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'''''{{Football club infobox |
THEY ARE SHIT
clubname = Manchester United |
image = ] |
fullname = Manchester United| <!-- see discussion, and the club badge.-->
nickname = Red Devils |] |
founded = ], as ''Newton Heath LYR F.C.'' |

ground = ], ], <br>] |
capacity = 68,936 (expansion to 76,000<br />in progress expected<br>completion: 2006)|
chairman = n/a|
manager = {{flagicon|Scotland}} ]|
league = ]|
season = ]|
<!--This shows the previous season.
It should show 2004-05 until May 2006. Please don't change it to put the current
position in. -->
position = Premier League, 3rd |
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=|
leftarm1=FF0000|body1=FF0000|rightarm1=FF0000|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=000000|
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=|
leftarm2=0000CC|body2=0000CC|rightarm2=0000CC|shorts2=0000CC|socks2=0000CC
}}
<!--The lead section should describe the subject in no more than three paragraphs (see Misplaced Pages:Lead section). Therefore, anything that goes in it should be both notable and concise. Things such as recent signings and the unpopularity of the nickname 'Man U' should go later on in the article, if they need to be in it at all. User:Cantthinkofagoodname-->
'''Manchester United Football Club''' is an ] ] club, based at ] located just outside the city boundaries of ]. The club is one of the most successful clubs in England, having won the ]/] fifteen times, ] eleven times and the ] twice. The club has had the highest average attendance in English football for the majority of the past fifty seasons.

The club was formed as '''Newton Heath (L&YR) F.C.''' in ] as the works team of the ] depot at ]. After nearing bankruptcy in ], the club was taken over by ] who changed its name to '''Manchester United'''. United appointed ] as manager after the ], and his then-unheard-of policy of producing most of the players through the club's youth team brought great success, with the club winning ] in ] and ]. This success was halted by the ] of ], in which eight of the club's players died. It was thought that the club might fold, but instead went on to win the football league in ] and ], and the European Cup in 1968.

The club did not see success again until the 1990s and early 2000s, when ] guided it to eight league championships in eleven years, most recently in the 2002-3 season, however. In ], Manchester United became the only team to win the ], ] and the ] in the same season. The club had been run as a ] since ], and an attempted takeover by ] had been blocked by the ] in 1999, but in ] ] completed a ] of the club.

==History==
===Early years (1878-1945)===
{{main|Manchester United pre-1945}}
<!--This section is just a summary of the main article, to keep the overall article length of the article manageable and to prevent it becoming a duplicate of the main article, as can lead to problems such as people having to make their edits twice, the articles contradicting each other and so on. Edit this as you see fit, but please don't make it much longer. If you want to write something long about the subject, please put it in the main article. Thanks, Cantthinkofagoodname, ] ]-->
The club was formed as '''Newton Heath (Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway)''' (''Newton Heath (L&YR)'' for short) by a group of Manchester railway workers in ]. The name was soon shortened to '''Newton Heath''', and became known locally as 'the Heathens' (hence the later nickname of 'the Red Devils'). They were founder members of the ] in ] and joined ] in ] when it merged with the Football Alliance.

The earliest known film of Manchester United is the 2&ndash;0 victory at ] on ] ], filmed by ].

The club faced bankruptcy in ] and fortunately was rescued by ] who paid off the club's debts and changed the name to '''Manchester United''', changing the team's colours from gold and green to match those of Liverpool Football Club. With their new name, they won the league in ] and the FA Cup on April 26, 1909 against ] at ]. Then with financial assistance from Davies, United moved from ] to a new stadium at ] in ]. They won the Championship for the second time in 1911.

===The Busby years (1945-1969)===
{{main|Manchester United 1945-1969}}

<!--This section is just a summary of the main article, to keep the overall article length of the article manageable and to prevent it becoming a duplicate of the main article, as can lead to problems such as people having to make their edits twice, the articles contradicting each other and so on. Edit this as you see fit, but please don't make it much longer. If you want to write something long about the subject, please put it in the main article. Thanks, Cantthinkofagoodname, ] ]-->
] was appointed manager in ] and took a then-unheard of approach to his job, joining the players for training as well as performing administrative tasks. He was immediately successful, with the club finishing second in the league in ] and winning the ] in ].

He adopted a policy of bringing in players from the youth team whenever possible, and the team won the league in ] with an average age of only 22. The following season, they won the league again and reached the FA Cup final, losing to ]. They also became the first English team to compete in the ], and reached the semi-final.

Tragedy struck the following season, when the plane carrying the team home from a European Cup match crashed on take off at a refuelling stop in ]. The ] of
], ] claimed the lives of eight players and another fifteen passengers. There was talk of the club folding but, with ] taking over as manager while ] recovered from his injuries, the club continued playing with a makeshift side. They somehow reached the FA Cup final again, where they lost to ].

