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{{redirect|MUFC}} {{redirect|MUFC}}
{{Infobox Football club {{Infobox Football club
|clubname = Manchester United F.C. |clubname = SHITTY FC !!
|current = Manchester United F.C. season 2007-08 |current = GAY BOYS FC
|fullname = LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB <!-- see discussion -->
|image = ]
|nickname = WHAT EVER THE LIVERPOOL SAY <ref>{{cite web
|fullname = Manchester United Football Club <!-- see discussion -->
|founded = 1878, as ''CANT BELIVE WE MADE THIS FUKIN TEAM !''
|nickname = The Red Devils<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.premierleague.com/page/manchester-united |title=Manchester United Football Club |accessdate=2008-03-02 |publisher=Premier League }}</ref>
|ground = ]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]
|founded = 1878, as ''Newton Heath L&YR F.C.''
|capacity = DEPENDS HOW MANY AWAY FANS
|ground = ]<br/>]<br/>]<br/>]
|chairman = {{flagicon|USA}} ] & ]
|capacity = 76,212
|chairman = {{flagicon|USA}} ] & ] |manager = {{flagicon|SCO}} ]
|manager = {{flagicon|SCO}} ] |captain = {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|league = ]
|captain = {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|league = ]
|season = ] |season = ]
|position = 1st
|pattern_la1= |pattern_b1=_manutdh0709 |pattern_ra1=
|leftarm1=E20E0E |body1=E20E0E |rightarm1=E20E0E |shorts1=FFFFFF |socks1=000000
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<!--The lead section should describe the subject in no more than four 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. -->
'''Manchester United Football Club ''' is an ] ] club, based at the ] in ], ], and is arguably the most popular football club in the world, with over 330 million supporters worldwide,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=502574&in_page_id=1779 |title=United moving down south as fanbase reaches 333 million |publisher=Daily Mail |date=] }}</ref> almost 5% of the world's population.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14641698 |title=Creating sports brands is about right mix |publisher=Sify Business |date=] }}</ref> The club was a founding member of the ] in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1975. Average attendances at the club have been higher than any other team in ] for all but six seasons since ].<ref name="attendance">{{cite web |title=European Football Statistics |url=http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/attneng.htm |accessdate=2006-06-24 }}</ref>


== Headline text ==
The club is the second most successful in the history of English football and by far the most successful of recent times, having won 18 major honours since the start of ]'s reign as manager in November 1986.<ref>Starting from the 1986–1987 season, Manchester United have won nine Premier League titles, one ], one ], five ]s and two ]. Trophies such as the ], ] and ] are by convention considered minor trophies of lesser worth than other honours.</ref> They are the Premier League's reigning champions, and have won the Premier League/] 16 times. In 1968, they became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating ] 4&ndash;1, and they won a second European Cup in 1999. They also hold the record for the most ] titles with 11.<ref>{{cite web |title=Manchester United win 11th FA Cup |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2004/05/22/manchesterunited040522.html |accessdate=2007-08-12 }}</ref>
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE ...


''' When you walk through a storm
Since the late 1990s, the club has been one of the richest in the world with the highest revenue of any football club,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.premierleague.com/page/Headlines/0,,12306~1212087,00.html |title=United tops global rich list |publisher=premierleague.com |date=] |accessdate=2008-01-11 }}</ref> and is currently the second richest club in the world, based on revenue.<ref>{{cite news |title=Real top Man Utd in rich league |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7242490.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=] |accessdate=2008-02-14 }}</ref> Manchester United, which remains the most valuable club in the world,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/34/biz_07soccer_Soccer-Team-Valuations_Value.html |title=Soccer Team Valuations |date=] |accessdate=2007-07-25 }}</ref> was a founding member of the now-defunct ] group of Europe's leading football clubs and its replacement, the ].
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark


Walk on through the wind
] has been ] of the club since ] ]. The current club captain is ], who succeeded ] in November 2005.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rediff.com/sports/2005/dec/03nev.htm |title=Neville appointed Manchester United Captain |publisher=reddiff.com |date=] }}</ref>
Walk on through the rain
Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone'''


LOVE GLAZER HATE UNITED !!
==History==
===Early years (1878–1945)===
{{main|History of Manchester United F.C. (1878-1945)}}
] season in which they were runners up in Division 2 and promoted]]

The club was formed as '''Newton Heath L&YR F.C.''' in 1878 as the works team of the ] depot at ]. The club's shirts were green and gold halves. They played on a small, dilapidated field on ], near the future site of the ] railway station for fifteen years, before moving to ] in the nearby town of ] in 1893. The club had entered ] the previous year and began to sever its links with the rail depot, becoming an independent company, appointing a club secretary and dropping the "L&YR" from their name to become simply '''Newton Heath F.C.'''. Not long afterwards, in 1902, the club neared bankruptcy, with debts of over £2500. At one point, their Bank Street ground was even closed by the bailiffs.<ref name="north_road">{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Alex |title=The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United |year=2006 |publisher=] |location=London |isbn=0-75287-603-1 |pages=pp14 |chapter=1878-1915: From Newton Heath to Old Trafford }}</ref>

Just before having to be shut down for good, the club received a sizeable investment from ], the managing director of Manchester Breweries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.talkfootball.co.uk/guides/footballclubs/history_of_manchester_united.html|title=Manchester United FC|accessdate=2008-03-09|publisher=Talk Football}}</ref>. Legend goes that ], the club captain, was showing off his prized ] dog at a club fund-raiser, when Davies approached him to buy the dog. Stafford declined, but was able to persuade Davies to invest in the club and become club chairman.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4630489.stm |title=Man Utd's turbulent business history |accessdate=2007-06-08 |author=Bill Wilson |date=2005-06-29 |publisher=BBC News }}</ref> It was decided at one of the early board meetings that the club required a change of name to reflect the fresh start they had been afforded. '''Manchester Central''' and '''Manchester Celtic''' were among the names suggested, before Louis Rocca, a young ] from ], said "Gentlemen, why don't we call ourselves Manchester United?"<ref>{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Alex |title=The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United |year=2006 |publisher=Orion Books |location=London |isbn=0-75287-603-1 |pages=pp16 |chapter=1878-1915: From Newton Heath to Old Trafford }}</ref> The name stuck, and Manchester United officially came into existence on ] ]. Davies also decided it would be appropriate to change the club's colours, abandoning the green and gold halves of Newton Heath, and picking red and white to be the colours of Manchester United.

] was appointed as club secretary after ] had resigned as manager on ] ]. Mangnall was charged with trying to get the club into the First Division, and fell just short of that target at the first attempt, finishing in 5th in ]. Mangnall decided that it was necessary to bring in some fresh faces to the club, and signed players such as ] in goal, ] at half-back and John Picken up front, but it was another new half-back by the name of ] who made the biggest impact. He cost the club a then-record £750 from ] in April 1904, and helped them to a third place finish in the ] season, just a point short of the second promotion place.

