Manchester United

Full name Manchester United Football Club

Nickname(s) The Red Devils[1]

Founded 1878, as Newton Heath LYR F.C.

Ground Old Trafford(Capacity: 75,957[2])

Owner Glazer family

Co-chairmen Joel & Avram Glazer

Manager Alex Ferguson

League Premier League

2009–10 Premier League, 2nd

Website Club home page(http://www.manutd.com/)

Home colours Away colours Third colours

Current season

Manchester United F.C.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based inOld Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded asNewton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to ManchesterUnited in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.

In 1968, under the management of Matt Busby, Manchester United was the firstEnglish football club to win the European Cup, ten years after the Munich air disasterthat claimed the lives of eight players. The current manager, Alex Ferguson, is the mostsuccessful manager in the club's history, having won 26 major honours since he tookover in November 1986.[3]

Having won 18 league titles, four League Cups and a record 11 FA Cups,[4]

Manchester United is one of the most successful clubs in the history of English football.The club has also won three European Cups and is unique in having won a PremierLeague, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League Treble, in the 1998–99 season.

Manchester United is one of the wealthiest and most widely supported football teams inthe world.[5][6][7][8] The club is said to be worth £1.19 billion, making it the mostvaluable football club in the world.[9] After being floated on the London StockExchange in 1991, the club was purchased by Malcolm Glazer in May 2005 in a dealvaluing the club at almost £800 million.[10]

Contents

1 History1.1 Early years (1878–1945)1.2 Busby years (1945–1969)1.3 1969–19861.4 Ferguson years (1986–present)

2 Crest and colours3 Grounds4 Support

4.1 Rivalries

5 Global brand5.1 Sponsorship

6 Ownership and finances7 Players

7.1 First-team squad7.2 Reserves and academy7.3 Former players7.4 Club captains7.5 Player records

8 Club officials8.1 Managerial history

9 Honours9.1 Domestic9.2 European9.3 Worldwide9.4 Doubles and Trebles

10 References11 External links

11.1 Independent sites

History

Early years (1878–1945)

Main article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1878–1945)

A chart showing the progress ofManchester United F.C. through theEnglish football league system from

joining as Newton Heath in1892–93 to 2007–08

The Manchester United team at thestart of the 1905–06 season, in

which they were runners-up in theSecond Division

The Busby Babes in Denmark in1955

A plaque at Old Trafford in honourof the players who died in the

Munich air disaster

Manchester United was formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club by the Carriage andWagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath.[11] The teaminitially played games against other departments and rail companies, but on 20 November 1880, theycompeted in their first recorded match; wearing the colours of the railway company – green and gold– they were defeated 6–0 by Bolton Wanderers' reserve team.[12] By 1888, the club had become afounding member of The Combination, a regional football league. However, following the league'sdissolution after just one season, Newton Heath joined the newly formed Football Alliance, which ranfor three seasons before being merged with the Football League. This resulted in the club starting the1892–93 season in the First Division, by which time it had become independent of the rail companyand dropped the "LYR" from its name.[11] After just two seasons, the club was relegated to theSecond Division.[11]

In January 1902, with debts of £2,670 – equivalent to £210,000 as of 2011[13] – the club was servedwith a winding-up order.[14] Captain Harry Stafford found four local businessmen, including JohnHenry Davies (who became club president), each willing to invest £500 in return for a direct interestin running the club and who subsequently changed the name;[15] on 24 April 1902, ManchesterUnited was officially born.[16][17] Under Ernest Mangnall, who assumed managerial duties in 1903,the team finished as Second Division runners-up in 1906 and secured promotion to the First Division,which they won in 1908 – the club's first league title. The following season began with victory in thefirst ever Charity Shield[18] and ended with the club's first FA Cup title. Manchester United won theFirst Division for the second time in 1911, but at the end of the following season, Mangnall left theclub to join Manchester City.[19]

In 1922, three years after the resumption of football following the First World War, the club wasrelegated to the Second Division, where it remained until regaining promotion in 1925. Relegated

again in 1931, Manchester United became a yo-yo club, achieving its all-time lowest position of 20th place in the Second Division in 1934.Following the death of the club's principal benefactor, J. H. Davies, in October 1927, the club's finances deteriorated to the extent thatManchester United would likely have gone bankrupt had it not been for James W. Gibson, who, in December 1931, invested £2,000 andassumed control of the club.[20] In the 1938–39 season, the last year of football before the Second World War, the club finished 14th in theFirst Division.[20]

