User:PeeJay/History of Manchester United F.C. (1878–1945)

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Succeeding article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1945-1969)

Origins

The story of Manchester United began in 1878, when employees of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company's Carriage and Wagon Works requested permission and sponsorship from their employers to start a football team. Permission was given, and Newton Heath LYR (which stood for "Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway") was born, playing at a pitch on North Road in Newton Heath.

The club played few recorded matches in their early years, initially playing against other teams of railway workers, within their own company and against teams from other companies. The 1882–83 season saw the Heathens play a total of 26 recorded friendly matches, and the next season they applied for the Lancashire Cup. However, they were knocked out in the first round by the reserve team of the previous season's FA Cup winners, Blackburn Olympic, losing 7–2.

Perhaps viewing the county cup as too much of a challenge, Newton Heath applied for the Manchester and District Challenge Cup in 1884, reaching the final at the first attempt. The team never failed to score at least three goals in each of the rounds leading up to the final, including a first round match against Eccles that had to be replayed after the Eccles management protested about Newton Heath's third goal. Unfortunately, the team lost their goalscoring form in the final and lost 3–0 to Hurst at Whalley Range. The club's failure to progress past the second round of the Lancashire Cup, however, caused them to refrain from entering for the next four seasons.

After that, Newton Heath reached the final of the Manchester and District Challenge Cup five times, only losing once. Meanwhile, in 1886, the club decided to expand by turning what was a "junior" club into a senior one. They signed players of national reputation such as Jack Powell, who became club captain, Jack and Roger Doughty, and Tom Burke. The club's greater stature meant an increased level of opposition, and they entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886–87. They were drawn away to Fleetwood Rangers in the first round, and managed to earn a 2–2 draw by the end of normal time. However, the referee had turned up to the game expecting to play extra time in the event of a draw; the Newton Heath captain Jack Powell refused to play the extra period, though, and Fleetwood were awarded the tie, after a protest to the Football Association. Newton Heath then went into a self-imposed exile from the FA Cup, not entering again until 1889.

In 1888, having been spurned by the Football League earlier in the summer, Newton Heath entered their first ever league competition, becoming founder members of The Combination. Their first season of league football began brightly enough, but in April 1889, the Combination hit financial difficulties and was wound up before the season could be completed.

The Football Alliance

With the imminent dissolution of the Combination and the increased interest in inter-town football in England, it was apparent that Newton Heath would have to find a new league to play in. They were one of nine clubs that had applied for one of the four available places in the Football League towards the end of the 1888–89 season. However, the Football League made the decision to re-elect the four clubs that had to apply for re-election. The nine who had applied then banded together to form the Football Alliance. They took applications for a further three clubs to make up a twelve-team league, with the entrants to be decided by ballot. The lucky clubs were Crewe Alexandra, Nottingham Forest (who were elected over Witton by a single vote) and Walsall Town Swifts. Other clubs in the Football Alliance included Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham St George's, Small Heath, Darwen and Bootle.

Newton Heath came perilously close to having to apply for re-election to the Football Alliance at the end of its first season, but won four of their last seven matches (all at home) to finish in 8th position, one above the re-election places. The team also entered the FA Cup in 1889–90, for the first time since 1886. They were deemed to be one of the top 16 teams in the country, and so were given a bye to the First Round Proper of the competition. However, that was where their luck ended, as they were given an away draw against the FA Cup holders, Preston North End. Unsurprisingly, the Heathens succumbed to a 6–1 defeat by their Football League opposition.

The club reapplied to join the Football League in 1890, but were knocked back yet again, receiving just one vote. They therefore spent the summer of 1890 reinforcing the squad for the upcoming Alliance season. Players with Football League experience were brought in, with full-back John Clements signing from Notts County, centre-half Robert Ramsay from Stoke City, and Bob Milarvie signed from Derby County as a replacement for James Gotheridge, who had been transferred to West Manchester after a three-month suspension in October 1889.

However, despite the injection of experienced talent, the club slumped to 9th place in the Alliance and were fortunate to be re-elected for the following season. The Heathens were also tasked with having to compete in the Qualifying Rounds for the 1890-91 FA Cup, which did not sit well with the Committee. They were drawn away to Higher Walton in the First Round Qualifying, but the match was moved to North Road by arrangement with the FA. They won 2–0 and received another away draw in the Second Round Qualifying, this time against Bootle. Perhaps regarding the competition as a bit of a waste of time, both teams agreed to use their reserve teams for the match, which Bootle won 1–0.

