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Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United's emblem
Full name	Manchester United Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Red Devils
Founded	1878, as Newton Heath L&YR F.C.
Ground	Old Trafford Trafford Greater Manchester England
Capacity	76,212
Chairman	Joel & Avram Glazer
Manager	Sir Alex Ferguson
League	Premier League
2006–07	1st
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Manchester United Football Club is an English football club, based at the Old Trafford stadium in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and is arguably the most popular football club in the world, with over 330 million supporters worldwide, almost 5% of the world's population. The club was a founding member of the Premier League 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 English football for all but six seasons since 1964–65.

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 Alex Ferguson's reign as manager in November 1986. They are the Premier League's reigning champions, and have won the Premier League/Football League 16 times. In 1968, they became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating S.L. Benfica 4–1, and they won a second European Cup in 1999. They also hold the record for the most FA Cup titles with 11.

Since the late 1990s, the club has been one of the richest in the world with the highest revenue of any football club, and is currently the second richest club in the world, based on revenue. Manchester United, which remains the most valuable club in the world, was a founding member of the now-defunct G-14 group of Europe's leading football clubs and its replacement, the European Club Association.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been manager of the club since 6 November 1986. The current club captain is Gary Neville, who succeeded Roy Keane in November 2005.

History

===Man Utd Are Cunts COME ON U BLUES

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 1909 FA Cup Final against Bristol City, 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. 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 Umbro for the club before the change to Nike, 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 AIG 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.

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 Manchester. 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 Salford rugby league side. 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". 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 21 March 2008, according to combined sources on the official website.

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  NED Edwin van der Sar 2 DF  ENG Gary Neville (captain) 3 DF  FRA Patrice Evra 4 MF  ENG Owen Hargreaves 5 DF  ENG Rio Ferdinand 6 DF  ENG Wes Brown 7 MF  POR Cristiano Ronaldo 8 MF  BRA Anderson 9 FW  FRA Louis Saha 10 FW  ENG Wayne Rooney 11 MF  WAL Ryan Giggs (vice-captain) 12 GK  ENG Ben Foster 13 MF  KOR Park Ji-Sung 15 DF  SRB Nemanja Vidić

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 MF  ENG Michael Carrick 17 MF  POR Nani 18 MF  ENG Paul Scholes 19 DF  ESP Gerard Piqué 21 FW  CHN Dong Fangzhuo 22 DF  IRL John O'Shea 24 MF  SCO Darren Fletcher 27 DF  FRA Mikaël Silvestre 29 GK  POL Tomasz Kuszczak 32 FW  ARG Carlos Tévez 33 MF  ENG Chris Eagles 38 GK  ENG Tom Heaton 47 FW  ENG Danny Welbeck

For more details see: Manchester United F.C. season 2007–08.
For recent transfers, see List of English football transfers 2007-08.

On loan

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 23 DF  NIR Jonny Evans (at Sunderland until 30 June 2008) 25 MF  ENG Danny Simpson (at Ipswich Town until 30 June 2008) –– FW  ANG Manucho (at Panathinaikos until 30 June 2008)

Reserves and academy

For the reserve and academy squads, see Manchester United F.C. Reserves & Academy.

Former players

For details on former players, see List of Manchester United F.C. players and Category:Manchester United F.C. players.

