opposition in every round and had been watched by an astonishing 300,000 and the Wembley date would make it 400,000 aggregate attendance, which stands as a record to this day.

In the final United faced another Lancashire team in Blackpool who of course boasted the services of the great Stanley Matthews who was recognized all over the World as being the greatest player of the day. Blackpool took the lead when Shimwell scored from the penalty spot after 12 minutes, but United stormed back and 27 minutes into the game they levelled the scores as Jack Rowley out sprinted the Blackpool goalkeeper to thunder a shot into the net.

Blackpool were proving to be more than worthy opponents and they struck again when Stan Mortensen slotted home a goal from a Matthews free kick. Skipper Johnny Carey was having a storm of a game and his prompting and constant surges forward paid off when Rowley headed home a free kick to draw the two sides level again. Ten minutes later the Cup was secured for United when Stan Pearson slammed home the winner. Pearson had scored 8 goals in six matches for the Reds, and he would always be remembered as the man who fired United on their way to another Cup Triumph. The double was nearly achieved. United won at Wembley to lift the FA Cup for the second time, but were pipped by Arsenal for the League title.

1948 - 1949

The next United tried again to achieve the covetted double, but again they failed. In the FA Cup the played the best football of England till the semi finals. Everyone was positive that United would also win this semi final and go for their second successive FA Cup win. But in the semi finals United lost. And in the league they couldn't win either.

For the third time in a row United finished second in the league. But the hard times from before the war were forgotten and with Busby as manager happy days lay ahead.

1949 - 1950: United return to Old Trafford

After 8 years absence from their home Manchester United returned to Old Trafford in 1949, the bomb damage had been mostly repaired there was still some work to be done, but the gates opened for a crowd of 42,000 to pack inside and watch the Reds face Bolton Wanderers on a breezy summer day in August.

It was an exciting event with traffic backed up for miles which caused many to be late for the kickoff, but when the Stadium finally filled, the noise was reported to be deafening and the Stretford End roared their approval as Charlie Mitten became the first player to score the a goal at Old Trafford for 8 years. United ran out 3-0 winners. United didn't finish the league as good as the last three years, the became fourth. In the FA cup the couldn't do it as well, they only reached the sixth round.

Busby bought a new goalkeeper, he signed Ray Wood for 6,000 from Darlington.

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1950 - 1952: The Busby Babes are born

United fans were astonished when they read their morning newspapers during the summer of 1950. Charlie Mitten had deserted Old Trafford for an unknown Columbian team by the name of Santa Fe, after 113 consecutive appearances in the red shirt Mitten was off to South America. Mitten and his fellow professionals were earning a maximum 12 pounds a week, Santa Fe promised him a signing bonus of 2,500 pounds plus a salary of 2,500 pounds per year and a win bonus of 35 pounds a week, he was 29 years old.

Life in Bogata did not suit him however and he was soon on his way back to England, he was still officially a United player, but upon his return they made it apparent they would not continue with his services. He went on to sign with Fulham, later becoming manager of Mansfield before joining Newcastle as Manager.

On Saturday, 24th November 1951 United gave a debut to two youngsters who over the next few years would play a vital role in the club's fortunes. One of the players was named Jackie Blanchflower, the other Roger Byrne, they were selected to play against Liverpool at Anfield. Tom Jackson of the Manchester Evening News wrote: United's 'Babes' were cool and confident. It would be the first time the word `Babe' would be used in conjunction with United. The introduction of Byrne and Blanchflower signalled the beginning of changes in the team, United went on to win the Championship in 1952 with the old guard forming the backbone of the team, however in the reserve and youth teams players were pushing the older established players for their spots every week. Since the war United had never been out of the top four, so the title was long overdue when it finally arrived in 1952.

They moved on top in February and stayed there the rest of the season, even though in the end it took a win in the penultimate game of the season to secure the title. Arsenal needed to beat United by 7 goals to snatch the title, it was never to happen as the Reds finished the season in rousing form hammering the Gunners 6-1.

1952 - 1953

It was the day Stalin died, but more important to Man United fans it was the day United signed a young inside forward named Tommy Taylor. It was said that 17 different clubs had all put offers in to Barnsley for their free scoring gem, but Matt Busby was the manager who pulled off what was later to prove to be maybe his best signing. The highest fee United had ever spent (29,999 pounds) when asked why he had not made it 30,000 Busby replied that he had not wanted to burden the young man with a 30,000 fee.

Taylor was the final piece in the Busby jigsaw and went from strength to strength with the club. 1953 also saw the debut of another United great to be when a 16 year old Duncan Edwards was told by Busby `go get your boots son, you are playing for the first team against Cardiff City'. So on the 4th of April 1953 Edwards played against Cardiff City, he was the fifth teenager that year to wear the red of Man United.

1953 also marked the retirement of the great club servant Johnny Carey. Carey had appeared for United in no less than 9 different positions, and in seven different spots for his Country Ireland. He had played 344 games for the Reds and had cap***ned them to FA cup and Championship glory. His replacement was a cool young player by the name of Roger Byrne.

Carey went on to become manager of Blackburn Rovers, and later Everton, Leyton Orient, and Notts Forest. In this year the youth team won the FA youth cup. Over two legs they beat Wolves 9-3 on aggregate. The team was Clayton, Fulton, Kennedy, Coleman, Edwards, McFarlaine, Whelan, Lewis, Pegg and Scanlon.

All the youth players that made their debut in these years are a tribute to the scouting skills of Joe Armstrong who succeeded Louis Rocca after the war. The Champions finished the league at only a 8th place, in the FA Cup they came till the fifth round and then lost.

1953 - 1954

1954 saw United's Youth team repeat the previous years victory in the Youth Cup by defeating Wolves in a two legged affair 4-4 (home) and 1-0 at Molineux. The two games were watched by over 40,000 fans, United went on to capture the Youth Cup five times in succession. Many of the Youth team were being introduced into the senior side, Duncan Edwards had become a regular, while players such as Jackie Blanchflower, Dennis Violett, Colin Webster, Albert Scanlon, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Billy Whelan, and Bill Foukes were all experiencing their first taste of League soccer.

Roger Byrne although only 25 years old was already the established cap***n of the 1st Division side. Of the team that had beaten Wolves eight went on to claim regular spots in the starting lineup for the Reds, and three of these were to lose their lives in the Munich air crash. But still United did not became the champion of England, the finished 4th in the league and lost very disappointing in the third round of the FA Cup.

1954 - 1955

The Busby Babes were almost ready to take charge in the England football, but this year they couldn't bring the championship back home. The young team finished 5th in the league and managed to score 84 goals in 42 matches. United got till the fourth round of the FA Cup, while the youth team won another FA Youth Cup final, they won against West Bromwich Albion 7-1 on aggregate.

1955 - 1956: Busby Babes crowned Champions

United's new young team were making noises that they were ready to challenge for England's highest honor, the League Championship. Some football writers were predicting a great future for the exciting new team, but many of them quibbled that there was two much youth, and too little experience for the team to actually scale the top heights.

At the start of the season it looked like the media had been correct, with only three wins in 8 games, but from then on the youngsters found their feet and only lost 4 more games the rest of the season. By Christmas it was all over! United sat on top of the league and were never to look back, in the end they finished 11 points ahead of Blackpool, the youngsters had proved themselves and the English football public were in awe of the youthful Champions.

Young Denis Viollet scored twenty goals in this his first season with the senior squad (he had made his debut in 1953, but had to wait to 1955 to secure his spot in the team). Violett was born in Manchester and went on to score 20 plus goals a season for the next 6 seasons. When he left the Club in 1962 to join Stoke City he had scored 178 goals in 291 appearances (he went on to score 59 more at Stoke before leaving for the USA).

The championship was secured on April 7th when 62,277 fans watched the Red Devils beat Blackpool 2-1 at Old Trafford. In a period of 10 years United had only been out of the top 4 spots twice, and the latest Championship had been won by a team whose average age was just 22. United's fourth league title was ample consoladation for a shock exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Bristol Rovers. They still hadn't managed to win the double.

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1956 - 1957: United's first steps into Europe

The Championship in 1955 had entitled United to play in a new competition named the European Cup. The competition had been dreamed up by the French Newspaper 'L'Equipe'. Chelsea had been invited the previous year but at the prompting of the Football League they had turned the chance down. United also heard serious argument from the football powers, but Manager Matt Busby stood defiant, even risking sanctions to accept the offer and to pave the way into Europe for the English. Busby as always was on the cutting edge of the game, he believed his young side were a match for the best in Europe, and was determined to prove his point. The Football league eventually backed down to him and United were in Europe!

At this time Old Trafford did not have floodlights, and it was our friends from across the City who once again came to our rescue. all United's home games in the European cup were to played at Maine road, the home of Manchester City. In the first tie they were drawn against Belgian Champions Anderlecht, who they disposed of 10-0. The next game they were drawn against the German team Borussia Dortmund, who they also disposed of to go on to meet the Spanish Champions Bilbao. Playing in Spain in the first leg the team slumped to its first defeat in the competition losing 5-2, on the return over 70,000 fans packed into Maine Road to watch them make a stunning comeback and defeat Bilbao 3-0 on goals from Taylor and Violett (2). By this time the accolades were pouring in, Jeff Mermans the Anderlecht cap***n called them 'Worldbeaters', and the Daily Herald's George Follows described the Bilbao game as "the greatest football match he had ever seen, the greatest football crowd he had ever heard, and the greatest centre forward display he had ever seen."

Everyone agreed, it had been Tommy Taylors Night! The team had also been on a big bonus to win the tie, a whopping 3 pounds! United were through to the semi-final, and the Mighty Real Madrid. The Spanish team boasted World class stars like Alfredo Di Stefano, Raymond Kopa, Puskas, Gento and the Russian keeper Yashin. On the first leg the youth of the United team showed and Madrid tore them apart before 125,000 Fans in Bernabeau Stadium 3-1. The Old Trafford floodlights had been installed in time for the second leg and the game was played before 65,000, but it was not to be United's day and they settled for a 2-2 draw and elimination from the competition. Interestingly United's late equaliser came from a young forward named Bobby Charlton.

In addition to the good European Cup run, things had being going well on the domestic front with United through to Wembley to face Aston Villa, having already clinched the League Championship by finishing 8 points ahead of Spurs. The team were odds on favourites to clinch the Double with a win against Villa, but with just six minutes gone Villa's flying winger Peter McParland recklessly charged United keeper Ray Wood, who had possession of the ball and was preparing to kick upfield. It was a particularity nasty foul, and it has been debated many times over the years why the ref allowed McParland to remain on the field.

Woods' cheekbone had been shattered, and the United team were down to 10 men, (No subs allowed) so Jackie Blanchfower donned the goalie shirt for the rest of the second half which finished 0-0. Woods made a brave effort to return to the goal in the second half, but the weakened United team succumbed to two goals from McParland and their dream of League and Cup double had been extinguished. The building of a team that was christened the `Busby Babes' around 1956 was complete, but actually started in the youth teams of 1952 and on. The United youth team won the FA youth cup from the years 1952 through to 1957.

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Munich Memorial, February 6th 1958

Introduction

The team Matt Busby had built from the club's successful youth policy seemed destined to dominate football for many years. Such was the power of the Babes that they seemed invincible. The average age of the side which won the Championship in 1955-56 was just 22, the youngest ever to achieve such a feat. A year when they were Champions again, nothing, it seemed, would prevent the young braves of Manchester United from reigning for the next decade.

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Players, officials and journalists prepare to board the BEA Elizabetha which was to crash at Munich. The aircraft stopped at the snowbound German airport to refuel as the party made its way back to England from Yugoslavia.

United had taken their first steps into European football in defiance of the football authorities and it was on foreign soil that the final chapter in the story of the Babes was to be written. The aircraft carrying the United party back from a victorious visit to Yugoslavia crashed in the snow of Munich airport and the Babes were no more.

The young Champions flew out of Manchester to face Red Star Belgrade remembering the cheers of 63,000 intoxicated football fans. Five days before Munich, United had played Arsenal at Highbury and thrilled all those who witnessed that game with a display of the attacking football that they had made their trademark. Nine goals were scored ... four by Arsenal, five by United.

That game, on Saturday, 1 February 1958, had typified the Busby Babes. They played with such flair and enthusiasm that they thought nothing of conceding four goals in their efforts to score five. United were trying to win the League Championship for the third successive season and by then had already reached the fifth round of the FA Cup.

To set the scene for the tragedy which was to shock football, let us consider how the 1957-58 led up to a symbolic game with Arsenal and the fateful journey to Yugoslavia. For United, the season had started well, victories over Leicester at Filbert Street, then Everton and Manchester City at Old Trafford being the perfect launch towards the title. Their scoring record was remarkable with 22 goals coming in the opening six games. Yet when they lost for the first time it was not by just an odd goal, but by 4:0 at Burnden Park, where Bolton Wanderers ran rampant in front of a crowd of 48,003.

As 1957 drew to an end the Babes lost 1-O to Chelsea at Old Trafford, then picked themselves up to beat luckless Leicester 4-0. On Christmas Day goals from Charlton, Edwards and Taylor secured two points against Luton in Manchester. On Boxing Day they met Luton again at Kenilworth Road and drew 2-2 and two days later the `derby' game with Manchester City ended in the same scoreline at Maine Road. A crowd of 70,483 watched that game as the old rivals battled for pride as well as points.

As the European Cup-tie with Red Star approached, the side also made progress in the FA Cup with a 3-1 win at Workington and a 2-0 victory over Ipswich at Old Trafford to see them through to the fifth round, where they were to meet Sheffield Wednesday.

But the third target for Matt Busby, success in Europe, was perhaps the greatest. In 1956 United had become the first English club to compete in the European Champions' Cup, falling at the semi-final to the might of Real Madrid, winners of the trophy in the competition's first five years.

That year, the European seed had been sown. Manchester had witnessed the skills of di Stefano, Kopa and Gento, had seen United score ten times against Belgian club Anderlecht, then hang on against Borussia Dortmund before a remarkable quarter-final against Atletico Bilbao. In this match the Babes defied the odds by turning a 5-3 deficit from the first leg into a 6-5 victory, with goals from Taylor, Viollet and Johnny Berry, to win the right to challenge Real Madrid in the penultimate round.

