| It is now dubbed
the most famous football club in the world but Manchester
United had a humble beginning in 1878. Formed by a
group of railway workers under the name of Newton Heath
LYR (Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway), the club was plagued
by financial difficulties.
At the start of the 20th century the club was destined
for extinction – that is until local brewery owner
John Henry Davies stepped in and bought it. His investment
led to a change of name and after several suggestions
were rejected, including Manchester Central and Manchester
Celtic, in May 1902 Manchester United was born.
It didn’t take long for Manchester United to prove
they were a force to be reckoned with, winning the
Football League Championship for the first time in
1907/08. From then on the trophies began rolling in –
the Charity Shield in 1908, the FA Cup in 1909 and the
League Championship again in 1910/11.
In that same year the club moved from its old wooden stand
at Bank Street to the newly built stadium at Old Trafford – now referred to by supporters as the 'Theatre
of Dreams'. As the decades went by, Manchester United
continued to win trophies, despite a poor run in the 1930’s
when they were relegated to the second division.
On 11th March 1941 Old Trafford was bombed during a German
air raid destroying the main stand, dressing rooms and
offices. It was a devastating blow but with the return
of league football after the Second World War came new
optimism in the form of Matt Busby – United’s
most famous manager.
His impact on the club was clear from the off as they
came second in the Football League in 1946/47 before going
on to win the FA Cup in 1948. In the 1950s the infamous
Busby Babes were formed and continued to bring home trophies
– winning the league Championship in 1951/52.
But what was perhaps their greatest game on English soil
– a nine-goal thriller against Arsenal at Highbury – turned out to be their last. From London the team
headed to Europe to play the Red Star Belgrade, where
they secured their place in the European Cup semi-finals.
But the trip ended in tragedy when, after refuelling at
Munich on 6th February 1958, the United plane crashed
killing 22 people.
In a flash the Busby Babes where wiped out by the deaths
of seven players Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones,
David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Geoff Bent and Liam Whelan.
Duncan Edwards became the eighth player to die of his
injuries, 15 days later in a German hospital.
But against all odds their manager Matt Busby recovered
from his crash wounds and the team bounced back reaching
the FA Cup final May 1958. In the 1962/63 season Busby’s
new team came second in the League behind Liverpool, who
they lost to both at home and away.
But it was Manchester United who stole the headlines with
their signing of Belfast youngster George Best,
who soon became football’s first superstar. After
being crowned League Champions in 1966/67, the team had
the European Cup in their sights the following
year. And their dream came true after thrashing Benfica
4-1 in the final at the Wembley.
To the joy of the thousands of fans across the world,
the European Cup finally belonged to Manchester United
and Matt Busby was knighted.
The Old Trafford wall of fame is home to a staggering
list of top footballers and managers that have helped
United to become one of the greatest clubs in the world.
But despite having a trophy room bursting at the seams
and winning the League and FA Cup double in 1995 and 96,
the club had still not achieved manager Alex Ferguson’s
ultimate goal – The Treble.
That all changed in United’s greatest ever season, 1998/1999, when the new dream team won the Premiership,
the FA Cup and the European Cup.
While the supporters around the globe basked in the glory,
the players became internationally famous and Alex Ferguson
received a knighthood. Although United has continued to
win trophies in the 21st century, it is one player’s
private life that has filled the newspapers more than
his team’s achievements in the new Millennium.
That man is of course England Captain David Beckham – style icon, national treasure and husband of pop
star Victoria ‘Posh Spice’ Beckham. Despite
his move to Real Madrid in 2003, he is still regarded
as one of Manchester’s own – although he was
born and bred in London.
Manchester United is more than just a football team though
– it is an internationally successful business with
a turnover of around £173 million a year. And Old
Trafford has much more to offer than just a game of football.
Why not step back in time at the Manchester United
museum or get a glimpse of the team’s sparkling
silverware in the Trophy Room. A visit to the museum
also includes a tour of stadium, including the
player’s bar, the home dressing room, the press
box and the dugout.
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