Manchester United football club (The Red Devils)

Founded:	1902
Manager:	Alex Ferguson
Division:	Premier League
Address:	Sir Matt Busby Way Old Trafford Manchester M16 0RA
Website:	www.manutd.co.uk

It was once said of Manchester United that

“ You never win anything with kids”

The Reds have an impressive history of disproving this statement, with their two greatest eras characterised by youth progressing through the ranks, with experienced leaders and an autonomous figure at the helm.

Started by a department from a local railway depot, Newton Heath LYR Football Club was founded in 1878 adopting the green and white colours of the company. After many financial difficulties the club was close to folding. However, at a fund raising event the club captain’s dog, who was wearing a collection tin, escaped. As luck would have it the dog ended up in the hands of a wealthy brewer who was moved by the story of the club and decided to help. After collecting together enough funds to first save the club and then enough to continue running, the decision was made for drastic change. Starting with the name and a few years down the line the stadium, the famous Manchester United along with their current home, the theatre of dreams was born.

With a new lease of life under the newly appointed Ernest Magnell life began well. After a few seasons lingering at the top of the second division their craving for real success controversially came through a scandal, involving paying players over the wage limit, at Manchester City. United took advantage of the situation to purchase many of City’s talented young players, who helped them gain promotion and then the first division title in 1908. Success continued in the form of an FA Cup, another league title and the inaugural Charity Shield. In 1912 Magnell left to go to the other side of Manchester and in the following years the club experienced mixed fortunes with no great success.

The inter-war period was marred by a lack of consistency on the pitch, boardroom changes and managerial frailties and United floated between the 1st and 2nd divisions.

Then James Gibson, a wealthy businessman from Salford, took over the reins and gave the club a breath of fresh air, getting them out of debt and financing the reconstruction of Old Trafford after it was damaged during the Second World War. Arguably his biggest affect on the club was his youth academy project in the late 1940’s, which went on to produce the stars that would become the Busby Babes.

This new generation of players, under the management of Matt Busby, changed the essence of the club and gave it the global status. After winning 3 league titles, an FA Cup and on the road to becoming a European superpower the defining moment in United’s history came with the Munich air crash in 1958 which killed and injured many of the rising stars and left the whole football world in mourning.

Matt Busby began reforming the side around one of the surviving Busby Babes, Bobby Charlton, bringing in players like Dennis Law, at the same time as continuing to develop the youth, bringing through players including George Best, Brain Kidd and Nobby Stiles. After winning another FA Cup and then two more league titles, United became the first English side to win the European Cup, defeating Benfica 4-1 after extra time, at Wembley, poignantly 10 years after the Busby Babes tragedy.

Reaching the peak of European club football was ultimately the finale of the Matt Busby era, with the Reds legend departing the following year.

The decade and a half after this proved less successful, only accumulating three FA Cups and even dropping down a division for a season.

In 1986, Sir Alex Ferguson took over from Ron Atkinson and despite a difficult first few seasons, in 1990 he won the FA Cup and the rest is history – 12 League Titles, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 2 Champions Leagues and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Whilst winning all of these honours United have remained true to the youth policy that Sir Matt Busby implemented 50 years before, with the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt all part of the great treble winning side of 1998/99.

With the Red Devils longest serving player and manager both still at the core of the club, the stage is set for plenty more dreams to come true.