That was where the run ended, but when United qualified to enter the European competition again in the 1957-58 season it was clear where the club's priorities lay. Matt Busby wanted a side which was good enough to win everything. The FA Cup had been snatched out of his grasp because of an injury to goalkeeper Ray Wood in the 1957 final, but his Babes were capable of reaching Wembley once again, and having secured the League Championship in 1956 and 1957 they could cer***nly emulate the great side of pre-war Huddersfield Town and Arsenal and win it for a third successive time.

United's second European campaign saw them stride over Irish champions Shamrock Rovers before beating Dukla Prague 3:1 on aggregate to reach the quarter-final against Red Star. The Yugoslavs came to Manchester on 14 January 1958, and played a United side which smarting from a 1:1 draw at Elland Road against Leeds United, who had been beaten 5:0 at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

Bobby Charlton and Eddie Colman scored the goals which gave United the edge in a 2:1 first leg victory over Red Star, but it would be close in Belgrade. The run-up to the second leg was encouraging. A 7:2 win over Bolton, with goals from Bobby Charlton (3), Dennis Viollet (2), Duncan Edwards and Albert Scanlon, was just the result United needed before visiting Highbury, then leaving on the tiring journey behind the Iron Cur***n.

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Munich Memorial, February 6th 1958

Highbury Classic

The United side which faced Arsenal was the eleven which was to line up against Red Star four days later. With Irish international Harry Gregg, a new signing, in goal, United were without some of their regulars. Jackie Blanchflower, the centre-half who had replaced Ray Wood in goal in the FA Cup Final, was missing from the side along with wingers David Pegg and Johnny Berry and the creative inside-forward Liam Whelan, all of whom are being rested by Busby.

The two full-backs were Bill Foulkes and cap***n Roger Byrne, with the half-back line of Eddie Colman, Mark Jones and Duncan Edwards supporting the forward line of Ken Morgan, Bobby Charlton, Tommy Taylor, Dennis Viollet and Albert Scanlon.

Jack Kelsey was in goal for the Gunners and he was first to feel the power of United. Only ten minutes had gone when Dennis Viollet laid off a pass to an advancing Duncan Edwards who struck the ball with such ferocity that it was past Kelsey and in the net despite the efforts of the Welsh international. The goal was typical of Edwards. His power and strength had become a hallmark of his game despite his youth. Duncan was just 21, yet had played for England 18 times and represented his country at every level. In his short career with United he played 151 games and that first goal on that February afternoon was his 19th and final League strike.

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Duncan Edwards spreads his arms to appeal for a goal kick as keeper Harry Gregg tries to claim the ball.

Arsenal fought back, urged on by the huge crowd, and it took a superb save by Gregg to prevent them from equalising. He somehow kept out a cer***n scoring chance by grabbing the ball just under the crossbar and his clearance led to United's second. The ball was pushed out to Albert Scanlon on the left wing and he ran virtually the full length of the field before crossing. Two Arsenal defenders had been drawn into the corner by the United winger and his centre found Bobby Charlton running into the centre from the right. Charlton's shot was unstoppable and all Kelsey could do was throw up both arms in a token gesture as he dived to his right, but the shot was past him and the young Charlton was turning to celebrate the Babes' 2:0 lead.

By half-time it was 3-0, and again Scanlon's speed had played its part. The winger broke down the left, rounded Arsenal right-back Stan Charlton and crossed to the far side of the pitch where right-winger Kenny Morgans met the cross and chipped the ball back into the penalty area. England centre-forward Tommy Taylor scored his 111th goal in the First Division after five seasons with United.

United seemed to be on their way to a comfortable victory, ready to take four points away from the London club following a 4-2 win in Manchester earlier in the season. High scoring clashes between the two seemed commonplace, United having beaten Arsenal 6-2 on their way to the 1956-57 Championship. Was this to be another massive victory for the Babes?

For 15 minutes of the second half there was no further score, then Arsenal took heart when David Herd, later to be a United player, broke through and hit a fierce shot at Gregg's goal. The big Irishman tried to keep the ball out but Herd's power and accuracy beat him. It was 3-1 with half an hour remaining.

Within two minutes the scores were level as Arsenal staged a sensational fight back. Wing-half Dave Bowen was the man driving Arsenal forward. It was from his cross that Herd had got the first of the home side's goals and he was involved in the move which led to the second Arsenal strike. Vic Groves jumped above the United defence to head down a cross from Gordon Nutt which fell to Jimmy Bloomfield, who scored. It was Nutt again who made the pass to Bloomfield some 60 seconds later for the London-born striker to dive full length and head home a magnificent goal which turned Highbury into a deafening stage for the final drama.

No scriptwriter could have dreamt up the plot for the last chapter of the Babes' challenge for Football League supremacy. No-one in that arena knew that they were witnessing the last magnificent demonstration of sheer genius which had taken English - and to a cer***n extent European - football apart in that decade. Under Busby the Babes had created a new style, a game that was refreshing, flowing, enter***ning, and a game which was putting England back on the map after falling to the skills of the Hungarians and the Brazilians in the early and mid-1950s.

Would United collapse under the Arsenal onslaught? Lesser teams would have been forgiven if they had defended in depth to hold out for a draw, having seen a three-goal lead disintegrate, but Manchester United went all out in search of more goals, and got them.

The speed of Scanlon and the skill of young Charlton combined to give Dennis Viollet a goal. The Manchester supporters screamed their delight, and were in raptures a few minutes later when Kelsey had to retrieve the ball from his goal for a fifth time, after Eddie Colman had found Morgans with a precise pass and Tommy Taylor had scored his last goal.

Yet even then this magnificent game had not ended. Derek Tapsfott ran through the centre of United's near exhausted defence to put Arsenal within one goal of United again. But it was the final goal of the afternoon. The referee blew for time and the players collapsed into one another's arms. United, their white shirts mud-spattered and clinging to their breathless bodies, shook hands with the opposition and each other. Supporters on the terraces embraced one another as a reaction to the sheer enjoyment of the game, and the massive crowd left the stadium with a feeling that they had witnessed something unique in football.

Fate had decided that for fans at home this game would be the epitaph to those young heroes of Manchester. In the weeks which were to follow many words would be written about the greatness of Busby's Babes and in the years which have passed since the Munich air disaster they have become legendary characters, but that 5-4 scoreline, in a game played with all the passion and creative expression those tens of thousands had watched, said all that needed to be said as far as the ordinary football fans were concerned. They knew they had seen something special in Busby's young cavaliers.

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Munich Memorial, February 6th 1958

Belgrade

After that symbolic game, all thoughts were now on Europe. Could United hold on to that slender lead from the first leg? For the supporters left behind it seemed a narrow margin, but they had faith in those young pIayers - after all had they not proved themselves time and again in similar circumstances?

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/48/babes5ti4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Matt Busby chats to his players following their pre-match meal in Belgrade. Listening to his words Bert Whalley rest an arm on the shoulder of Tommy Taylor as next to him stand Jackie Blanchflower and Duncan Edwards. Seated right is Dennis Viollet and in the foreground Bobby Charlton (right) and Ken Morgans.

For the players the damp, grey smog of Manchester's winter was replaced by the fresh crispness of mid-Europe. They had seen snow on their journey to the Yugoslav capital yet they had been welcomed with warmth by the people of Belgrade who understood the greatness of Manchester United in the common language of football.

It was time for the game and as the two sides lined up in the stadium the roar of thousands of Yugoslav voices rang in the ears of the Babes. Cameras clicked as last-minute photographs were taken, and above the players in the press area British journalists filed stories which were to be read in England the following morning. Among them was Frank Swift, a giant of a man who had kept goal for Manchester City and England, and who had a reputation of being the gentle giant. Big `Swifty' had retired from the game and taken a job as a sportswriter with the News of the World, and his role in Belgrade was to write a column for the following Sunday edition.

Frank had played in the same Manchester City side as Matt Busby and was a team-mate of the United manager when City won the FA Cup in 1934. The big goalkeeper had made headline news in that game when, aged just 19, he had fainted as the final whistle was blown, overcome with the emotion of such an occasion. Perhaps he, more than any other spectator, understood the feelings of the young players as they stood together for the last moments before the start of the game.

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The last line-up of the Busby Babes. 5 February, 1958, Belgrade.
From left to right: Edwards, Colman, Jones, Morgans, Charlton, Viollet, Taylor, Foulkes, Gregg, Scanlon, Byrne.

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Also looking out from that crowded press box were journalists who had travelled to Europe for each of United's previous games: Tom Jackson of the Manchester Evening News and his close friend and rival Alf Clarke of the now defunct Manchester Evening Chronicle. Both men loved Manchester United and lived to see their every game. Alf Clarke had been on United's books as an amateur, and was with the club before Matt Busby arrived to rebuild it after the war.

Because Manchester was a printing centre for the northern editions of the national newspapers, and also because of the tremendous popularity of the United side, most other daily newspapers were represented.

From the Daily Mirror was Archie Ledbrooke, who had only just made the trip having been on the point of being replaced by Frank McGhee because he (Ledbrooke) had still to complete an outstanding feature only hours before the flight had left England. Others included Eric Thompson from the Daily Mail, George Follows of the Daily Herald - the daily newspaper which was succeeded by The Sun following its closure - Don Davies of the Manchester Guardian, Henry Rose of the Daily Express and Frank Taylor from the News Chronicle, another publication which has since gone out of existence.

Don Davies wrote under the pen-name of `Old International' and had been in the England amateur side which played Wales in 1914, having been a member of the famous Northern Nomads side. On 5 February 1958 this is the story Davies filed back to the Manchester Guardian office in Cross Street, Manchester:

"Who would be a weather prophet? At Belgrade today in warm sunshine and on a grass pitch where the last remnants of melting snow produced the effect of an English lawn flecked with daisies, Red Star and Manchester United began a battle of wits and courage and rugged tackling in the second leg of their quarter-final of the European Cup competition. It ended in a draw 3-3, but as United had already won the first leg at Old Trafford by 2-1 they thus gained the right to pass into the semi-final round of the competition for the second year in succession on a 5-4 aggregate.
Much to the relief of the English party and to the consternation of the 52,000 home spectators, Viollet had the ball in the net past a dumbfounded Beara in ninety seconds. It was a beautifully taken goal - a characteristic effort by that player - but rather lucky in the way a rebound had run out in United's favour. But, as Jones remarked, `You need luck at this game'; and he might have added, `a suit of chain mail also would not have come amiss'. A second goal almost came fourteen minutes later, delightfully taken by Charlton after a corner kick by Scanlon had been headed by Viollet, but this was disallowed, because of offside, by the Austrian referee whose performance on the whistle so far had assumed the proportions of a flute obligato. Thar was due to the frequency which fouls were being committed by both sides after Sekularac had set the fashion in shabbiness by stabbing Morgans on the knee.

But in spite of many stops and starts events in the first half ran smoothly for United, on whose behalf Taylor led his line like a true Hotspur from centre-forward. Other factors telling strongly in Manchester's favour at this time were the clean hands and sound judgement of Gregg in goal.

Further success for United was impending. Charlton this time was the chosen instrument. Dispossessing Kostic about forty yards from goal, this gifted boy leaned brilliantly into his stride, made ground rapidly for about ten yards, and then beat the finest goalkeeper on the Continent with a shot of tremendous power and superb placing. There, one thought, surely goes England's Bloomer of the future. Further evidence of Charlton's claim to that distinction was to emerge two minutes later. A smartly taken free kick got the Red Star defence into a real tangle. Edwards fastened on the ball and did his best to oblige his colleagues and supporters by bursting it (a feat, by the way, which he was to achieve later), but he muffed his kick this time and the ball rolled to Charlton, apparently lost in a thicket of Red Star defenders. Stalemate surely. But not with Charlton about. His quick eye detected the one sure route through the circle of legs; his trusty foot drove the ball unerringly along it. 3-0 on the day: 5-1 on the aggregate. Nice going.

As was natural, the Red Star players completely lost their poise for a while. Their forwards flung themselves heatedly against a defence as firm and steady as a rock; even Sekularac, after a bright beginning in which he showed his undoubted skill, lost heart visibly and stumbled repeatedly. Nevertheless there was an upsurge of the old fighting spirit when Kostic scored a fine goal for Red Star two minutes after half time. It ought to have been followed by another one only three minutes later when Sekularac placed the ball perfectly for Cotic. Cotic's terrific shot cleared the bar by a foot - no more. Next, a curious mix-up by Foulkes and Tasic, Red Star's centre-forward, ended in Foulkes falling flat on top of Tasic and blotting him completely out of view. According to Foulkes, Tasic lost his footing, fell over, and pulled Foulkes over with him. But it looked bad and the whistle blew at once with attendant gestures indicating a penalty. Tasic had the satisfaction of converting that one, although his shot only just evaded Gregg's finger tips.

The score was now 3-2 and the crowd broke into an uncontrolled frenzy of jubilation and excitement. So much so that when Cotic failed to walk the ball into a completely unprotected goal - Gregg was lying hurt and helpless on the ground - a miniature repetition of the Bolton disaster seemed to occur at one corner of the arena.

Down the terraces streamed a wild horde of excited spectators who hung limply along the concrete walls with the breath crushed out of their bodies, if indeed nothing else had befallen them.

A quarter of an hour from the end Red Star, with their confidence and self-respect restored, were wheeling and curvetting, passing and shooting in their best style, and the United's defenders had to fight their way out of a regular nightmare of desperate situations.

It was significant hereabouts that United's inside forwards were not coming back to chase the ball as they had done so effectively in the first half and this, of course, threw added pressure on the rearguard. As soon as this fault was rectified the Red Star attacks, though frequent enough, lost something of their sting. In fact, United began to pile on the pressure at the other end and once Morgans struck a post with a glorious shot.

The furious pace never slackened, and as England's champions tried to find their flowing, attacking play of the first half, they were pelted by a storm of snowballs. Two minutes from time Harry Gregg came racing out of his goal, and hurled himself full length at Zebec's feet. He grasped it safely, but the impetus of his rush took him outside the penalty area with the ball, and Red Star had a free kick some twenty yards out.

Kostic watched Gregg position himself by the far post, protected by a wall of United players. There was just a narrow ray of light, a gap, by the near post, and precision player Kostic threaded the ball through as Gregg catapulted himself across his goal. Too late. The ball eluded his grasping fingers, and hit the back of the net. The score was 3-3."