Busby years (1945–1969)

Main article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1945–1969)

In October 1945, the impending resumption of football led to the managerial appointment of MattBusby, who demanded an unprecedented level of control over team selection, player transfers andtraining sessions.[21] Busby led the team to second-place league finishes in 1947, 1948 and 1949, andto FA Cup victory in 1948. In 1952, the club won the First Division, its first league title for 41years.[22] With an average age of 22, the media labelled the back-to-back title winning side of 1956"the Busby Babes", a testament to Busby's faith in his youth players.[23] In 1957, Manchester Unitedbecame the first English team to compete in the European Cup, despite objections from The FootballLeague, who had denied Chelsea the same opportunity the previous season.[24] En route to thesemi-final, which they lost to Real Madrid, the team recorded a 10–0 victory over Belgian championsAnderlecht, which remains the club's biggest victory on record.[25]

The following season, on the way home from a European Cup quarter-final victory against Red StarBelgrade, the aircraft carrying the Manchester United players, officials and journalists crashed whileattempting to take off after refuelling in Munich, Germany. The Munich air disaster of 6 February1958 claimed 23 lives, including those of eight players – Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman,Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Billy Whelan – and injured severalmore.[26][27]

Reserve team manager Jimmy Murphy took over as manager while Busby recovered from his injuriesand the club's makeshift side reached the FA Cup final, which they lost to Bolton Wanderers. Inrecognition of the team's tragedy, UEFA invited the club to compete in the 1958–59 European Cupalongside eventual League champions Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite approval from the FA, theFootball League determined that the club should not enter the competition, since it had not qualified.[28][29] Busby rebuilt the team through the 1960s by signing players such as Denis Law and PatCrerand, who combined with the next generation of youth players – including George Best – to win

the FA Cup in 1963. The following season, they finished second in the league, then won the title in 1965 and 1967. In 1968, ManchesterUnited became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating Benfica 4–1 in the final[30] with a team that contained three EuropeanFootballers of the Year: Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best.[31] Matt Busby resigned as manager in 1969 and was replaced by thereserve team coach, former Manchester United player Wilf McGuinness.[32]

1969–1986

Main article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1969–1986)

Bryan Robson was thecaptain of Manchester

United for 12 years, longerthan any other player.[33]

Alex Ferguson has beenmanager of ManchesterUnited since November

1986.

Ryan Giggs is the mostdecorated player in English

football history.[43]

Manchester United badge in the1960s

Following an eighth-place finish in the 1969–70 season and a poor start to the 1970–71 season, Busby waspersuaded to temporarily resume managerial duties, and McGuinness returned to his position as reserve teamcoach. In June 1971, Frank O'Farrell was appointed as manager, but lasted less than 18 months before beingreplaced by Tommy Docherty in December 1972.[34] Docherty saved Manchester United from relegation thatseason, only to see them relegated in 1974; by that time the trio of Best, Law, and Charlton had left theclub.[30] The team won promotion at the first attempt and reached the FA Cup final in 1976, but were beatenby Southampton. They reached the final again in 1977, beating Liverpool 2–1. Docherty was dismissedshortly afterwards, following the revelation of his affair with the club physiotherapist's wife.[35][32]

Dave Sexton replaced Docherty as manager in the summer of 1977. Despite major signings, including JoeJordan, Gordon McQueen, Gary Bailey, and Ray Wilkins, the team failed to achieve any significant results;they finished in the top two in 1979–80 and lost to Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup Final. Sexton was dismissed in1981, even though the team won the last seven games under his direction.[36] He was replaced by RonAtkinson, who immediately broke the British record transfer fee to sign Bryan Robson from West BromwichAlbion. Under Atkinson, Manchester United won the FA Cup twice in three years – in 1983 and 1985. In1985–86, after 13 wins and two draws in its first 15 matches, the club was favourite to win the league, butfinished in fourth place. The following season, with the club in danger of relegation by November, Atkinsonwas dismissed.[37]

Ferguson years (1986–present)

Main article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1986–present)