Busby rebuilt the team throughout the early 1960s, signing players such as ] and ]. The team won the FA Cup in ], then won the league in ] and ] and the European Cup in ], the first English Club to do so. This team was notable for containing three ]: ], ] and ]. Busby resigned as manager in ] and was replaced by the reserve-team coach and former United player ].
<!--This section is just a summary of the main article, to keep the overall article length of the article manageable and to prevent it becoming a duplicate of the main article, as can lead to problems such as people having to make their edits twice, the articles contradicting each other and so on. Edit this as you see fit, but please don't make it much longer. If you want to write something long about the subject, please put it in the main article. Thanks, Cantthinkofagoodname, ] ]-->

===1969-1986===
{{main|Manchester United 1969-1986}}

<!--This section is just a summary of the main article, to keep the overall article length of the article manageable and to prevent it becoming a duplicate of the main article, as can lead to problems such as people having to make their edits twice, the articles contradicting each other and so on. Edit this as you see fit, but please don't make it much longer. If you want to write something long about the subject, please put it in the main article. Thanks, Cantthinkofagoodname, ] ]--> ]
'''United''' struggled to replace Busby, and the team struggled under ] and ] before ] became manager at the end of ]. Docherty, or 'the Doc', saved United from relegation that season but United were relegated in ]. The team won promotion at the first attempt and reached the FA Cup final in ], but were beaten by Southampton. They reached the final again in ], luckily beating ]. In spite of this success, and his popularity with the supporters, Docherty was sacked soon after the final when he was found to have had an affair with the physiotherapist's wife!

] replaced Docherty as manager in the summer of 1977, and made the team play in a more defensive formation. This style was unpopular with supporters, who were used to the attacking football preferred by Docherty and Busby, and after failing to win a trophy Sexton was sacked in ].

He was replaced by the flamboyant ] who immediately broke the British record transfer fee to sign ] from ]. Atkinson's team featured new signings such as ] and ] playing alongside the former youth-team players ] and ]. United won the FA Cup in ] and ] and were overwhelming favourites to win the league in the 1985-86 season after winning their first ten league games, opening a ten-point gap over their rivals as early as October. The team's form collapsed, however, and United finished the season in fourth place. The poor form continued into the following season, and with United on the edge of the First Division's relegation zone, Atkinson was sacked.
<!--This section is just a summary of the main article, to keep the overall article length of the article manageable and to prevent it becoming a duplicate of the main article, as can lead to problems such as people having to make their edits twice, the articles contradicting each other and so on. Edit this as you see fit, but please don't make it much longer. If you want to write something long about the subject, please put it in the main article. Thanks, Cantthinkofagoodname, ] ]-->

===The Alex Ferguson era, pre-Treble (1986-1998)===
{{main|Manchester United 1986-1998}}

<!--This section is just a summary of the main article, to keep the overall article length of the article manageable and to prevent it becoming a duplicate of the main article, as can lead to problems such as people having to make their edits twice, the articles contradicting each other and so on. Edit this as you see fit, but please don't make it much longer. If you want to write something long about the subject, please put it in the main article. Thanks, Cantthinkofagoodname, ] ]-->
] replaced Atkinson and guided the club to an 11th place finish. The following season (]-]), United finished second, with ] becoming the first United player since George Best to score twenty league goals in a season.

However, United struggled badly throughout ] and were nearly relegated, with many of Ferguson's signings not reaching the expectations of the fans. There was hope that Ferguson would be sacked at the beginning of ] <!--This really needs a source. I'll find one. CTOAGN-->but a win in the third round of the FA Cup over ] kept the season alive and United went on to win the competition, beating ] on a replay in the final.

United won the ] in 1990-], beating that season's Spanish champions ] in the final, but the following season was a disappointment for United as a late season slump saw them miss out on the league to rivals ]. Meanwhile in 1991 the club had floated on the ] with a valuation of £18 million, thus bringing its finances into the public eye as never before.

The arrival of ] in November ] provided the crucial spark for United, and they finished the 1992-93 season as Champions for the first time since ]. They won ] (the league and the FA Cup) for the first time the following season, but legendary manager and club president ] died that year, on ], ].

] In 1994-95, Cantona received an eight month suspension for jumping into the crowd and assulting ] supporter Matthew Simmons, in United's game at ]. Drawing their last league match and losing to ] in the FA Cup final left United as runners-up in both the league and FA Cup. Ferguson then outraged the supporters by selling key players and replacing them with players from the club's ], including ] and ]. The new players, several of whom quickly became regular internationals, did surprisingly well and United won the double again in 1995-96.