It was not long, however, before the club was at last promoted to the First Division for the first time under their new name, finishing in second place in the 1905–06 Second Division. A season of consolidation followed, with the club finishing in 8th, before they finally won their first league title in 1908. ] had recently been under investigation for paying some of their players a salary over the amount allowed by ] regulations. They were fined £250 and eighteen of their players were banned from playing for them ever again. United were quick to pounce on the situation, picking up ] (the Welsh Wizard) and ], amongst others. The new boys from across town were ineligible to play until ] 1907, due to their suspension, so it was left until the ] season for them to make a proper impact on United's bid for the title. And that they did, getting the campaign off to a storming start, with a 2–1 victory over Sheffield United, beginning a run of ten consecutive victories. Despite a shaky end to the season, United managed to hang on and finished the season nine points ahead of their closest rivals, ].

The following season began with United picking up another piece of silverware, the first ever ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/CommunityShield/1907-08CharityShield.htm |title=1908 Charity Shield |accessdate=2007-08-12 |publisher=footballsite.co.uk }}</ref> and ended with another, the club's first FA Cup title, sowing the seeds for what has become a record number of FA Cup titles. Just as they were in the club's first title-winning campaign, Turnbull and Meredith were instrumental in this season, Turnbull scoring the winner in the ]. The club had to wait another two years before winning any more silverware, winning the First Division for the second time in the ] season. In the meantime, United moved to their new ground at Old Trafford. They played their first game there on ] ] against ], but lost 4–3 having thrown away a 3–0 lead. They then went trophyless again in the ] season, which not only proved to be the last with Mangnall in charge (he moved to Manchester City after ten years with United), but also the last time the club won the First Division for 41 years, the longest time they have gone without winning the league in their history.

For the next ten years, the club went into a state of gradual decline before being relegated back down to Division Two in 1922. They were promoted again in 1925, but struggled to get into the top half of the table, and were relegated again in 1931. In the eight years leading up to the ], the club became somewhat of a ], reaching their all-time lowest position of 20th in Division Two in 1934. They were promoted and relegated once again before being promoted in the penultimate season before the Second World War. They guaranteed their place in the top flight for after the war by finishing in 14th in the ] season.

===The Busby years (1945–1969)===
{{main|History of Manchester United F.C. (1945-1969)}}
1945 saw the appointment of ] to the manager's post at Old Trafford. He took an uncommon approach to his job, insisting that he be allowed to pick his own team, choose which players to sign and direct the team's training sessions himself. He had already missed out on the manager's job at his former club, Liverpool F.C., because the club saw those tasks as jobs for the directors, but United decided to take a chance on Busby's innovative ideas. Busby's first signing was not a player, but a new assistant manager by the name of ]. The risk the club had taken in appointing Busby paid immediate dividends, with the club finishing second in the league in 1947, 1948 and 1949 and winning the FA Cup in ], thanks in part to the locally-born trio of ], ] and ] (Rowley and Pearson both scored in the 1948 Cup Final), as well as the centre-half from the North-East, ].

Charlie Mitten had fled to ] in search of a better salary, but the remainder of United's old heads managed to win the First Division title back in 1952. Busby knew, however, that football teams required more than just experience in the side, and so he adopted a policy of bringing in players from the youth team whenever possible. At first, the young players such as ], ], ] and ], took time to bed themselves into the side, sliding to a low of 8th place in 1953, but the team won the league again in 1956 with an average age of only 22, scoring 103 goals in the process. The youth policy set in motion by Busby has now become a hallmark of the most successful periods in the club's history (the mid-1950s, mid-to-late-1960s and 1990s). Busby's original "crop" of youth players was referred to as the ''']''', the jewel in the crown of which was a wing-half named ]. The boy from ] in the ] made his United début at the age of just 16 back in 1953. It was said that Edwards could play at any position on the field, and many who saw him play said that he was the greatest player ever. 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 ], at the behest of the FA, who had denied ] the same opportunity the previous season, and reached the semi-final, only to be knocked out by ]. En route to the semi-final, United also recorded a win that still stands as their biggest win in all competitions, beating ] champions ] 10–0 at ].

]

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 - ], Roger Byrne, ], Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, ], ] and ] - and another fifteen passengers, including United staff members ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/6/newsid_2535000/2535961.stm |title=Munich Air Disaster |accessdate=2007-08-12| publisher=] }}</ref> There had already been two attempted take-offs before the fatal third, which was caused by a build-up of slush at the end of the runway slowing the plane down to a speed insufficient for take-off. The plane skidded off the end of the runway, through a fence and into an unoccupied house. United goalkeeper ] managed to maintain consciousness after the crash, and through fear of the plane exploding at any second, he grabbed both ] — who had made his United début less than 18 months earlier — and Dennis Viollet by their waistbands and dragged them to safety. Seven United players died at the scene, while Duncan Edwards died a fortnight later in hospital. Right-winger ] also survived the accident, but injuries sustained in the accident brought his football career to a premature end. Matt Busby was not given much hope of survival by the Munich doctors, and was even given the ] at one point, but recovered miraculously and was finally let out of hospital after having spent over two months there.

There were rumours of the club folding and withdrawing from competitions, but with Jimmy Murphy taking over as manager while Busby recovered from his injuries, the club continued playing with a makeshift side. Despite the accident, they reached the ] again, where they lost to ]. At the end of the season, ] offered the FA the opportunity to submit both United and the eventual champions, ], for the ] European Cup as a tribute to the victims, but the FA declined. United managed to push Wolves right to the wire the following season, finishing in a creditable 2nd place; not bad for a team that had lost nine first-team players to the Munich air disaster.

Busby rebuilt the team throughout the early 1960s, signing players such as ] and ], all the while nurturing his new generation of youngsters. Perhaps the most famous of this new batch was a young man from ] named ]. Best had a natural athleticism rarely seen, but his most valuable asset was his close control of a football. His quick feet allowed him to pass through almost any gap in the opposition defence, no matter how small. The team won the FA Cup in ], albeit finishing in 19th place in the First Division. The FA Cup triumph seemed to reinvigorate the players, who helped the club to 2nd place in 1964, and then went one better by winning the league in 1965 and 1967. United won the European Cup in 1968, beating ]'s SL Benfica 4–1 in the ], becoming the first English club to win the competition. This United team was notable for containing three ]: Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best. Matt Busby resigned as manager in 1969 and was replaced by the reserve-team coach and former United player, ].

===1969–1986===
{{main|History of Manchester United F.C. (1969-1986)}}
]
United struggled to replace Busby, and the team struggled under Wilf McGuinness in the ] season, finishing a disappointing 8th, and following a poor start to the ] season, McGuinness was demoted back to the position of reserve team coach. Busby was coaxed back to the club, albeit only for six months. Results got better with Busby's guidance, but he finally left the club for the last time in the summer of 1971. In the meantime, United had lost a number of high-profile players such as ] and Pat Crerand.

