Liceul Teoretic „Petru Maior” Gherla

Profil: MATEMATICA-INFORMATICA INTENSIV ENGLEZA

LUCRARE PENTRU OBTINEREA ATESTATULUI

- MANCHESTER UNITED -
THE BIGGEST CLUB IN THE ENGLISH FOOTBALL

Elev: Costea Darius-Mihai Profesor Coordonator: Haran Florin

Introduction
 Manchester United is one of the most successful football clubs in the world, with a rich
history dating back to 1878. The club has won numerous domestic and international titles
throughout its existence, making it one of the most feared opponents on any stage. This essay
will explore the founding of Manchester United, its early achievements, the Munich Air Disaster
and subsequent rebuilding efforts, as well as Sir Matt Busby's arrival at the club and European
successes, it will delve into Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure as manager, during which he led
Manchester United to Premier League dominance and a treble win in 1999 and Manchester
United as we know it now in the present days.

The Start of Something Wonderful

Little suspecting the impact they were about to have on the national, even global game, the
workers in the railway yard at Newton Heath indulged their passion for association football with
games against other departments of the LYR and other railway companies.

Indeed, when the Football League was formed in 1888, Newton Heath did not consider
themselves good enough to become founder members alongside the likes of Blackburn Rovers
and Preston North End. Instead, they waited until 1892 to make their entrance, joining the league
at Division One level but were sadly relegated to Division Two after just two seasons in the top
flight.

Financial problems plagued the club and, by the start of the 20th Century, it seemed they were
destined for extinction. The team was saved, however, by local brewery owner John Henry
Davies. Legend has it that he learned of the club's plight when he found a dog belonging to
captain Harry Stafford.

Davies decided to invest in Newton Heath, in return for some interest in running it. This led to a
change of name and, after several alternatives including Manchester Central and Manchester
Celtic were rejected, Manchester United was born in April/May of 1902.

The next influential figure to arrive at United was Ernest Mangnall, who was appointed
secretary in September 1903 but is widely acknowledged as being the club's first manager. His
side, including new signings like goalkeeper Harry Moger and forward Charlie Sagar, finished
third in the Second Division in 1903/04 and again in 1904/05.

In 1907/08 United were crowned champions of the Football League winning the title for the first
time. As champions, United played in the first-ever Charity Shield in 1908. They duly won the
trophy, beating Southern League champions QPR 4-0 thanks largely to a hat-trick from Sandy's
namesake, Jimmy Turnbull. The third trophy to be added to the club's honours board was the FA
Cup, at the end of a tremendous run in 1909. United beat Bristol City 1-0 in the final, thanks to
Sandy Turnbull's winner.

The words Old Trafford entered footballing folklore for the first time during the 1909/10 season.
The land on which the stadium was built was bought by the Manchester Brewery Company
(through John Henry Davies) and leased to the club. A second title followed in 1911 but it wasn’t
until after the Second World War when United really became a force in English football, under
the leadership of Sir Matt Busby.

Matt Busby and the "Busby Babes"

Busby joined the Reds in 1945, initially on a five-year contract. Little did he know he would still
be managing the club 25 years later! The young boss did not waste any time making his mark,
altering the positions of several key players. He also founded the 'Famous Five' forwards when
he brought together Jimmy Delaney, Stan Pearson, Jack Rowley, Charlie Mitten and Johnny
Morris.

Perhaps the most important signing Busby made, however, was on the coaching staff. Matt had
met Jimmy Murphy during the war, and identified him as his perfect right-hand man. The pair
formed a partnership that would see United become a power in world football.

Busby and Murphy's first step on the road to glory was to build a team that was capable of
challenging for domestic honours. They succeeded almost at the first attempt, as United finished
second to Liverpool in the first Football League campaign after the war, 1946/47. It was the
club's highest placing for 36 years, and there was extra cause for optimism when the Reserves
won their (Central) League Championship in the same season.
 Busby's mix of young local lads and established players lifted their first trophy the following
year, when beating the Blackpool side of Stanley Matthews, Stan Mortensen and Harry Johnston
in the 1948 FA Cup final. It was 39 years to the day that United had previously won the Cup, in
1909.