A new stand, with a capacity of 1,000 spectators, was added to North Road in the summer of 1891, and it was not long before it was full to the rafters. In October 1891, Newton Heath were drawn at home against fellow Manchester side Ardwick, who would go on to become Manchester City, in the FA Cup First Round Qualifying. In a stadium that normally held a maximum of only 6,000 spectators, Newton Heath won the first senior Manchester derby 5–1 in front of 11,000 fans. By a score of three goals to one, the Heathens also won the first ever league encounter between the two sides the following week. One of the Heathens' new signings for the 1891–92 season was Scottish centre-forward, Bob Donaldson, who signed from Airdrieonians in May 1891. Donaldson was ever-present throughout the 1891–92 league campaign, playing in all 22 matches, and his 20 goals helped put the team on a 15-game unbeaten run that put them in pole position for the Football Alliance title. However, a loss to eventual champions Nottingham Forest with three games to go meant that the Manchester club finished in second place.

The summer of 1892 saw the merger of the Football League and the Football Alliance. Ever since Stoke City had resigned from the Football League to join the Football Alliance in 1890, there had been a link between the two leagues. The merger meant that membership of the Football League would increase to 28 clubs, divided into two divisions. The First Division would be comprised of 16 clubs, two more than the previous season, while the remaining 12 would form the Second Division. Due to the expansion of the top division, in addition to the three bottom teams from the previous season, two more spaces were available for election. As with the previous three years, Newton Heath was one of the teams going for election. Unlike previous years, however, this time they were successful and could now count themselves among the big boys of English football.

The Football League

In order to maintain their Football League status, Newton Heath's directors felt it necessary to have a better squad, both in strength and depth. However, with increased numbers also came an increased wage bill, which the club could not afford as a subsidiary of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company. Therefore, as a means of bringing in more revenue, the club split from the railway company and formed a limited company. As a matter of course, they also dropped the "LYR" from the club name to become "Newton Heath F.C." The split caused minor discord between the club and the railway company, who still owned the North Road ground. On 9 May 1892, the Athletic News reported that, after Newton Heath's friendly against Notts County on 30 April 1892, the railway company "walked in and took possession, and the football club walked out with whatever goods and chattels they could conveniently carry". Fortunately for the club, the stadium dispute was settled, albeit temporarily, and they were allowed to continue using the North Road ground for the 1892–93 season.

Another change that took place at Newton Heath prior to their first Football League campaign was the appointment of their first permanent club secretary (cognate to the modern manager's job). The position went to A. H. Albut, who had previously held a similar position at Aston Villa. Albut set up his offices at 33 Oldham Road, close to North Road, and set about preparing his team for the season ahead.

The Heathens' first ever League game was away to Blackburn Rovers, who had won the FA Cup five times in the past eight years. It was clear that Newton Heath were up against much better opposition than they were used to, and although the result against Rovers didn't show it (Blackburn 4–3 Newton Heath), they would have an extremely difficult season indeed. The team finished bottom of the league, with just six wins all season, all of which came at home. However, these wins included a 10–1 thumping of Wolverhampton Wanderers, the team's first win and their league record win that still stands to this day, and a 7–1 win over Derby County.

At the time, the Football League employed Test matches between the teams finishing bottom of the First Division and top of the Second Division to determine promotion and relegation. Because of their position at the very bottom of the First Division, Newton Heath had to play the winners of the Second Division, Small Heath. Unlike the two teams that finished above them in the league, Newton Heath retained their place in the First Division with a 5–2 win in a replay after the first match had finished 1–1.

In the summer of 1893, the team was finally moved from North Road, moving to a new ground less than a kilometre away on Bank Street. The club must have been expecting to leave North Road at least a year before the first attempted eviction, as the Manchester Evening News reported in June 1893 that "[t]he well known Bradford and Clayton athletic ground, Bank Lane, Clayton, [had] been secured for two years". The Bank Street stadium was situated adjacent to a chemical works plant and the railway line, and the pitch itself was a mixture of sand, mud and the odd patch of grass; poor, even by the standards of the day. On one occasion in the 1894–95 season, a Walsall Town Swifts team even lodged a protest against a result (they had lost 14–0) due to the state of the pitch. Legend goes that when Newton Heath were losing, the plant would belch out acrid fumes in a bid to affect the visiting team. Nevertheless, despite its shortcomings, the ground could be commended for its large capacity; it would eventually hold almost 50,000 spectators.