Despite approaching ]'s European Cup-winning manager, ], for the manager's job — Stein had agreed a verbal contract to join United, but pulled out at the last minute — ] was appointed as Busby's successor. However, like McGuinness, O'Farrell only lasted less than 18 months, the only difference between the two being that O'Farrell reacted to the team's poor form by bringing in some fresh talent, most specifically ] from ] for £125,000. ] became manager at the end of 1972. Docherty, or "the Doc", saved United from relegation that season but United were relegated in 1974, by which time the golden trio of Best, Law and Charlton had left the club. Denis Law had moved to Manchester City in the summer of 1973, and ended up scoring the goal that many people say relegated United, and politely refused to celebrate the goal with his team mates. Players like ], ] and ] were brought in to replace Best, Law and Charlton, but none could live up to the stature of the three that came before.

The team won promotion at the first attempt, with a young ] making his début towards the end of that season, having joined from ], and reached the FA Cup final in 1976, but were beaten by ]. They reached the final again in 1977, beating Liverpool 2–1. 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. Major signings under Sexton included ], ], ] and ], but Sexton's defensive United failed to break out of mid-table obscurity, only once finishing in the top two, and only reached the FA Cup final once, losing to ]. Because of this lack of trophies, Sexton was sacked in 1981, even though he won his last seven games in charge.

He was replaced by the flamboyant ], whose extrovert attitude was reflected in the clubs he managed. He immediately broke the British record transfer fee to sign ] from his old club, ]. Robson would come to be touted in the future as United's best midfield player since Duncan Edwards. Atkinson's team featured new signings such as ], ] and ] playing alongside former youth-team players ] and ]. United won the FA Cup twice in three years, in ] and ], and were overwhelming favourites to win the league in the ] 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 by the beginning of November 1986, Atkinson was sacked.

===Alex Ferguson era, pre-Treble (1986–1998)===
{{main|History of Manchester United F.C. (1986-1998)}}
]]]
<!--THIS IS A SHORT SUMMARY OF THE MAIN ARTICLE ONLY-->Alex Ferguson arrived from Aberdeen to replace 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 throughout the next two seasons, with many of Ferguson's signings not reaching the expectations of the fans. Alex Ferguson was reportedly on the verge of being sacked at the beginning of 1990 but a Mark Robins goal gave United a narrow 1–0 win in the third round of the FA Cup over ]. This kept the season alive, and the team went on to win the competition, beating ] in a replay in the final.

United won the European Cup Winners' Cup in ], beating that season's Spanish champions ] in the final, but the following season was a disappointment as a late season slump saw them miss out on the league to rivals ]. Meanwhile in 1991, the club floated on the ] with a valuation of £47&nbsp;million,<ref>{{cite book |last=Lee |first=Simon |editor=Sean Hamil, Jonathan Michie, Christine Oughton |title=A Game of Two Halves? The Business of Football |url=http://www.football-research.org/gof2h/Gof2H-contents.htm |accessdate=2007-05-28 |publisher=] |chapter=CHAPTER 4. The BSkyB Bid for Manchester United Plc - All the Passion of a Banknote |chapterurl=http://www.football-research.org/gof2h/Gof2H-chap4.htm }}</ref> bringing its finances into the public eye.

The arrival of ] in November 1992 provided the crucial spark for United, and blending with the best of trusted talent in ], ] and ], as well as budding stars like ], they finished the ] season as champions for the first time since 1967. They won ] (the league and the FA Cup) for the first time the following season, aided by the capture of Roy Keane, a determined midfielder from Nottingham Forest, who would go on to become the team captain. In the same year, however, the club was plunged into mourning following the death of legendary manager and club president Sir Matt Busby, who died on ] ].

In ], Cantona received an eight month suspension for jumping into the crowd and assaulting Crystal Palace supporter Matthew Simmons, who had given Cantona racial abuse as he left the field, 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 ], Gary Neville, ] and ]. The new players, several of whom quickly became regular internationals for ], did surprisingly well and United won the double again in ]. This was the first time any English club had won the double twice, and the feat was nicknamed the "Double Double".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/1996/05/12/sfgliv12.xml |title=Cantona crown's United's season of Double delight |publisher=] |accessdate=2006-12-11 }}</ref>

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

===The Treble (1998–99)===
{{main|Manchester United F.C. season 1998-99}}
]
<!--THIS IS A SHORT SUMMARY OF THE MAIN ARTICLE ONLY-->The ] season for Manchester United was the most successful season in English club football history as they became the first and only English team to win The Treble — winning the Premiership, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in the same season.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/353842.stm|title=United crowned kings of Europe|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=2008-08-11}}</ref> After a very tense Premier League season, Manchester United won the title on the final day beating ] 2–1, whilst Arsenal won 1–0 against Aston Villa.<ref name="SI">{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/news/1999/05/16/british_roundup/ |title=Man United stands alone |publisher=Sports Illustrated |accessdate=2008-08-11 }}</ref> Winning the Premiership was the first part of the Treble in place, the one part that manager Alex Ferguson described as the hardest.<ref name="SI"/> In the FA Cup Final United faced ] and won 2–0 with goals from ] and Paul Scholes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/news/1999/05/22/fa_cup/ |title=Two down, one to go |publisher=Sports Illustrated |accessdate=2008-08-11 }}</ref> In the final match of that season, the ] they defeated ] in what is considered one of the greatest comebacks ever witnessed, losing going into ] and scoring twice to win 2–1.<ref name="BBC"/> Ferguson was subsequently knighted for his services to football.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/03/08/stud_ed3_.php |title=Ferguson and Magnier: a truce in the internal warfare at United |publisher=International Herald Tribune |accessdate=2008-08-11 }}</ref> Rounding out that record breaking year, Manchester United also won the Intercontinental Cup after beating ] 1–0 in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.t3.rim.or.jp/~sports/arch/soa99.html |title=Other News in Soccer in 1999 |accessdate=2008-08-11 }}</ref>

===After the Treble (1999–present)===
{{main|History of Manchester United F.C. (1999-present)}}
<!--THIS IS A SHORT SUMMARY OF THE MAIN ARTICLE ONLY-->United won the league in 2000 and 2001 but the press saw these seasons as failures as they failed to regain the European Cup. In 2000, Manchester United became one of 14 founder members of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.g14.com/G14members/index.asp |title=G-14's members |publisher=G14.com |accessdate=2006-09-12 }}</ref> 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. They regained the league the following season (]) and started the following season well, but their form dropped significantly when ] received a controversial eight month suspension for missing a ]. They did win the ] FA Cup, however, knocking out Arsenal (] eventual champions) on their way to the final in which they beat ].