They won the league in ], and Eric Cantona, announced his retirement from football at the age of 30. They started the following season (1997-98) well, but they finished the season in second place, behind the double winning champions ].

===The Treble (1998-99)===
{{main|Manchester United 1998-1999}}
1998-99 was when Manchester United had the most successful season in English club football history as they became the first English team to win The Treble - UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in the same season. In the final match of that season they defeated Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final 2-1, scoring two goals in injury time. Ferguson was subsequently knighted for his services to football.

===After The Treble (1999-present)===
{{main|Manchester United 1999-present}}

United won the league in 2000 and 2001 but the press saw these seasons as failures as they failed to regain the European Cup. Ferguson adopted more defensive tactics to make United harder to beat in Europe but it was not a success and United finished the season in third place in 2002. They regained the league the following season (2002-03) and started the following season well, but their form dropped significantly when ] received an eight month suspension for missing a ]. They did win the 2004 F.A. Cup, however, knocking out Arsenal (that season's eventual champions) on their way to the final.

The 2004-05 season was characterised by a failure to score goals, mainly due to the injury of striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and United finished the season trophyless and in third place in the league. This time, even the "consolation prize" of the F.A. Cup eluded them as Arsenal beat United on penalties after a goalless match. Off the pitch, the main story was the possibility of the club being taken over and at the end of the season, Tampa businessman ] acquired a controlling interest in the club. United made a poor start to the 2005-06 season, with midfielder ] leaving the club to join his boyhood heroes Celtic after publicly criticising several of his teammates, and the club failed to qualify for the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade. However, they were prevented from being left empty handed in successive seasons by winning the 2006 ] beating newly promoted Wigan.

===The Malcolm Glazer takeover===
{{main|Malcolm Glazer takeover of Manchester United}}
<!-- I'm not a United fan, but I do agree that the Glazer takeover is a Bad Thing. That doesn't mean there ought to be an encyclopaedic reference saying "this is a Bad Thing". I've tried to limit the POVness of the Glazer takeover sections of this article as much as possible; I for one would appreciate it if some angry fan doesn't decide to extend them. (], 2005.08.07) -->On ], ], businessman ] acquired a controlling interest in the club in a takeover valuing it at approximately £800 million ($1.47 billion). On ], he increased his share to the 75% necessary to delist the club from the ], taking it private again, and announced his intention to do so within 20 days. On ] he appointed his sons ], ], and ] to the P.L.C. board of Manchester United. With Joel, Avram and Bryan appointed as a non-executive directors. It was for a while expected that Joel would be installed as the new Chairman, however that never happened. At the same time Sir Roy Gardner resigned his position as Chairman of the P.L.C. board, along with non-executive directors Jim O'Neill and Ian Much who also resigned. Leaving Manchester United with no chairman at all. Malcolm Glazer also re-appointed Andy Anson as Commercial Director after voting him off the board at the previous AGM. He also Retained Chief Executive David Gill and Finance Director Nick Humby in their current positions.

Manchester United Football Club are now a private company; however, they still have a P.L.C. board as well as a Football board.

==Support==
Before ], few English football supporters travelled to away games because of the time and cost. As United and City played home matches on alternate Saturdays, many Mancunians would watch United one week and City the next. After the war, a stronger rivalry developed and it became more common for a supporter to choose one team to follow exclusively.

When United won the league in ], they had the highest average home attendance in the league, a record that had been held by ] for the previous few years. Following the ] in 1958, more people from outside Manchester began to support United and, as travel became quicker and cheaper, many started to go to matches. This swelled United&#8217;s support and is one reason why United have had the highest league attendances in English football for almost every season since then, even as a second division side in 1974-75.

A 2002 report, indicate that ] have a higher proportion of season ticket holders living in the Manchester area, although they sold fewer season tickets overall.

<!-- I think the following makes an important point, but it's hopelessly POV. I've got no idea how to clean it up, so I'm not going to edit or delete it, just comment it out. Hopefully someone else can find a way to include it appropriately (], 2005.08.07):
In the mid-1990s, United became unpopular among many followers of other clubs, whose supporters often perceived United's as bandwagon-jumpers (or gloryhunters) who had chosen their team because of its success, although a quick look at average attendance figures from the 1980s would strongly refute this. Around this time, there was considerable ] in English football and an influx of supporters who had previously shown little interest in the game, especially at the more successful teams such as United. It was around this time that ] made his now famous remark that "There are too many people more interested in eating prawn sandwiches than getting behind us", which led to the expression 'the prawn-sandwich brigade'. While many people who were supporters before this era still go to matches, many have found the frequent price rises too much to bear. -->
In the late 1990s and early part of the 2000s, an increasing source of concern for many United supporters was the possibility of the club being taken over. The supporters&#8217; group ] (''Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association'') were extremely active in opposing a proposed takeover by ] in ]. Another pressure group, ''Shareholders United Against Murdoch'' (which became ] and is now the ''Manchester United Supporters Trust'') was formed at around this time to encourage supporters to buy shares in the club, partly to enable supporters to have a greater say in the issues that concern them, such as ticket prices and allocation, and partly to reduce the risk of an unwanted party buying enough shares to take over the club. However, this scheme failed to prevent Malcolm Glazer from becoming the majority shareholder in the club. Many supporters were outraged, and some formed a new club called ]. The new club plays in the ] Second Division, and attracts an average attendance of almost 3000{{ref|higherattendance}}.