The FA Cup was also the club's first major honour since winning the League Championship in
1911, and recapturing the title would now become the number one target for Busby's men.
During the first five seasons of his post-war reign, United finished second on four occasions, and
fourth on the other (1949/50).

The thrill of the chase for honours brought the fans flooding back – more than one million of
them passed through the turnstiles in the 1947/48 season, dragging the club out of debt. Surely
these fans wouldn't have to wait long to be rewarded with the prize they all craved…

Dressing room dissent led to Johnny Morris departing for Derby and Charlie Mitten exporting
his wing wizardry to Colombia. Fans worried by the duo's departure were soon placated. The
great Scot’s plan was to promote the youngsters he’d been recruiting and developing in the late
1940s. Jackie Blanchflower and Roger Byrne were the first to emerge and be labelled ‘Babes’ by
the newspapers; in their debut season in 1951/52, United won the elusive League championship
for the first time since 1911.

In 1955/56 and 1956/57, Byrne lifted the Division One trophy as skipper of a fabled young side
that included several more products of Busby’s youth academy. Eddie Colman, Mark Jones and
David Pegg were all first-team regulars, having cut their teeth in the FA Youth Cup, which
United won five years in a row from its inception in 1953.

Not all the young talent was home-grown, however. The United manager was equally happy to
plunge into the transfer market, as shown by the big money signings of proven internationals
Tommy Taylor and goalkeeper Harry Gregg.

Another young man who excelled for club and country was Duncan Edwards. So powerful,
talented and mature was the Dudley teenager that Busby could not hold him back from United’s
first team. In April 1953, he became the First Division’s youngest-ever player at the age of 16
years and 185 days.

One match that epitomised the new Busby Babes era was against Arsenal at Highbury on 1
February 1958. In front of a crowd of 63,578 the Reds beat the Gunners in a nine-goal thriller
with goals from Edwards, Taylor (2), Bobby Charlton and Dennis Viollet.

Sadly, what was perhaps their greatest game on English soil was destined to be the last for that
particular Manchester United team. From Highbury, the Babes headed off into Europe to play the
second leg of a tie against Red Star Belgrade. Again they won 5-4, this time on aggregate but, on
the way home, the celebrations were cut short by tragedy.

Munich Air Disaster and Rebuilding the Team

After refuelling in Munich on 6 February 1958, the United aeroplane crashed, killing 22 people,
including seven players – Byrne, Colman, Jones, Pegg, Taylor, Geoff Bent and Liam Whelan.
Duncan Edwards died of his injuries 15 days later in a German hospital. The club, the city of
Manchester and the English game entered a long period of mourning. It seemed inconceivable
that United could recover from such an appalling loss.

But as Busby defied the medics to recover from his crash wounds, the team bounced back and,
patched up by Jimmy Murphy, they reached the FA Cup final in May against all odds. The Reds
lost at Wembley to Bolton Wanderers, 12 months after controversially losing the final to Aston
Villa.

Despite the appalling devastation inflicted on United’s richly talented first-team squad, Busby
and Murphy pulled together a makeshift pool of players and, remarkably, they finished second in
the league in 1958/59. After the horrors of Munich, the rebuilding process had begun.

After building one of the greatest teams seen in England, Matt Busby had to start all over again
at the start of the 1960s. The Munich Air Disaster had robbed him, and football, of some of the
era's greatest players. But once the great manager had recovered from his own injuries, he set
about forging another side to take the world by storm. United's form was erratic at the start of the
decade, while new names settled in, but then everything came together with a run to Wembley
for the 1963 FA Cup Final. Busby's new-look team beat Leicester 3-1, with two goals from
David Herd and one by Law.

In 1964/65, the famous Trinity of Best, Law and Charlton took United to new heights. They won
the League championship, and reached the semi-finals of the European Fairs Cup and the FA
Cup. In 1966/67, United were crowned League champions again and another season of European
Cup football was guaranteed. This time, United would go all the way, beating Benfica in the
final at Wembley. Just 10 years after Sir Matt had seen his dream team destroyed, he had
delivered the ultimate prize. He was knighted soon afterwards.

The Dark 70's for The Reds

With memories of the European Cup triumph beginning to fade, Manchester United's attentions
turned to their managerial vacancy. Sir Matt Busby had led the club to the promised land but had
now retired, leaving big boots to fill.

