The club was formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR F.C., the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath.[8] In 1892, they joined The Football League and became independent of the rail company, dropping the "LYR" from their name. They moved to a new ground at Bank Street, Clayton in 1893.[9]
In January 1902, with debts of £2,670 – equivalent to about £210,000 as of 2010[10] – the club was declared bankrupt.[11] After seeking new investment, four local businessmen, found by captain Harry Stafford, invested £500 each in return for a direct interest in running the club,[12][12] and it was decided that the club should change its name; on 26 April 1902, Manchester United officially came into existence.
After finishing as Second Division runners-up in 1905–06, Manchester United were promoted to the First Division and won their first league title in 1908. The following season began with victory in the first ever Charity Shield[13] and ended with the club's first FA Cup title. The club would have to wait another two years before winning any more trophies – winning the First Division for the second time in the 1910–11 season – which would prove to be the last time the club won the First Division for 41 years (the longest they have gone without winning the league in their history).[14]
Following a period of gradual decline, the club was relegated to the Second Division in 1922, where it remained until its promotion in 1925. Manchester United became a yo-yo club, and were again relegated in 1931, achieving their all-time lowest position of 20th in the Second Division in 1934. However, in the 1938-39 season, the last year of football before the outbreak of the Second World War, the club finished 14th in the First Division.[15]
Busby years (1945–1969)
In October 1945, the impending resumption of football led to the managerial appointment of former City and Liverpool player Matt Busby, who demanded a then unprecedented level of control over team selection, player transfers and training sessions.[16] His first significant action was to appoint Jimmy Murphy as reserve team manager.[17] Busby led the team to second-place finishes in the league in 1947, 1948 and 1949, winning the First Division title in 1952, and the FA Cup in 1948. With an average age of 22, the media labelled the back-to-back title winning side of 1956 "the Busby Babes", testament to Busby's faith in his youth players.[18]European Cup, despite objections from The Football League, who had denied Chelsea the same opportunity the previous season.[19] En route to the semi-final, which they lost to Real Madrid, the team recorded a 10–0 victory over Belgian champions Anderlecht, which remains their biggest victory on record.[20] In 1957, Manchester United became the first English team to compete in the
Tragedy struck the following season; on the way home from a European Cup quarter-final victory against Red Star Belgrade, the aircraft carrying the Manchester United players, officials and journalists crashed while attempting to take off after refuelling in Munich, Germany. The Munich air disaster of 6 February 1958 claimed the lives of eight players – Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Billy Whelan – and another fifteen passengers, including United staff members Walter Crickmer, Bert Whalley and Tom Curry.[21][22]
Jimmy Murphy took over as manager while Busby recovered from his injuries and the club continued to play with a makeshift side that reached the FA Cup final, which they lost to Bolton Wanderers. In recognition of the great loss suffered by the team, UEFA invited the club to compete in the 1958–59 European Cup alongside eventual League champions Wolverhampton Wanderers; although the FA gave its approval for entry, the Football League determined that because the club had not qualified for the competition, it should not enter.[23][24]
Throughout the 1960s, Busby rebuilt the team by signing players such as Denis Law and Pat Crerand, who combined with the next generation of youth team players – including George Best1963; however, they could only manage a 19th-place finish in the First Division. Nevertheless, the FA Cup triumph seemed to reinvigorate the team; the following season they finished second in the league, and then won the title in 1965 and 1967. In 1968, Manchester United became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating Benfica 4–1 in the final.[25] This United team contained three European Footballers of the Year: Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best.[26] Matt Busby resigned as manager in 1969 and was replaced by the reserve team coach and former United player, Wilf McGuinness. – to win the FA Cup in
1969–1986
Manchester United badge in the 1960s Following an eighth-place finish in the 1969–70 season and a poor start to the 1970–71 season, Busby was persuaded to temporarily resume managerial duties, and McGuinness returned to his position as reserve team coach. Results improved, but Busby finally left the club in the summer of 1971, by which time it had lost a number of high-profile players, including Nobby Stiles and Pat Crerand.[27]
In June 1971, Frank O'Farrell was appointed as Busby's successor,[28] but he lasted less than 18 months before he was replaced by Tommy Docherty in December 1972. Docherty succeeded in saving Manchester United from relegation that season, only to see them relegated in 1974, by which time the trio of Best, Law, and Charlton had left the club.[25] The team won promotion at the first attempt, and reached the FA Cup final in 1976, but were beaten by Southampton; they reached the final again in 1977, beating Liverpool 2–1. In spite of this success, Docherty was dismissed shortly afterwards following revelations regarding his affair with the club physiotherapist's wife.[29][30]