Alex Ferguson and his assistant Archie Knox arrived from Aberdeen on the day of Atkinson's dismissal,[38]

and guided the club to an 11th-place finish in the league.[39] Despite a second-place finish in 1987–88, theclub was back in 11th place the following season.[40] Reportedly on the verge of being dismissed, victory overCrystal Palace in the 1990 FA Cup Final replay (after a 3–3 draw) saved Ferguson's career.[41][42] Thefollowing season, Manchester United claimed its first Cup Winners' Cup title and competed in the 1991 UEFASuper Cup, beating European Cup holders Red Star Belgrade 1–0 in the final at Old Trafford. A secondconsecutive League Cup final appearance followed in 1992, in which the team beat Nottingham Forest 1–0 atWembley.[37] In 1993, the club won its first league title since 1967, and a year later, for the first time since1957, it won a second consecutive title – alongside the FA Cup – to complete the first "Double" in the club'shistory.[37]

Manchester United's 1998–99 season was the most successful in English clubfootball history as they became the first team to win the Premier League, FACup and UEFA Champions League – "The Treble" – in the same season.[44]

Losing 1–0 going into injury time in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final,Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored late goals to claim a dramatic victory over BayernMunich, in what is considered one of the greatest comebacks of all time.[45] The club also won theIntercontinental Cup after beating Palmeiras 1–0 in Tokyo.[46] Ferguson was subsequently knighted for hisservices to football.[47]

In 2000, Manchester United competed in the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil,[48] and wonthe league again in the 1999–2000 and 2000–01 seasons. The team finished as runners-up in 2001–02, beforeregaining the title in 2002–03. They won the 2003–04 FA Cup, beating Millwall 3–0 in the final at theMillennium Stadium in Cardiff.[49] In the 2005–06 season, Manchester United failed to qualify for theknockout phase of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade, but recovered to secure asecond-place league finish and victory over Wigan Athletic in the 2006 Football League Cup Final. The clubregained the Premier League in the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons, and completed the European double by beating Chelsea 6–5 on penaltiesin the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. Ryan Giggs made a record 759th appearance for the club in thisgame, overtaking previous record holder Bobby Charlton.[50] In December 2008, the club won the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup and followedthis with the 2008–09 Football League Cup, and its third successive Premier League title.[51][52] That summer, Cristiano Ronaldo was sold toReal Madrid for a world record £80 million.[53] In 2010, Manchester United defeated Aston Villa 2–1 at Wembley to retain the League Cup,its first successful defence of a knockout cup competition.[54]

Crest and colours

The club crest is derived from the Manchester City Council coat of arms, although all that remains ofit on the current crest is the ship in full sail.[55] The devil stems from the club's nickname "The RedDevils"; it was included on club programmes and scarves in the 1960s, and incorporated into the clubcrest in 1970, although the crest was not included on the chest of the shirt until 1971 (unless the teamwas playing in a Cup Final).[55]

A photograph of the Newton Heath team, taken in 1892, is believed to show the players wearing ared-and-white quartered jerseys and blue shorts.[56] Between 1894–96, the players wore distinctivegreen and gold jerseys[56] which were replaced in 1896 by white shirts, which were worn with blueshorts.[56] After its name change in 1902, the club colours were changed to red shirts, white shorts,and black socks, which has become the standard Manchester United home kit.[56] Very few changeswere made to the kit until 1922 when the club adopted white shirts bearing a deep red "V" around theneck, similar to the shirt worn in the 1909 FA Cup Final. They would remain part of their home kits

Old TraffordTheatre of Dreams

Location Sir Matt Busby Way,Old Trafford,Greater Manchester,England

Broke ground 1909

Opened 19 February 1910

Owner Manchester United

Operator Manchester United

Construction cost £90,000 (1909)

Architect Archibald Leitch (1909)

Capacity 75,957 seated[2]

Tenants

Manchester United (1910–present)

until 1927.[56] In 1934, players sported cherry and white hooped shirts, but the following season the red shirt was recalled after the club'slowest ever league placing of 20th in the Second Division.[56] The black socks were changed to white from 1959 to 1965, where they werereplaced with red socks up until 1971, when the club reverted to black. The current home kit is a red shirt with a white collar, worn withwhite shorts and black socks.[57]

The Manchester United away strip has more often than not been a white shirt, black shorts and white socks, but there have been severalexceptions. These include the navy blue shirt with silver horizontal pinstripes worn during the 1999–2000 season,[58] and the current awaykit which is a white shirt with red and black flashes on the sleeves, with black shorts and white socks.[59] An all-grey away kit worn duringthe 1995–96 season was dropped after just two games because players claimed to have trouble finding their team-mates against thecrowd.[60] In 2001, to celebrate 100 years as "Manchester United", a reversible white/gold away kit was released, although the actual matchday shirts were not reversible.[61] The club's third kit is often all-blue, this was most recently the case during the 2008–09 season, tocelebrate 40 years since it was worn for the club's first European Cup win in 1968.[62] Exceptions include blue-and-white striped shirts wornduring the 1994–96 season, an all black kit worn during the Treble winning season, and white shirts with black-and-red horizontal pinstripesworn between 2003–05.[63] The club's 2008–09 season away kit – a white shirt with blue and red trim, worn with blue shorts and white socks– was used as the club's third kit during the 2009–10 season.[64][65]