It had always been Davies's ambition to be a football writer. For most of his life he had worked as an education officer with a Manchester engineering firm, but after it was suggested that he should try his hand at journalism he had been taken onto the Guardian staff when the editor saw a report of a fictitious match. It was the key he needed to open the door to a career of full-time writing. His style was that of the essayist, ideally suited to the Manchester Guardian, and contrasting totally with that of Henry Rose, the most popular daily writer of that time - cer***nly with the Old Trafford supporters.
Rose saw the game from the same vantage point as Davies, yet his description was totally different:

Red Star 3 Manchester United 3
Star Rating ***

"Manchester United survived the Battle of Belgrade here this afternoon and added another shining page to their glittering history by drawing 3-3 with Red Star and winning the two-leg tie 5-4.

They had to fight not only eleven desperate footballers and a fiercely partisan 52,000 crowd, but some decisions of Austrian referee Karl Kainer that were double-Dutch to me. I have never witnessed such a one-sided exhibition by any official at home or abroad.

The climax of Herr Kainer's interpretations, which helped inflame the crowd against United, came in the 55th minute when he gave a penalty against Foulkes, United's star defender. Nothing is wrong with my eyesight - and Foulkes confirmed what I saw .... that a Red Star player slipped and pulled the United man back down with him. A joke of a ruling it would have been had not Tasic scored from the spot."

Later in his report, Rose wrote:

"Gregg was hurt, Morgans and Edwards were limping; Byrne was warned for wasting time. United players were penalised for harmless looking tackles. I thought Herr Kainer would have given a free-kick against United when one of the ballboys fell on his backside!"

He described the United side as:

"Heroes all. None greater than Billy Foulkes. None greater than Bobby Charlton, who has now scored twelve goals in the eleven games he has played since he went into the side at inside-right on 21 December. But all eleven played a noble part in this memorable battle."

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The game over and the work completed, it was time to relax, and the party of journaIists joined the United officials, pIayers and their opposite numbers from the Red Star club at a banquet in the Majestic Hotel in Belgrade. It was a friendly affair, despite the disappointment felt by the host club at losing such an important game. There was a great friendship between the clubs in those early years of the European competition.

In a moving scene the meal ended when waiters entered the dining room carrying trays of sweetmeats lit by candles set in ice. The United party stood to applaud the skill of the Yugoslav chef, and Roger Byrne led his colleagues in song:

We'll meet again, Don't know where, don't know when, But we know we'll meet again some sunny day....

That scene was remembered clearly by Yugoslav writer Miro Radojcic in an article for his newspaper Politika, which he translated into English 20 years later for Geoffrey Green, and which was published in `There's Only One United' (Hodder and Stoughton, 1978). Part of it read:

"Then followed the simple warm-hearted words of Matt Busby and Walter Crickmer as they said: `Come and visit us, the doors of Old Trafford will always be open to you'.... and after that lovely, crazy night as I parted from `Old International' - Don Davies from the Manchester Guardian - he said to me: `Why didn't you score just one more goal then we could have met for a third time!"

Radojcic sat up throughout most of the night musing over a feature article he planned to write for his newspaper. Politika was not a sporting publication - in fact he was a political writer but he had a great love for football and the flair of Manchester United's young side attracted him.

After chatting and drinking with Tommy Taylor and Duncan Edwards in a bar named Skadarija, Radojcic was left alone with his thoughts. He decided that he would arrange to fly back to Manchester with the team, and write his story from the Manchester angle, a look at England's top team seen through the eyes of one of Yugoslavia's most celebrated journalists.

The players had gone off to bed when Radojcic came to his decision so he went back to his flat, packed a bag and made his way to the airport only to discover that he had left his passport at home. He asked the airport authorities to hold the aircraft for as long as possible while he took a return taxi trip back to his hime. By the time he got back with his passport the twin-engined Elizabethan had taken off, bound for England via Munich where it was to stop to re-fuel.

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Munich Memorial, February 6th 1958

Munich

Those on board were in a relaxed mood when the plane landed on German soil. They had played cards, chatted over the latest news, read any books and magazines which were around and passed the time away as best they could. There was the usual air of nervous apprehension about the flight, but card schools and conversation hid any fears of flying and some even managed to catch up on lost sleep rather than gaze out on the snowscape below.

By around 2 pm G-ALZU AS 57 was ready once more for take-off with Cap***n Kenneth Rayment, the second in command, at the controls. The man in charge, Cap***n James Thain, had flown the plane out to Belgrade, and his close friend and colleague was now taking the `Lord Burleigh' home again.

At 2.31 pm the aircraft control tower was told that `609 Zulu Uniform is rolling' and Cap***n Thain later described what happened:

"Ken opened the throttles which were between us and when they were fully open I tapped his hand and held the throttles in the fully open position. Ken moved his hand and I called for `full power'. The engines sounded an uneven note as the aircraft accelerated and the needle on the port pressure gauge started to fluctuate. I felt a pain in my hand as Ken pulled the throttles back and said: `Abandon takeoff. I held the control column fully forward while Ken put on the brakes. Within 40 seconds of the start of its run the aircraft was almost at a halt again".

The cause of the problem had been boost surging - a very rich mixture of fuel causing the engines to over-accelerate - a fault which was quite common in the EIizabethan. As the two men talked over the problem Cap***n Rayment decided that he would attempt a second take-off, this time opening the throttles gradually before releasing the brakes, and then moving to full power.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2065/munich4xf3.jpg (http://imageshack.us) The telegram Duncan Edwards sent to his landlady back in Manchester telling her of the delay.....but a third attempt at take-off was made. The telegram was delivered after the crash.

At 2.34 pm permission for a second take-off attempt was given by air traffic control and for a second time the plane came to a halt. During their wait while the aircraft was being refuelled, the passengers had gone into a lounge for coffee. Now, after the two aborted attempts to take off, the party was in the lounge once more. It had begun to snow quite heavily. Full-back Bill Foulkes remembers:

"We'd been playing cards for most of the flight from Belgrade to Munich, and I remember when we left the aircraft thinking how cold it was. We had one attempt at taking off, but didn't leave the ground, so I suppose a few of those on board would start to worry a little bit, and when the second take-off failed we were pretty quiet when we went back into the lounge".

Some of the players must have felt that they would not be flying home that afternoon. Duncan Edwards sent a telegram to his landlady back in Manchester: "All flights cancelled returning home tomorrow". The telegram was delivered at around 5 pm.

Bill Foulkes recalls how after a quarter of an hour delay the passengers were asked to board again but it was another five minutes before everyone was back in the aircraft.

"Alf Clarke from the Evening Chronicle had put a call through to his office and we had to wait for him to catch up with us. We got back into our seats, but we didn't play cards this time.... I slipped the pack into my jacket pocket and sat back waiting for take-off. I was sitting about half-way down the aircraft next to a window, on the right-hand side of the gangway. Our card school was Ken Morgans, who was on my right, and facing us David Pegg and Albert Scanlon. Matt Busby and Bert Whalley were sitting together on the seat behind us and I remember how Mark Jones, Tommy Taylor, Duncan Edwards and Eddie Colman were all at the back.
David Pegg got up and moved to the back: `I don't like it here, it's not safe,' he said and went off to sit with the other players. I saw big Frank Swift back there too, he also felt that the rear was the safest place to be. There was another card school across the gangway from us, Ray Wood and Jackie Blanchflower were sitting on two of the seats, Roger Byrne, Billy Whelan and Dennis Viollet on the others with one empty seat amongst them".

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A last photograph of Henry Rose (right) and Tommy Taylor as they share a moment together on the Elizabethan aircraft which crashed at Munich.

Back on the flight deck Cap***n Thain and Cap***n Rayment had discussed the problem they were having with the station engineer William Black, who had told them that the surging they were having was quite common at airports like Munich because of its altitude. At 3.03 pm 609 Zulu Uniform was rolling again. Cap***n Thain describes the next attempt at take-off:

"I told Ken that if we got boost surging again, I would control the throttles. Ken opened them to 28 inches with the brakes on. The engines were both steady so he released the brakes and we moved forward again. He continued to open the throttles and again I followed with my left hand until the levers were fully open. I tapped his hand and he moved it. He called `Full power' and I checked the dials and said: `Full power'".

Cap***n Thain again noticed that there was a sign of boost surging and called this out to Cap***n Rayment above the noise of the engines. The surging was controlled and the throttle pushed back until it was fully open:

"I glanced at the air speed indicator and saw it registered 105 knots and was flickering. When it reached 117 knots I called out `V1' [Velocity One, the point on the runway after which it isn't safe to abandon take-off]. Suddenly the needle dropped to about 112 and then 105. Ken shouted, `Christ, we can't make it' and I looked up from the instruments to see a lot of snow and a house and a tree right in the path of the aircraft."

Inside the passengers' compartment Bill Foulkes had sensed that something was wrong:

"There was a lot of slush flying past the windows and there was a terrible noise, like when a car leaves a smooth road and starts to run over rough ground".

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Friday, Ferbruary 7, 1958 and the full horror of the crash is revealed. In the foreground the shredded ***l of the aircraft is almost unrecognisable. This part of the Elizabethan had struck a house, setting it on fire. In the centre background is the main body of the craft.

The Elizabethan left the runway, went through a fence and crossed a road before the port wing struck a house. The wing and part of the ***l were torn off and the house caught fire. The cockpit struck a tree and the starboard side of the fuselage hit a wooden hut con***ning a truck loaded with fuel and tyres. This exploded.

Bill Foulkes had crouched down in his seat after tightening his safety belt. He remembered afterwards a terrific bang, then after being unconscious for a few moments, seeing a gaping hole in front of him.

"The back of the aircraft had just disappeared. I got out as quickly as I could and just ran and ran. Then I turned and realised that the plane wasn't going to explode, and I went back. In the distance I could see the ***l part of the aircraft blazing and as I ran back I came across bodies. Roger Byrne still strapped to his seat, Bobby Charlton lying quite still in another seat, and Dennis Viollet. Then Harry Gregg appeared and we tried to see what we could do to help".

[rondwisan]

The two team-mates helped the injured. Matt Busby, badly hurt, was taken away on a stretcher, Bobby Charlton had walked over to Gregg and Foulkes and was helped into a mini-bus, sitting alongside Dennis Viollet in the front seats as other survivors were picked up. They were taken to the Rechts de Isar Hospital in Munich. It was the following day before the true horror of the air crash became evident to Bill Foulkes and Harry Gregg:

"We went in and saw Matt in an oxygen tent, and Duncan Edwards, who seemed to be badly hurt. Bobby Charlton had a bandaged head, Jackie Blanchflower was nursing a badly gashed arm which had been strapped up by Harry Gregg in the snow of the night before. Albert Scanlon lay with his eyes closed, he had a fractured skull, and Dennis Viollet had a gashed head and facial injuries. Ray Wood's face was cut and he had concussion and Ken Morgans and Johnny Berry lay quite still in their beds. I spoke to a nurse and she told me that she thought Duncan had a better chance of making a full recovery than Johnny did....
We came across Frank Taylor in another bed; he was the only journalist around and he asked if we'd like to have a beer with him. Like us, he didn't know the full implications of what had happened the afternoon before. We were about to leave the hospital when I asked a nurse where we should go to see the other lads. She seemed puzzled so I asked her again: `Where are the other survivors?' ....
`Others? There are no others, they are all here.' It was only then that we knew the horror of Munich. The Busby Babes were no more."

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Bobby Charlton, aged 20 at the time, sits at the bedside of goalkeeper Ray Wood in the Rechts der Isar hospital in Munich a few days after the crash. Charlton was able to return to play in the sixth round FA Cup tie on 1 March 1958, but Wood was to lose his place in the team to Harry Gregg in the following weeks.

Roger Byrne, Geoff Bent, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Liam Whelan, Eddie Colman and Tommy Taylor had been killed instantly. Club secretary Walter Crickmer had also died, along with the first team trainer, Tom Curry, and coach Bert Whalley.

Duncan Edwards and Johnny Berry were critically injured and fighting for their lives, Matt Busby had suffered extensive injuries and was the only club official to survive the crash.

Eight of the nine sportswriters on board the aircraft had also perished: Alf Clarke, Don Davies, George Follows, Tom Jackson, Archie Ledbrooke, Henry Rose, Eric Thompson and the gentle giant, Frank Swift. One of the aircrew had been killed, together with two other passengers: the travel agent who had arranged the flight de***ls, and a supporter who had flown out to watch the game. Nine players had survived, but two of them, Johnny Berry and Jackie Blanchflower - brother of Tottenham Hotspur's Danny - never played again.

Two photographers, the travel agent's wife, and two Yugoslav passengers, one with a young baby, had survived, together with Frank Taylor. On the afternoon of the crash 21 people had died, 18 had survived, of whom four were close to death.

Of those four, Duncan Edwards, Matt Busby, Johnny Berry and Cap***n Kenneth Rayment, two would survive. Three weeks after the aircrash which had become known simply as `Munich', Duncan Edwards and Kenneth Rayment had lost their battle to live.

[rondwisan]

Munich Memorial, February 6th 1958

Manchester Mourns

On the afternoon of the crash Alf Clarke had telephoned the Evening Chronicle sports desk to say that he thought the flight would be held up by the weather and made arrangements to return the following day. By three in the afternoon the paper had more or less `gone to bed', and the final editions were leaving Withy Grove. In other parts of the city the daily newspaper staffs were beginning their routines. Reporters were heading out on diary jobs, sub-editors were looking through agency stories to see what was to form the backbone of the Friday morning editions.

That weekend United were to play League leaders Wolves at Old Trafford. Despite the long journey home it looked on form as if the Reds would close the four-point gap at the top of the table, putting them just one victory behind Billy Wright's side, and ready to increase their efforts for that third successive Championship. Could United emulate Huddersfield Town and Arsenal? Surely if they did it would be an even greater achievement than in those pre-war days. Saturday was coming round again. United would make the headlines. Then on the teleprinter came an unbelievable message: `Manchester United aircraft crashed on take off..... heavy loss of life feared.' The BBC interrupted its afternoon programming to broadcast a news flash. The football world listened to the words but few understood their meaning.

Jimmy Murphy, Matt Busby's wartime friend and now his assistant, was manager of the Welsh national side, and a World Cup qualifying game had coincided with the Red Star fixture. Murphy told Matt Busby that he would go to Yugoslavia rather than the game at Ninian Park, Cardiff, but his manager told him that his place was with the Welsh side.

"I always sat next to Matt on our European trips," Murphy recalls, "but I did what he said and let him go off to Red Star without me. Mind you, I've got to be honest - my mind was more on our game in Yugoslavia than the match I was watching. When I heard that we were through to the semi-final it was a great load off my mind; I didn't like not being there."