Dave Sexton replaced Docherty as manager in the summer of 1977, but despite major signings, including Joe Jordan, Gordon McQueen, Gary Bailey, and Ray Wilkins, the team failed to achieve anything of significance; they finished in the top two in 1979–80 and lost to Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup Final. Lack of success led to Sexton's dismissal in 1981, even though the team won his last seven games in charge.[31]
Sexton was replaced by Ron Atkinson, who immediately broke the British record transfer fee to sign Bryan Robson from his old club, West Bromwich Albion. Under Atkinson, Manchester United won the FA Cup twice in three years – in 1983 and 1985 – and, after 13 wins and two draws in their first 15 matches, were favourites to win the league in 1985–86; however, their form collapsed and they finished in fourth place. Their poor form continued into the following season, and with the club in danger of entering the relegation zone by the beginning of November 1986, Atkinson was dismissed.[32]
Alex Ferguson era (1986–present)
Alex Ferguson has been manager of Manchester United since November 1986. Alex Ferguson and his assistant, Archie Knox, arrived from Aberdeen on the same day that Atkinson was dismissed,[33] and guided the club to an 11th-place finish in the league in their debut season.[34] Despite a second-place finish in 1987–88, the following season the club was back in 11th place.[35]
In 1990, victory over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final replay (after a 3–3 draw) saved Ferguson's career.[36][37] The following season, the team claimed their first Cup Winners' Cup1991 final in Rotterdam. This allowed them to compete in the 1991 UEFA Super Cup, in which they beat European Cup holders Red Star Belgrade 1–0 at Old Trafford. A second consecutive League Cup final appearance followed in 1992, in which they beat Nottingham Forest 1–0 at Wembley.[32] title by beating Barcelona in the
In 1993, Manchester United won their first league title since 1967, and a year later, for the first time since 1957, won a second consecutive title – alongside the FA Cup – to complete the first "Double" in the club's history.[32] Failure to win a third consecutive league title in 1995 prompted Ferguson into major restructuring, selling established players Paul Ince, Andrei KanchelskisMark Hughes. They were replaced by members of the club's youth team, including David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes, who helped the team win a second Double in 1996. and
Manchester United's 1998–99 season was the most successful season in English club football history as they became the first team to win the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League – "The Treble" – in the same season.[38] Losing 1–0 going into injury time1999 UEFA Champions League Final, late goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær secured a dramatic victory over Bayern Munich, in what is considered one of the greatest comebacks of all time. The club also won the Intercontinental Cup after beating Palmeiras 1–0 in Tokyo.[39] Ferguson was subsequently knighted for his services to football.[40] in the
In 2000, Manchester United competed in the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil[41] but did not regain the league until 2003. They won the 2004 FA Cup, beating MillwallCardiff.[42] 3–0 in the final in
The club made a poor start to the 2005–06 season; midfielder Roy Keane left for Celtic in acrimonious fashion[43] and the club failed to qualify for the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade. However, the team recovered to secure a second-place league finish and victory over Wigan Athletic in the 2006 Football League Cup Final in a season that also saw the departure of Ruud van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid.[44]
Ryan Giggs is the most decorated player in English football history. New signings Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidić and Patrice Evra, and the emergence of Cristiano Ronaldo, saw Manchester United regain the Premier League in the 2006–07 season. They won the league in 2007–08, and completed the European double by beating Chelsea 6–5 on penalties in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, after a 1–1 draw after extra time on 21 May 2008. Ryan Giggs made a record 759th appearance for the club in this game, overtaking previous record holder, Bobby Charlton.[45]
On 21 December 2008, the club won the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup, defeating the Ecuadorian side LDU Quito 1–0 in Japan. This was followed by the 2008–09 Football League Cup, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 4–1 on penalties in the final.[46] Manchester United then secured their third consecutive Premier League title, the second time they have achieved this feat.[47]Stadio Olimpico in Rome.[48] That summer, Cristiano Ronaldo was sold to Real Madrid for a world record £80 million and replaced by Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia.[49] They failed, however, to win a second consecutive Champions League title, losing 2–0 to Barcelona in the final in the
In 2010, Manchester United defeated Aston Villa 2–1 at Wembley to retain the League Cup, the first time they have successfully defended a knockout cup competition.[50]
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