Grounds

Main articles: North Road, Bank Street, and Old Trafford

Newton Heath initially played on a field on North Road, close to the railway yard; theoriginal capacity was about 12,000, but club officials deemed the facilities inadequate for aclub hoping to join The Football League.[66] Some expansion took place in 1887, and in1891 Newton Heath used its minimal financial reserves to purchase two grandstands, eachable to hold 1,000 spectators.[67] Although attendances were not recorded for many of theearliest matches at North Road, the highest documented attendance was approximately15,000 for a First Division match against Sunderland on 4 March 1893.[68] A similarattendance was also recorded for a friendly match against Gorton Villa on 5 September1889.[69]

In June 1893, after the club was evicted from North Road by its owners, ManchesterDeans and Canons, who felt it was inappropriate for the club to charge an entry fee to theground, secretary A. H. Albut procured the use of the Bank Street ground in Clayton.[70] Itinitially had no stands, by the start of the 1893–94 season, two had been built; onespanning the full length of the pitch on one side and the other behind the goal at the"Bradford end". At the opposite end, the "Clayton end", the ground had been "built up,thousands thus being provided for".[70] Newton Heath's first league match at Bank Streetwas played against Burnley on 1 September 1893, when 10,000 people saw Alf Farmanscore a hat-trick, Newton Heath's only goals in a 3–2 win. The remaining stands werecompleted for the following league game against Nottingham Forest three weeks later.[70]

In October 1895, before the visit of Manchester City, the club purchased a 2,000-capacitystand from the Broughton Rangers rugby league club, and put up another stand on the"reserved side" (as distinct from the "popular side"). However, weather restricted theattendance for the Manchester City match to just 12,000.[71]

When the Bank Street ground was temporarily closed by bailiffs in 1902, club captainHarry Stafford raised enough money to pay for the club's next away game at Bristol Cityand found a temporary ground at Harpurhey for the next reserves game againstPadiham.[72] Following financial investment, new club president J.H. Davies paid £500 forthe erection of a new 1,000-seat stand at Bank Street.[73] Within four years, the stadiumhad cover on all four sides, as well as the ability to hold approximately 50,000 spectators, some of whom could watch from the viewinggallery atop the Main Stand.[73]

However, following Manchester United's first league title in 1908 and the FA Cup a year later, it was decided that Bank Street was toorestrictive for Davies' ambition;[73] in February 1909, six weeks before the club's first FA Cup title, Old Trafford was named as the home ofManchester United, following the purchase of land for around £60,000. Architect Archibald Leitch was given a budget of £30,000 forconstruction; original plans called for seating capacity of 100,000, though budget constraints forced a revision to 77,000. The building wasconstructed by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester. The stadium's record attendance was registered on 25 March 1939, when an FACup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town drew 76,962 spectators.[74]

Bombing in the Second World War destroyed much of the stadium; the central tunnel in the South Stand was all that remained of that quarter.After the war, the club received compensation from the War Damage Commission in the amount of £22,278. While reconstruction tookplace, the team played its "home" games at Manchester City's Maine Road ground; Manchester United was charged £5,000 per year, plus anominal percentage of gate receipts.[75] Later improvements included the addition of roofs, first to the Stretford End and then to the Northand East Stands. The roofs were supported by pillars that obstructed many fans' views, and they were eventually replaced with a cantileveredstructure. The Stretford End was the last stand to receive a cantilevered roof, completed in time for the 1993–94 season.[32] First used on25 March 1957 and costing £40,000, four 180-foot (55 m) pylons were erected, each housing 54 individual floodlights. These weredismantled in 1987 and replaced by a lighting system embedded in the roof of each stand, which remains in use today.[76]