Although the full effects of Glazer's takeover on the club's support are not yet known, the club has claimed a record number of season ticket sales, however, given the many empty seats in the ground in some European games and lack of freedom of information from the club, this is as yet unverified.

==Board of Directors==
*Owner: {{flagicon|USA}} ]
*Life-President: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Chief Executive: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Group Finance Director: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Group Commercial Director: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Non-Executive Director: {{flagicon|USA}} ]
*Non-Executive Director: {{flagicon|USA}} ]
*Non-Executive Director: {{flagicon|USA}} ]

==Current squad==
]

''As of ], ]''
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=1|nat=United States|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=2|nat=England|name=]|pos=DF|other=captain}}
{{Fs player|no=3|nat=France|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=4|nat=Argentina|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=5|nat=England|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=6|nat=England|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=7|nat=Portugal|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=8|nat=England|name=]|pos=FW|}}
{{Fs player|no=9|nat=France|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=10|nat=Netherlands|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=11|nat=Wales|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=13|nat=South Korea|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=14|nat=England|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=15|nat=Serbia and Montenegro|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=18|nat=England|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=19|nat=Netherlands|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=20|nat=Norway|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=22|nat=Ireland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=23|nat=England|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=24|nat=Scotland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=25|nat=South Africa|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=26|nat=England|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=27|nat=France|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=28|nat=Spain|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=30|nat=England|name=]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=36|nat=England|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=41|nat=Belgium|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=42|nat=Italy|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=47|nat=Northern Ireland|name=]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=49|nat=England|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=50|nat=Ireland|name=]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=51|nat=England|name=]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs end}}

===Out on loan===

''']'''
*{{flagicon|USA}} ] ''(on loan to ])''

''']'''
*{{flagicon|IRL}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
*{{flagicon|IRL}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''

''']'''
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
*{{flagicon|DEN}} ] ''(on loan to ])''

''']'''
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''

''']'''
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
*{{flagicon|CHN}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
*{{flagicon|TOG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''

''']'''
*{{flagicon|BRA}} ] ''(on loan to ])''
''']'''
*{{flagicon|FRA}} ] ''(on loan to ])''

''']'''
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ] ''(on loan to ])''

===Reserves===
*{{flagicon|GER}} ]
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*{{flagicon|ENG}} ]

===Academy===
{{main|Manchester United F.C. Academy}}

==Backroom Staff==
====Coaching Staff====
*Manager: {{flagicon|SCO}} ]
*Assistant Manager: {{flagicon|POR}} ]
*First Team Coach: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Goalkeeping Coach: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Fitness Coach: {{flagicon|ITA}} ]
*Reserve Team Manager: {{flagicon|Netherlands}} ]
*Under 18's Team Manager: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Director of Youth Academy: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Director of Youth Academy Designate: {{flagicon|SCO}} ]
*Director of Youth Football: {{flagicon|SCO}} ]
*Assistant Director of Youth Academy for 17 - 21 Year olds: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Assistant Director of Youth Academy for 9 - 16 Year olds: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]

====Medical Staff====
*Club Doctor: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Assistant Club Doctor: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Head Physiotherapist: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Reserve Team Physiotherapist: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Academy Physiotherapists: {{flagicon|ENG}} ], {{flagicon|ENG}} ], {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Masseur: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Assistant Masseur: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Club Dietician: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]

====Kit Managers====
*Kit Manager: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Assistant Kit Manager: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
*Youth Academy Kit Manager: {{flagicon|ENG}} ]

==Noted former players==
{|
|valign="top"|
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
|width="33"|&nbsp;
|valign="top"|
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
|width="33"|&nbsp;
|valign="top"|
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
|}

''See Also: ] and ]''

==Managerial history==
{|
|valign="top"|
* 1892 ]
* 1900 ]
* 1903 ]
* 1912 ]
* 1914 ]
* 1921 ]
* 1926 ]
* 1927 ]
* 1931 ]
* 1932 ]
|width="50"|&nbsp;
|valign="top"|
* 1937 ]
* 1945 ] ]
* 1958 ] ''(Caretaker for Busby after Munich air disaster)''
* 1969 ]
* 1970 ] ]
* 1971 ]
* 1972 ]
* 1977 ]
* 1981 ]
* 1986 ] ]
*
|}