The ] season was characterised by a failure to score goals, mainly due to the injury of striker ] and United finished the season trophyless and in third place in the league. This time, even the FA Cup eluded them as Arsenal beat United on penalties after a goalless draw after 120 minutes. Off the pitch, the main story was the possibility of the club being taken over and at the end of the season, ] businessman ], ] in the club.

United made a poor start to the ] season, with midfielder Roy Keane leaving the club to join Celtic after publicly criticising several of his team-mates, and the club failed to qualify for the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade after losing to ] team Benfica. Their season was also dealt cruel blows with injuries to key players such as ], ], Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. However, they were prevented from being left empty-handed in successive seasons &ndash; a disappointment not endured in the last 17 years &ndash; by winning the 2006 League Cup, beating newly-promoted neighbours ] in the ] 4–0. United also ensured a second-place finish and automatic Champions League qualification on the final day of the season by defeating ] 4–0. At the end of the 2005–06 season, one of United's key strikers, ], left the club to join ], due to a row with Alex Ferguson.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/5322562.stm |title=Ruud accuses Ferguson of betrayal |publisher=] |date=] |accessdate=2006-12-11 }}</ref>

The ] season saw United return to the attacking style of football that was the cornerstone of their years of success in the late 1990s, scoring almost 20 more goals in 32 matches than second placed side Chelsea. In January 2007, United signed ] on a two-month loan from ] side ], and the ] played an important role in advancing United to the ],<ref>{{cite news |title=Seven wonders of sublime United dazzle and destroy helpless Roma |publisher= The Guardian |url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/Match_Report/0,,2054231,00.html |date=] }}</ref> with hopes for a second ]; however, upon reaching the semi-finals, United lost to ] 3–5 on ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/6603095.stm |title=AC Milan 3-0 Man Utd (Agg: 5-3) |accessdate=2007-05-28 |author=Caroline Cheese |date=2007-05-02 |publisher=BBC Sport }}</ref>

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Manchester United's entry into European competition, as well as the 50th anniversary of the ], Manchester United played ]'s ] at Old Trafford on ] ]. United won the game 4–3.<ref>{{cite news |title=Manchester United 4-3 Europe XI |publisher= ManUtd.com |url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=410702 |date=] }}</ref>

Four years after their last title, United claimed back the Premier League title on ] ], after Chelsea drew away with Arsenal, leaving the Blues seven points behind with two games to go, following United's 1–0 victory in the ] the previous day, making it their ninth Premiership title in the 15 seasons of its existence. However, an unprecedented fourth Double was not to be, as Chelsea beat United 1–0 in extra time in ] to be held at the new ]; the first to be held in England since the old stadium was demolished seven years earlier.

====The Malcolm Glazer takeover====
{{main|Malcolm Glazer takeover of Manchester United}}
<!--THIS IS A SHORT SUMMARY OF THE MAIN ARTICLE ONLY-->On ] ], ] businessman Malcolm Glazer acquired a controlling interest in the club through his investment vehicle Red Football Ltd. in a takeover valuing the club at approximately ]800 ] (approx. ]1.5 ]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4550141.stm|title=Glazer Man Utd stake exceeds 75% |publisher=BBC News|accessdate=2007-08-11}}</ref><ref name="CBS">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/columns/newsmakers/malcolm_glazer.html|title=Manchester United's new owner|publisher=CBS Sports Online|accessdate=2007-08-11}}</ref> On ], he increased his share to the 75% necessary to de-list the club from the Stock Exchange, making it private again, and announced his intention to do so within 20 days.<ref name="CBS"/> On ] he appointed his sons to the Manchester United board as non-executive directors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2005/06/08/1387352.htm|title=Glazer's sons join Man U board|publisher=ABC News|accessdate=2008-08-11}}</ref>

In July 2006, the club announced a refinancing package. The total amount will be £660 million, on which interest payments will be £62 million a year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.footballeconomy.com/archive/archive_2006_jul_08.htm|title=Glazers Tighten Grip On United With Debt Refinancing|publisher=The Political Economy of Football|accessdate=2008-08-11}}</ref> This result of this new financing plan will be a 30% reduction of annual payments.<ref name="RTE">{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2006/0718/manunited2.html|title=Manchester United reveal refinancing plans|publisher=RTÉ Sport|accessdate=2008-08-11}}</ref>

==Club crest and colours==
]
During its days as '''Newton Heath''', the club's home jerseys were yellow and green; this strip was revived as an away kit in the early 1990s. In 1902, in conjunction with the name change to Manchester United, the club changed their colours to red jerseys, white shorts and black socks, which has become the standard for most Man Utd home kits ever since. The most notable exception to this is the shirt that the team wore in the ] against ], which was white with a thin red V-neck. This design was resurrected in the 1920s before United reverted back to the all-red shirts.

Away strips are usually white jerseys with black shorts and white socks, but other colours have been used, including a blue and white striped shirt used on-and-off from 1903 to 1916, an all-black kit in 1994 and 2003 and a navy blue shirt with silver horizontal pinstripes in 2000. One of the most famous, yet short-lived, United away kits, though, was the all grey kit from 1995–96. This kit was dropped after Manchester United failed to win a single game while wearing it. At half-time during a game against Southampton, when United were already 3–0 down, they switched to their blue and white third kit, but eventually lost 3–1. According to the players, the grey kit was not visible enough which led to the poor results.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/tennis/features/newsid_2223000/2223651.stm |title=Grey day for Manchester United |accessdate=2007-05-28 |publisher=BBC.co.uk }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://rivals.net/default.asp?sid=969&p=2&stid=8434024 |title=Excuses, excuses, excuses |accessdate=2007-05-28 |author=Anthony Thomas |date=2007-01-03 |publisher=Black-and-amber.co.uk }}</ref> Another famous Man Utd away kit included a reversible shirt that was white with black sleeves and gold trim on one side, and gold with black trim on the other side. This shirt was released as the last kit created by ] for the club before the change to ], and commemorated 100 years since the club had changed its name from Newton Heath to Manchester United.

The United third kit is traditionally all-blue in homage to the kit that the 1968 European Cup was won in. Exceptions to this rule have included a bright yellow kit worn in the early 1970s, the aforementioned blue and white striped shirt from 1996, which proved to be a firm favourite with the fans, and a white shirt with black and red horizontal pinstripes from 2004. United have also used what were originally used as training shirts as their third kit in the past, having adopted an all-black kit in the 1998–99 season and a dark blue shirt with maroon sides in 2001 for games against Southampton and PSV Eindhoven.