The Taylor Report's requirement for an all-seater stadium lowered capacity at Old Trafford to around 44,000 by 1993. In 1995, the NorthStand was redeveloped into three tiers, restoring capacity to approximately 55,000. At the end of the 1998–99 season, second tiers wereadded to the East and West Stands, raising capacity to around 67,000, and between July 2005 and May 2006, 8,000 more seats were added

via second tiers in the north-west and north-east quadrants. Part of the new seating was used for the first time on 26 March 2006, when anattendance of 69,070 became a new Premier League record.[77] The record was pushed steadily upwards before reaching its peak on 31March 2007, when 76,098 spectators saw Manchester United beat Blackburn Rovers 4–1, with just 114 seats (0.15 percent of the totalcapacity of 76,212) unoccupied.[78] In 2009, reorganisation of the seating resulted in a reduction of capacity by 255 to 75,957.[2][79]

Support

Manchester United is reputed to be the most popular football club in the world, with the highest average home attendance in Europe.[80] Theclub's worldwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the Manchester United Supporters Club (MUSC), in atleast 24 countries.[81] The club takes advantage of this support through its worldwide summer tours. Accountancy firm and sports industryconsultants Deloitte estimate that Manchester United has 75 million fans worldwide,[6] while other estimates put this figure closer to333 million.[7]

Supporters are represented by two independent bodies; the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association (IMUSA), whichmaintains close links to the club through the MUFC Fans Forum,[82] and the Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST). After the Glazerfamily's takeover in 2005, a group of fans formed a splinter club, F.C. United of Manchester. The West Stand of Old Trafford – the "StretfordEnd" – is the home end and the traditional source of the club's most vocal support.[83]

Rivalries

Main articles: Manchester derby, Liverpool F.C. and Manchester United F.C. rivalry, and Leeds United A.F.C. and ManchesterUnited F.C. rivalry

Manchester United has major ongoing rivalries with three clubs: Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United.[84][85] The most hotlycontested derby fixture is often versus Liverpool, described by Ryan Giggs as "probably the most famous fixture in English football",[86] asboth teams have dominated certain periods of English football.[87] The rivalry is considered a manifestation of the cities' competition duringindustrial times, when they competed for supremacy of the north-west; Manchester was famous for its textile industry, while Liverpool wasconsidered the world's pre-eminent port.[88] This fixture also has a history of hooliganism; at the 1996 FA Cup Final, an unidentifiedLiverpool fan spat at Eric Cantona and threw a punch at Alex Ferguson as a victorious Manchester United team walked up the steps atWembley Stadium to collect the trophy from the Royal Box.[89] At an FA Cup match in 2006, an ambulance carrying Alan Smith, who hadbroken his leg during the match, was attacked by Liverpool fans.[90]

Informally known as the "Roses Rivalry",[91] the rivalry with Leeds United has its origins in the Wars of the Roses fought between the Houseof Lancaster and the House of York, Manchester United representing Lancashire and Leeds representing Yorkshire.[92] Independent researchby the Football Fans Census showed that in English football Leeds and Manchester United are among the top three clubs which fans of othersides feel passionately against.[93]

Global brand

Manchester United has been described as a global brand; a 2009 report valued the club's trademarks and associated intellectual property at£329 million, and gave the brand a strength rating of AAA (Extremely Strong).[94] In 2010, Forbes magazine ranked Manchester Unitedsecond only to the New York Yankees in its list of the ten most valuable sports team brands, valuing the Manchester United brand at$285 million (16 percent of the club's $1.835 billion value).[8] The club is currently ranked third in the Deloitte Football Money League(behind Real Madrid and Barcelona).[95]

The core strength of Manchester United's global brand is often attributed to Matt Busby's rebuilding of the team and subsequent successfollowing the Munich air disaster, which drew worldwide acclaim.[83] The "iconic" team included Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles(members of England's World Cup winning team), Denis Law and George Best. The attacking style of play adopted by this team (in contrastto the defensive-minded "catenaccio" approach favoured by the leading Italian teams of the era) "captured the imagination of the Englishfootballing public".[96] Busby's team also became associated with the liberalisation of Western society during the 1960s; George Best, knownas the "fifth Beatle" for his iconic haircut, was the first footballer to significantly develop an off-the-field media profile.[96]

As the first English football club to float on the London Stock Exchange in 1991, the club raised significant capital, with which it furtherdeveloped its commercial strategy. The club's focus on commercial and sporting success brought significant profits in an industry oftencharacterised by chronic losses.[97] The strength of the Manchester United brand was bolstered by intense off-the-field media attention toindividual players, most notably David Beckham (who quickly developed his own global brand). This attention often generates greaterinterest in on-the-field activities, and hence generates sponsorship opportunities – the value of which is driven by television exposure.[98]

