From the club’s early days as Newton Heath, playing in conditions of numerous extremes, on hard rocky surfaces or almost, literal swamps to the glory days, Manchester United is a football club steeped in history.
Founded by railway workers, the original team played in green and gold and struggled financially until 1902 when brewer John Henry Davies came along, rescued it and renamed it to Manchester United, changing the colours to red and white.
In 1908, the club won its maiden First Division title under the guidance of manager, Ernest Mangnall and then the FA Cup a year later, before moving to Old Trafford (their home for over a century), a year later.
Busby Babes And Disaster
Following a period of consolidation, which was broken up by the first and second world wars, Matt Busby took over as manager, bringing a new philosophy to English football, with an emphasis on youth.
As such, his “Busby Babes” as they became affectionately known, won three league titles during the 1950s (1952, 1956 and 1957); the likes of Duncan Edwards and (Sir) Bobby Charlton playing major roles. Despite this, disaster by way of the Munich air crash happened a year later, tragically claiming 23 lives, which included eight players.
An event that shook the footballing world, Busby embarked on a rebuild, which saw him sign George Best and Denis Law, creating one of the most frightening attacks in European football. They won the FA Cup in 1963, while league titles in 1965 and 1967 followed, before the ultimate crown – the European Cup in 1968 with a 4-1 win over Benfica at Wembley. Busby retired a year later and would later be knighted for his remarkable achievements.
Ferguson’s Dynasty
Following a period of instability after Busby’s retirement, which saw many managerial changes and a relegation, despite three FA Cup wins (1977, 1983 and 1985), in 1986 United hired Alex Ferguson as manager.
It took a while for Ferguson to really get going, though the club stuck by him. Essentially adopting Busby’s approach of focusing on youth, this began to slowly pay dividends. The beginning of the Premier League era (1992/93 season), the club’s fortunes started to change, including winning the first PL title, finishing 10 points ahead of Aston Villa.
Under Ferguson, a further 12 followed, in addition to five FA Cups and two Champions League trophies which included the remarkable treble winning 1998/99 season, with the squad boasting the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Roy Keane.
Ferguson, like Busby, would later be knighted for his treble-winning achievement and is responsible for building three great sides while in charge of the club, all which won notable silverware.
Post Fergie Era
Since Ferguson retired in 2013, the club has been through notable instability – more than a couple of occasions failing to qualify for the Champions League, while having to watch fierce rivals Manchester City dominate. Numerous managers followed, including Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, though it hasn’t been all doom and gloom.
Fans have had a few things to cheer about, including the FA Cup in 2016 and 2024 plus the Europa League and a couple of League Cup wins, though it is clear they want to be back on top.
Following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s new involvement in the club, it is hoped that this can steer the club in a new direction.