==Honours==

*'''] 15'''
**'''Champions in:''' 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003
*'''] 2'''
**'''Winners:'''1936, 1975
*'''] 11'''¹
**'''Winners:'''1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004
*'''] 2'''
**'''Winners:'''1992, 2006
*'''] 2'''
**'''Winners:'''1967-68, 1998-99
*'''] 1'''
** '''Winners:'''1991
*'''] 1'''¹
**'''Winners:'''1999
*'''] 1'''
**'''Winners:'''1991
*'''] 15'''¹
**'''Winners:'''1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003 (* joint holders)
*'''] 2'''
**'''Winners:'''1968, 1999




==Records==
*Record League Victory: 10-1 v ], Division 1, ] ]
*Record Premiership Victory: 9-0 ] 4th March 1995
*Record Cup Victory: 10-0 v ], Champions Cup, Preliminary Round, ] ]
*Record away win: 8-1 v ] February 1999
*Record League Defeat: 0-7 v ], Division 1, ] ]
*Record Cup Defeat: 1-7 v ], FA Cup, 1st Round, ] ]

*Most Appearances : ] 754
*Most Goals scored : 247 ]
*Most League Goals: 199 ], 1956-73
*Most League Goals in a Season: 32 Dennis Viollet, Division 1, 1959-60
*Most Goals scored in a Match: 6 George Best v ], 7th February 1970
*Most Capped Player: ], 106 England
*Most League Appearances: 606 ], 1956-73
*Record League Attendance: Old Trafford 70,504 v ], Division 1, ] ]
*Record 'home' League Attendance: Maine Road 83,250 v ], Division 1, ] ]
*Record Attendance Old Trafford: 76,962, ] v ], FA Cup, semi-final, ] ]
*Longest unbeaten Run : (All competitions) 45, ] ] to ] ]
*Most League Goals in a season; 103 1956/57, 1958/59
*Most points in a season: 92 from 42 games 1993/94; 91 from 38 games 2000/01

==Performance in the top division==

Manchester United have spent 79 seasons in the national top flight (only Everton, Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Arsenal have more seasons at top level), finishing in these positions:
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 10em;"
|'''1st'''||15||'''12th'''||2
|-
|'''2nd'''||12||'''13th'''||4
|-
|'''3rd'''||6||'''14th'''||2
|-
|'''4th'''||7||'''15th'''||2
|-
|'''5th'''||2||'''16th'''||2
|-
|'''6th'''||2||'''17th'''||1
|-
|'''7th'''||2||'''18th'''||3
|-
|'''8th'''||6||'''19th'''||1
|-
|'''9th'''||3||'''20th'''||0
|-
|'''10th'''||1||'''21st'''||2
|-
|'''11th'''||3||'''22nd'''||2
|}

United are one of three clubs (the others being Liverpool and Arsenal) that have finished first more often than in any other one table spot in the top division.

==See also==
'''Supporters' organisations'''
*]
*]
*MUSCC

'''Fanzines'''
*]
*]
*Red News

==External links==
;Official
*
*

;Independent media sites
{{BBC Football Info|BBClinkname=m/man_utd}}
*
*
*
*

==Notes==
<!-- Instructions for adding a note:
NOTE: Footnotes in this article use names, not numbers. Please see ] for details.
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4) Add #{{Note|TheSun_Dec9}} to the list, immediately below the footnote you noted in step3.
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NOTE: It is important to add the Footnote in the right order (the order in which they are referred to in the article body) in the list.
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#{{note|higherattendance}} {{cite web | title=Tony Kempster's English football website| url=http://www.tonykempster.btinternet.co.uk/attcomp.htm| accessdate=January 3 | accessyear=2006 }}

{{Manchester United}}
{{Champions League 2005/06}}
{{FA Premier League}}

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Revision as of 09:43, 21 March 2006

Football club
Manchester United
Manchester United's emblem
Full nameManchester United
Nickname(s)Red Devils
Founded1878, as Newton Heath LYR F.C.
GroundOld Trafford, Trafford,
Greater Manchester
Capacity68,936 (expansion to 76,000
in progress expected
completion: 2006)
Chairmann/a
ManagerScotland Sir Alex Ferguson
LeagueFA Premier League
2004-05Premier League, 3rd
Home colours Away colours

Manchester United Football Club is an English football club, based at Old Trafford Football Ground located just outside the city boundaries of Manchester. The club is one of the most successful clubs in England, having won the FA Premier League/Football League fifteen times, FA Cup eleven times and the European Cup twice. The club has had the highest average attendance in English football for the majority of the past fifty seasons.