Club captains

Dates	Name	Notes
1878–1896	Unknown
1896–1903	Harry Stafford	Captain of Newton Heath and first captain of Manchester United
1903–1904	Unknown
1904–1907	Jack Peddie
1907–1913	Charlie Roberts
1913–1919	George Stacey
1919–1922	George Hunter
1922–1928	Frank Barson
1928–1932	Jack Wilson
1932–1936	Hugh McLenahan
1936–1939	Jimmy Brown
1939–1946	None	No football was played during the Second World War
1946–1953	Johnny Carey	First post-war captain, and first from outside the United Kingdom
1953–1954	Allenby Chilton	Made captain for only one season, after Johnny Carey retired
1954–1958	Roger Byrne	Died in the 1958 Munich Air Disaster
1958–1962	Bill Foulkes
1962-1967	Noel Cantwell
1967–1973	Bobby Charlton
1973–1979	Martin Buchan
1979–1982	Sammy McIlroy
1982–1994	Bryan Robson	Longest-serving captain in United's history
1994–1996	Steve Bruce
1996–1997	Eric Cantona	First United captain from outside the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland
1997–2005	Roy Keane	Won more trophies than any other United captain
2005–present	Gary Neville	First club captain to be born in Greater Manchester since Roger Byrne

Player records

As of match played 23 April 2008 and according to the official statistics website. Players in bold are still currently playing for Manchester United.

Most appearances

#	Name	Career	Appearances	Goals
1	Sir Bobby Charlton	1956 – 1973	759	249
2	Ryan Giggs	1991 – present	754	143
3	Bill Foulkes	1952 – 1970	688	9
4	Paul Scholes	1994 – present	566	138
5	Gary Neville	1992 – present	541	7
6	Alex Stepney	1966 – 1978	539	2
7	Tony Dunne	1960 – 1973	535	2
8	Denis Irwin	1990 – 2002	529	33
9	Joe Spence	1919 – 1933	510	168
10	Arthur Albiston	1974 – 1988	485	7

Most goals

#	Name	Career	Appearances	Goals	Goals/Game Ratio
1	Sir Bobby Charlton	1956 – 1973	759	249	0.328
2	Denis Law	1962 – 1973	404	237	0.587
3	Jack Rowley	1937 – 1955	424	211	0.498
4=	Dennis Viollet	1953 – 1962	293	179	0.611
4=	George Best	1963 – 1974	470	179	0.381
6	Joe Spence	1919 – 1933	510	168	0.329
7	Mark Hughes	1983 – 1986 1988 – 1995	467	163	0.349
8	Ruud van Nistelrooy	2001 – 2006	219	150	0.685
9	Stan Pearson	1937 – 1954	343	148	0.431
10	David Herd	1961 – 1968	265	145	0.547

European Footballers of the Year (Ballon d'Or)

The following players have won the European Footballer of the Year award (Ballon d'Or) whilst playing for Manchester United:

• Denis Law — 1964
• Bobby Charlton — 1966
• 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 2001–02 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.

Club officials

• Owner: Malcolm Glazer
• Honorary Life President: Martin Edwards

Manchester United Limited

• Joint Chairmen: Joel Glazer & Avram Glazer
• Directors: Bryan Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Edward Glazer & Darcie Glazer
• Chief Executive: David Gill
• Chief Operating Officer: Michael Bolingbroke
• Commercial Director: Richard Arnold

Manchester United football club

• Directors: David Gill, Michael Edelson, Sir Bobby Charlton, Maurice Watkins
• Club Secretary: Ken Ramsden
• Assistant Club Secretary: Ken Merrett
• Global Ambassador: Bryan Robson

Coaching and Medical Staff

• Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
• Assistant Manager: Carlos Queiroz
• First Team Coach: Mike Phelan
• Technical Skills Development Coach: René Meulensteen
• First Team Coach (Strikers): Ole Gunnar Solskjær
• Goalkeeping Coach: Richard Hartis (Acting)
• Fitness Coach: Tony Strudwick
• Strength & Conditioning Coach: Mick Clegg
• Caretaker Reserve Team Coach: Brian McClair
• Chief Scout: Jim Lawlor
• Chief European Scout: Martin Ferguson
• Director of Youth Academy: Brian McClair
• Director of Youth Football: Jimmy Ryan
• Club Doctor: Dr. Steve McNally
• Assistant Club Doctor: Dr. Tony Gill
• First Team Physiotherapist: Rob Swire