Currently, Manchester United's home jerseys are red with a vertical, white broken stripe with black trim on the reverse. The stripe is adorned with the letters MUFC at the top of the bottom portion, and a silhouette of the devil from the club badge at the top of the top portion. The ] and Nike logos are also white. A patch with the words "The Red Devils" written in white, over an image of the club badge's devil, is attached to the bottom-left of the shirt. The club crest sits on a red kiss-cut shield on the left breast. The away jerseys are similar in template to the home shirt, but are black. The crest sits in a black shield, also on the left breast. There is a red-coloured piping running from the neck to the armpit and the AIG and Nike logos are white. The shirt also features the broken stripe on the reverse.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Manchester_United/Manchester_United.htm#Kit_History |title=History of Man Utd's Kit |accessdate=2007-08-12| publisher=historicalkits.co.uk }}</ref>

The Manchester United crest has been altered on a few occasions, but the basic form remains similar. The badge is derived from the crest of the city of ]. The devil on the club badge stems from the club's nickname "The Red Devils", which was adopted in the early 1960s after Matt Busby heard it in reference to the red-shirted ] ] side.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutdzone.com/atoz/r.html#reddevils |title=A to Z of Manchester United - R |accessdate=2007-08-03 |publisher=ManUtdZone.com |quote=In the early 1960's Salford Rugby club toured France wearing red shirts and became known as "The Red Devils". Manager Sir Matt Busby liked the sound of it, thinking that a nasty devil is more intimidating to opponents than angelic babes. }}</ref> By the end of the 1960s, the devil had started to be included on club programmes and scarves, before it was finally incorporated into the club badge in 1970, holding its unmistakable trident. In 1998, the badge was once again redesigned, this time removing the words "Football Club".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prideofmanchester.com/sport/mufc-kits.htm |title=Manchester United kits |accessdate=2007-05-28 |publisher=prideofmanchester.com }}</ref> This move was met with opposition from some supporters, who viewed it as a move away from the club's footballing roots and more into the business side of the game.

==Players==
===First-team squad===
As of ] ], according to combined sources on the official website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={91EA3BE2-963A-4BAB-802C-F46A0EF3FCA3}&page=1 |title=First Team |accessdate=2007-05-28 |year=2007 |publisher=ManUtd.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=462234 |title=Reds confirm squad numbers |date=] |accessdate=2007-08-10 |author=Ben Hibbs |publisher=Manchester United }}</ref>

{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player |no=1 |nat=NED |pos=GK |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=2 |nat=ENG |pos=DF |name=] |other=] }}
{{Fs player |no=3 |nat=FRA |pos=DF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=4 |nat=ENG |pos=MF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=5 |nat=ENG |pos=DF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=6 |nat=ENG |pos=DF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=7 |nat=POR |pos=MF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=8 |nat=BRA |pos=MF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=9 |nat=FRA |pos=FW |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=10 |nat=ENG |pos=FW |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=11 |nat=WAL |pos=MF |name=] |other=] }}
{{Fs player |no=12 |nat=ENG |pos=GK |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=13 |nat=KOR |pos=MF |name=] }}<!-- Not Ji-Sung Park as it is a Korean name and so the family name comes first -->
{{Fs player |no=15 |nat=SER |pos=DF |name=] }}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player |no=16 |nat=ENG |pos=MF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=17 |nat=POR |pos=MF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=18 |nat=ENG |pos=MF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=19 |nat=ESP |pos=DF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=21 |nat=CHN |pos=FW |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=22 |nat=IRL |pos=DF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=24 |nat=SCO |pos=MF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=27 |nat=FRA |pos=DF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=29 |nat=POL |pos=GK |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=32 |nat=ARG |pos=FW |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=33 |nat=ENG |pos=MF |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=38 |nat=ENG |pos=GK |name=] }}
{{Fs player |no=47 |nat=ENG |pos=FW |name=Danny Welbeck }}
{{Fs end}}
''For more details see: ].<br />
''For recent transfers, see ].''

====On loan====
{{fs start}}
{{fs player |no=23 |nat=NIR |pos=DF |name=] |other=at ] until ] ] }}
{{fs player |no=25 |nat=ENG |pos=MF |name=] |other=at ] until ] ] }}
{{fs player |no=–– |nat=ANG |pos=FW |name=] |other=at ] until ] ] }}
{{fs end}}

===Reserves and academy===
''For the reserve and academy squads, see ].''

===Former players===
''For details on former players, see ] and ].''

===Club captains===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dates
! Name
! Notes
|-
| 1878–1896
| Unknown
|-
| 1896–1903
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
| Captain of Newton Heath and first captain of Manchester United
|-
| 1903–1904
| Unknown
|-
| 1904–1907
| {{flagicon|SCO}} ]
|-
| 1907–1913
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1913–1919
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1919–1922
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1922–1928
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1928–1932
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1932–1936
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1936–1939
| {{flagicon|SCO}} ]
|-
|1939–1946
| None
| No football was played during the ]
|-
| 1946–1953
| {{flagicon|IRL}} ]
| First post-war captain, and first from outside the ]
|-
| 1953–1954
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
| Made captain for only one season, after Johnny Carey retired
|-
| 1954–1958
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
| Died in the 1958 ]
|-
| 1958–1962
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1962-1967
| {{flagicon|IRE}} ]
|-
| 1967–1973
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1973–1979
| {{flagicon|SCO}} ]
|-
| 1979–1982
| {{flagicon|NIR}} ]
|-
| 1982–1994
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
| Longest-serving captain in United's history
|-
| 1994–1996
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1996–1997
| {{flagicon|FRA}} ]
| First United captain from outside the United Kingdom or the ]
|-
| 1997–2005
| {{flagicon|IRL}} ]
| Won more trophies than any other United captain
|-
| 2005–present
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
| First club captain to be born in ] since Roger Byrne
|}
<!-- This table may not be 100% accurate for dates before 1953. Any assistance in getting it perfect would be appreciated. -->

===Player records===
{{main|Manchester United F.C. records and statistics}}
''As of match played ] ] and according to the official statistics website.<ref></ref> Players in bold are still currently playing for Manchester United.''

====Most appearances====
{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!Name
!Career
!Appearances
!Goals
|-
|1
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|1956 – 1973
|759
|249
|-
|2
|align="left"|{{flagicon|WAL}} ''']'''
|1991 – present
|754
|143
|-
|3
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|1952 – 1970
|688
|9
|-
|4
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} ''']'''
|1994 – present
|566
|138
|-
|5
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} ''']'''
|1992 – present
|541
|7
|-
|6
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|1966 – 1978
|539
|2
|-
|7
|align="left"|{{flagicon|IRL}} ]
|1960 – 1973
|535
|2
|-
|8
|align="left"|{{flagicon|IRL}} ]
|1990 – 2002
|529
|33
|-
|9
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|1919 – 1933
|510
|168
|-
|10
|align="left"|{{flagicon|SCO}} ]
|1974 – 1988
|485
|7
|}