He had just returned to Old Trafford from Wales when news of the aircrash reached him. Alma George, Matt Busby's secretary, told him that the charter flight had crashed. Murphy failed to react.

"She told me again. It still didn't sink in, then she started to cry. She said many people had been killed, she didn't know how many, but the players had died, some of the players. I couldn't believe it. The words seemed to ring in my head. Alma left me and I went into my office. My head was in a state of confusion and I started to cry."

The following day Jimmy Murphy flew out to Munich and was stunned by what he saw:

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Matt Busby lies in the oxygen tent as he fights for his life in the Rechts der Isar Hospital.

"Matt was in an oxygen tent and he told me to `keep the flag flying'. Duncan recognised me and spoke. It was a terrible, terrible time."

Murphy was given the job of rebuilding. Life would go on despite the tragedy, and Manchester United would play again:

"I had no players, but I had a job to do."

After the agency newsflash had reached the Manchester evening newspapers, extra editions were published. At first de***ls were printed in the Stop Press. By 6 pm a special edition of the Manchester Evening Chronicle was on sale:

"About 28 people, including members of the Manchester United football team, club officials, and journalists are feared to have been killed when a BEA Elizabethan airliner crashed soon after take-off in a snowstorm at Munich airport this afternoon. It is understood there may be about 16 survivors. Four of them are crew members".

The newspaper, which was carrying Alf Clarke's match report and comments from the previous night's game, said on its front page: `Alf Clarke was talking to the Evening Chronicle reporters in Manchester just after 2.30 pm when he said it was unlikely that the plane would be able to take off today.' Even though only three hours had elapsed since the crash the newspaper had a de***led report of how the disaster occurred.
Twenty-four hours later, as the whole of Europe reacted to the news of the tragedy, the Evening Chronicle listed the 21 dead on its front page under a headline: `Matt fights for life: a 50-50 chance now'. There was a picture of Harry Gregg and Bill Foulkes at the bedside of Ken Morgans, and de***ls of how the other injured were responding to treatment. The clouds of confusion had lifted - Munich had claimed 21 lives, 15 were injured and, of these, four players and Matt Busby were in a serious condition.


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Workmen pay their respects as a cortege leaves Old Trafford. Supporters kept vigil at the stadium as the football world mourned the passing of the Babes.

In the days following, Manchester mourned as the bodies of its famous footballing heroes were flown home to lie overnight in the gymnasium under the main grandstand before being passed on to relatives for the funerals. Today that gymnasium is the place where the players' lounge has been built, where those who succeeded the Babes gather after a game for a chat and a drink with the opposition.

Thousands of supporters turned out to pay their last respects. Where families requested that funerals should be private, the United followers stayed away from gravesides but lined the route to look on in tearful silence as corteges passed.

Cinema newsreels carried reports from Munich, and the game itself responded with memorial services, and silent grounds where supporters of every club stood, heads bowed, as referees indicated a period of silence by a blast on their whistles. Desmond Hackett wrote a moving epitaph to Henry Rose, whose funeral was the biggest of all. A thousand taxi drivers offered their services free to anyone who was going to the funeral and there was a six-mile queue to Manchester's Southern Cemetery. The cortege halted for a moment outside the Daily Express offices in Great Ancoats Street where Hackett wrote in the style of Henry:

`Even the skies wept for Henry Rose today.....'

[rondwisan]

Munich Memorial, February 6th 1958

Football Returns to Old Trafford

Rival clubs offered helping hands to United. Liverpool and Nottingham Forest were first to respond by asking if they could do anything to assist. Football had suffered a terrible blow. To give United a chance of surviving in football the FA waived its rule which `cup-ties' a player once he has played in an FA Cup round in any particular season. The rule prevents him from playing for another club in the same competition, so that if he is transferred he is sidelined until the following season. United's need for players was desperate and the change of rules allowed Jimmy Murphy to begin his rebuilding by signing Ernie Taylor from Blackpool.

Manchester United took a deep breath. Football would return to Old Trafford. Thirteen nights after news of Munich had reached Jimmy Murphy the days of torture ended when United played again. Their postponed FA Cup-tie against Sheffield Wednesday drew a crowd of 60,000 on a cold February evening of immense emotion. Spectators wept openly, many wore red-and-white scarves draped in black - red, white and black were eventually to become United's recognised colours - and the match programme added a poignant final stroke to a tragic canvas.

Under the heading `Manchester United' there was a blank teamsheet. Spectators were told to write in the names of the players. Few did, they simply listened in silence as the loudspeaker announcer read out the United team. Harry Gregg in goal and Bill Foulkes at right-back had returned after the traumas of Munich, other names were not so familiar.

At left full-back was Ian Greaves who had played his football with United's junior sides and found himself replacing Roger Byrne:

"I can remember the dressing room was very quiet. I couldn't get Roger out of my mind, I was getting changed where he would have sat. I was wearing his shirt..."

At right-half was Freddie Goodwin, who had come through from the reserve side after joining United as a 20-year-old. He had played his first League games in the 1954-55 season. Anocher reserve regular was centre-half Ronnie Cope, who had come from United's juniors after joining the club in 1951. At left-half was Stan Crowther, whose transfer to United was remarkable. He played for Asron Villa, and was not very keen to leave the Midlands club. Jimmy Murphy recalls:

"Eric Houghton was Villa manager at the time and he had told Stan that we were interested in him. He didn't want to leave Villa, but Eric got him to come to Old Trafford to watch the Sheffield Wednesday game. On the way up he told him he thought that he should help us out, but Stan told him he hadn't brought any kit with him. `Don't worry, I've got your boots in my bag,' Eric said. We met at about half-past five and an hour before the kick-off he'd signed!"

Colin Webster at outside-right had joined United in 1952 and made his League debut in the 1953-54 season. He had won a League Championship medal in 1956 after 15 appearances, but had since been edged out of the side by Johnny Berry. Ernie Taylor was inside-right, and at centre-forward was Alex Dawson, a brawny Scot who had made his debut as a 16-year-old in April 1957, scoring against Burnley. Inside-left was Mark Pearson, who earned the nickname `Pancho' because of the Mexican appearance his sideburns gave him. Like the Pearson who preceded him, Stan, and the one who was to follow him almost two decades later, Stuart, Mark was a powerful player and a regular goalscorer with the lower sides. That night he took the first steps of his senior career. The new United outside-left was Shay Brennan, who was a reserve defender. Such was United's plight that the 20-year-old was to begin his League career not as a right-back but as a left-winger.
Sheffield Wednesday had no chance. Murphy's Manchester United were playing for the memory of their friends who had died less than a fortnight earlier. The passion of the crowd urged them on. To say that some played beyond their capabilities would be unfair, but with Wednesday perhaps more affected by the occasion than the young and new players, the final score was United 3 Wednesday 0.

Playing in the Sheffield side was Albert Quixall, later to join United in a record transfer deal, who recalls:

"I don't think anyone who played in the game or who watched it will ever forget that night. United ran their hearts out, and no matter how well we had played they would have beaten us. They were playing like men inspired. We were playing more than just eleven players, we were playing 60,000 fans as well."

United scored in the 27th minute after two errors by Brian Ryalls in the Wednesday goal. Bill Foulkes had taken a free-kick from well outside the penalty area and his shot was going wide when Ryalls palmed it away for a corner. There had seemed no danger from the shot, but Brennan's corner kick brought his first goal for the senior side. Ryalls tried to collect the cross under the bar and could only turn the ball into his own net.
Brennan got a second later in the game when a shot from Mark Pearson rebounded off the 'keeper and straight into the Irishman's path. He made no mistake and United led 2-0. Five minutes from the end of that unforgettable night Alex Dawson scored the third. United had reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. The crowd turned for home, their heads full of memories of that remarkable game, their hearts full of sadness as they realised the full extent of Munich. The new team had carried on where the Babes had left off.... but they would never see their heroes again.

Two days after that cup-tie Duncan Edwards lost his fight to survive, and the sadness of Munich was rekindled.

[rondwisan]

Munich Memorial, February 6th 1958

Farewell

Manchester United had to continue and chairman Harold Hardman had made this clear in his message on the front cover of the Sheffield Wednesday programme:

"United will go on .... the club has a duty to the public and a duty to football. We shall carry on even if it means that we are heavily defeated . Here is a tragedy which will sadden us for years to come, but in this we are not alone. An unprecedented blow to British football has touched the hearts of millions. Wherever football is played United is mourned".

The weeks following the tragedy revealed moving stories about the players who lost their lives:



Roger Byrne would have learned when he returned to Manchester that his wife Joy was expecting a child. Thirty-eight weeks after his death Roger had a son.




Geoff Bent treasured a picture of himself taking the ball off Tom Finney in one of the 12 First Division games he played, and the newspaper cutting was kept by his young wife Marion. His daughter Karen was a babe in arms when he died.




Eddie Colman, the `cheekie chappie' from Salford, was just three months past his 21st birthday when he was killed.




Duncan Edwards, the youngest player to appear for England, was planning to get married to his fiance, Molly. He had been a senior footballer for only four years, and was 22. Today, a s***ned glass window in St Francis's Church in his home town of Dudley remains as a tribute to a great player.




Mark Jones left a young wife, June, and a baby son, Gary. The ex-bricklayer was just 24 years of age. He doted on his black Labrador retriever, Rick. The dog pined away to its death shortly after the disaster.




David Pegg was only 22 and had edged himself into the England side at a time when Tom Finney and Stan Matthews were ending their international careers. His ambition was to be successful with United, and he had achieved that aim.




Tommy Taylor was also planning to marry and had told his fiance, Carol, that he was looking forward to getting home from Belgrade for a pint of Guinness and to listen to his records with her.




Liam Whelan was a deeply religious boy, and Harry Gregg remembers clearly his last words as the aircraft accelerated down the runway: `If the worst happens I am ready for death .... I hope we all are.'



Eleven years later an official inquiry cleared Cap***n James Thain of any responsibility for the accident. The official cause was recorded as a build-up of melting snow on the runway which prevented the Elizabethan from reaching the required take-off speed.
Through the Munich Air Disaster a bond between Manchester United and its supporters was welded. Since that day, the club has been one of the best supported in Bri***n, and even though it never achieved the domination threatened by the potential of the Babes, since 1972-73 Old Trafford's attendances have been the highest in the Football League. Anyone who was a supporter at the time of Munich has remained loyal to the club. Those who came afterwards perhaps failed to understand the magnitude of the club's loss but have absorbed the meaning of Munich. It was the day a team died, but still plays on.


THE FLOWERS OF MANCHESTER

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One cold and bitter Thursday in Munich Germany,
Eight great football stalwarts conceded victory,
Eight men will never play again who met destruction there,
The Flowers of British football, the Flowers of Manchester.

Matt Busby's boys were flying, returning from Belgrade,
This great United family, all masters of their trade,
The pilot of the aircraft, the skipper Cap***n Thain,
Three times they tried to take off and twice turned back again.

The third time down the runway disaster followed close,
There was slush upon that runway and the aircraft never rose,
It ploughed into the marshy ground, it broke, it overturned
And eight of the team were killed when the blazing wreckage burned.

Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor who were capped for England's side
And Ireland's Billy Whelan and England's Geoff Bent died,
Mark Jones and Eddie Colman, and David Pegg also,
They lost their lives as it ploughed on through the snow.

Big Duncan he went too, with an injury to his frame,
And Ireland's brave Jack Blanchflower will never play again,
The great Matt Busby lay there, the father of his team,
Three long months passed by before he saw his team again.

The trainer, coach and secretary, and a member of the crew,
Also eight sporting journalists who with United flew,
And one of them Big Swifty, who we will ne'er forget,
The finest English 'keeper that ever graced the net.

Oh, England's finest football team its record truly great,
Its proud successes mocked by a cruel turn of fate.
Eight men will never play again, who met destruction there,
The Flowers of English football, the Flowers of Manchester.

[rondwisan]

Tragedy to Triumph 1958 - 1970

1958 - 1959: Rebuilding from the ashes of Munich

The Munich tragedy was a big shock for United, they last matches of the season a whole new team had to be build. Jimmy Murphy moved quickly to sign Emie Taylor from Blackpool and Stan Crowther from Aston Villa. They, together with Bill Foulkes, Harry Gregg and a mixture of reserve and junior players made a patched-up side to complete the season's fixture. This season the team was still being rebuilt with Wilf McGuiness, Warren Bradley and Albert Quixall, a record 45,000 pond buy from Sheffield Wednesday, coming into the side. United did very well in the league, the finished 2nd and scored 103 goals, Bobby Chartlon hits 29 goals. In the FA Cup they reached the third round, but lost there.

1959 - 1960

After the Munich air disaster United were struggling to put together a strong team. Albert Quixall had been bought in August 1958, but had failed to repeat his goal scoring feats at***ned at Sheffield Wednesday.

Maurice Setters was signed from West Brom to plug a leaky defence that had let in 54 goals in 25 games. These new players combined with the established team members, Charlton, Gregg, Foulkes, Dawson, Brennan, Giles, McGuinness, and Dennis Viollet. Viollet continued his goal scoring form to score a record 32 goals in only 36 appearances. Crowds of up to 65,000 attended United's games even though success eluded them. United finished seventh in the league and were knocked out of the FA cup by Sheffield Wednesday in the 5th round.

1960 - 1961

Busby strengthened the team with Cantwell from West Ham, Dunne from the Irish league and the home grown Stiles, and Gaskell, who for the next few years was to share the goal keeping responsibilities with Gregg.

United had another unsuccessful year finishing once again seventh and only reaching the 3rd round of the FA cup. Although 61,000 saw the local derby against Manchester City and 65,000 the Spurs game, attendances were starting to drop. Highs of the year included a 6-0 vs Chelsea and Burnley. A low of 0-6 against Leicester occurred, also a 2-7 drubbing from Sheffield Wednesdy in the FA cup. For the first time in their history Manchester United played in the league cup, but they were not very succesful, they lost in the second round.

1961 - 1962

This season saw Herd recruited from Arsenal, having previously played locally for Stockport County with his Father. The defence was also strengthened with Chisnall making his debut. United finished a poor 15th in the league and eliminated from the FA cup in the semi final losing 1-3 to Spurs.

Due to United's poor form attendances again suffered a crowd of 57,000 watched the Spurs game and 56,000 the derby against Manchester City. David Herd became topscorer for United, scoring 14 goals in his first season.