The club was formed as Newton Heath (L&YR) F.C. in 1878 as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath. After nearing bankruptcy in 1902, the club was taken over by J.H. Davies who changed its name to Manchester United. United appointed Sir Matt Busby as manager after the Second World War, and his then-unheard-of policy of producing most of the players through the club's youth team brought great success, with the club winning the Football League in 1956 and 1957. This success was halted by the Munich air disaster of 1958, in which eight of the club's players died. It was thought that the club might fold, but instead went on to win the football league in 1965 and 1967, and the European Cup in 1968.

The club did not see success again until the 1990s and early 2000s, when Alex Ferguson guided it to eight league championships in eleven years, most recently in the 2002-3 season, however. In 1999, Manchester United became the only team to win the UEFA Champions League, FA Premier League and the FA Cup in the same season. The club had been run as a Public Limited Company since 1991, and an attempted takeover by Rupert Murdoch had been blocked by the British Government in 1999, but in 2005 Malcolm Glazer completed a hostile takeover of the club.

History

Early years (1878-1945)

Main article: Manchester United pre-1945

The club was formed as Newton Heath (Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway) (Newton Heath (L&YR) for short) by a group of Manchester railway workers in 1878. The name was soon shortened to Newton Heath, and became known locally as 'the Heathens' (hence the later nickname of 'the Red Devils'). They were founder members of the Football Alliance in 1889 and joined the Football League in 1892 when it merged with the Football Alliance.

The earliest known film of Manchester United is the 2–0 victory at Burnley on 6 December 1902, filmed by Mitchell and Kenyon.

The club faced bankruptcy in 1902 and fortunately was rescued by J.H. Davies who paid off the club's debts and changed the name to Manchester United, changing the team's colours from gold and green to match those of Liverpool Football Club. With their new name, they won the league in 1908 and the FA Cup on April 26, 1909 against Bristol City at Crystal Palace. Then with financial assistance from Davies, United moved from Bank Street to a new stadium at Old Trafford in 1910. They won the Championship for the second time in 1911.

The Busby years (1945-1969)

Main article: Manchester United 1945-1969

Matt Busby was appointed manager in 1945 and took a then-unheard of approach to his job, joining the players for training as well as performing administrative tasks. He was immediately successful, with the club finishing second in the league in 1947 and winning the FA Cup in 1948.

He adopted a policy of bringing in players from the youth team whenever possible, and the team won the league in 1956 with an average age of only 22. The following season, they won the league again and reached the FA Cup final, losing to Aston Villa. They also became the first English team to compete in the European Cup, and reached the semi-final.

Tragedy struck the following season, when the plane carrying the team home from a European Cup match crashed on take off at a refuelling stop in Munich. The Munich air disaster of 6 February, 1958 claimed the lives of eight players and another fifteen passengers. There was talk of the club folding but, with Jimmy Murphy taking over as manager while Matt Busby recovered from his injuries, the club continued playing with a makeshift side. They somehow reached the FA Cup final again, where they lost to Bolton.

Busby rebuilt the team throughout the early 1960s, signing players such as Denis Law and Pat Crerand. The team won the FA Cup in 1963, then won the league in 1965 and 1967 and the European Cup in 1968, the first English Club to do so. This team was notable for containing three European Footballers of the Year: Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best. Busby resigned as manager in 1969 and was replaced by the reserve-team coach and former United player Wilf McGuinness.

1969-1986

Main article: Manchester United 1969-1986
File:Manutd.gif
Manchester United F.C badge in the 1970's.

United struggled to replace Busby, and the team struggled under Wilf McGuinness and Frank O'Farrell before Tommy Docherty became manager at the end of 1972. Docherty, or 'the Doc', saved United from relegation that season but United were relegated in 1974. The team won promotion at the first attempt and reached the FA Cup final in 1976, but were beaten by Southampton. They reached the final again in 1977, luckily beating Liverpool. In spite of this success, and his popularity with the supporters, Docherty was sacked soon after the final when he was found to have had an affair with the physiotherapist's wife!

Dave Sexton replaced Docherty as manager in the summer of 1977, and made the team play in a more defensive formation. This style was unpopular with supporters, who were used to the attacking football preferred by Docherty and Busby, and after failing to win a trophy Sexton was sacked in 1981.