During his time with the club, Beckham's popularity across Asia was integral to the club's commercial success in that part of the world.[99]

Because higher league placement results in a greater share of television rights, success on the field generates greater income for the club.Since the inception of the Premier League, Manchester United has received the largest share of the revenue generated from the BSkyBbroadcasting deal.[100] Manchester United has also consistently enjoyed the highest commercial income of any English club; in 2005–06, theclub's commercial arm generated £51 million, compared to £42.5 million at Chelsea, £39.3 million at Liverpool, £34 million at Arsenal and£27.9 million at Newcastle United. A key sponsorship relationship is with sportswear company Nike, who manage the club's merchandisingoperation as part of a £303 million 13-year partnership established in 2002.[101] Through Manchester United Finance and the club'smembership scheme, One United, those with an affinity for the club can purchase a range of branded goods and services. Additionally,Manchester United-branded media services – such as the club's dedicated television channel, MUTV – have allowed the club to expand itsfan base to those beyond the reach of its Old Trafford stadium.[6]

Sponsorship

In an initial five-year deal worth £500,000, Sharp Electronics became the club's first shirt sponsor at the beginning of the 1982–83 season, arelationship that lasted until the end of the 1999–2000 season, when Vodafone agreed a four-year, £30 million deal.[102] Vodafone agreed topay £36 million to extend the deal by four years, but after two seasons triggered a break clause in order to concentrate on its sponsorship ofthe Champions League.[102]

To commence at the start of the 2006–07 season, American insurance corporation AIG agreed a four-year £56.5 million deal which inSeptember 2006 became the most valuable in the world.[103][104] At the beginning of the 2010–11 season, American reinsurance companyAon became the club's principal sponsor in a four-year deal reputed to be worth approximately £80 million, making it the most lucrative shirtsponsorship deal in football history.[105]

The club's first kit manufacturer was Umbro, until a five-year deal was agreed with Admiral Sportswear in 1975.[106] Adidas received thecontract in 1980,[107] before Umbro started a second spell in 1992.[108] Umbro's sponsorship lasted for ten years, followed by Nike's record-breaking £302.9 million deal that will last until 2015; 3.8 million replica shirts were sold in the first 22 months with the company.[109][110] Inaddition to Nike and Aon, the club also has several lower-level "platinum" sponsors, including Audi and Budweiser.[111]

Ownership and finances

See also: Malcolm Glazer ownership of Manchester United

Originally funded by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, the club became a limited company in 1892 and sold shares to localsupporters for £1 via an application form.[15] In 1902, majority ownership passed to the four local businessmen who invested £500 to savethe club from bankruptcy, including future club president J.H Davies.[15] After his death in 1927, the club faced bankruptcy yet again, butwas saved in December 1931 by James W. Gibson, who assumed control of the club after investing £2,000.[20] Gibson promoted his son,Alan, to the board in 1948,[112] but died three years later; the Gibson family retained ownership of the club,[113] but the position of chairmanpassed to former player Harold Hardman.[114]

Promoted to the board a few days after the Munich air disaster, Louis Edwards, a friend of Matt Busby, began acquiring shares in the club;for an investment of approximately £40,000, he accumulated a 54 percent shareholding and took control in January 1964.[115] When LillianGibson died in January 1971, her shares passed to Alan Gibson who sold a percentage of his shares to Louis Edwards' son, Martin in 1978;Martin Edwards went on to become chairman upon his father's death in 1980.[116] Media tycoon Robert Maxwell attempted to buy the clubin 1984, but did not meet Edwards' asking price.[116] In 1989, chairman Martin Edwards attempted to sell the club to Michael Knighton for£20 million, but the sale fell through and Knighton joined the Board of Directors instead.[116] . Manchester United was floated on the stockmarket in June 1991 (raising £6.7 million),[117] and received yet another takeover bid in 1998, this time from Rupert Murdoch's British SkyBroadcasting Corporation. This resulted in the formation of Shareholders United Against Murdoch – now the Manchester UnitedSupporters' Trust – who encouraged supporters to buy shares in the club in an attempt to block any hostile takeover. The Manchester Unitedboard accepted a £623 million offer,[118] but the takeover was blocked by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission at the final hurdle inApril 1999.[119] A few years later, a power struggle emerged between the club's manager, Alex Ferguson, and his horse-racing partners, JohnMagnier and J. P. McManus, who had gradually become the majority shareholders. In a dispute that stemmed from contested ownership ofthe horse Rock of Gibraltar, Magnier and McManus attempted to have Ferguson removed from his position as manager, and the boardresponded by approaching investors to attempt to reduce the Irishmen's majority.[120]