====Most goals====
{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!Name
!Career
!Appearances
!Goals
!Goals/Game<br />Ratio
|-
|1
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|1956 – 1973
|759
|249
|0.328
|-
|2
|align="left"|{{flagicon|SCO}} ]
|1962 – 1973
|404
|237
|0.587
|-
|3
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|1937 – 1955
|424
|211
|0.498
|-
|4=
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} ] <!-- Ahead of George Best as he has a better goals/game ratio -->
|1953 – 1962
|293
|179
|0.611
|-
|4=
|align="left"|{{flagicon|NIR}} ]
|1963 – 1974
|470
|179
|0.381
|-
|6
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|1919 – 1933
|510
|168
|0.329
|-
|7
|align="left"|{{flagicon|WAL}} ]
|1983 – 1986<br />1988 – 1995
|467
|163
|0.349
|-
|8
|align="left"|{{flagicon|NED}} ]
|2001 – 2006
|219
|150
|0.685
|-
|9
|align="left"|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|1937 – 1954
|343
|148
|0.431
|-
|10
|align="left"|{{flagicon|SCO}} ]
|1961 – 1968
|265
|145
|0.547
|}

====European Footballers of the Year (Ballon d'Or)====
The following players have won the ] award (Ballon d'Or) whilst playing for Manchester United:
*{{flagicon|SCO}} Denis Law — 1964
*{{flagicon|ENG}} Bobby Charlton — 1966
*{{flagicon|NIR}} George Best — 1968

===Ladies team===
Manchester United Ladies FC was founded in 1977, and officially became a part of Manchester United FC at the start of the ] season. They played in the Northern Combination league (the third tier of women's football in England) until they were controversially disbanded before the start of the 2004–05 season for financial reasons. The decision was met with considerable criticism given the huge profits made by Manchester United and also due to the fact that the teams were withdrawn from all their leagues before the players were even informed of the decision.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joinmust.org/news/newsletter/UnitedShareholder26.pdf |title=United abandons women’s football |accessdate=2007-05-28 |author=Theresa Towle |year=2005 |month=May |format=PDF |work=United Shareholder |publisher=ShareholdersUnited |pages= }}</ref>

==Club officials==
*Owner: ''']'''
*Honorary Life President: ''']'''

'''Manchester United Limited'''
*Joint Chairmen: ''']''' & ''']'''
*Directors: ''']''', '''Kevin Glazer''', '''Edward Glazer''' & '''Darcie Glazer'''
*Chief Executive: ''']'''
*Chief Operating Officer: '''Michael Bolingbroke'''
*Commercial Director: '''Richard Arnold'''

'''Manchester United football club'''
*Directors: '''David Gill''', '''Michael Edelson''', ''']''', ''']'''
*Club Secretary: '''Ken Ramsden'''
*Assistant Club Secretary: '''Ken Merrett'''
*Global Ambassador: ''']'''

<!-- '''Senior club staff'''
*Company Secretary: '''Patrick Stewart'''
*Assistant Company Secretary: '''Ken Ramsden'''
*Director of Communications: '''Phil Townsend'''
*Director of Commercial Enterprises: '''Ben Hatton'''
*Director of Marketing: vacant
*Director of Financial Services: '''Steve Falk'''
*Director of Finance & IT: ''' Steve Deaville'''
*Director of Facilities: '''Clive Snell'''

-->'''Coaching and Medical Staff'''
*Manager: ''']'''
*Assistant Manager: ''']'''
*First Team Coach: ''']'''
*Technical Skills Development Coach: ''']'''
*First Team Coach (Strikers): ''']'''
*Goalkeeping Coach: '''Richard Hartis (Acting)'''
*Fitness Coach: '''Tony Strudwick'''
*Strength & Conditioning Coach: '''Mick Clegg'''
*Caretaker Reserve Team Coach: ''']'''
*Chief Scout: ''']'''
*Chief European Scout: ''']'''
*Director of Youth Academy: ''']'''
*Director of Youth Football: ''']'''
<!--
'''Academy coaching staff'''
*Assistant Director for 17–21 Year olds: ''']'''
*Assistant Director for 9–16 Year olds: ''']'''
*Under 18s Head Coach: '''Paul McGuinness'''
*Under 13–16s Head Coach: ''']'''
*Under 11–12s Head Coach: '''Tony Whelan'''
*Under 9–10s Head Coach: '''Eamon Mulvey''' -->
<!--*Director of Goalkeeping Training: '''Richard Hartis'''
*Academy Coaches: '''Eddie Leach''', '''Tommy Martin''', '''Mike Glennie''' & '''Andy Welsh'''

'''Medical staff''' -->
*Club Doctor: '''Dr. Steve McNally'''
*Assistant Club Doctor: '''Dr. Tony Gill'''
*First Team Physiotherapist: ''']'''<!--
*Reserve Team Physiotherapist: '''Neil Hough'''
*Senior Academy Physiotherapist: '''Mandy Johnson'''
*Academy Physiotherapists: '''John Davin''' & '''Richard Merron'''
*Masseurs: '''Gary Armer''' & '''Rod Thornley'''
*Club Dietician: '''Trevor Lea''' -->

===Managerial history===
{{main|List of Manchester United F.C. managers}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dates
! Name
! Notes
|-
| 1878–1892
| Unknown
|-
| 1892–1900
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1900–1903
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1903–1912
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1912–1914
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1914–1922
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1922–1926
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1926–1927
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1927–1931
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1931–1932
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1932–1937
| {{flagicon|SCO}} ]
| First manager from outside of England
|-
| 1937–1945
|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1945–1969
| {{flagicon|SCO}} ]
| First post-Second World War manager and longest serving manager in United's history
|-
| 1969–1970
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1970–1971
| {{flagicon|SCO}} ]
|-
| 1971–1972
| {{flagicon|IRL}} ]
| First manager from outside the United Kingdom
|-
| 1972–1977
| {{flagicon|SCO}} ]
|-
| 1977–1981
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1981–1986
| {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
|-
| 1986–present
| {{flagicon|SCO}} ]
| Most successful manager in terms of trophies
|}

==Support==
Before the Second World War, few English football supporters travelled to away games because of time, cost, and logistical constraints such as the scarcity of cars amongst the population. As City and United played home matches on alternate Saturdays, many Mancunians would watch United one week and City the next, but after the war, a stronger rivalry developed and it became more common for a supporter to choose to follow one team 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 United for the previous few years. Following the Munich air disaster in 1958, more people began to support United and many started to go to matches. This caused United's support to swell 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 ].<ref name="attendance"> More poignantly, for two of the seasons that United did not have the league's largest attendance, Old Trafford was undergoing major building work (] and 1992–93).

