SUMMARY
- Manchester United is the biggest soccer club in England.
- However, the club would not have existed if it wasn't for a dog.
Manchester United is one of soccer’s most celebrated treasures. ‘The Red Devils’ have been the flagbearers of English soccer in the world and are still one of the most revered entities in the soccer world.
The club is an embodiment of soccer royalty and possesses an innate quality of bouncing back from adversities. A true icon of the sport, Manchester United have won the Premier League a record 20 times.
On this day, in 1902, a side called Newton Heath FC were saved from bankruptcy when new investment came in. 🔰
The investors made a few changes – their colours went from green and gold to red and white and the name changed to Manchester United Football Club! 👹 pic.twitter.com/gsZz9Gl3x4
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) April 25, 2024
However, ‘The Red Devils’ weren’t always the global soccer powerhouse that it is today. The English club has sunk into many threatening crises but has managed to resurrect itself every single time. Thus, the tale of Manchester United is a very inspiring one, that bears a lesson on grit and perseverance.
Manchester United is one of the pioneers of English soccer
Like many other English clubs, Manchester United did not start with their present name. In fact, ‘The Red Devils’ chose the name Newton Heath YLR. The team comprised the employees of the carriage and wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (YLR). The new club had chosen Frederick Attock as their first President.
Although the club was formed in 1878, it was in the year 1892 when Newton Heath YLR would join the English first division. Until then the club was playing in local tournaments and took part in friendly games against other railway workers. It tried entering the FA Cup in 1886, but a dispute with the English FA meant that Newton did not play an FA Cup again until 1889.
The club unfortunately finished last in their first season in the English top flight. However, by then Newton Heath had moved away from its ties with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Also, the club had started purchasing many players who were famous nationwide, although most of its players still worked for the railways.
HOW THIS DOG SAVED MAN UTD FROM BANKRUPTCY IN 1901.
On the night of 2nd March 1901, a dog called ‘The Major’ went missing in Manchester, and the dog belonged to Newton Heath [now Man Utd] full-back and captain Harry Stafford.
The dog was found by a wealthy businessman, John… pic.twitter.com/2VBnZkDRZ2
— UF (@UtdFaithfuls) April 26, 2024
The period of 1900-02, was a distressful time in Newton’s history, as the club faced huge debts. Moreover, their results on the pitch weren’t very encouraging as well. In an unfortunate turn of events, the then-club President William Healey 1902 appealed in the court to disband the club as it owed $1175 to him.
However, the famous English brewery owner John Henry Davies soon got to know about the club in an interesting story involving the then-club captain Harry Stafford. The English businessman would soon buy the dog for his daughter and that is how he was made aware of Newton’s financial plight.
Davies would soon come to the rescue as he along with three other investors came up with $9720 to save the club. The new investors would soon change the club’s name to Manchester United in 1902, after rejecting the likes of Manchester Central and Manchester Celtics.
John Henry Davies and Co. would then usher in a new era at the club. Manchester United won their first-ever English top-division title in 1908, before moving into their iconic home of Old Trafford. The club won its second league title in 1910/11.
The following years saw little on-field success for the club. Also, the period following the 1910s was pretty distressing for England and the world alike due to the two World Wars. The effects of the 2nd World War were felt in Manchester United as well, as Old Trafford was converted into a military depot.
The on-pitch success returned after the 1940s, as ‘The Red Devils’ won the FA Cup in 1948, before winning the League title in 1951. It was the beginning of Manchester United’s dominance in English soccer under their manager Sir Matt Busby. The term ‘Busby Babes’ was popularized to indicate the talented group of players at Busby’s disposal.
The British manager was the architect of United’s success in the mid-1900s, managing the club for nearly three decades. Busby won 5 English Leagues, and 2 FA Cups during his time as the Manchester United boss. He also delivered the club’s first-ever European Champion Clubs’ Cup (equivalent to the UCL), thus immortalizing himself in club history.