He was replaced by the flamboyant Ron Atkinson who immediately broke the British record transfer fee to sign Bryan Robson from West Brom. Atkinson's team featured new signings such as Jesper Olsen and Gordon Strachan playing alongside the former youth-team players Norman Whiteside and Mark Hughes. United won the FA Cup in 1983 and 1985 and were overwhelming favourites to win the league in the 1985-86 season after winning their first ten league games, opening a ten-point gap over their rivals as early as October. The team's form collapsed, however, and United finished the season in fourth place. The poor form continued into the following season, and with United on the edge of the First Division's relegation zone, Atkinson was sacked.

The Alex Ferguson era, pre-Treble (1986-1998)

Main article: Manchester United 1986-1998

Alex Ferguson replaced Atkinson and guided the club to an 11th place finish. The following season (1987-88), United finished second, with Brian McClair becoming the first United player since George Best to score twenty league goals in a season.

However, United struggled badly throughout 1989 and were nearly relegated, with many of Ferguson's signings not reaching the expectations of the fans. There was hope that Ferguson would be sacked at the beginning of 1990 but a win in the third round of the FA Cup over Nottingham Forest kept the season alive and United went on to win the competition, beating Crystal Palace on a replay in the final.

United won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1990-91, beating that season's Spanish champions Barcelona in the final, but the following season was a disappointment for United as a late season slump saw them miss out on the league to rivals Leeds United. Meanwhile in 1991 the club had floated on the London Stock Exchange with a valuation of £18 million, thus bringing its finances into the public eye as never before.

The arrival of Eric Cantona in November 1992 provided the crucial spark for United, and they finished the 1992-93 season as Champions for the first time since 1967. They won the double (the league and the FA Cup) for the first time the following season, but legendary manager and club president Matt Busby died that year, on 20 January, 1994.

File:Eric Cantona kung-fu kick.jpg
Cantona assaults spectator Matthew Simmons

In 1994-95, Cantona received an eight month suspension for jumping into the crowd and assulting Crystal Palace supporter Matthew Simmons, in United's game at Selhurst Park. Drawing their last league match and losing to Everton in the FA Cup final left United as runners-up in both the league and FA Cup. Ferguson then outraged the supporters by selling key players and replacing them with players from the club's youth team, including David Beckham and Paul Scholes. The new players, several of whom quickly became regular internationals, did surprisingly well and United won the double again in 1995-96.

They won the league in 1997, and Eric Cantona, announced his retirement from football at the age of 30. They started the following season (1997-98) well, but they finished the season in second place, behind the double winning champions Arsenal.

The Treble (1998-99)

Main article: Manchester United 1998-1999

1998-99 was when Manchester United had the most successful season in English club football history as they became the first English team to win The Treble - UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in the same season. In the final match of that season they defeated Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final 2-1, scoring two goals in injury time. Ferguson was subsequently knighted for his services to football.

After The Treble (1999-present)

Main article: Manchester United 1999-present

United won the league in 2000 and 2001 but the press saw these seasons as failures as they failed to regain the European Cup. Ferguson adopted more defensive tactics to make United harder to beat in Europe but it was not a success and United finished the season in third place in 2002. They regained the league the following season (2002-03) and started the following season well, but their form dropped significantly when Rio Ferdinand received an eight month suspension for missing a drugs test. They did win the 2004 F.A. Cup, however, knocking out Arsenal (that season's eventual champions) on their way to the final.

The 2004-05 season was characterised by a failure to score goals, mainly due to the injury of striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and United finished the season trophyless and in third place in the league. This time, even the "consolation prize" of the F.A. Cup eluded them as Arsenal beat United on penalties after a goalless match. Off the pitch, the main story was the possibility of the club being taken over and at the end of the season, Tampa businessman Malcolm Glazer acquired a controlling interest in the club. United made a poor start to the 2005-06 season, with midfielder Roy Keane leaving the club to join his boyhood heroes Celtic after publicly criticising several of his teammates, and the club failed to qualify for the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade. However, they were prevented from being left empty handed in successive seasons by winning the 2006 League Cup beating newly promoted Wigan.

The Malcolm Glazer takeover

Main article: Malcolm Glazer takeover of Manchester United

On May 13, 2005, businessman Malcolm Glazer acquired a controlling interest in the club in a takeover valuing it at approximately £800 million ($1.47 billion). On May 16, he increased his share to the 75% necessary to delist the club from the Stock Exchange, taking it private again, and announced his intention to do so within 20 days. On 7 June he appointed his sons Joel, Avram, and Bryan to the P.L.C. board of Manchester United. With Joel, Avram and Bryan appointed as a non-executive directors. It was for a while expected that Joel would be installed as the new Chairman, however that never happened. At the same time Sir Roy Gardner resigned his position as Chairman of the P.L.C. board, along with non-executive directors Jim O'Neill and Ian Much who also resigned. Leaving Manchester United with no chairman at all. Malcolm Glazer also re-appointed Andy Anson as Commercial Director after voting him off the board at the previous AGM. He also Retained Chief Executive David Gill and Finance Director Nick Humby in their current positions.