Tommy Docherty faced his first challenge when he had to keep the team in the top flight, while
gradually replacing the legends of the 1960s. Bobby Charlton had announced he would retire at
the end of the 1972/73 season, Best was frequently veering off the rails once again and Law had
passed his peak. Law, in fact, was given a free transfer in July 1973, a move which later came
back to haunt Docherty. The striker joined Manchester City and scored at Old Trafford in April
1974, on a day when United's relegation to the Second Division was confirmed.

To Docherty's credit, the Reds bounced back very quickly. They won the Second Division
championship in style in 1974/75, with top scorer Stuart 'Pancho' Pearson contirbuting 17 league
goals. Lou Macari scored the goal that clinched promotion, at Southampton on 5 April 1975.

United then reached successive FA Cup finals, losing to Southampton in 1976, but beating
Liverpool 2-1 a year later. The Doc's men rose perfectly to the task of destroying Liverpool's
Treble hopes – the Merseyside club won the League Championship and the European Cup on
either side of United's triumph. The joy of that win didn't last very long for the Doc, however.
Just 44 days later, he was sacked following off-field revelations.

Sir Alex Fergusons' Golden Era

In November 1986, United at last appointed a proven winner. At Aberdeen, Alex Ferguson had
claimed every prize that Scotland had to offer, not to mention the added bonus of the European
Cup Winners' Cup when his team defied the odds to beat Real Madrid in the final.

Ferguson clearly had the talent for the job, but he also needed time to turn United round. The
club remained patient as the Reds finished eleventh in 1986/87 and again in 1988/89. After all,
the season in between, 1987/88, had offered encouraging signs as United finished second to
Liverpool by winning eight and drawing two of their last 10 games.
 The promise of that season, and some of the signings made, would soon be fulfilled. Ferguson's
first FA Cup, achieved after a replay against Crystal Palace, at the time seemed to be a stand-
alone success, one that possibly saved his job after another poor season in the League. But nine
years later, it seemed that Lee Martin's winning goal against Palace lit the fuse for an explosion
of unprecedented success.

First and foremost, winning the FA Cup in 1990 allowed United to make a return to European
competition after an absence of five years following the Heysel disaster. Far from being rusty,
the Reds went all the way to the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup in Rotterdam where the
opponents were Barcelona, the former club of United striker Mark Hughes. Two goals by
Hughes sealed the match 2-1 in United's favour in May 1991, 23 years after the club's previous
triumph in Europe.

The other long wait, for that elusive League championship, very nearly ended in 1992. The Reds
had already won the manager's third trophy in March, the League Cup, and were in a two-horse
race with Leeds. Liverpool were out of the running, but still had a say in the destiny of the title,
beating United 2-0 at Anfield to end their arch rival's challenge.

The 1991/92 title would be remembered in Manchester as the title that United lost, rather than
the one that Leeds actually won. Leeds, after all, were not the greatest of football powers in the
1990s and their star quality was further reduced when they allowed one of their best players to
cross the Pennines in December 1992.

In selling Eric Cantona to Old Trafford, the Yorkshire club practically handed over the keys to
the League championship. The Frenchman brought the little extra bit of magic and confidence
that had been missing from United's previous campaigns and was an instant hit with the
Mancunian faithful, scoring nine goals to help the Reds win their first title in 26 years.

In the following season, 1993/94, the team virtually picked itself en route to an historic League
and FA Cup Double, with Cantona sporting the number seven shirt that had been Bryan
Robson’s property for so long. The number one, meanwhile, was undoubtedly Peter Schmeichel,
arguably the best goalkeeper ever seen in the English game.

Cantona’s eight-month absence from January 1995, following his clash with a fan at Crystal
Palace, proved to be United’s undoing as they tried to defend their Double. The Reds
surrendered the title by one point to Blackburn Rovers and then lost the FA Cup final by one
goal to Everton. The former champions were hampered at Wembley by an injury to Steve Bruce,
the brave captain who was a defensive rock in the early 1990s, and his replacement at half-time,
Ryan Giggs, was also not fully fit.

