Manchester United

Manchester United are a team that play in the Premier League, the top level of football in England. They are commonly known as “Man Utd” or “Man U” and are based in the Old Trafford area of Greater Manchester.

Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United FC were founded in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club. They changed their name to their current name in 1902 and moved to their current stadium, Old Trafford, in 1910.

The team was originally founded by the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) depot at Newton Heath. They played their first games against other departments and railway companies. They lost their first recorded game 6-0 in 1880 against Bolton Wanderers reserves in shirts the same colour as the company’s livery – green and gold.

They were a founding member of a local league called The Combination in 1888, and then joined the Football Alliance which ran for three seasons before merging with the Football League for the 1892-1893 season which they played in the First Division. At this point they were independent of the railway company and dropped the LYR from their name.

After running up debts of L2,670 in 1902 four local businessmen put up L500 each to take on the football club and it changed its name to Manchester United.

Following the second world war, Manchester United F.C. appointed manager Matt Busby who demanded an unprecedented level of control over the way the club was run – including team selection, player transfers and training sessions. It worked, with Manchester United finishing as runners up in the league in 1947, 1948 and 1949, winning the FA Cup in 1948. In 1952 they captured the First division title as well, the first title the team had won in 41 years.

They won the title again in 1956 and again in 1957, with the 1956 title winning side’s average age of 22 earning them the sobriquet “The Busby Babes”. Tragedy struck in 1958 however, when a plane carrying the team, officials and journalists crashed while attempting to take off after refuelling in Munich on the way back from a match with Red Star Belgrade. 23 people died including eight players while several more were injured. Reserve team manager Jimmy Murphy took over the team while Busby recovered from his injuries and they reached the FA Cup final, losing to Bolton Wanderers.

Busby rebuilt the team bringing in players such as Denis Law and Pat Crerand who alongside the next generation of young players like George Best would go on to win the FA Cup in 1963 along with the League in 1965 and 1967. In 1968, Manchester United were the first English club (and second British club after Celtic) to win the European Cup, beating Benfica 4-1 in the final.

It would be 26 years before Manchester United would win the title again. The architect of their greatest run of success Alex Ferguson was on the verge of being sacked before it all started, saving his career with success in the 1990 FA Cup. 1991 saw them win the Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Super Cup before in 1993 they wrapped up the inaugural Premier League title. In all Ferguson would win 13 Premier League titles including the club’s first ever double in 1994 and a historic treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 1999.

Manchester United Logo

The club crest was originally derived from the Manchester City Council coat of arms, however all that remains of that is the ship in full sail. The devil was added to the logo in 1971 having been incorporated on scarves and programmes throughout the sixties. The devil stems from the club’s nickname “The Red Devils”.

The Manchester United jersey has evolved too over time. Originally the club played in the green and gold colours of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, which was changed to the standard Manchester United colours of red shirts in 1902 when the club changed its name. There have been exceptions, such as the period 1922-1927 when the club played in white shirts with a red V and 1934 when they played in cherry and white hoops.

Manchester United vs Manchester City

Manchester United’s main city rivals are Manchester City, who play at the Etihad Stadium in Eastlands. Meetings between the sides are called the “Manchester derby”. There have been over 170 of them in all competitions, with the first meeting taking place in 1881 before either team had taken the name of Manchester. Manchester United have long been the more successful team, having won 64 trophies in comparison to Manchester City’s 18.

In the 1970s the games between the two sides were often ill-tempered. In the December 1970 derby George Best broke Glyn Pardoe’s leg so severely it almost resulted in the Manchester City defender requiring amputation. The following season, Francis Lee of Manchester City accused George Best of diving theatrically, making the point to the refby throwing himself to the floor. The first derby of the 1973-4 season saw Mike Doyle and Lou Macari each receive a red card in a poor 0-0 contest. Neither player would leave the pitch, forcing the ref to take both teams to the dressing room until the two players accepted their dismissals.

April 2001 saw further controversy where Roy Keane received a red card for making a knee high tackle on Alf Inge Haland. Keane confirmed in his 2002 autobiography that the tackle was a premeditated attempt to injure the Norwegian. Keane said that he was taking revenge for a game between Leeds United and Manchester United when, clean through on goal Haland tackled Keane causing cruciate ligament damage and then complaining that the Irishman was feigning injury.

Alex Ferguson named the 2009-10 season derby at Old Trafford as probably the greatest derby of all time. Three times Manchester United took the lead only for Manchester City to equalise before the Red Devils wrapped up the win with an 95th minute goal from Michael Owen.

Manchester United v Liverpool

The match between Manchester United FC and Liverpool FC is known as the “North West Derby”. It is considered to be one of the biggest rivalries in world football along with the Superclasico in South America, El Clasico in Spain and Derby della Madonnina in Italy, and the most famous fixture in English football.

The two teams are the most successful English teams in both national and international competitions, winning 38 titles and 8 European Cups between them.

The two cities are approximately 35 miles apart and have been city rivals since the Industrial Revolution in England. Historically, both have been a dominant force in English football at different times; Manchester United in the 50s and 60s, Liverpool in the 70s and 80s and then Manchester United again in the 90s and 2000s.

While both teams have a massive global fanbase, both teams have struggled in recent years to have the same success they have enjoyed in the past on the pitch. This has not detracted from the derby game however and they are as fiercely contested as ever.

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