In May 2005, Malcolm Glazer purchased the 28.7 percent stake held by McManus and Magnier, thus acquiring a controlling interest throughhis investment vehicle Red Football Ltd in a highly leveraged takeover valuing the club at approximately £800 million (then approx.$1.5 billion).[121][122] In July 2006, the club announced a £660 million debt refinancing package, resulting in a 30 percent reduction inannual interest payments to £62 million a year.[123][124] In January 2010, with debts of £716.5 million ($1.17 billion),[125] ManchesterUnited further refinanced through a bond issue worth £504 million, enabling them to pay off most of the £509 million owed to internationalbanks.[126] The annual interest payable on the bonds – which mature on 1 February 2017 – is approximately £45 million per annum.[127]

Despite restructuring, the club's debt prompted protests from fans on 23 January 2010, at Old Trafford and the club's Trafford TrainingCentre.[128][129] Supporter groups encouraged match-going fans to wear green and gold, the colours of Newton Heath. On 30 January,reports emerged that the Manchester United Supporters' Trust had held meetings with a group of wealthy fans, dubbed the "Red Knights",with plans to buying out the Glazers' controlling interest.[130]

Players

First-team squad

As of 14 January 2011[131][132]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player1 GK Edwin van der Sar2 DF Gary Neville (club captain)[133]

3 DF Patrice Evra4 MF Owen Hargreaves5 DF Rio Ferdinand6 DF Wes Brown7 FW Michael Owen8 MF Anderson

No. Position Player17 MF Nani18 MF Paul Scholes20 DF Fábio21 DF Rafael22 DF John O'Shea23 DF Jonny Evans24 MF Darren Fletcher25 MF Antonio Valencia

9 FW Dimitar Berbatov10 FW Wayne Rooney11 MF Ryan Giggs12 DF Chris Smalling13 MF Park Ji-Sung14 FW Javier Hernández15 DF Nemanja Vidić (team captain)[133]

16 MF Michael Carrick

26 FW Gabriel Obertan28 MF Darron Gibson29 GK Tomasz Kuszczak33 FW Bébé34 GK Anders Lindegaard37 MF Robert Brady45 DF Oliver Gill49 MF Ravel Morrison

On loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player

19 FWDanny Welbeck (at Sunderland until 30 June2011)[134]

27 FWFederico Macheda (at Sampdoria until 30 June2011)[135]

30 DFRitchie De Laet (at Portsmouth until 30 June2011)[136]

31 MFCorry Evans (at Hull City until 30 June2011)[137]

32 FWMame Biram Diouf (at Blackburn Rovers until 30June 2011)[138]

No. Position Player

35 MFTom Cleverley (at Wigan Athletic until 30 June2011)[139]

38 FW Nicky Ajose (at Bury until 30 June 2011)[140]

40 GKBen Amos (at Oldham Athletic until 30 June2011)[141]

44 DFJoe Dudgeon (at Carlisle United until 30 June2011)[142]

Reserves and academy

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

Former players

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

Club captains

For a list of club captains, see List of Manchester United F.C. players#Club captains.

Player records

For player records, including player awards, see List of Manchester United F.C. records and statistics.

Club officials

Owner: Glazer family via Red Football Shareholder Limited[143]

Honorary president: Martin Edwards[144]

Manchester United Limited

Co-chairmen: Joel Glazer & Avram Glazer[145]

Chief executive: David Gill[145]

Chief operating officer: Michael Bolingbroke[145]

Commercial director: Richard Arnold[146]

Chief of Staff: Ed Woodward[147]

Non-executive directors: Bryan Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Edward Glazer & Darcie Glazer[145]

Manchester United Football Club

Directors: David Gill, Michael Edelson, Sir Bobby Charlton, Maurice Watkins[148]

Club secretary: John Alexander[149]

Global ambassador: Bryan Robson[150]

Coaching and medical staff

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson[151]

Assistant manager: Mike Phelan[152]

First team coach: René Meulensteen[153]

Goalkeeping coach: Eric Steele[154]

Fitness coach: Tony Strudwick[155]

Reserve team manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjær[156]

