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HEATHENS TO UNITED(1878-1945)) The founding fathers of what is now the biggest club in the world were a group of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway workers who got together over 120 yaers ago to create a football team. In 1878 Newton Heath LYR - The Heathens as they quickly became known locally - was born and with it a legend that has spanned the century and spread like a religion across the world. After a few years in the Football League the club had the financial muscle to progress with new players and a new management under breweries boss John Henry Davies as president. The decision was taken to change the name. But to what? The name of Manchester had to be in there somewhere. Manchester Central? Manchester Celtic even? Both were rejected in favour of a title which one day would become famous in every corner of the world. In 1902, Newton Heath became officially - Manchester United. Ernest Mangnall managed the stars of the day Turnbull, Bannister, Burgess and Charlie Roberts and by 1908 United were Champions and FA Cup winners in 1909, beating Bristol City 1-0. These were good days to be a United supporter. Fans even had the pleasure of a new ground - the club began its new life in the original Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford (capacity 100,000!) in 1910. The 1920s and 1930s were difficult years for United. They were struggling in Division Two, playing badly, and by 1934 they plunging towards Division Three. Backs against the wall, United faced Millwall on May 5 knowing they had to win - away. It didn't help that in the same week, Manchester City were on course for an FA Cup Final victory with a player United fans would come to idolise, Matt Busby. The Reds got through that difficult patch and won 2-0. During the war Old Trafford was bombed and reduced to a shell. On February 15, 1945, a certain Scotsman arrived at the ground. Looking around the ruins, little did he know then what glories he would bring to this ground and what joy - and heartache - its fans would suffer with him every inch of the way. Matt Busby had arrived. Matt Busby, former Liverpool, Scotland and Manchester City player, soon known as the Godfather, had a massive task ahead of him. Because of the state of the ground, matches had to be played at City's Maine Road base. He needed a good right-hand man to help him mould the team, and in signing Jimmy Murphy as assistant manager Busby pulled off a masterstrocke of football management. The Busby-Murphy connection was to become one of the most durable and effective partnerships in football history. United were growing in confidence with every year since the League returned in the 1946-47 season. United lifted the FA Cup three years after Busby's arrival and after finishing three times runners-up in the League, United became champions in 1952 with London's best Spurs and Arsenal, four points behind. It had been 41 years since United had won the title and now they were about to start the march towards a destiny which was to leave a profound mark on British football history. United had the basis of what was to be dubbed in the press "the Busby Babes", a term disliked by the manager for its child-like connotations. His players were anything but and he preferred The Red Devils. Matt Busby brought in young talent like Johnny Berry, Tommy Taylor and Duncan Edwards. With the addition of Dennis Viollet and David Pegg, United swept to the 1955-56 Championship with a commanding 11 point lead at the end. Busby unveiled his latest young weapon Bobby Charlton, the mild-mannered stiker with a lethal rght foot shot. The team won the title for the second successive season and continued the assault on other trophies at home and abroad. By the start of the 1957 season Busby felt the team was ready for European success which seemed tantalisingly close when United played the European Cup quarter-final first leg against Red Star of Belgrade and won 2-1. The game in Belgrade was a stern test for United's youtful resilience but they reached the semis by drawing 3-3. Matt Busby could reflect on a job well done after 13 years as the driving force of Manchester United and ponder with excitement what the future would hold for the young team surrounding him. What was to happen next was to stun not only a nation but the entire world of football. END OF A DREAM (6th February, 1958) White snowflakes tumble down on to the blackened wreckage of a plane. It's a chilling scene and one that froze the soul of United for years. The disaster at Munich airport on February 6, 1958, claimed 21 lives, including those of seven Busby Babes. It was an appalling tragedy and one that still haunts the hearts and minds of everyone connected with the club. Decades later fans still dream of what could have been if the doomed squad had returned safely to Manchester after their European Cup quarter final against Red Star Belgrade. It's a story of horror and great heroism. The
chartered aircraft had only stopped off at Munich to take on
more fuel and should
have been
safely on its way within
minutes.However, after two aborted take-offs it was clear there
was something wrong with one of the engines. The make of the plane,
an Elizabethan, had the power to lift-off on a single engine, so
the fateful decision was taken to push on for home.As the aircraft
roared down the runway for the last time, fear was etched on the
faces of the players. Johnny Berry even declared: "We're going
to die!" Instead of soaring into the sky, the plane ploughed
through a fence, shot across a road and smashed into a house. A
wing and part of the tail were ripped clean away, leaving the cockpit
to career on into a tree. The fuselage then demolished a hut packed
with tyres and fuel, sparking a fireball inferno.
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