1962 - 1963

1962 saw the recruiting of two new players who were to have a huge impact on United. Denis Law signed from Torino for 116,000 pond at the start of the season, Eric Cantona may be the `young pretender' but Denis is still the King. Denis was the penultimate piece in Matt's team-jigsaw.

The arrival of Denis brought not just a great footballer but a showman and enter***ner; he drew crowds all over the country. He was quite magnificent in every way.

Pat Crerand moved from Glasgow Celtic the following February, he had a touch of silk. Immediately after Paddy arrived, the Lawman was transformed from brilliant to genius and that was because of Pat.

United ended up having a bad year, finishing 19th and just avoiding relegation. Their best league result was the 5-1 defeat of Notts Forest. Better results in the FA cup saw United reach the final.

An unforgettable game resulted in the underdogs, United beating the fancied Leicester City 3-1. Attendances in general were continuing to drop although United were attracting better gates away from Old Trafford. 69,000 squeezed into Goodison for the Everton game. Only 49,000 watched the Manchester City derby.

1963 - 1964: The masses return to Old Trafford

The cup success drew the crowds back to old Trafford. 63,000 fans watched United thrash Everton 5-1, Ipswich receiving a 7-2 drubbing. A 6-1 defeat at Burnley was revenged with a 5-1 victory two days later.

United's new players included Sadler, Anderson, the ineffective Moore from Chelsea and the magical George Best. John Connelly also joined United from Burnley. The trio of Charlton, Law and Best ('holy trinity') were to become household names and lay fear and wonder into the hearts of opposition teams everywhere.

The youth team won the FA Youth Cup again by beating Swindon Town 5-2 on aggregate.

1964 - 1965: The Championship returns to Old Trafford

United further strengthened the their team with Fitzpatrick, Aston, and Dunne. Success came to Old Trafford in the form of Uniteds first league championship since 1957.

The finish for the league title couldn't been closer as United pipped Leeds United on goal difference. A cup run to the semis was also achieved while a play-off defeat by Ferencvaros deprived United a place in the Fairs Cup final.

United's success resulted in an increase in attendances crowds around the 55,000 to 63,000 mark were a regular feature at Old Trafford.

1965 - 1966: Back in the European Cup

Ryan and Noble, who had promising futures cut short were United's new players this year.

The crowds were once again flocking to watch United. United came a reasonable 4th in the league and lost out to Everton in the FA cup semi final.

The Charity Shield was shared with Liverpool after a 2-2 draw. United's return in the premier European competition ends in a 2-1 aggregate defeat to Yugoslavia's Partizan Belgrade.

1966 - 1967: Champions again!

Chelsea this helped to consolidate a position that had troubled United for a couple of years. The goal keeping duties had been shared by Gregg Gaskill and recently Dunne. Stepney now took the mantle of goalkeeper.

High points of the season included 5-0 against Sunderland, 6-1 against West Ham, results which helped United to the League Championship again. It was the seventh league title for United after finishing four points clear of Nottingham Forest.

A shock defeat to giant killers Norwich ended United's cup run in the 3rd round. In the League Cup they lost very disappointingly in the second round. More than 60,000 fans watched United on no less than eight occassions this year.

1967 - 1968: Champions of Europe!

United's squad was strengthened further with the promotion of Burns, Gowling, Rimmer and the current assistant manager Brian Kidd.

Attendance soared topping the 60,000 mark in the league alone 12 times.

On 29 May 1968, 100,000 mainly United fans witnessed the club's finest hour, the 4-1 defeat of Benfica in the European Cup final. United became the first English club to win the European Cup with a thrilling win over the Portugeuse champions at Wembley. Bobby Charlton gave United the lead only for Graca to equalise and send the game into extra time.

George Best then restored United's lead with a fine individual goal and as Benfica collapsed, goals from Charlotn and a header by Brian Kidd, celebrating his nineteenth birthday, sealed a famous victory.

This was United's finest hour and the realisation Matt Busby's dream. Matt Busby received a knighthood from the Queen in recognition of his services to football.

The Charity Shield was shared again after a 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur. The 2nd position in the league, after Manchester City, paled to nothing when United triumphed at Wembley. United lost 10 of their 42 league games and scored 89 goals, giving them a goal average of +34.

1968 - 1969

Morgan, Sartori and James were United's recruits this year although playing attractive football and attracting the crowds United seemed to wane after their triumph over Benfica. They finished a poor 11th in the league and lost in the 6th round of the cup to Everton.

Any hopes of re***ning the European crown were shattered by AC Milan who triumphed 2-1 on aggregate in the semi final. United also lost the World Cup Championship in a bitterly contested two-logged affair. Estudiantes of Argentina triumphed 2-1 on aggregate. Sir Matt Busby decided to give up control of the team and became general manager. Wilf McGuinness took charge of the team.

1969 - 1970

1969 saw Wilf McGuinness promoted to manager on Matt Busbys retirement. Ian Ure joined the team in a stop gap measure to strengthen the defence.

A chaotic year ended any chance United had of success. Best, although leading goal scorer was on his worse behaviour. Charlton and other senior team members would not accept the authority of McGuinness. United finished a poor 8th in the leaguei.

There was more semi final disappointment as United lost 1-0 to Leeds United after two replays, they also lost 4-3 on aggragate to Manchester City in the League Cup semi final. McGuinness eventually was relieved of his position in December 1970 when Matt Busby once again took control at Old Trafford.

[rondwisan]

Disappointing Seventies 1970 - 1980

1970 - 1971

Matt Busby followed Wilf McGuiness as manager. The greatest manager of Manchester United took charge again and all the fans hoped that he would make a new super team and bring them silverware again.

But Matt Busby couldn't bring a return to the old glory days as United finished only 8th in the league, with 16 wins, 11 draws and 15 defeats out of 42 matches.

In 42 matches United managed to only score 66 goals. In the FA Cup United were defeated in the third round and in the League Cup they reached the semi final before being knocked out.

1971 - 1972

Matt Busby resigned as manager, joining the board of directors. The next manager was Frank O'Farrell. But under O'Farrell United had another poor season. They finished 8th again in League, with 19 wins out of 42 matches, scoring almost the same amount of goals as the previous season, only 69 in 42 matches.

In the FA Cup they reached the sixth round, but were eliminated by Stoke City. In the League Cup, United reached the fourth round but again Stoke City were the stronger team. O'Farrell signed Martin Buchan from Aberdeen and Ian Storey-Moore from Nottingham Forest for £200,000.

1972 - 1973

This was yet another gloomy season for United, they started the season poorly and in December Frank O'Farrell was dismissed in favour of Tommy Docherty. Docherty was a man who was media friendly and spoke the same language as the fans on the terraces. He kept a poor team in the first division in his first season by buying a lot of new players.

New arrivals included Ted MacDougall from Bournemouth, Wyn Davies from Manchester City, Alex Forsyth from Patrick Thistle, Jim Holton from Shrewsbury Town, George Graham from Arsenal and Lou Macari from Celtic. MacDougall however moved to West Ham United after just six months at the club.

At the beginning of the season both George Best and Bobby Charlton announced their retirements whilst Denis Law rejoined Manchester City. United finished a disappointing 18th place in the league with only 12 wins and 48 goals scored in 42 matches. In the FA Cup as well as the League Cup United reached the third round.

1973 - 1974: Relegation!

What had threatened a season earlier eventually happened this season, United were relegated. For the first time in almost forty years United returned to division two. But the relegation proved beneficial in the long run, as it gave them the time needed to rebuild a new team.

Docherty bought Paddy Roche from Shelbourne, Stewart Houston from Brentford and Jim McCalling from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The worst thing for the United supporters was that it was Denis Law for Manchester City who backheeled United into the lower division. 10,000 fans invaded the pitch with seven minutes remaining, hoping to get the match abandoned, but it didn't help. United was relegated and instead of meeting Liverpool, Leeds, Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea among others, they now had to visit Oldham, York, Millwall, Bristol and Blackpool. United finished 21st with only ten wins and 38 goals scored.

In the League Cup United reached only the second round and their FA Cup campaign ended in the fourth round.

1974 - 1975

United roared back in style after just one season in Division Two. They became the Champions with sixty one points and only seven defeats, but also only 66 goals scored in 42 matches. Docherty continued his rebuilding as he bought Stuart Pearson from Hull City and Steve Coppell from Tranmere Rovers.

In the League Cup United lost in the semi-final, but that didn't matter, as in the fourth round they had beaten Manchester City, always a bonus in those days. In the FA Cup they failed to progress beyond the third round.

1975 - 1976

In their first season back in the top flight United finished third behind the dominant Liverpool. They lost 9 times and scored 68 goals and were back where they belonged, at the top of the table in division one.

Gordon Hill moved to Old Trafford from Millwall. In the League Cup United lost in the fourth round. But in the FA Cup United reached the final where they met Southampton from the second division.

Everybody in the country was convinced that this would be United's fourth FA Cup, but it turned out to be a massive upset. Southampton stunned United with a 1-0 win at Wembley.

United would have to wait another year for their first trophy since winning the European Cup in 1968.

1976 - 1977

This season United returned to Wembley and now they had to beat Liverpool to win the cup. United ended Liverpool's hopes of the treble (Championship, League Cup and FA Cup) by winning the FA Cup final 2-1.

Pearson scored the opening goal for United and the second was a lucky strike from Jimmy Greenhoff, who signed for United at the start of the season from Stoke City.

A month later, Docherty was sacked after it came to light that he was having an affair with the wife of the club's physiotherapist. United played some great football under the Doc and he brought Buchan, Hill, Coppell and other class players to United. Dave Sexton replaced him, but Sexton's era will not be remembered very fondly by most Reds as he failed to bring a trophy to Old Trafford.

In the UEFA Cup United were knocked out in the second round by Juventus, the Italians giants winning 3-1 on aggregate ending United's European ambitions. The club's record transfer fee received was equalled when Gerry Daly moved to Derby County in April for £170,000.

1977 - 1978

Following the FA Cup triumph of the previous season 1977/78 failed to deliver further success as United finished a disappointing 10th in the League with 16 wins, 10 draws and 16 defeats and scored 67 goals, their goal average was only +4. In the FA Cup they were beaten in the fourth round and in the League Cup they progressed only as far as the second round.

In the European Cup Winners' Cup United won the first round and met FC Porto in the second. United's European dreams ended again with a 6-5 aggregate defeat. United did however share the Charity Shield with Liverpool after a 0:0 draw with Liverpool.

United set a new record transfer between British clubs by signing Gordon McQueen from Leeds United for £500,000. This followed the earlier move by Joe Jordan, also from Elland Road, for £350,000. A record fee was recieved from Derby County again for Gordon Hill, sold for £250,000.

1978 - 1979

United's centenary season got under way with a 4-0 win against Real Madrid, watched by almost 50,000 fans. But at the end of the campaign there was disappointment as United lost a sensational FA Cup final to Arsenal.

With Arsenal leading 2-0 and less than 5 minutes remaining McQueen scored to give United hope and incredibly a minute later Sammy McIllroy pulled the scores level. But there was heartbreak for United as in the last minute Arsenal stole the winner to win the FA Cup.

In the league United ended again disappointed, finishing only 9th. In the League Cup they lost once again in the third round. Sexton signed Mickey Thomas from Wrexham for £300,000.

1979 - 1980

The season began with United paying and receiving record club transfer fees. Ray Wilkins moved from Chelsea to Manchester for £825,000 and Jimmy Greenhoff went to Leeds United for 350,000.

United came very close to winning the Championship this season, but Liverpool pipped them to the finishing line. United had to settle for second, despite only eight defeats in the league.

In the FA Cup there was defeat in the third round and in the League Cup they were also knocked out in the third round.

[rondwisan]

Frustrating Eighties 1980 - 1990

1980 - 1981

The European dream ended early in the new season as Polish side Widzew Lodz knocked United out of the UEFA cup on the away goals rule.

In October the record transfer fees were smashed again, Garry Birtles arriving from Nottingham Forest for £1.25M and Brighton and Hove Albion paid £500,000 for Andy Ritchie. Following the previous season's escapades the United fans were dreaming of another Championship, but this time United failed to reproduce any Championship winning form and finished a very disappointing 8th.

In the League Cup they didn't do much better as they lost in the second round while in the FA Cup they were eliminated in the fourth round. This disappointing season meant the end of the managerial spell of Dave Sexton at United, he was dismissed at the end of the season and succeeded by Ron Atkinson.

1981 - 1982

Ron Atkinson followed Sexton into the hot seat and even though he brought the FA Cup to Old Trafford twice in three years he could not take United to the pinnacle. The League Championship was the measure of the best team in the nation and seeing Liverpool winning it year after year was having a demoralising effect on the great club that United was.

Sir Matt Busby had set the standard and it was proving a ball and chain around the necks of all his successors. An eventful summer preceeded the season as John Gidman signed from Everton and Frank Stapleton arrived from Arsenal. Mickey Thomas moved to Everton and Joe Jordan went overseas to AC Milan of Italy. A record deal totalling £2.4M brought Bryan Robson and Remi Moses to Old Trafford from West Bromwich Albion early in the season. Robson's pricetag of £1.5M clearly made him the most expensive player in Bri***n. 17-year-old Norman Whiteside became the youngest ever player to appear in the World Cup finals playing in all five of Northern Ireland's matches.

Although United bought a lot their season was largely unsuccessful. Defeat came early in the FA Cup and the League Cup. While in the League United finished the season in a respectable third place, but again a long way from the Championship.

1982 - 1983: Atkinson's first silverware

This season United again finished near the top of the table, but yet again they were not able to make the last step to the summit and at the end of the season they finished third.

United scored only 56 goals, what an average of only 1.3 goals per game. They did reach their first ever League Cup final however, but lost 2:1 at Wembley to Liverpool, Whiteside scoring the only goal for United. But the Reds returned to Wembley a few weeks later to play the FA Cup final against Brighton and Hove Albion.

The first game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Stapleton and Wilkins scoring for United. In the replay Brighton and Hove Albion was blown away as United played superbly, winning the replay by a record scoreline of 4-0. Robson scored twice, Whiteside and penalty by Murhen. For the fifth time in their history United lifted the FA Cup.

1983 - 1984: European glory, European agony

This season could again not bring United the continued success they desperately craved, finishing a respectable fourth, losing only eight games and scoring a total of 71 goals. United did lift the Charity Shield with a 2-0 win over Liverpool, Robson scoring again twice.

