Stand up if you know how this song ends (Manchester United F.C.)

Member Name: robbroome

Product:	Manchester United F.C.
Date:	22/03/09 (51 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sublime football, crying scousers

Disadvantages: Fabien Barthez has caused me to suffer bad panic attacks that prozac can't touch !

Manchester United. The two most reviled words in the English language. But why do people hate Man United so much? Because of their success? No, I don't think so. Even during Liverpool's heydays during the late 70's/early 80's United were still the most loathed team in football.
Ironically, United's popularity is probably the reason for all the animosity directed at them. Even when they were in the second division in the 70's they had by far the largest fanbase of any team in Britain (and the world). There's also a certain glamour attached to Man United which I'm sure has piqued many rival supporters over the years.

I could go on and on about why I think United are so great, but this is Ciao. I'm supposed to use my opinion to inform the readers. So I'll leave my 'My teams better than yours! Nuh-Nuh, Ne-Nuh-Nuh!' rant until the end of the op.
HISTORY

The club was founded in 1878 under their original name of Newton Heath LYR (Lancashire-Yorkshire Railways). Their nickname was the Heathens. The team originally played at a ground on North Road, near the railway yard where the players worked. The club eventually joined the football league in 1892, four years after it's conception. In 1893 the club moved grounds to a pitch on Bank Street in the Clayton District. The early years were a struggle, with the club nearly becoming extinct on several occasions. Eventually the club was saved from recievership by the managing director of Manchester Breweries, John Henry Davies, and three other local businessmen who each contributed £500. Davies was installed as club president and the club's name was changed to Manchester United. With this change, the club also adopted the now famous colours of Red shirts, White shorts and Black socks and the nickname changed to the Red Devils.
The club won their first league championship in 1908 under the management of Ernest Mangnall and inspired by 'the Welsh Wizard' Billy Meredith, the first in a long line of legendary United wingers. They added to this the following year by beating Bristol City 1-0 to lift the FA Cup for the first time. During the middle of the 1909/1910 season the club moved to Old Trafford which at that time boasted a capacity of 100,000. They won another title in 1910/11 but suffered in the following years and were relegated to Division two. It took them four years to regain their place among the elite.

The club nearly went bankrupt in 1931 but was saved by a local businessman, James Gibson. It was Gibson who was ultimately responsible for bringing in Sir Matt Busby as manager in 1945. For the next quarter of a century Busby turned the club into a legend that was known across the globe.
His first success came in 1948 when United won the FA Cup again, beating Blackpool 4-2 in the final. The league championship followed in 1951/52 and the first of the famous 'Busby Babes' began to appear on the scene. After gradually introducing these young players over a few years, their promise was finally fulfilled in 1956 when they won the league championship.

The following season saw Manchester United become the first English team to enter the European Cup, going against the FA's wishes. This first attempt took them to the semi finals where they lost to Real Madrid. They won the league yet again and almost took the FA Cup too, only losing out in the final 2-1 to Aston Villa.
The following season 'The Babes' once again thrilled the European crowds with their exhilarating brand of football and looked set to go all the way. After beating Red Star Belgrade 5-4 on aggregate, tragedy was to strike.

On the 6th of February 1958, the saddest day in United's history and one of the blackest days in football happened. After emerging victorious against Red Star Belgrade, the team's plane landed at Munich airport to refuel. After two aborted take offs, the captain attempted a third. Unfortunately, this time the plane crashed, leaving 21 people dead, including seven of the players. Many more were seriously injured, imcluding Sir Matt who was put on the critical list. His chest was shattereed and his lungs were punctured, he twice received the last rites.
With the team decimated and Sir Matt in critical condition it was left to his assistant, Jimmy Murphy, to take the reigns and steer the club from this crisis. With a team full of youth and reserve players, United embarked on a Cup run which took them all the way to the final. This last match was to prove too high a hurdle for them as they lost 2-0 to Bolton. Busby's recovery was sufficient that he was allowed to attend the game.

After the tragedy of Munich, Busby began to rebuild the team, but it wasn't until 1963 that they won another trophy, beating Leicester City 3-1 in the Cup. They regained the league title in 1965. The following year they reached the semi finals of the European Cup yet again, but were knocked out of the competition by FK Partizan Belgrade. They won another league title in 1967 but their greatest achievement yet was just around the corner.
In May 1968, ten years after the Munich Disaster, United finally lifted the European Cup after beating Benfica in the final, becoming the first English club to win the competition and the second team in Britain (Celtic had won it the year before). This was the culmination of Sir Matt's dream and was won in the cavalier style that was blueprinted by the 'Busby Babes' and is the style that United have become synonymous with. Sir Matt retired the following season.

After Busby's retirement, United struggled for twenty years to regain their place at the top of the pile, the only trophies being Cup victories in 1977, 1983 and 1985.
In 1986, a new manager arrived at Old Trafford, Alex Ferguson. Like Busby before him, Ferguson was a tough disciplinarian Scot with a belief in flamboyant, attacking football and the need for young players brought through the youth ranks. In fact one of Fergie's first signings was a schoolboy Ryan Giggs on his fourteenth birthday. Success was not immediate for Ferguson, his first four years being an uphill struggle but after this came unprecedented success as Ferguson's success eclipsed that of even Sir Matt Busby.