Managerial history

Dates	Name	Notes
1878–1892	Unknown
1892–1900	A. H. Albut
1900–1903	James West
1903–1912	J. Ernest Mangnall
1912–1914	John Bentley
1914–1922	Jack Robson
1922–1926	John Chapman
1926–1927	Lal Hilditch
1927–1931	Herbert Bamlett
1931–1932	Walter Crickmer
1932–1937	Scott Duncan	First manager from outside of England
1937–1945	Walter Crickmer
1945–1969	Sir Matt Busby	First post-Second World War manager and longest serving manager in United's history
1969–1970	Wilf McGuinness
1970–1971	Sir Matt Busby
1971–1972	Frank O'Farrell	First manager from outside the United Kingdom
1972–1977	Tommy Docherty
1977–1981	Dave Sexton
1981–1986	Ron Atkinson
1986–present	Sir Alex Ferguson	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 1974–75.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

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) was extremely active in opposing a proposed takeover by Rupert Murdoch in 1998. 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 share holder. Many supporters were outraged, and some formed a splinter club called F.C. United of Manchester. 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", claiming some fans couldn't "spell football, never mind understand it". Alex Ferguson has also made several comments about the crowd, even going as far as claiming the atmosphere on 1 January 2008 was like a "funeral". Afterwards, he commented "I think there have been days like this in the past. It happened some years ago, when we were dominant".

Stadium

Old Trafford

Theatre of Dreams
Location	Sir Matt Busby Way, Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England
Owner	Manchester United
Operator	Manchester United
Capacity	76,212 Old Trafford
Construction
Broke ground	1909
Opened	1910-02-19
Construction cost	£60m
Architect	Archibald Leitch
Tenants
Manchester United (Premier League) (1910–present)

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". 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.

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.

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 19 February 1910 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.

Bombing during the Second World War, on 11 March 1941, 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.

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 1993–94 season.

Floodlights were first installed at the ground in the mid-1950s. Four 180-foot (55 m)-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 25 March 1957. 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 Hillsborough disaster, a report was issued which demanded all stadia must be all-seater stadia, 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.

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.

Sponsorship

On 23 November 2005, Vodafone ended their £36 million, four-year shirt sponsorship deal with Manchester United. On 6 April 2006, 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). Manchester United now has the most valuable sponsorship deal in the world, due to the renegotiation of the £15 million-a-year deal Juventus had with oil firm Tamoil. The four-year agreement has also been heralded, by extension, as the largest sponsorship deal in British history, eclipsing Chelsea's deal with Samsung.

Companies that Manchester United currently have sponsorship deals with include:

• AIG — Principal Sponsor
• Nike — Official Sportswear Partner
• Audi — Official Car Supplier and Dugout Seat Provider
• Budweiser — Official Beer
• Betfred — Official Betting Partner
• Xfm Manchester — Official Radio Station

The club has only ever had three main shirt sponsors, the longest-running being Sharp Electronics, who sponsored the club from 1982 to 2000, when Vodafone took over in an initial four-year £30 million deal. Similarly, the club has only had four independent kit manufacturers, the first being Admiral. Adidas 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.

Rivalries

United's number one rival is difficult to determine. Traditionally, the closest rivals have been Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds, though Arsenal have come into the frame in recent years. Currently, most fans see Liverpool as their biggest rivals, due to the success of both clubs as well as their proximity to each other, 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 Yorkshire-Lancashire rivalry, the rivalry with Leeds United 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 (Old) First Division) titles: 16
  • 1907–08, 1910–11, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07
• (Old) Second Division: 2
  • 1935–36, 1974–75

Cups

• FA Cup: 11
  • 1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004
• League Cup: 2
  • 1992, 2006
• FA Charity/Community Shield: 16 (12 outright, 4 shared)
  • 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007 (* joint holders)

European

• European Cup / UEFA Champions League: 2
  • 1968, 1999
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1
  • 1991
• European Super Cup: 1
  • 1991

International

• Intercontinental Cup/World Club Championship: 1
  • 1999

The only major honour that Manchester United F.C. has not yet won is the UEFA Cup.