A 2002 report, entitled ''Do You Come From Manchester?'', showed that a higher proportion of Manchester City season ticket holders live in the Manchester postal districts, whilst United had the higher absolute number of season ticket holders living in the same area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.e-space.mmu.ac.uk/e-space/bitstream/2173/2032/2/seasonticketreport+-+brown1.pdf |title=Do You Come From Manchester? |accessdate=2007-05-28 |author=Dr. Adam Brown |year=2002 |format=PDF |publisher=] |pages=3 }}</ref>

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 ] (''Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association'') was extremely active in opposing a proposed takeover by ] in 1998.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.redpepper.org.uk/cularch/xmanu.html |title=Fan Power |accessdate=2007-08-12 |author=Andy Walsh and Adam Brown |publisher=redpepper.org.uk }}</ref> Another pressure group, ''Shareholders United Against Murdoch'' (which became Shareholders United and is now the '']'') 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 share holder. Many supporters were outraged, and some formed a splinter club called ]. Despite the anger of some supporters towards the new owners, attendances have continued to increase.

The atmosphere produced by the fans has, however, been criticised at times. In 2000, the then-club captain, Roy Keane, labelled the Old Trafford crowd the "prawn sandwich brigade",<ref name=crowdcriticism>{{cite news |title=Home support disappoints Ferguson |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7167508.stm |date=] |accessdate=2008-01-02 |publisher=BBC Sport }}</ref> claiming some fans couldn't "spell football, never mind understand it".<ref name=crowdcriticism/> Alex Ferguson has also made several comments about the crowd, even going as far as claiming the atmosphere on ] ] was like a "funeral".<ref name=crowdcriticism/> Afterwards, he commented "I think there have been days like this in the past. It happened some years ago, when we were dominant".<ref name=crowdcriticism/>

==Stadium==
{{main|Old Trafford}}
{{Infobox Stadium |
stadium_name = Old Trafford |
nickname = Theatre of Dreams |
image = ] |
location = ],<br />],<br />],<br />] |
broke_ground = 1909 |
opened = ] |
owner = Manchester United |
operator = Manchester United |
pitch_size = 106 m x 69.5 m |
construction_cost = £60m |
architect = ] |
tenants = <center>Manchester United (Premier League)<br>(1910–present)</center> |
seating_capacity = <center>76,212</center> <center></center> |
}}

When the club was first founded, '''Newton Heath''' played their home games on a small field on North Road in Newton Heath, near to where Manchester Piccadilly Station is currently located. However, visiting teams often complained about the state of the pitch, which was "a bog at one end and rocky as a quarry at the other".<ref name="north_road"/> The changing rooms were also nothing to be proud of, being located ten minutes walk away at the Three Crowns pub on Oldham Road. They were later moved to the Shears Hotel, another pub on Oldham Road, but a change was needed if the club was to continue in the Football League.

The Heathens remained at their North Road ground for fifteen years from 1878 to 1893, a year after entering the Football League, before moving to a new home at Bank Street in nearby Clayton. The new ground was not much better, only a few tufts of grass sticking up through the sandy surface, and clouds of smoke coming down from the factory next door. On one occasion, the Walsall Town Swifts even refused to play, the conditions were so bad. A layer of sand was put down by the groundsman and the visitors were finally persuaded to play, eventually losing 14–0. They protested against the result, citing the poor conditions as the reason for their loss and the match was replayed. The conditions were not much better the second time around, and the Walsall team lost again, although this time they only lost 9–0.<ref name="north_road"/>

In 1902, the club went close to bankruptcy and the Bank Street ground was closed by bailiffs due to its insolvency. The club was saved at the last minute by captain Harry Stafford, who managed to scrape together enough money to pay for the club's next away game at Bristol City and found a temporary ground at neighbouring Harpurhey for the next home game against Blackpool.<ref name="temporary_home">{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Alex |title=The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United |year=2006 |publisher=Orion Books |location=London |isbn=0-75287-603-1 |pages=pp15 |chapter=1878-1915: From Newton Heath to Old Trafford }}</ref>

Following investment to get the club back on an even keel, they renamed as Manchester United, though still with a desire for a passable ground. Six weeks before United's first FA Cup title in April 1909, Old Trafford was named as the home of Manchester United, following the purchase of the necessary land for around £60,000. Architect Archibald Leitch was hired by United chairman John Henry Davies, and given a budget of £30,000 for construction. Original plans indicated that the stadium would hold around 100,000, though this was scaled back to 77,000. Despite this, a record attendance of 76,962 was recorded, which is more than even the current stadium officially supports. Construction was carried out by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester. At the opening of the stadium, standing tickets cost sixpence, while the most expensive seats in the grandstand would have set you back five shillings. The inaugural game was played on ] ] against Liverpool F.C., and resulted in a 4–3 win for the visitors. As it happened, the change of ground could not have come soon enough. Only a few days after the club played their last game at Bank Street, the main stand was blown down in a storm.<ref>{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Alex |title=The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United |year=2006 |publisher=Orion Books |location=London |isbn=0-75287-603-1 |pages=pp27 |chapter=1878-1915: From Newton Heath to Old Trafford }}</ref>

Bombing during the ], on ] ], destroyed much of the stadium, notably the main stand. The central tunnel in the South Stand was all that remained of that quarter of the ground. Though the ground was rebuilt in 1949, it meant that a game had not been played at Old Trafford for nearly 10 years as the team played all their "home" games in that period at Manchester City's ground, Maine Road. Man City charged the club £5000 per year for the use of their stadium, plus a nominal percentage of the gate receipts. United filed a report with the War Damage Commission and received compensation to the value of £22,278 for the reconstruction of the ground.<ref>{{cite book |last=White |first=John |title=The United Miscellany |origyear=2005 |edition=2nd edition |year=2007 |publisher=Carlton Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-84442-745-1 |pages=pp11 }}</ref>

Subsequent improvements occurred, beginning with the addition of a roof first to the Stretford End and then to the North and East Stands. However, the old-fashioned roof supports obscured the view of many fans, resulting in the upgrading of the roofs to incorporate the cantilevering still seen on the stadium today. The Stretford End was the last stand to receive the upgrade to the cantilevered roof, the work being completed in time for the start of the ] season.<ref name="expansion">{{cite web |url=http://www.manutdzone.com/oldtrafford/oldtrafford.htm |title=Old Trafford 1909-2006 |accessdate=2007-05-21 |publisher=ManUtdZone.com }}</ref>

Floodlights were first installed at the ground in the mid-1950s. Four {{convert|180|ft|m|sing=on}}-tall pylons were erected, each housing 54 individual floodlights. The whole lighting system cost the club £40,000, and was first used for a match on ] ]. However, the old style floodlights were dismantled in 1987, to be replaced by a new lighting system embedded in the roof of each of the stands, which has survived to this day.