Bruce also missed the following year's FA Cup Final, at the end of the 1995/96 season, but this
time the result was rather different. Liverpool stood between United and a first-ever ‘Double
Double’ and were holding out for extra-time, when Cantona struck home a sublime shot in the
86th minute. The French skipper had throughout the season been an inspiration to the talented
young players in the team, including David Beckham and Gary Neville.
 In May 1997, Cantona helped the club to its fourth League title of the decade. It was to be his
last, as he surprisingly retired from football later that same month. The shock waves of Eric’s
decision seemed to last for a whole year, as the Reds went empty-handed in 1997/98 while
Arsenal won the Double. Again, injuries to key players, especially Giggs and Roy Keane, were
cited for United’s downfall.

The influence that Giggs could have on results was never more apparent than in the 1999 FA
Cup semi-final replay, when he scored perhaps the goal of the decade – a solo run and finish that
left Arsenal's defenders grasping at thin air. It booked United's place in their fifth FA Cup final
of the 1990s, and this time Ferguson's men won it, beating Newcastle United 2-0 with goals by
Paul Scholes and substitute Teddy Sheringham.

That result clinched United's third Double, six days after the Premiership title had been wrapped
up by Andy Cole's goal against Tottenham at Old Trafford. But still there was more to come
from a remarkable campaign. After an epic Champions League semi-final against Juventus,
when Keane inspired the team to fight back from 2-0 down in the second leg, United marched
into an epic final against Bayern Munich in Barcelona.

United's attempts to win the European Cup for the first time since 1968 looked to be doomed
when Bayern took an early lead through Mario Basler and defended it with typical German
resilience. But then, in injury time, the Reds produced one of the most stunning revivals in
sporting history – Sheringham equalised and, moments later, his fellow substitute Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer fired in the winner to make the score 2-1. United clinched an unprecedented, historic
Treble and Ferguson was subsequently knighted as fans around the globe basked in the glory.

The Treble became a Quadruple later in the year when Sir Alex's men travelled to Tokyo to
compete for the Inter-Continental Cup. Keane's goal against Palmeiras of Brazil bestowed upon
United the title of World Club Champions. Officially, at the end of the Millennium, the biggest
football club in the world had also become the best in the world!
 Sir Alex had been at the helm for all three of United's back-to-back titles, and was the first
manager in English football to achieve the hat-trick. On the back of this latest trophy, he
announced his impending retirement, only to thankfully change his mind and decide to stay.

Ferguson's major signing in the summer of 2002 was Rio Ferdinand, one of England's best
performers at the World Cup finals in Japan and Korea. The £30m acquisition from Leeds added
the steel that had arguably been missing from United's defence since the departure of Jaap Stam
to Lazio. Ferdinand helped the Reds to recapture the Premiership title in May 2003, a season that
marked the departure of one of United’s favourite sons. David Beckham left his longtime home
by signing for Real Madrid but his career as a Red ended on a high, scoring a trademark free-
kick against Everton in his final game.

For Sir Alex and his players, the main aim remained Premier League glory, which was duly
snared the following season as United notched a 16th League title, finishing six points clear of
reigning champions Chelsea. While the whole squad performed admirably to snatch the title back
from Stamford Bridge, the man who took most of the plaudits was Ronaldo, who collected 13
personal honours during the campaign - including the PFA Player and Young Player of the Year
award. While it seemed improbable that the winger could top his 2006/07 heroics, he did just that
the following season. Ronaldo played a major part - scoring 42 goals - as the Reds saw off the
challenge of Chelsea in the two biggest competitions going. Strengthened by the summer
signings of Owen Hargreaves, Carlos Tevez, Anderson and Nani, United recovered from a slow
start to the season to head the table for almost the entire campaign. Despite a late charge from
Chelsea, a final-day victory at Wigan (in which Ryan Giggs scored the clinching goal on the day
he equalled the club's all-time appearances record) secured a 17th league title for United.
 Ten days later, in Moscow, the Reds and Blues duked it out for silverware again as two English
clubs met in the final of the Champions League or European Cup for the first time. Ronaldo's
opener was cancelled out by Frank Lampard and, after 120 tense minutes, the match went to
penalties. Ronaldo's miss gave John Terry the chance to take the trophy, but the Chelsea skipper
slipped and smacked his effort against a post. Reprieved, United went on to win the shootout
when Edwin van der Sar saved Nicolas Anelka's effort, ensuring that Europe's biggest
competition had been won by the men from Manchester for a third time.

