Manchester United; the Red Devils
Submitted by admin on Wed, 2007-10-24 14:43.
Beginning as Newton Heath in 1878, the team from the filthy, coal-sooty heaps of north Manchester's forbidding inner-city, Manchester United almost dissolved into nothing several times for several reasons during their early years. The threat of annihilation came chiefly for financial reasons, which is ironic, given that United grew to be the wealthiest club in the world. Manchester United tickets are among the most coveted - and the most expensive - in football.
Often referred to as the biggest football club on Earth, Manchester United (or "Man U", as outsiders refer to them, but don't ever call them that to proper Mancunians, 'cos they don't like it!) are long established as one of the most glamorous and romantic teams in global futbol. This status evolved largely as a result of their suddenly finding themselves an underdog in competition, due to an unforseen moment in history that was to shake up the entire sporting world; United suffered one of the worst ever footballing disasters when their plane crashed in February 1958, killing many on board, including some of the "Busby Babes", the young team manager Matt Busby had assembled, of whom great things were expected. United had been flying back from a European Cup game against Red Star Belgrade, and had stopped in Munich to refuel.
United bounced back from the Munich Air Disaster, and slowly gathered steam. They stormed to the European Cup Final 10 years later in 1968, beating Benfica 4-1, and becoming the first English team to win the European Cup. As the decades passed, United acquired a huge following, partly due to the Air Disaster, and partly due to other factors, including Manchester's position at the center of the British Isles, and the dark shadow of football hooliganism, which became a blot on the soccer landscape by the early 1970s. This was at a time when Manchester United tickets were only required to sit in the more expensive seats, and the fearsome terraces were ruled by rampaging gangs from the city's many shady regions.
The 70s became the 80s, and Manchester's intense rivalry with their Liverpool neighbors intensified, as Liverpool continued to dominate English football, and taunt United with their success. The taunting went both way, however; As Liverpool boasted of their silverware, United would point to their beautiful Old Trafford stadium, and revel in the fact that they attained the highest crowds every year without fail. For all their success, the "Scousers" of Liverpool could never match United's passion and appeal, and this only succeeded in driving up the severity of their mutual hatred. Manchester United v Liverpool tickets still command a tremendous sum to this day, despite Liverpool falling by the wayside, honors-wise.
Often referred to as the biggest football club on Earth, Manchester United (or "Man U", as outsiders refer to them, but don't ever call them that to proper Mancunians, 'cos they don't like it!) are long established as one of the most glamorous and romantic teams in global futbol. This status evolved largely as a result of their suddenly finding themselves an underdog in competition, due to an unforseen moment in history that was to shake up the entire sporting world; United suffered one of the worst ever footballing disasters when their plane crashed in February 1958, killing many on board, including some of the "Busby Babes", the young team manager Matt Busby had assembled, of whom great things were expected. United had been flying back from a European Cup game against Red Star Belgrade, and had stopped in Munich to refuel.
United bounced back from the Munich Air Disaster, and slowly gathered steam. They stormed to the European Cup Final 10 years later in 1968, beating Benfica 4-1, and becoming the first English team to win the European Cup. As the decades passed, United acquired a huge following, partly due to the Air Disaster, and partly due to other factors, including Manchester's position at the center of the British Isles, and the dark shadow of football hooliganism, which became a blot on the soccer landscape by the early 1970s. This was at a time when Manchester United tickets were only required to sit in the more expensive seats, and the fearsome terraces were ruled by rampaging gangs from the city's many shady regions.
The 70s became the 80s, and Manchester's intense rivalry with their Liverpool neighbors intensified, as Liverpool continued to dominate English football, and taunt United with their success. The taunting went both way, however; As Liverpool boasted of their silverware, United would point to their beautiful Old Trafford stadium, and revel in the fact that they attained the highest crowds every year without fail. For all their success, the "Scousers" of Liverpool could never match United's passion and appeal, and this only succeeded in driving up the severity of their mutual hatred. Manchester United v Liverpool tickets still command a tremendous sum to this day, despite Liverpool falling by the wayside, honors-wise.
United went on to become the most successful English club of the 90s and the millennium, winning the league championship and FA Cups more times than they could shake a stick at. The run of triumph climaxed in the 1999 Treble-winning year at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, where United beat Bayern Munich 2-1, with two goals in the final minute of injury time. It was the most amazing European Cup Final in history, and the 70,000 Manchester United fans in the Catalonian city went wild with joy.
Today, United are Champions of England again, and are currently vying to retain their title. Liverpool are dead and gone as a challenging force in English soccer, and even Chelsea, who won the previous two titles with the help of billionaire Roman Abramovic's money, have faded away.
Today, United are Champions of England again, and are currently vying to retain their title. Liverpool are dead and gone as a challenging force in English soccer, and even Chelsea, who won the previous two titles with the help of billionaire Roman Abramovic's money, have faded away.