🔴 Youth.
⚪️ Courage.
⚫️ Success.It’s in our DNA ❤️#MUFC || #MUAcademy pic.twitter.com/nt8HyZfeBx
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 24, 2024
However, a tragic plane accident in Munich that killed 8 Man Utd players amongst 15 others in 1958, threatened to derail the club, as the core of the team was badly affected by the incident. However, Sir Matt Busby and his players made a remarkable comeback to win the European Champion Clubs’ Cup in 1968.
After the incident, Matt Busby centered the team around talented players like George Best, Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, etc. who would go on to become legends of the sport. Manchester United have honored these players by erecting a statue outside Old Trafford, commemorating their Holy Trinity.
The Sir Alex Ferguson era is the club’s most illustrious phase
The 1966/67 season was the last time when Manchester United had won the Premier League. The club had won a couple of trophies like the FA Cup or the Community Shield, but was in dire need of some notable silverware. Matt Busby had left his managerial role in 1969 to move into a more bureaucratic role at the club.
Just as when the club was requiring a serial winner for the manager, the name of Sir Alex Ferguson popped up. The Scottish manager had enjoyed great success with Aberdeen winning three Scottish Premierships and a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1983, defeating Real Madrid in the final. That Aberdeen win is the last time a Scottish club has won a European trophy.
The Scotsman was appointed as the manager of Manchester United in 1986. The Sir Alex Ferguson era was undoubtedly, the best time to become a Manchester United fan. The FA Cup win in the 1989/90 season started a flurry of honors and titles. ‘The Red Devils’ won the 1992/93 English first division, becoming the inaugural Premier League champions.
#OnThisDay in 1986, Sir Alex Ferguson was appointed as the manager of #MUFC. pic.twitter.com/2uZqjSdN3Q
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 6, 2019
This was also the first league title for the English club in 26 years and was the first of Sir Alex Ferguson’s mammoth collection of 13 Premier League titles. Manchester United dominated the 1990s winning 5 Premier League titles and 3 FA Cups.
In the 1998/1999 season, however, ‘The Red Devils’ reached the pinnacle of success by becoming the first team to win a treble (UCL, FA Cup, and the Premier League). Apart from the titles, Sir Alex Ferguson was considered to be a very disciplinarian figure in the Man Utd. dressing room.
Perhaps, it was his no-nonsense way of coaching United that produced players like David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, and Gary Neville (class of ’92), some of them who would represent the club for many more years.
The Scottish manager was a very inspiring figure who could motivate his players in an instant. This has produced many memorable comeback victories for the English club, including the one in the 1998/1999 UCL final against FC Bayern Munich.
The wave of success would continue in the 2000s as well, as Man Utd would continue to dominate in the Premier League. However, the club did face some challenges from Arsenal and Chelsea. ‘The Red Devils’ would win the 3rd UCL in their history in the 2007/08 season beating Chelsea in the final. The success on the pitch has meant that United is one of the most valuable clubs in the world with a valuation of around $5.4 billion.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s historic reign at Manchester United would end in 2013, after winning the Premier League in his final season as well. It was expected that a club of United’s stature would continue to enjoy success even after the departure of Sir Alex.
Man United:
New manager ➡️ Positive start ➡️ Player falling out ➡️ Bad run of form ➡️ Squad find fault in manager 🔁 Repeat pic.twitter.com/rb5qfpdT4A— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) November 1, 2023
However, the club would completely lose its glory in the coming years. The club has been surrounded by several controversies in the post-Fergie era, which has damaged its reputation. This coupled with poor recruitment and managerial tussles has meant that the once-European giant now even has to fight to get into the UCL spots.
It looked like Manchester United, who haven’t won the league since 2012/13, were in the renaissance era under Erik ten Hag, but even that hasn’t gone according to the plan. Manchester United continues to battle the problems inside the club, in their quest to recover their long-lost glory.