United reclaimed the title for a record 19th domestic rule. While Rooney had powered the
2009/10 campaign with his prolific form in front of goal, 2010/11 was notably more of a squad
success. And winning the league title for the 20th time brought the news that millions of Reds
had been dreading for a long time: Sir Alex Ferguson was to step down as manager of
Manchester United. His retirement was announced on 8 May 2013 and his selection as successor
was named the very next day. David Moyes arrived from Everton, tasked with following in the
footsteps of British football's most successful manager.

Present day Manchester United

It proved to be too tall an order for the Scot, despite his impressive if trophy-less track record at
Goodison Park. Towards the end of a disappointing 2013/14 season, with United unable to win
any of the cup competitions and lying in seventh place, it was announced that Moyes had left the
club. On the same day, 22 April 2014, the Reds' longest serving and most-decorated player Ryan
Giggs was placed in temporary charge until the end of the season.

Louis van Gaal's appointmentas the permanent new manager - and the club's first boss from
outside the UK and Ireland - was announced on 19 May 2014 and he started work in July after
guiding his native Netherlands to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Brazil. Giggs, who had
retired in May at the end of a long and glorious one-club playing career, was retained by van
Gaal in the role of assistant manager. But after failing to achieve much as a manager intense
speculation that Jose Mourinho would be appointed as United's new manager proved to be
accurate on Friday 27 May 2016 when the club announced his arrival in a statement on
ManUtd.com. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward commented: "José is quite simply the best
manager in the game today... his track record of success is ideal to take the club forward."

Mourinho himself said: "To become Manchester United manager is a special honour in the
game. It is a club known and admired throughout the world. There is a mystique and a romance
about it which no other club can match."

By the time the new 2016/17 Premier League season kicked off, the new boss had already
collected his first piece of silverware - the Community Shield, secured with a 2-1 win over
league champions Leicester City at Wembley - and he had acquired four exciting new players in
Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahmovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and club record signing Paul Pogba. The
latter embarked on his second spell with United, having previously made seven first-team
appearances in 2011/12 after rising through the Academy and Reserves ranks.

By the end of Mourinho’s debut season at Old Trafford he had added two more trophies, the
League Cup sealed with victory over Southampton thanks to Zlatan’s late Wembley winner and,
thrillingly, the Europa League, that trophy completing United’s full set of honours after a cup
final triumph over Ajax in Stockholm.

In the summer of 2017, the Reds signed a prolific Premier League striker in Romelu Lukaku
from Everton. Mourinho also secured the services of midfielder Nemanja Matic from his former
club Chelsea and brought in Sweden centre-back Victor Lindelof from Benfica. Having won the
Europa League the previous campaign, United started the 2017/18 season with a UEFA Super
Cup clash against Real Madrid, but the Spanish side emerged as 2-1 winners with goals from
Isco and Casemiro. The Reds recovered well from the disappointment, winning six of the first
seven league games.
 In January 2018, the club signed Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal and the Chilean helped us to
amass our best points tally (81) and achieve our highest league position (second, to runaway
champions Manchester City) since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure. We bowed out of the
Champions League by losing in the last 16 to Sevilla but we finished the season with the 20th FA
Cup final appearance in our history, only for Chelsea to win 1-0 at Wembley and thwart
Mourinho's bid for another trophy with United.

Michael Carrick retired from playing at the end of the 2017/18 season, 12 years after signing for
United, and he instantly took up a place on the coaching staff. Meanwhile, three new players
were acquired - midfielder Fred, full-back Diogo Dalot and goalkeeper Lee Grant - before the
2018/19 term began with a 2-1 home win against Leicester City. However, the promising start
could not be maintained and in December, with the team placed sixth in the Premier League
table, the club decided to part company with Mourinho. The Portuguese coach was replaced by
former Reds striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was appointed as caretaker manager until the end
of the campaign.

Works Cited:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_United_F.C.

https://www.footballhistory.org/club/manchester-united.html

https://www.manutd.com/en/History/History-by-Decade
https://www.manutd.com/en/History/Trophy-Room

Summary:

 Introduction

 Matt Busby and the "Busby Babes"

 Munich Air Disaster and Rebuilding the Team

 The Dark 70's for The Reds

 Sir Alex Fergusons' Golden Era

 Present day Manchester United