Club records

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

See also

• List of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors
• Richest football clubs

Supporters' organisations

• IMUSA
• Manchester United Supporters' Trust
• Manchester United Supporters Club of America

Fanzines

• Red Issue
• United We Stand (fanzine)
• Red News

Chart

• Manchester United F.C. - 50 Greatest Players Of All Time

References

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3. "Creating sports brands is about right mix". Sify Business. 2008-04-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. "European Football Statistics". Retrieved 2006-06-24.
5. Starting from the 1986–1987 season, Manchester United have won nine Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, five FA Cups and two League Cups. Trophies such as the Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup and Community Shield are by convention considered minor trophies of lesser worth than other honours.
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11. "Grey day for Manchester United". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
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13. "History of Man Utd's Kit". historicalkits.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-08-12.
14. "A to Z of Manchester United - R". ManUtdZone.com. Retrieved 2007-08-03. 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.
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16. "First Team". ManUtd.com. 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
17. Ben Hibbs (2007-08-10). "Reds confirm squad numbers". Manchester United. Retrieved 2007-08-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
18. StretfordEnd.co.uk
19. Theresa Towle (2005). "United abandons women's football" (PDF). United Shareholder. ShareholdersUnited. pp. p. 10-11. Retrieved 2007-05-28. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
20. Andy Walsh and Adam Brown. "Fan Power". redpepper.org.uk. Retrieved 2007-08-12.
21. ^ "Home support disappoints Ferguson". BBC Sport. 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2008-01-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
22. ^ Cite error: The named reference north_road was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
23. Murphy, Alex (2006). "1878-1915: From Newton Heath to Old Trafford". The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United. London: Orion Books. pp. pp15. ISBN 0-75287-603-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
24. Murphy, Alex (2006). "1878-1915: From Newton Heath to Old Trafford". The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United. London: Orion Books. pp. pp27. ISBN 0-75287-603-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
25. White, John (2007) . The United Miscellany (2nd edition ed.). London: Carlton Books. pp. pp11. ISBN 978-1-84442-745-1. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help)
26. ^ "Old Trafford 1909-2006". ManUtdZone.com. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
27. "Man Utd sign £56m AIG shirt deal". BBC.co.uk. 2006-04-06. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
28. "Oilinvest to renegotiate Juventus sponsorship". SportBusiness.com. 2006-09-07. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
29. "Official Sponsors". ManUtd.com. 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
30. Plunkett, John (2007-08-06). "Xfm to air Manchester United commentary". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2007-08-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
31. "Vodafone in £30m Man Utd tie-up". BBC News. 2000-02-11. Retrieved 2008-04-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
32. "United must find new shirt sponsor". CNN.com. 2005-11-24. Retrieved 2008-04-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
33. "A to Z of Manchester United - N". ManUtdZone.com. Retrieved 2007-05-22.
34. "United's rivalries". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
35. "Liverpool v Manchester United preview". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
36. Up until 1992, the top division of English football was the Football League First Division; since then, it has been the Premier League.
37. The Second Division became the First Division upon the formation of the Premier League, and is now known as the Football League Championship.
38. "Trophy Room". ManUtd.com. 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-28.

External links

Official

• Official site
• Talking Reds (message board)
• Official stats website

Independent media sites

• Manchester United F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
• Football365's Manchester United coverage
• Manchester United - Premierleague.com

Major fan sites

• Official Manchester United Supporters' Trust
• Independent Manchester United Supporters Association
• Red Issue - The United Fanzine

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• Football (soccer) clubs established in 1878
• English football clubs
• Premier League clubs
• G-14 clubs
• Manchester United F.C.
• Sport in Trafford
• Sport in Manchester
• Laureus World Sports Awards winners
• FA Cup winners