In 1990, following the ], a report was issued which demanded all stadia must be ], leading to subsequent renovation, which dropped capacity to around 44,000. However, the club's popularity ensured that further development would occur. In 1995, the North Stand was redeveloped into three tiers, bringing the capacity up to approximately 55,000. This was followed by expansions of first the East and then West Stands to reach a total capacity of 68,000. The most recent expansion was completed in 2006, when the North-East and North-West Quadrants were opened, allowing the current record of 76,098, only 104 short of the stadium's maximum capacity.<ref name="expansion"/>

It has been estimated that for any further development to be attempted on the stadium, specifically the South Stand which is still only one tier high, development costs would almost equal the £114 million already spent on the stadium in the last fourteen years. This is due to the fact that up to fifty houses would have to be bought out by the club, which would cause a lot of disruption to local residents, and any extension would have to be built over the top of the railway line that runs adjacent to the stadium. Ideally, the expansion would include bringing the South Stand up to at least two tiers and filling in the South-West and South-East quadrants to restore the "bowl" effect of the stadium. Present estimates put the projected capacity of the completed stadium at approximately 96,000, more than the new Wembley Stadium.<ref name="expansion"/>

==Sponsorship==
On ] ], ] ended their £36 million, four-year shirt sponsorship deal with Manchester United. On ] ], chief executive David Gill announced AIG as the new shirt sponsors of Manchester United in a British record shirt sponsorship deal of £56.5 million to be paid over four years (£14.1 million a year).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4882640.stm |title=Man Utd sign £56m AIG shirt deal |accessdate=2007-05-28 |date=2006-04-06 |publisher=BBC.co.uk }}</ref> Manchester United now has the most valuable sponsorship deal in the world, due to the renegotiation of the £15 million-a-year deal ] had with oil firm ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/160395/oilinvest-to-renegotiate-juventus-sponsorship |title=Oilinvest to renegotiate Juventus sponsorship |accessdate=2007-05-28 |date=2006-09-07 |publisher=SportBusiness.com }}</ref> The four-year agreement has also been heralded, by extension, as the largest sponsorship deal in British history, eclipsing Chelsea's deal with ].

Companies that Manchester United currently have sponsorship deals with include:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={3479FBF4-753A-4BF4-8FDD-0F0BFCEA3FFF} |title=Official Sponsors |accessdate=2007-05-28 |year=2007 |publisher=ManUtd.com }}</ref>
*AIG — Principal Sponsor
*Nike — Official Sportswear Partner
*] — Official Car Supplier and Dugout Seat Provider
*] — Official Beer
*] — Official Betting Partner
*] — Official Radio Station<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Plunkett |title=Xfm to air Manchester United commentary |url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2142738,00.html |publisher=Guardian Unlimited |date=] |accessdate=2007-08-12 }}</ref>

The club has only ever had three main shirt sponsors, the longest-running being ], who sponsored the club from 1982 to 2000, when Vodafone took over in an initial four-year £30 million deal.<ref>{{cite news |title=Vodafone in £30m Man Utd tie-up |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/639243.stm |date=] |accessdate=2008-04-08 |publisher=BBC News }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=United must find new shirt sponsor |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SPORT/football/11/23/united.sponsor/ |publisher=CNN.com |date=] |accessdate=2008-04-08 }}</ref> Similarly, the club has only had four independent kit manufacturers, the first being ]. ] took over in the mid-1980s, only for local sportswear company Umbro to replace them in 1992. Umbro's sponsorship lasted for ten years, until the club struck a record-breaking £302.9 million deal with Nike. The agreement with Nike will last an initial 13 years, although the American company does have the option to cancel the deal in 2008. Otherwise, the contract will run until at least 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutdzone.com/atoz/n.html#Nike |title=A to Z of Manchester United - N |accessdate=2007-05-22 |publisher=ManUtdZone.com }}</ref>

==Rivalries==
{{main|Liverpool F.C. and Manchester United football rivalry}}
{{main|Manchester derby}}
{{main|Leeds United and Manchester United rivalry}}
United's number one rival is difficult to determine. Traditionally, the closest rivals have been ], ] and ], though ] have come into the frame in recent years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/174/174381_giggs_liverpool_our_biggest_test.html |title=United's rivalries | publisher=Manchester Evening News| accessdate=2007-12-23 }}</ref> Currently, most fans see Liverpool as their biggest rivals, due to the success of both clubs as well as their proximity to each other,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11667_2972778,00.html |title= Liverpool v Manchester United preview|accessdate=2007-12-23|publisher = Sky Sports}}</ref> while others rate intra-city rivals Manchester City as their biggest rivals. The Liverpool rivalry began during the 1960s when the two clubs were among the strongest in England, and have been competing closely just about every season since. The Manchester City rivalry dates back to the Newton Heath era of the 1890s, and has remained fierce due to both clubs being in the same division for much of their history.

Whilst based in traditional ], the ] began during the late 1960s when Leeds emerged as a top side, and continued through the 1970s and 1980s before arguably reaching its apex when Leeds pipped United to the league title in 1992. The rivalry with Arsenal is more recent and based more on battles on the pitch; it has been particularly intense since Arsenal and United have been in direct competition for several trophies since the late-1990s.

==Honours==
===Domestic===
====League====
* '''Premier League (including ])'''<ref>Up until 1992, the top division of English football was the Football League First Division; since then, it has been the Premier League.</ref>''' titles: 16'''
**1907–08, 1910–11, ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
*''']'''<ref>The Second Division became the First Division upon the formation of the Premier League, and is now known as the Football League Championship.</ref>''': 2'''
**], ]

====Cups====
*''']: 11'''
**], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
*''']: 2'''
**], ]
*'''FA Charity/Community Shield: 16 (12 outright, 4 shared)'''
**], ], 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, ] (* joint holders)

===European===
*''']: 2'''
**], ]
*''']: 1'''
**]
*''']: 1'''
**]

===International===
*''']: 1'''
**]

The only major honour that Manchester United F.C. has not yet won is the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={EE4D6083-FCB8-4FAB-A765-75E2B0F4B4E0} |title=Trophy Room |accessdate=2007-05-28 |year=2007 |publisher=ManUtd.com }}</ref>

==Club records==
:''For a full list of Manchester United F.C.'s records and statistics, see ].''

==See also==
{{commons|Manchester United}}
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==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
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===Independent media sites===
{{BBC Football Info|BBClinkname=m/man_utd}}
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===Major fan sites===
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Revision as of 20:34, 28 April 2008

"MUFC" redirects here. For other uses, see MUFC (disambiguation).

{{Infobox Football club |clubname = SHITTY FC !! |current = GAY BOYS FC |fullname = LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB |nickname = WHAT EVER THE LIVERPOOL SAY <ref>{{cite web |founded = 1878, as CANT BELIVE WE MADE THIS FUKIN TEAM ! |ground = ASDA CARPARK
Trafford
Greater Manchester
England |capacity = DEPENDS HOW MANY AWAY FANS |chairman = United States LEWIS WOODS & LEWIS WOODS |manager = Scotland Sir Alex Fergigay |captain = England bary Neville |league = not the champions league |season = 2006–07


Headline text

YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE ...

When you walk through a storm Hold your head up high And don't be afraid of the dark At the end of the storm Is a golden sky And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind Walk on through the rain Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone You'll never walk alone

LOVE GLAZER HATE UNITED !!