United were to enjoy more success in the European Cup Winners' Cup as they produced one of the most memorable European nights at Old Trafford, defeating Barcelona 3:0 after a 2:0 defeat in the first leg. Virtue of that great comeback they reached their first European semi-final in 15 years but lost narrowly to Juventus.

There were surprise exits from the domestic cups against third division sides, they lost to Oxford in the League Cup and to AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup. There was plenty of transfer activity at the end of the season with Jesper Olsen, Gordon Strachan and Alan Brazil all making the move to Old Trafford. Ray Wilkins joined Italian giants AC Milan for £:1.5M. The stadium was also being renovated with further extensions to the canteliver roof. Also that year Bobby Charlton joined the board of directors.

1984 - 1985: FA Cup returns to Old Trafford

For the second time in a row United finished the season in fourth place in the league, with two points and six goals more than last year. Everton knocked United out of the League Cup in the third round, but United gained revenge in the FA Cup final with a brillant Norman Whiteside goal in extra time. Kevin Moran wrote history for all the wrong reasons by becoming the first player ever to be sent off in an FA Cup final.

In Europe United could again not fulfil their dreams as Hungary's Videoton ended their UEFA Cup run in the quarter finals by winning a penalty shoot-out. Chris Turner joined United from Sunderland and Peter Barnes moved from Coventry City. Further building would leave Old Trafford with unobstructed viewing facilities in three-quarters of the ground. United were also to follow the example of many European clubs by introducing a basketball team.

1985 - 1986

For the third successive time Manchester United finished fourth in the league and established themselves as consistant performers. They won 22 of their games and lost ten, scoring 70 goals with a goal average of +34. A club record run of ten consecutive victories opened the season to raise hopes of a league title but injuries and loss of form, saw the club finish in fourth.

In the domestic Cups United went out of the FA Cup in the fifth round and in the League Cup it was defeat in the fourth round. Mark Hughes left for Barcelona, whilst Colin Gibson, Peter Davenport, Terry Gibson and John Sivebaek joined the ranks. The club's £100,000 museum and visiters centre opened to the public. Chairman Martin Edwards and the mother of the legendary Duncan Edwards performed the opening ceremony.

1986 - 1987: Alex Ferguson takes over

Poor form in the league saw United languishing at the bottom of the table and an early exit from the League Cup at Southampton meant the departure of Ron Atkinson. In the FA Cup United lost in the fourth round. Alex Ferguson stepped into the breach from Aberdeen and brought Archie Knox with him as his assistant.

When Ferguson was appointed in November 1986, most United supporters felt that here was a man who could lead United out of the wilderness. He had broken the Celtic/Rangers stranglehold in Scotland with Aberdeen. In just eight years as their boss, he took them to the Scottish championship three times (1980, 1984 and 1985), four Scottish Cups (1982, 1983, 1984 and 1986), the Scottish League Cup (1983) and even the Cup Winners' Cup in 1983. That was success United could only dream about. So was the double of League and Cup he led them to in 1984. Fittingly it would be precisely ten years later when he would lead United to the first of two doubles in three seasons.

Unlike Sir Matt, Alex was never a great player but he had many other attributes that made him into an accomplished manager. A fanatical determination to succeed coupled with superb future planning ensured that Alex was building both for the present and the future of the club. He had inherited a club which had won very little during the preceeding 18 years but how things were to change!

Realising that one of the main problem was the neglect of the junior sides he put together an ambitious membership scheme, launched in April of 1987 with a target of 40,000 members. Rugby League came to Old Trafford with 50,589 watching Great Bri***n play Australia and 38,755 present for the Premiership finals.

1987 - 1988

United finished second in the league despite amassing a total of 81 points, losing only five times and scoring 71 goals. In the FA Cup United reached the fifth round while in the League Cup they were out come the fourth round.

Three major signings were made, Brian McClair from Celtic, Viv Anderson from Arsenal and Steve Bruce from Norwich City. McClair finished the season with a total of 31 League and Cup goals, the first player to score more than 20 league goals since George Best.

Brian McClair went on to play 447 matches for United by 1996, putting him in 12th place of the record appearance list. He also scored 126 goals by 1996 and stand 11th in the goalscoring records. The club's association with the Basketball team ended after four years.

Les Olive, United's secretary for over 30 years, retired and his assistant Kenneth Merrett was appointed as his successor.

1988 - 1989

The 1988/89 was a very disappointing season for Alex Ferguson and United, with injuries a major contributory factor, on all fronts. In the league United finished 11th, with 13 wins, 12 draws and 13 defeats, they scored 45 goals but conceded 45 as well. In the League Cup United were knocked out in the third round. In the FA Cup United managed to reach the sixth round.

The transfer money continued to be spent in great quantities as Mike Phelan came from Norwich City, Neil Webb from Nottingham Forest, Gary Pallister from Middlesbrough and Paul Ince from West Ham United. At the end of the season the board were considering Ferguson's future but wisely decided to re***n his services in the hope that silverware would be forthcoming.

[rondwisan]

1989 - 1990: The turning point of Fergie's reign

Another poor showing in League was forgetten as United lifted the FA Cup in 1990. There wasn't one home tie as the Reds battled to Wembley for the first time since 1985. The turning point of the season and possibly of Alex Ferguson's reign at Old Trafford came with a narrow 1:0 quarter-final win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, many believing Mark Robins' solitary goal saved Ferguson from the sack.

Any threat of Ferguson losing his job was ended after two memorable meetings with Crystal Palace in the final. A pulsating 3-3 draw, with Hughes scoring twice and Robson scoring, was followed by a 1-0 replay win; full-back Lee Martin scoring the winning goal for United.

In the League United finished 13th, the lowest position since Alex Ferguson's arrival, having suffered 16 defeats and a goal average of -1 (47-48). In the League Cup United were knocked out in the third round. Denis Irwin moved from Oldham Athletic shortly after the end of the season

[rondwisan]

Glorious Nineties 1990 - 1999

1990 - 1991: United win second European trophy

The first European trophy since 1968 came to Old Trafford as United beat Spanish giants Barcelona 2-1 in Rotterdam to lift the European Cup Winners' Cup. This compesated for the disappointment of losing the League Cup final against Sheffield Wednesday (1-0).

In the league United finished an encouraging sixth although they had one point deducted for a 22-man on-field brawl with Arsenal at Old Trafford. United also shared the Charity Shield at the beginning of the season, drawing 1-1 with Liverpool, the goal for United scored by Blackmore. In the FA Cup United lost in the fifth round. Peter Schmeichel was signed from Brondby (Denmark), Andrei Kanchelskis from Shakhytor Donetsk (Soviet Union) & Paul Parker from Queens Park Rangers.

1991 - 1992

United's first league title in 25 years was cruelly snatched from their grasp by Leeds United in the closing week of the season. United finished second with a total of 78 points, only six defeats. There was consolation in the winning of the club's first League Cup with a 1:0 win over Nottingham Forest at Wembley, Brian McClair scoring the decisive goal. In the FA Cup United lost in the fourth round. The attempt to re***n the European Cup Winners' Cup ended at the second round stage at the hands of Atletico Madrid of Spain. The European Super Cup also made its debut in the trophy room with a 1:0 victory over European Champions Red Star Belgrade. The United youngsters won the FA Youth Cup by defeating Crystal Palace 6-3 on aggregate. The youth teams boasted a wealth of talent with the likes of Sharpe, Beckham, Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Scholes & Butt. Dion Dublin moved to United from Cambridge United in the close-season in an attempt to boost United's at times toothless attack.

1992 - 1993: 26 year wait comes to an end

United finally ended their 26 year wait for the Championship by lifting the first ever FA Premier League Championship, with 24 victories and 84 points, ten more than nearest rivals Aston Villa. The campaign for European honours didn't progress beyond the first round as Torpedo Moscow won a penalty shoot-out. In the League Cup United were knocked out in the third round by Aston Villa, while in the FA Cup Sheffield United beat them 1:0 at Bramall Lane in the fifth round. The major arrival of the season was the shock move of Eric Cantona from Leeds in December. The previous year Cantona had been a major factor in Leeds' overhauling of United in the championship race but he was to become the final piece in Alex Ferguson's championship winning team. The close-season saw the much sought after Roy Keane joining United from Nottingham Forest for £3.75M, a British transfer record at the time.

1993 - 1994: The Double!

The 1993-1994 season was a season of both great success and sadness. On Thursday 20th January Sir Matt Busby passed away. Sir Matt led United to European glory in 1968 and was responsible for the creation of the legendary `Busby Babes', the majority of whom perished in the Munich air crash. United payed a fitting tribute to Sit Matt by becoming only the fourth club this century to achieve the coveted League and FA Cup double. The league title was re***ned by eight points from Blackburn Rovers. The FA Cup lifted after a crushing 4-0 defeat of Chelsea at Wembley, Eric Cantona becoming the first player to score two penalties in a final, while Mark Hughes & Brian McClair scored the third and fourth goals respectively. United also came within one victory of an unprecendented treble but were denied a unique place in the history books as Aston Villa beat them 3-1 in the League Cup final, Mark Hughes scoring United's only goal. Earlier in the season United had triumphed in the Charity Shield with a penalty shoot-out win over Arsenal, after Ian Wright had cancelled out Mark Hughes' goal for United. The challenge for European honours was halted in the second round when Turkey's Galatasaray beat United on the away goals rule after a 3:3 draw at Old Trafford followed by a 0:0 draw in Istanbul. Bryan Robson ended a glorious 13-year association with United by accepting the player-manager role at First Division Middlebrough. Robson played 456 matches for United, scoring 99 competitive goals. Other personnel also moved on with Clayton Blackmore, Mike Phelan, Les Sealey, Brian Carey, Darren Ferguson, Lee Martin & Danny Walace departing Old Trafford. The end of the season saw the arrival of defender David May from Blackburn Rovers & Graeme Tomlinson from Bradford City.

1994 - 1995

The Charity Shield was re***ned at the start of the season with a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers, with Cantona & Ince scoring the goals. The season was overshadowed hoever by controversy off the pitch. In January Eric Cantona was banned by the the FA for 9 months for the for attacking a spectator after being sent off at Crystal Palace. A jail sentence was overturned on appeal to community service. Despite this crippling set back United came within two wins of a second double. On the last day of the league season United could only draw at West Ham & lost out on the Championship to Blackburn by a single point, finishing with 88 points & 77 goals scored. Records galore were created as United thrashed Ipswich Town 9-0 in the Premiership. Andy Cole scoring a club league record five goals in one match & it was the club's highest score as Manchester United.

The League Cup was used to blood some of the club's younger players for which they were heavily criticised. They were to lost in the third round to Newcastle but a year later many of the same players were to take centre stage in United's second A week after losing the league United played the FA Cup final for the second successive season only to lose 1-0 to Everton. The European Champions League campaign ended in disappointment as United failed to progress beyond the group stages, heavy defeats at Barcelona & Gothenburg proving crucial. The major transfer of the season came in early January as United made a major transfer scoop by signing striker Andy Cole from Newcastle United for a record £7M. Keith Gillespie moved in part exchange as part of the deal. Dion Dublin joined Coventry City in September and Colin McKee and Neil Whitworth both left for Kilmarnock. The shock departures came at the end of the season with Paul Ince to Inter Milan, Mark Hughes to Chelsea & Andrei Kanchelskis to Everton. Gary Walsh left just before the start of the season joining his old team-mate Bryan Robson at Middlesbrough.

Some silverware did come to Old Trafford as the United youngsters won the FA Youth Cup in a thrilling final with Tottenham Hotspur. The first leg ended 2-1 to Tottenham, but a lost-gasp Terry Cooke goal at Old Trafford sent the return game into extra time. There were no further goals and United won the penalty shoot-out 4-3 in front of over 20,000 fans. Director Bobby Charlton was knighted for his services to football and Alex Ferguson received a CBE in the Honours list. Plans were announced to demolish the North Stand & replace it with a 26,000 seater three-tier structure.

1995 - 1996: The Double Double!

A season which started off poorly ended with history being made. An opening day 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa left the critics writing United off, expecially in the light close-season transfers. No big players were bought in to replace the stars who had departed United, instead Alex Ferguson put his faith in homebred youngsters like Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, David Beckham and Paul Scholes. That coupled with the return of talisman Eric Cantona gave United a solid platform from which to relaunch their domination of English football.

However by Christmas Newcastle United had established a dominanant 12-point lead over the Reds and looked uncatchable. However, a remarkable run in the New Year saw United lose only two games from twenty-four as Newcastle were overhauled in April. A 3-0 win at Middlesbrough on the final day of the league Campaign ensured United were Champions for the tenth time, but more remarkably they also became the first club to win the League & Cup double twice. Liverpool were defeated 1-0 in the final with Eric Cantona, cap***n for the day, scoring the winning goal four minutes from the end of normal time. It was the ninth time United had won the FA Cup & surely Alex Ferguson's finest hour as his gamble on youth paid the ultimate dividend. Earlier in the season there had been a shock exit from the League Cup with a second round aggregate defeat by second division York City. The UEFA Cup bid also ended at the first hurdle, with an away-goals aggregate reverse against Rotor Volgograd, even though Peter Schmeichel did score to help United re***n their United beaten home record in Europe.

The new North Stand was opened for the visit of Nottingham Forest in April increasing the all-seater capacity of Old Trafford to 55,000. Record receipts were established for the visit of Southampton in the FA Cup sixth round, £576,494.50. The summer saw five matches staged at Old Trafford as part of Euro 96. It was a quiet season on the transfer front with the only major purchase that of Tony Coton from Manchester City. However, the close-season saw a flurry of activity. Lee Sharpe moved to Leeds United, Paul Parker was released on free transfer, Steve Bruce joined Birmingham City on a free transfer and Tony Coton left for Sunderland, while Dutch goalkeeper Raimond van der Gouw from Vitesse Arnhem, Ronny Johnsen from Besiktas, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from Molde, Karel Poborsky from Slavia Prague & Jordi Cruyff from Barcelona all joined.

[rondwisan]

1996 - 1997: Fourth Championship in five years

Manchester United began the new season as they had ended the last, by winning silverware. In a spectacular opening day display in the Charity Shield at Wembley, United overwhelmed Newcastle 4:0. Their defence of the Premiership saw them power to the top as early as the opening day. Come September their attentions turned to the European Cup and despite suffering an early setback with defeat at Juventus they went on to win their next two games. However defeat at home to Fenerbahce - their first in Europe at Old Trafford - followed by another against Juventus put their hopes of qualifying for the Quarter Finals in serious doubt. However their third win of the group stages against Rapid Vienna was enough to see them into the final stages for the first time under Alex Ferguson.