Managerial history

Main article: List of Manchester United F.C. managers

Dates[157] Name Notes

1878–1892 Unknown

1892–1900 A. H. Albut1900–1903 James West

1903–1912 Ernest Mangnall

1912–1914 John Bentley1914–1922 Jack Robson

1922–1926 John Chapman First manager from outside of England

1926–1927 Lal Hilditch

1927–1931 Herbert Bamlett1931–1932 Walter Crickmer

1932–1937 Scott Duncan

1937–1945 Walter Crickmer1945–1969 Matt Busby

1969–1970 Wilf McGuinness

1970–1971 Matt Busby

1971–1972 Frank O'Farrell First manager from outside the United Kingdom1972–1977 Tommy Docherty

1977–1981 Dave Sexton

1981–1986 Ron Atkinson

1986–present Alex Ferguson Both most honours won and longest serving in Manchester United's history[151]

Honours

Manchester United's first trophy was the Manchester Cup, which it won as Newton Heath in 1886.[158] In 1908, the club won its first leaguetitle, and won the FA Cup for the first time the following year. In terms of the number of trophies won, Manchester United's most successfuldecade was the 1990s; the club won five league titles, four FA Cups, one League Cup, five Charity Shields (one shared), one UEFAChampions League, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, one UEFA Super Cup and one Intercontinental Cup.

The club currently holds the record for the most FA Cups, with 11, and the record for the most FA Cup Final appearances, with 18.[159]

Manchester United and Liverpool have each won a joint-record 18 top-division titles, but Manchester United holds the record for the mostPremier League titles (11), and was the first English team to win the European Cup in 1968. The most recent trophy came in August 2010,when the club won the FA Community Shield.

The only major honour that Manchester United has never won is the UEFA Europa League,[160] although the team reached the quarter-finalsin 1984–85 and the semi-finals of the competition's precursor tournament, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, in 1964–65.[161][162]

Domestic

League

First Division[163] (until 1992) and Premier League:[163] 181907–08, 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, 2007–08, 2008–09

Second Division:[163] 21935–36, 1974–75

Cups

FA Cup: 111908–09, 1947–48, 1962–63, 1976–77, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04

League Cup: 41991–92, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10

FA Charity/Community Shield: 18 (14 outright, 4 shared)1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010 (* shared)

European

European Cup/UEFA Champions League: 31967–68, 1998–99, 2007–08

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 11990–91

UEFA Super Cup: 11991

Worldwide

Intercontinental Cup: 11999

FIFA Club World Cup: 12008

Doubles and Trebles

Doubles:League and FA Cup: 3

1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99 (as part of the Treble)

League and League Cup: 12008–09

European Double (League and European Cup): 21998–99 (as part of the Treble), 2007–08

"The Treble" (League, FA Cup and European Cup): 11998–99

Especially short competitions such as the Charity/Community Shield, Intercontinental Cup (now defunct), FIFA Club World Cup or SuperCup are not generally considered to contribute towards a Double or Treble.[164]

References

Bibliography

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Notes

^ "Manchester United Football Club"(http://www.premierleague.com/page/manchester-united) . PremierLeague. http://www.premierleague.com/page/manchester-united.Retrieved 24 June 2010.

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^ a b c Morgan (2010), pp. 44–48.2.^ Northcroft, Jonathan (5 November 2006). "20 glorious years, 20key decisions" (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article625585.ece) . The Sunday Times (London).http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article625585.ece.Retrieved 24 June 2010.

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^ "Manchester United win 11th FA Cup" (http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2004/05/22/manchesterunited040522.html) . CBC Sports(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). 22 May 2004.http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2004/05/22/manchesterunited040522.html. Retrieved 24 June 2010.

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^ Gibson, Owen (2 March 2010). "Manchester United fall behindBarcelona on Deloitte rich list" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/mar/02/manchester-united-barcelona-deloitte-rich-list) . TheGuardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/mar/02/manchester-united-barcelona-deloitte-rich-list. Retrieved 6 April2010.

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^ a b c Hamil (2008), p. 126.6.

^ a b Cass, Bob (15 December 2007). "United moving down south asfanbase reaches 333 million" (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-502574/United-moving-south-fanbase-reaches-333-million.html) . Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-502574/United-moving-south-fanbase-reaches-333-million.html. Retrieved 20 June 2010.

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^ a b Schwartz, Peter J. (18 May 2010). "The Most Valuable SportsTeam Brands" (http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/17/most-valuable-sports-team-brands-business-sports-brands.html) . Forbes Magazine.http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/17/most-valuable-sports-team-brands-business-sports-brands.html. Retrieved 20 June 2010.

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