Manchester United Football Club are now a private company; however, they still have a P.L.C. board as well as a Football board.

Support

Before the Second World War, few English football supporters travelled to away games because of the time and cost. As United and City played home matches on alternate Saturdays, many Mancunians would watch United one week and City the next. After the war, a stronger rivalry developed and it became more common for a supporter to choose one team to follow exclusively.

When United won the league in 1956, they had the highest average home attendance in the league, a record that had been held by Newcastle for the previous few years. Following the Munich air disaster in 1958, more people from outside Manchester began to support United and, as travel became quicker and cheaper, many started to go to matches. This swelled United’s support and is one reason why United have had the highest league attendances in English football for almost every season since then, even as a second division side in 1974-75.

A 2002 report, Do You Come From Manchester? indicate that Manchester City have a higher proportion of season ticket holders living in the Manchester area, although they sold fewer season tickets overall.

In the late 1990s and early part of the 2000s, an increasing source of concern for many United supporters was the possibility of the club being taken over. The supporters’ group IMUSA (Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association) were extremely active in opposing a proposed takeover by Rupert Murdoch in 1999. Another pressure group, Shareholders United Against Murdoch (which became Shareholders United and is now the Manchester United Supporters Trust) was formed at around this time to encourage supporters to buy shares in the club, partly to enable supporters to have a greater say in the issues that concern them, such as ticket prices and allocation, and partly to reduce the risk of an unwanted party buying enough shares to take over the club. However, this scheme failed to prevent Malcolm Glazer from becoming the majority shareholder in the club. Many supporters were outraged, and some formed a new club called F.C. United of Manchester. The new club plays in the North West Counties League Second Division, and attracts an average attendance of almost 3000.

Although the full effects of Glazer's takeover on the club's support are not yet known, the club has claimed a record number of season ticket sales, however, given the many empty seats in the ground in some European games and lack of freedom of information from the club, this is as yet unverified.

Board of Directors

Current squad

Current home shirt of Manchester United

As of March 1, 2006 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK United States USA Tim Howard
2 DF England ENG Gary Neville (captain)
3 DF France FRA Patrice Evra
4 DF Argentina ARG Gabriel Heinze
5 DF England ENG Rio Ferdinand
6 DF England ENG Wes Brown
7 MF Portugal POR Cristiano Ronaldo
8 FW England ENG Wayne Rooney
9 FW France FRA Louis Saha
10 FW Netherlands NED Ruud van Nistelrooy
11 MF Wales WAL Ryan Giggs
13 MF South Korea KOR Park Ji-Sung
14 FW England ENG Alan Smith
15 DF Serbia and Montenegro SCG Nemanja Vidić
18 MF England ENG Paul Scholes
19 GK Netherlands NED Edwin van der Sar
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 FW Norway NOR Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
22 DF Ireland EIR John O'Shea
23 MF England ENG Kieran Richardson
24 MF Scotland SCO Darren Fletcher
25 MF South Africa RSA Quinton Fortune
26 DF England ENG Phil Bardsley
27 DF France FRA Mikael Silvestre
28 DF Spain ESP Gerard Piqué
30 GK England ENG Luke Steele
36 DF England ENG Mark Howard
41 MF Belgium BEL Floribert N'Galula
42 FW Italy ITA Giuseppe Rossi
47 DF Northern Ireland NIR Jonny Evans
49 MF England ENG Ritchie Jones
50 MF Ireland EIR Darron Gibson
51 FW England ENG Fraizer Campbell

Out on loan

Premier League

League Championship

League One

League Two

Belgian Second Division

Brazilian Série A

French Ligue 1

Dutch Eredivisie

Reserves

Academy

Main article: Manchester United F.C. Academy

Backroom Staff

Coaching Staff

Medical Staff

Kit Managers

Noted former players

   

See Also: List of Manchester United players and Category:Manchester United F.C. players

Managerial history

 

Honours



Records

Performance in the top division

Manchester United have spent 79 seasons in the national top flight (only Everton, Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Arsenal have more seasons at top level), finishing in these positions:

1st 15 12th 2
2nd 12 13th 4
3rd 6 14th 2
4th 7 15th 2
5th 2 16th 2
6th 2 17th 1
7th 2 18th 3
8th 6 19th 1
9th 3 20th 0
10th 1 21st 2
11th 3 22nd 2

United are one of three clubs (the others being Liverpool and Arsenal) that have finished first more often than in any other one table spot in the top division.

See also

Supporters' organisations

Fanzines

External links

Official
Independent media sites

Notes

  1. "Tony Kempster's English football website". Retrieved January 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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