Meanwhile in the league United suffered an alarming dip in form as they slumped to comprehensive defeats at Newcastle and Southampton. However they rediscovered the winning touch in December and without the distraction of the Champions League they began working their way back to the top of the table where they were to stay for the rest of the season, re***ning their crown with two games to spare.

Their European quest recommenced in March with a stunning 4:0 demolition of Porto at Old Trafford assuring their progression into the semi-final where they met German champions Dortmund. A 1:0 defeat in Germany was compounded by an early Lars Ricken goal in the second leg. United staged a rousing comeback but were unable to breach the stubborn Dortmund defence and fell short of their first European Cup final since 1968.

1997 - 1998

United re***ned the Charity Shield at the beginning of the season with a penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea at Wembley. The league season began with a 2:0 win at Tottenham but United struggled to find form in the opening weeks of the season. However come October United were firing on all cylinders with comprehensive home wins of Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday, 7:0 and 6:1 respectively. By Christmas United had opened up a commanding league at the top of the table with no realistic challengers to their crown emerging.

However in the new year United were to falter due to a mix of injuries and complacency. And from the chasing pack Arsenal were to emerge as a serious threat. Combining rigid defending with pace and power up front the Gunners closed the gap at the top as United suffered surprise defeats at Coventry, Southampton and Leicester. As the goals dried up and injuries escalated United suffered a desicive home defeat to Arsenal, one from which they never really recovered as the London club overtook them to take the Championship.

In the European Cup United proved their quality on the highest stage in the initial group round as they won 5 of their 6 games, which included a memorable 3:2 win over Italian giants Juventus at Old Trafford. Come March and the quarter-final with Monaco, United were a shadow of the team they had been 4 months earlier. Injuries took their toll again in the second leg, after a scoreless first leg, as Monaco went through on away goals after a 1:1 draw.

Elimination was a bitter blow to United who for only the second time this decade finished the season empty-handed. The rebuilding for next season began early however with United smashing their transfer record by investing £10M in Dutch defender Jaap Stam.

1998 - 1999: The Treble!

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6763/wallpapertreble3aegn3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The greatest season in Manchester United's history as they achieved an unprecedented Treble, lifting the Premiership Championship, FA Cup and European Cup all in the space on 10 incredible days in May 1999.

The title race went right to the wire this year, with United and defending Champions Arsenal staying neck and neck right through the closing weeks of the season. On the final day of the league season, the first part of the historic treble was completed as Manchester United won the Premiership title with a victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, pipping the Gunners to top spot by a single point.

Things started badly though, Old Trafford was stunned when Les Ferdinand lobbed Peter Schmeichel to score the opening goal for Tottenham. The Reds fought back, however, and a David Beckham strike drew the scores level before half-time.

Andy Cole came on for Teddy Sheringham in the second-half and within minutes he was in behind the Spurs defence to lob Ian Walker and score the goal that won the Premiership title for Manchester United.

The second stage of the Treble was completed a week later as Manchester United comfortably beat a lifeless Newcastle United in the FA Cup Final. A week earlier United had secured the Championship and now had their eye on a third double in five years.

Cap***n Roy Keane limped off injured after just 5 minutes but substitute Teddy Sheringham was to have a big impact, scoring the opening goal with virtually his first touch.

United were always comfortable in the match and when Paul Scholes fired in the second goal after the interval, the final result was never in doubt. The United players celebrated the Double, but they still had the small matter of a European Cup final four days later!

United's route to their first European Cup final since 1968 was a rollercoaster ride with a host of memorable games against some of Europe's biggest clubs. United traversed the group of death in the opening stages of the competition, qualifying unbeaten from a quartet of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Brondby.

In the quarter-finals the Reds beat Inter Milan 2:0 at Old Trafford and in the second leg in the San Siro, they secured their place in the semi-finals be grafting out a hard fought 1:1 draw. In the semis the Reds were faced with the challenge of overcoming the team which had so often in the recent past been a thorn in their side in Europe - Juventus.

In the first leg at Old Trafford, Juventus had the better of preceedings, scoring first through Conte but in the dying minutes, Ryan Giggs produced a big goal for Manchester United, vollying an equaliser past Peruzzi to keep United's hopes alive going into the second leg.

Two weeks later in the Stadio Delli Alpi, Manchester United produced one of the greatest comebacks in European Cup history. 2:0 down on the night after only 10 minutes, United's European hopes looked dead and buried. But a remarkable fightback, led by Roy Keane, saw the Reds pull it back to 2:2 and then win the game and the tie in the closing minutes with a goal from Andy Cole.

United were through to their first European Cup final since 1968, to be played in Barcelona on what would have been Sir Matt Busby's 90th birthday.

The semi-final against Juventus had been dramatic, but nothing could match the drama in the Nou Camp on 26th May, 1999. The match started in the worst possible way as Bayern Munich took the lead with a free-kick from Mario Basler. United fought back valiantly, but against a well organised Bayern defence they just couldn’t find a way through.

As the minutes on the clock ticked away, Alex Ferguson introduced Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the United attack. It would prove to be an inspired double substitution.

In injury time, goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, playing his last game for the club, came forward for a corner. His presence in the box caused panic in the Bayern defence allowing Ryan Giggs to get in a shot which Sheringham directed into the net.

The whole game was turned on its head as United, only seconds away from defeat, lived again.

But it wasn’t over yet.

A minute later United won another corner. David Beckham swung the ball into the near post where Sheringham’s header was met by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who flicked the ball into the roof of the net.

The Manchester United players, staff and fans were in dreamland as they won the European Cup in the most incredible circumstances ever seen. Two goals in injury time had turned defeat into the most unlikely of victories and made possible the first ever Treble.

[Ucup Carrick]

kampret...baru liat youtube...rekaman United dibantai leeds 5-1 di elland road 1972...
itu jadi salah satu penampilan terbaik Leeds dan tentunya jadi kebanggaan buat mereka...
sama seperti Pool bantai United 4-1 musim lalu...

[Redsbusby]

Newton Heath,.. Gold and Green till Die...


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http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs333.snc3/29241_1365944400126_1577132004_908786_7451413_n.jp g

[VaDLi]

edited---
maap dari hape nyari threadnya susah :malu:

[Redsbusby]

waktu masih nama Newton Heath, warna kostumnya hijau - kuning, dari tahun 1878 ke 1892. kostum kedua merah - hitam. kostum ketiga, baju merah putih dan celana biru.


Thanks gan,,
Tp mungkin sudah ada kamarnya disini (http://www.unitedindonesia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=8) :shakehand:;)

[bucay deathbat]

Misi para sesepuh n agan2 semua . . :D
mau tanya nech . .

Ada yg tau asal usul nama Old Trafford . . ?
:)

[Ucup Carrick]

Old Trafford kalo gak salah nama daerah gitu di manchester...
CMIIW...

[Redsbusby]

"I know the stories about Manchester United"

Author: Ben Moss |Sport.co.uk
Posted on:11 March 2011 - 15:32

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has admitted he would not stand in David Moyes’ way if Manchester United decided the Scot was the right candidate to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.

Moyes has been perpetually mentioned as a potential successor to Ferguson during the former’s nine year tenure at Goodison Park, during which time he has been named Manager of the Year three times.

Although Kenwright claims the long-serving Toffees boss remains as committed to the club as ever, he suggests if the opportunity ever arose to manage “one of, if not the biggest club in the world”, the decision would have to be taken by Moyes personally and he would not stand in his way should he decide to take the position.

Kenwright told Sky Sports News: "I know the stories about Manchester United, one of, if not the biggest club in the world,

"If that day ever came then he would have to make a decision, but I also know how committed he is to the cause of this football club.

"Not just for the next week, or the next two weeks, but what this club is all about, what this club needed means an awful lot to him."

[Wira Atman]

para sesepuh ak mau nanya gan,
kemarin waktu 2008 kan ada upacara memperingati 50 tahun kejadian munich, busby babes.
waktu itu manchester united vs manchester city, pada saat itu kostum united memakai jersey yng dipakai para busby babes. pertanyaannya apakah united di izinkan memakai jersey tanpa nama, cuman no punggung dan lambang tim di dada???

maaf klo mungkin ak salah trhead!![COLOR="Silver"]

---------- Post added at 03:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:00 PM ----------

[GL zone]

para sesepuh ak mau nanya gan,
kemarin waktu 2008 kan ada upacara memperingati 50 tahun kejadian munich, busby babes.
waktu itu manchester united vs manchester city, pada saat itu kostum united memakai jersey yng dipakai para busby babes. pertanyaannya apakah united di izinkan memakai jersey tanpa nama, cuman no punggung dan lambang tim di dada???

maaf klo mungkin ak salah trhead!![COLOR="Silver"]

---------- Post added at 03:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:00 PM ----------

tahun 2008 kan? berarti udah lewat
selama ini ga ada yg protes kan

nah berarti di izinkan :D

[Wira Atman]

tahun 2008 kan? berarti udah lewat
selama ini ga ada yg protes kan

nah berarti di izinkan :D

jadi mereka di izinkan memakain jersey itu :think:???
:-bd

[rondwisan]

yup Wir ...
tentunya pihak United udah minta ijin sebelumnya ke FA n dapet approval
sebenernya Man City tidak diminta untuk melakukan hal yg sama, tapi mereka ikut "berpartisipasi" dengan do the same ...

[VaDLi]

1. 1907-1908
http://imageshack.us/m/821/5296/34543879.jpg
1907-1908: Jut two years after being promoted to the top fliht, and not long after being saved from a winding-up order, Manchester United clinch their first league title with Billy Meredith (left) their inspiration


2. 1910-1911
http://imageshack.us/m/101/8222/66140256.jpg
1910-1911: Charlie Roberts takes over the captain's armband to lead United, who started out life as Newton Heath, back to the pinnacle of English football as they pip main rivals Aston Villa to the title by a point



3. 1951-1952
http://imageshack.us/m/845/981/99616606.jpg
1951-1952: With Matt Busby now at the helm, a 41-year wait for return of the title to Old Trafford is over as Irish Captain Johnny Carey and striker Charlie Mitten help the club bring back some post-war silverware



4. 1955-1956
http://imageshack.us/m/228/1733/87769402.jpg
1955-1956: Having completely revamped the club with a strong focus on youth players, Busby's decision to bring through his 'Babes' - such as Duncan Edwards (left) and Eddie Colman (right) - is rewarded in fine style



5.: 1956-1957
http://imageshack.us/m/833/3827/77515964.jpg
1956-1957: With the supremely gifted 'Busby Babes' in full flow, another title proves inevitable - though the youngster were cut off in their prime in the tragic air disaster in Munich a year later in which many stars died :(:(



6. 1964-1965
http://imageshack.us/m/600/1421/62972323.jpg
1964-1965: Busby survives Munich although he was injured and goes on to rebuild the shattered club. Another survivor, Bobby Charlton, is key to that success, as is Northern Irish attacking sensation George Best



7. 1966-1967
http://imageshack.us/m/844/7677/58054962.jpg
1966-1967: With Denis Law one of the best strikers in Europe, United's ' Holy Trinity' of Best-Law-Charlton help the club win a sevent league title, a year before giung onto beat Benfica to lift the European Cup



8. 1992-1993
http://imageshack.us/m/844/9057/58687020.jpg
1992-1993: Different generation, rebranded league, new boss, Six seasons in, Alex Ferguson's hard work pays off as United win the inaugural Premier League to end a barren 26-year wait, with Eric Cantona the catalyst



9. 1993-1994
http://imageshack.us/m/696/2070/73980195.jpg
1993-1994: In the year that Sir Matt Busby died at the age of 84, one of Uniited's strongest ever sides [Schmeichel; Parker, Bruce, Pallister, Irwin; Kanchelskis, Ince, Keane, Giggs; Hughes, Cantona] romps to the club's first Double



10. 1995-1996
http://imageshack.us/m/846/3374/33367424.jpg
1995-1996: Majestic Cantona returns wiser after his infamous ban to lead the United "kids", who pundit Alan Hansen said "can't win anything", to a title that looked unlikely after some serious struggles early in the season



11. 1996-1997
http://imageshack.us/m/577/574/28883909.jpg
1996-1997: David Beckham starts a stunning campaign by scoring from 60 yards, but it's £1.2m Norwegian striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who proves crucial in a season when European failure precedes Cantona's shock exit



12. 1999-1999
http://imageshack.us/m/34/4404/35008926.jpg
1998-1999: Such was the core strength of United's side, in which Roy Keane hit unthinkable heights while Dwight Yorke performed miracles in his first year, they also won the FA Cup and European Champions League




13. 1999-2000
http://imageshack.us/m/62/6629/58758143.jpg
1999-2000: The aura of European champions proved too much for rivals like Arsenal, and the rest of the league, as a powerful and confident United cruised to another title - finishing a remarkable 18 points clear




14. 2000-2001
http://imageshack.us/m/171/8020/24320186.jpg
2000-2001: Ferguson clinches an historic third league championship in a row with striker Teddy Sheringham (centre) top-scoring and eccentric French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez (right) pulling off some stunning saves



15. 2002-2003
http://imageshack.us/m/842/38/45253753.jpg
2002-2003: Beckham links up with £28m signing Juan Sebastian Veron before moving to Real Madrid, while prolific Dutch striker Ruud van Nistlerooy is the toast of his team-mates with yet another avalanche of goals



16. 2006-2007
http://imageshack.us/m/864/6629/58776885.jpg
2006-2007: After Jose Mourinho's Chelsea steal the limelight for a couple of years, a new generation of stars - with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo taking centre stage - bed in at Old Trafford to bring back success



17. 2007-2008
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/1011/20525191.jpg
2007-2008: With midfielder Michael Carrick in rich form, United's attacking trio of Ronaldo, Rooney and Argentine striker Carlos Tevez proves irresistible as they overcome Chelsea on the domestic front - and in Europe



18. 2008-2009
http://imageshack.us/m/718/802/20073298.jpg
2008-2009: Fresh attacking talent such as Nani and Dimitar Berbatov shine, while old faces - Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs - remain inspirational as United once again clinch three straight titles



19. 2010-2011
http://img852.imageshack.us/img852/4893/19b.jpg
2010-2011: A sensational first season at the club from Javier Hernandez helps Ferguson to finally knock Liverpool "off their perch" as United clinch the golden 19th title with a draw at Blackburn


sumber:BBC

[gurning]