His first trophy came in 1990, when United lifted the Cup after beating Crystal Palace in a replay. The following year European football returned to Old Trafford as United won the European Cup Winners Cup by beating Barcelona 2-1 in the final at Rotterdam after a Mark Hughes winner, they followed this by winning the European Super Cup. The next year they won the league cup.
In the 92/93 season, United won their first league title in 26 years, inspired by their new signing, the enigmatic Frenchman, Eric Cantona. This was followed by a league and cup double in 93/94, United becoming only the fourth team to complete this achievement. In 95/96 they topped this by becoming the first team to win two doubles. They followed this up with another league title in the 96/97 season. In the next season, Arsenal joined United as the only other team to win two doubles. The following season was to become the greatest that United had ever seen

In 1998/99 United won an unprecedented treble of League, Cup and European Cup, a feat never achieved before and never likely to be achieved again (Sorry, Brian. Mickey Mouse trebles don't count!). The most memorable aspect of the season was the team's refusal to be beaten even in the most precarious of circumstances. The team also scored an amazing 128 goals in 61 games.
United have followed this success by adding league titles in 99/00 and 00/01. They are currently attempting to win the league title for the fourth successive season, a new record.

ROLL OF HONOUR
League Champions 14 Times
(second only to Liverpool. I'm sure brianlfc will be pleased to see this stat)
1908,1911,1952,1956,1957,1965, 1967, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002?

FA Cup Winners 10 times
(A record!)
1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999
League Cup Winners Once
1992

European Cup Winners 2 Times
1968, 1999
European Cup Winners Cup
1991

European Super Cup Winners
1991
World Club Champions
1999


THE STADIUM
Old Trafford is the largest football stadium in England with a capacity of 67,700. It is also known as 'The Theatre of Dreams'. This nickname was penned in the sixties and is a reference to the entertaining style that United played during their matches.

Originally opened in 1910 with a capacity of 80,000, Old Trafford has always been one of the largest and most lavish stadia in the country.
In March 1941, the ground was destroyed by German Bombs. When the war ended in 1945 and football restarted, United had to share a ground with arch-rivals Manchester City until their return to Old Trafford on the 24th of August 1949.

Old Trafford also contains a club museum as well as two United 'Megastores'. There are also a memorial of the Munich disaster and a statue of Sir Matt Busby that was erected after his death in 1994.
FAMOUS PAST PLAYERS


GEORGE BEST 'The Belfast Boy'
Best is probably the greatest and certainly the most famous player in United's history. Making his debut as a 17 year old boy on the 14th September 1963. He quickly became a legend with his dazzling skills that left defenders flat footed and an eye for goal that made keepers wince. The first footballing pin-up, George was almost as famous for his off the field antics as on it, one of his favourite pastimes being bedding Miss Worlds! He played 466 games for United and scored 178 goals. He also appeared for Northern Ireland 37 times and scored 9 goals for them.

STEVE BRUCE
Steve bruce signed for United in 1987 and was the cornerstone of the United defence until he left in 1996. He captained the side throughout the early nineties in what was to be the start of United's most successful period in the clubs history. His leadership and determination endeared him to the fans and his partnership in the heart of the defence with Gary Pallister was to become United's leanest, conceding only 16 goals in an entire season at one point. He made 407 appearances and scored 51 goals for United.

ERIC CANTONA
The fan's hero and the man who finally delivered the championship after 26 fruitless years. The enigmatic Frenchman achieved a god-like status at Old Trafford and the fans still sing his song five years after he retired. He is the best foreigner ever to ply his trade in the English game. He became famous for his upturned collars and his peacock like strut around the pitch. Eric made 181 appearances for United and scored 80 goals. He also had 45 french caps and scored 19 goals for them

SIR BOBBY CHARLTON
One of the most famous footballers in the world, Bobby Charlton has won almost everything there is to win. One of the true gentlemen of football, Charlton will be most remembered for his fantastic goals as he became part of the famous triumverate of Best, Charlton and Law, dubbed 'The Holy Trinity'. He broke all sorts of records for United, including most appearances (752) and most goals (247). He also holds the England goalscoring record, getting 49 goals in 106 games.

PETER SCHMEICHEL
Probably the greatest goalie the world has ever seen, time and again 'The Great Dane' manage to save United from the brink and usually set up the winner at the other end. Famous for his mad forays into the opponents penalty area and his shouting at his teammates, Peter now plies his trade for Aston Villa, THE SNEAKY BASTARD!! He made 392 appearances for United and amazingly scored 1 goal (A record for a United keeper!)!


There are many famous players I could have mentioned, but my fingers are going numb from all of this typing. I'm not going to bother mentioning the current team neither (The buggers spoilt my accumulator on the weekend!), if you want to find out about these, try the sports section of your newspaper, they're always in it somewhere.
WHY DO I LOVE MAN UNITED?

God knows. If my Dad had had his way, I'd be a Chelsea supporter (As if!), but thankfully my Uncle Jeff sat me down and got me to watch the '83 Cup final as a four year old and I was hooked. My early memories were of torment as Liverpool won everything, but my friends, revenge was sweet. Oddly enough all of my best mates are Liverpool supporters and come the end of the season I've no doubt they'll be avoiding me yet again..
I hope this op hasn't been too long winded for you all. I just hope you appreciate the amount of research that went into this bohemoth!

Glory glory Man United, Glory Glory Man......

Summary: Sublime football, crying scousers