Little Book of Manchester United by Ian Welch Page A
Authors: Ian Welch
Tags: Sports & Recreation, Football
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then the norm until relegation in 1922.
*Sir Alex Ferguson and captain Roy Keane hold the Premiership trophy.
The situation was dire on 5 May 1934 when United travelled to Millwall needing to win to avoid relegation to the Third Division (North) for the first time in their history. A 2-0 victory was achieved and two years later they clinched the Second Division title to claim a place in the top flight.
The club has played in the top division of English football since 1938 with the exception of the 1974-75 season. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and after winning the Championship for the third time in a row in 2008-09, now holds the joint record for the most English League titles with 18.
League Cup
Prior to facing Wigan in the 2006 Final, Manchester United had won the Football League Cup just once since its inaugural 1960-61 season. That was in 1992, when a Brian McClair goal beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 to claim the Rumbelows Cup (the trophy has also been known as the Worthington Cup, Milk Cup, Coca-Cola Cup and Carling Cup in its various incarnations).
*Alex Ferguson leads out the team to celebrate being crowned FA Carling Premier League Champions, 2001.
It took them until 1982-83 to register their first appearance in the Final and their opponents were Liverpool, who were three-quarters of the way through a four-year domination of the competition. Although United took the lead through Norman Whiteside, Liverpool fought back to claim an extra-time victory. The Old Trafford side have been runners-up on two other occasions, losing to former manager Ron Atkinson’s charges each time. In 1990-91 United registered their highest away win in the competition when they demolished Arsenal 6-2 at Highbury en route to a Wembley meeting with Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls managed just one shot on target during the whole 90 minutes and John Sheridan’s strike proved decisive.
*United players celebrate winning the Carling Cup after defeating Wigan Athletic in the Final at The Millenium Stadium, 2006.
Three years later, United fell at the final hurdle to Aston Villa who took a 2-0 lead before Mark Hughes pulled one back with eight minutes remaining. Andrei Kanchelskis handled the ball in the last minute and Dean Saunders calmly stroked the ball past Les Sealey to seal a 3-1 win.
The 2006 Final victory over Wigan was something of a canter with two goals from Rooney and strikes from Saha and Ronaldo securing a 4-0 win, while they added the 2009 and 2010 League Cups to their trophy cabinet, after defeating Spurs and Aston Villa.
League Positions
League Title
Manchester United have won the Division One title on seven occasions, the first coming in 1907-08, only their second season back in the top flight, with a team including the inspirational Billy Meredith and Charlie Roberts. A further title followed in 1910-11 but the club would then have to wait 40 years before reclaiming the trophy.
The 1950s heralded a new era for the club with the introduction of the Busby Babes. Roger Byrne was the first of these youngsters to make his debut, in November 1951, and he contributed vital goals as United clinched the 1951-52 title. Back-to-back Championships were claimed between 1955 and 1957 when the likes of Bobby Charlton and Duncan Edwards swept all before them.
*United players celebrate after Denis Law scores his club’s third goal against Arsenal to become Division One Champions at Old Trafford, 1965.
In 1955-56, Dennis Viollet scored 20 League goals as they lost just seven times, finishing 11 points clear of second placed Blackpool. The following year saw them win 28 games, losing just six times (three away and three home) but events in Munich tore the promising team apart. The final two titles of the pre-Premiership era arrived in the 1964-65 and 1966-67 with a side fronted by the awesome attacking force of Charlton, Law and Best.
C HAPTER 13: M - M ANAGERS, M C G UINNESS, M C I LROY, M EGASTORE, M
*Sir Alex Ferguson and captain Roy Keane hold the Premiership trophy.
The situation was dire on 5 May 1934 when United travelled to Millwall needing to win to avoid relegation to the Third Division (North) for the first time in their history. A 2-0 victory was achieved and two years later they clinched the Second Division title to claim a place in the top flight.
The club has played in the top division of English football since 1938 with the exception of the 1974-75 season. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and after winning the Championship for the third time in a row in 2008-09, now holds the joint record for the most English League titles with 18.
League Cup
Prior to facing Wigan in the 2006 Final, Manchester United had won the Football League Cup just once since its inaugural 1960-61 season. That was in 1992, when a Brian McClair goal beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 to claim the Rumbelows Cup (the trophy has also been known as the Worthington Cup, Milk Cup, Coca-Cola Cup and Carling Cup in its various incarnations).
*Alex Ferguson leads out the team to celebrate being crowned FA Carling Premier League Champions, 2001.
It took them until 1982-83 to register their first appearance in the Final and their opponents were Liverpool, who were three-quarters of the way through a four-year domination of the competition. Although United took the lead through Norman Whiteside, Liverpool fought back to claim an extra-time victory. The Old Trafford side have been runners-up on two other occasions, losing to former manager Ron Atkinson’s charges each time. In 1990-91 United registered their highest away win in the competition when they demolished Arsenal 6-2 at Highbury en route to a Wembley meeting with Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls managed just one shot on target during the whole 90 minutes and John Sheridan’s strike proved decisive.
*United players celebrate winning the Carling Cup after defeating Wigan Athletic in the Final at The Millenium Stadium, 2006.
Three years later, United fell at the final hurdle to Aston Villa who took a 2-0 lead before Mark Hughes pulled one back with eight minutes remaining. Andrei Kanchelskis handled the ball in the last minute and Dean Saunders calmly stroked the ball past Les Sealey to seal a 3-1 win.
The 2006 Final victory over Wigan was something of a canter with two goals from Rooney and strikes from Saha and Ronaldo securing a 4-0 win, while they added the 2009 and 2010 League Cups to their trophy cabinet, after defeating Spurs and Aston Villa.
League Positions
League Title
Manchester United have won the Division One title on seven occasions, the first coming in 1907-08, only their second season back in the top flight, with a team including the inspirational Billy Meredith and Charlie Roberts. A further title followed in 1910-11 but the club would then have to wait 40 years before reclaiming the trophy.
The 1950s heralded a new era for the club with the introduction of the Busby Babes. Roger Byrne was the first of these youngsters to make his debut, in November 1951, and he contributed vital goals as United clinched the 1951-52 title. Back-to-back Championships were claimed between 1955 and 1957 when the likes of Bobby Charlton and Duncan Edwards swept all before them.
*United players celebrate after Denis Law scores his club’s third goal against Arsenal to become Division One Champions at Old Trafford, 1965.
In 1955-56, Dennis Viollet scored 20 League goals as they lost just seven times, finishing 11 points clear of second placed Blackpool. The following year saw them win 28 games, losing just six times (three away and three home) but events in Munich tore the promising team apart. The final two titles of the pre-Premiership era arrived in the 1964-65 and 1966-67 with a side fronted by the awesome attacking force of Charlton, Law and Best.
C HAPTER 13: M - M ANAGERS, M C G UINNESS, M C I LROY, M EGASTORE, M
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