1. 1907-1908
http://imageshack.us/m/821/5296/34543879.jpg
1907-1908: Jut two years after being promoted to the top fliht, and not long after being saved from a winding-up order, Manchester United clinch their first league title with Billy Meredith (left) their inspiration


2. 1910-1911
http://imageshack.us/m/101/8222/66140256.jpg
1910-1911: Charlie Roberts takes over the captain's armband to lead United, who started out life as Newton Heath, back to the pinnacle of English football as they pip main rivals Aston Villa to the title by a point



3. 1951-1952
http://imageshack.us/m/845/981/99616606.jpg
1951-1952: With Matt Busby now at the helm, a 41-year wait for return of the title to Old Trafford is over as Irish Captain Johnny Carey and striker Charlie Mitten help the club bring back some post-war silverware



4. 1955-1956
http://imageshack.us/m/228/1733/87769402.jpg
1955-1956: Having completely revamped the club with a strong focus on youth players, Busby's decision to bring through his 'Babes' - such as Duncan Edwards (left) and Eddie Colman (right) - is rewarded in fine style



5.: 1956-1957
http://imageshack.us/m/833/3827/77515964.jpg
1956-1957: With the supremely gifted 'Busby Babes' in full flow, another title proves inevitable - though the youngster were cut off in their prime in the tragic air disaster in Munich a year later in which many stars died :(:(



6. 1964-1965
http://imageshack.us/m/600/1421/62972323.jpg
1964-1965: Busby survives Munich although he was injured and goes on to rebuild the shattered club. Another survivor, Bobby Charlton, is key to that success, as is Northern Irish attacking sensation George Best



7. 1966-1967
http://imageshack.us/m/844/7677/58054962.jpg
1966-1967: With Denis Law one of the best strikers in Europe, United's ' Holy Trinity' of Best-Law-Charlton help the club win a sevent league title, a year before giung onto beat Benfica to lift the European Cup



8. 1992-1993
http://imageshack.us/m/844/9057/58687020.jpg
1992-1993: Different generation, rebranded league, new boss, Six seasons in, Alex Ferguson's hard work pays off as United win the inaugural Premier League to end a barren 26-year wait, with Eric Cantona the catalyst



9. 1993-1994
http://imageshack.us/m/696/2070/73980195.jpg
1993-1994: In the year that Sir Matt Busby died at the age of 84, one of Uniited's strongest ever sides [Schmeichel; Parker, Bruce, Pallister, Irwin; Kanchelskis, Ince, Keane, Giggs; Hughes, Cantona] romps to the club's first Double



10. 1995-1996
http://imageshack.us/m/846/3374/33367424.jpg
1995-1996: Majestic Cantona returns wiser after his infamous ban to lead the United "kids", who pundit Alan Hansen said "can't win anything", to a title that looked unlikely after some serious struggles early in the season



11. 1996-1997
http://imageshack.us/m/577/574/28883909.jpg
1996-1997: David Beckham starts a stunning campaign by scoring from 60 yards, but it's £1.2m Norwegian striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who proves crucial in a season when European failure precedes Cantona's shock exit



12. 1999-1999
http://imageshack.us/m/34/4404/35008926.jpg
1998-1999: Such was the core strength of United's side, in which Roy Keane hit unthinkable heights while Dwight Yorke performed miracles in his first year, they also won the FA Cup and European Champions League




13. 1999-2000
http://imageshack.us/m/62/6629/58758143.jpg
1999-2000: The aura of European champions proved too much for rivals like Arsenal, and the rest of the league, as a powerful and confident United cruised to another title - finishing a remarkable 18 points clear




14. 2000-2001
http://imageshack.us/m/171/8020/24320186.jpg
2000-2001: Ferguson clinches an historic third league championship in a row with striker Teddy Sheringham (centre) top-scoring and eccentric French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez (right) pulling off some stunning saves



15. 2002-2003
http://imageshack.us/m/842/38/45253753.jpg
2002-2003: Beckham links up with £28m signing Juan Sebastian Veron before moving to Real Madrid, while prolific Dutch striker Ruud van Nistlerooy is the toast of his team-mates with yet another avalanche of goals



16. 2006-2007
http://imageshack.us/m/864/6629/58776885.jpg
2006-2007: After Jose Mourinho's Chelsea steal the limelight for a couple of years, a new generation of stars - with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo taking centre stage - bed in at Old Trafford to bring back success



17. 2007-2008
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/1011/20525191.jpg
2007-2008: With midfielder Michael Carrick in rich form, United's attacking trio of Ronaldo, Rooney and Argentine striker Carlos Tevez proves irresistible as they overcome Chelsea on the domestic front - and in Europe



18. 2008-2009
http://imageshack.us/m/718/802/20073298.jpg
2008-2009: Fresh attacking talent such as Nani and Dimitar Berbatov shine, while old faces - Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs - remain inspirational as United once again clinch three straight titles



19. 2010-2011
http://img852.imageshack.us/img852/4893/19b.jpg
2010-2011: A sensational first season at the club from Javier Hernandez helps Ferguson to finally knock Liverpool "off their perch" as United clinch the golden 19th title with a draw at Blackburn


sumber:BBC

keren brader
lengkap , berharap musim depan bisa 20
relentless 20
http://img.kaskus.us/images/kaskusmobile_hp.gif

[Wira Atman]

angkatan sebelum busby babes ada nggak??
atau para busby babes yng angkatan pertama??

[Wira Atman]

posting ya ke-1000 kupersembahkan di trhead ini, semoga MANCHESTER TETAP JAYA & GLORY2 MAN UNITED ^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^

Sejarah 103 Tahun Kejayaan Manchester United
MU kali pertama menjadi jawara Inggris pada 1908.

VIVAnews - Manchester United memiliki sejarah panjang di pentas sepakbola Inggris. Setan Merah menegaskan kejayaannya selama 103 tahun sampai meraih trofi ke-19 Liga Inggris yang bernama Premier League musim ini.

MU kali pertama menjadi jawara Inggris pada 1908. Banyak catatan hebat, rekor dan drama menyertai sukses tim asal Kota Manchester itu. Glory.. Glory.. Glory Manchester United!

Berikut tahun demi tahun catatan juara The Red Devils seperti dihimpun Telegraph:

1908
Manajer: Ernest Mangnall
Pemain bintang: Sandy Turnbull
Turnbull punya tipe bak Wayne Rooney kini. Pemain asal Skotlandia bernomor 10 ini hijrah ke Manchester City setelah terlibat dalam skandal pembayaran ilegal. Ia terbunuh saat berusia 33 di Perang Dunia I.
Selisih poin: 9 dengan runner up Aston Villa
Rata-rata penonton: 22.901

1911
Manajer: Ernest Mangnall
Pemain bintang: Enoch West
Striker yang mencetak 19 gol dari 35 laga setelah direkrut dari Nottingham Forest. Ia dan Turnbull dinyatakan bersalah dalam kasus pengaturan skor pada 1915.
Selisih poin: 1 (Aston Villa)
Rata-rata penonton: 29.055

1952
Manajer: Matt Busby
Pemain bintang: Jack Rowley
Veteran Perang Dunia ini mencetak 30 gol meski baru saja menjalani perang. Ia menjadi tukang pos setelah pensiun di Oldham.
Selisih poin: four (Tottenham)
Rata-rata penonton: 41.354

1956
Manajer: Matt Busby
Pemain bintang: Tommy Taylor
Target man yang sangat tajam sehingga membuat Inter Milan menawari rekor dunia transfer saat itu £65.000 pada 1957. Taylor meninggal di usia 26 dalam kecelakaan pesawat di Munich.
Selisih poin: 11 (Blackpool)
Rata-rata penonton: 38.893

1957
Manajer: Matt Busby
Pemain bintang: Billy Whelan
Pemain Irlandia yang mencetak 52 gol dalam 92 laga bersama MU. Whelan meninggal pada usia 22 dalam kecelakaan pesawat di Munich. Ia dikenal dengan kemampuan dribbler yang hebat.
Selisih poin: 8 (Tottenham)
Rata-rata penonton: 48.679

1965
Manajer: Matt Busby
Pemain bintang: Denis Law
Dikenal sebagai 'The King’ alias Sang Raja selama 13 tahun karirnya di Old Trafford. Noda Law hanya karena gol terakhir karirnya untuk Manchester City membuat MU terdegradasi.
Selisih poin: 0, selisih gol (Leeds)
Rata-rata penonton: 44.886

1967
Manajer: Matt Busby
Pemain bintang: George Best
Pemain kharismatis yang bertalenta hebat. Best dikenal sebagai pemain terbaik Inggris hingga kini. Best mengiinspirasi MU meraih Piala Champions untuk kali pertama di musim berikutnya.
Selisih poin: 4 (Nottingham Forest)
Rata-rata penonton: 54.726

1993
Manajer: Alex Ferguson
Pemain bintang: Mark Hughes
Sparky, panggilan akrab Hughes digambarkan Ferguson sebagai, “pemain spesialis laga-laga besar.” Hughes juga menjalin kerjasama apik dengan Eric Cantona.
Selisih poin: 10 (Aston Villa)
Rata-rata penonton: 33.898

1994
Manajer: Alex Ferguson
Pemain bintang: Eric Cantona
Perekrutan Cantona dari Leeds United menjadi katalis bagi MU meraih trofi pertama Premier League. Di musim berikutnya, Cantona membawa Setan Merah menjadi double winner bersama Piala FA.
Selisih poin: 8 (Blackburn)
Rata-rata penonton: 43.515

1996
Manajer: Alex Ferguson
Pemain bintang: Eric Cantona
Tim MU semakin muda dalam peremajaan Ferguson, tapi Cantona masih menjadi pusat permainan dan terpilih sebagai Pemain Terbaik Premier League Musim ini.
Selisih poin: 4 (Newcastle)
Rata-rata penonton: 40.851

1997
Manajer: Alex Ferguson
Pemain bintang: David Beckham
Bakat besar Beckham dihiasi kemampuan mencetak gol 'ajaib' dari lapangan tengah dalam laga pembuka musim. Becks kemudian menjadi pesepakbola paling terkenal di selruh dunia, bahkan hingga kini.
Selisih poin: 7 (Newcastle)
Rata-rata penonton: 54.345

1999
Manajer: Alex Ferguson
Pemain bintang: Dwight Yorke
Striker kelahiran Tobago ini menjadi predator dari empat striker yang selalu dirotasi MU saat menjadi treble winner.
Selisih poin: 1 (Arsenal)
Rata-rata penonton: 54.056

2000
Manajer: Alex Ferguson
Pemain bintang: Roy Keane
Pusat kekuatan MU meraih trofi di eranya. Keane juga menegaskan sebagai pejuang di lapamngan tengah berteknik kelas dunia.
Selisih poin: 18 (Arsenal)
Rata-rata penonton: 57.570

2001
Manajer: Alex Ferguson
Pemain bintang: Teddy Sheringham
Menjalani karir terbaik di usia 35, menggantikan peran Yorke dan memenangi penghargaan Pemain Terbaik.
Selisih poin: 10 (Arsenal)
Rata-rata penonton: 67.070

2003
Manajer: Sir Alex Ferguson
Pemain bintang: Ruud van Nistelrooy
Dibeli £18.5 juta pada 2001, Ruud mencetak 23 gol di musim debutnya bersama MU. Ia juga mengemas 25 gol saat kembali meraih trofi Premier League musim berikutnya.
Selisih poin: 5 (Arsenal)
Rata-rata penonton: 66.220

2007
Manajer: Sir Alex Ferguson
Pemain bintang: Cristiano Ronaldo
Bergabung dengan MU saat berusia 18, Ronaldo butuh 3 tahun untuk menjadi bintang. Pada musim 2006-07, CR7 bergabung dengan Andy Gray yang mampu meraih penghargaan ganda Pemain Terbaik PFA dan Pemain Muda Terbaik di musim yang sama.
Selisih poin: 6 (Chelsea)
Rata-rata penonton: 74.937

2008
Manajer: Sir Alex Ferguson
Pemain bintang: Cristiano Ronaldo
Mengemas 31 gol dalam 34 laga Premier League, Ronaldo mencatat rekor sebagai pemain satu-satunya sayap yang mampu melakukannya.
Selisih poin: 2 (Chelsea)
Rata-rata penonton: 75.428

2009
Manajer: Sir Alex Ferguson
Pemain bintang: Ryan Giggs
Nemanja Vidic dipilih sebagai pemain terbaik MU, tapi pesona Giggs tak terbantahkan seperti ketika ia meraih penghargaan BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Selisih poin: 4 (Liverpool)
Rata-rata penonton: 73.248

2011
Manajer: Sir Alex Ferguson
Pemain bintang: Nemanja Vidic
Duet Vidic dengan Rio Ferdinand menjadi duet bek terbaik di era Ferguson bertahta di Old Trafford.
Selisih poin: sementara 7 sisa 1 laga (Chelsea)
Rata-rata penonton: 75.093 sisa satu laga

http://bola.vivanews.com/news/read/220434-sejarah-103-tahun-kejayaan-manchester-united

[Redsbusby]

The Greates Holy Trinity

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/307434_221514461239634_143420355715712_673380_1079 256321_n.jpg

[Haritscantona]

ga ngerti artinya TT:((

[Ridwanox]

boleh nanya sesuatu tidak??? adakah pemain MU yang ebrsal dari Indonesia???

---------- Post added at 02:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:33 AM ----------

ga ngerti artinya TT:((

TT itu nangis alias sedih kalau gak salah

[Ucup Carrick]

Oktober 1996..2 pekan mengerikan bagi Man United...

0-5 newcastle
3-6 southampton
0-1 fenerbahce (bye bye 40 year old unbeaten record at ot)
1-2 chelsea

hiks... :( *mengaitkan ama pembantaian derby kemaren)

What is it with October? A month of freak losses. (Redcafe)

2-6 vs Wolves in 1952/53
2-5 vs Everton in 1956/57
1-5 to Arsenal in 1961/62
2-6 vs Spurs in 1962/63
1-5 vs Spurs in 1965/66
0-5 vs Everton in 1984/85
0-5 vs Newcastle in 1996/97
3-6 vs Southampton 1996/97
0-5 vs Chelsea in 1999/00
1-6 vs City

[aryapratama]

wah gan, ga ada translate ke Indonesianya nih,, maklum otak saia kelabakan kalo baca inglish mulu..