The club's first season in their new stadium, however, was no better than the previous one. They did get their first away win, but even the five more they won at home were not enough to prevent them from finishing bottom of the table. For this, they were faced with another Test match, this time against Liverpool, the first time the two great rivals had come head-to-head in senior football. This time, Newton Heath were defeated 2-0 and were relegated to the Second Division.

Second Division

Results began to improve on Newton Heath's arrival in the Second Division, and their finishing position fluctuated between 2nd and 6th until the turn of the century. In their first season in the Second Division, the Heathens finished 3rd, but failed to gain promotion after losing 3–0 to Stoke City in a Test match.

Their next promotion chance came in the 1896–97 season, when they finished 2nd in the league. The top team, Notts County, was given automatic promotion to the First Division, while Newton Heath and the First Division's bottom two clubs, Burnley and Sunderland, were placed into a play-off mini-league. The team that finished top would play in the First Division the following season and the other two in the Second Division. Against Burnley, the Heathens lost away but won at home by the same margin. This meant that they would have to beat Sunderland to secure promotion. However, they could only draw at home and lost the away match, and so remained in the Second Division.

Bankruptcy and rebirth

Three successive fourth-place finishes rounded off the 19th century. Secretary A.H. Albut retired at the end of the 1899–1900 season, and was replaced by James West. Meanwhile, the 20th century arrived, but the club began to descend into dire straits financially. As attendances began to dwindle, the financial situation only worsened, dragging down the team's on-field play; they managed to finish in just 10th place in the 1900–01 season, losing more games than they won. With ticket sales flagging and debts mounting, in February 1901 the club decided to hold a four-day bazaar in order to raise money to pay off their debts, which totalled £2,760. One of the attractions at the bazaar was a St. Bernard dog named Major that belonged to club captain Harry Stafford. The dog would wander the bazaar with a collection tin around its neck in the hope that the patrons would donate what little small change they had to the club's cause. However, one night the dog escaped with a full collection tin still attached to its collar. The dog then found its way to John Henry Davies whose daughter became so smitten with it that he enquired about the origin of the tin, and in doing so saved the club from near ruin.

It was the escape and recapturing of the dog which led to the meeting between team captain Harry Stafford and Davies, who would lead a group of businessmen. Together, they came up with £2,000 to save the club from bankruptcy.

John Henry Davies became the club president, and on 28 April 1902, after considering the alternate names "Manchester Celtic" and "Manchester Central", the new owners renamed the club Manchester United Football Club. They also changed the team's colours to red and white. The cavalry arrived just in time as Newton Heath ended a disastrous season 15th with only 28 points.

The Manchester United team at the start of the 1905–06 season in which they were runners up in Division 2 and promoted

Having been saved from oblivion by four wealthy businessmen, the club played its first season as Manchester United in 1902/03. The badly needed injection of cash, plus some new players, gave the flagging side the boost it needed. They won 15 league games, notched up 38 points and finished fifth.

After a bad start to the season, the club took another important step in 1903 in hiring their first real team manager, Ernest Mangnall, a charismatic publicist who knew how to work the media. His dynamic style forced the side to go up a gear. By the end of the season 28 players had figured in first team games. He believed the ball should be kept away from players during training to make them even keener to get hold of it on Saturdays. Under his leadership, the team finished third in the Second Division. The following season, Manchester United set a record when they went 18 games undefeated after losing to Bolton 2-0 in September 1904 up until they lost to Lincoln 3-0 in February 1905. During the season they finished 3rd with 53 points. Off the field the club suffered a financial setback when they were banned from selling alcohol inside the ground.

Mangnall created United's first successful side with a series of signings, eventually winning promotion in 1906. They finished second overall and reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, beating Aston Villa 5-1 in the fifth round. Among these signings was Billy Meredith, the legendary winger who was probably the greatest player of that era.

Ernest Mangnall managed to sign star defender Herbert Burgess, Alec "Sandy" Turnbull, and Jimmy Bannister after a scandal hit Manchester City and forced them to sell off most of their team. It paid off, and Manchester United won their first League Championship in 1908. At one point they won ten games on the trot. They even attempted to sign Australian rugby footballer, Dally Messenger, a man recognised by some to be the top footballer of any code in his day. It was, without doubt, a classic season, marred only by the first signs of crowd trouble at Sheffield.

The next year, FA Cup success would follow as they beat Bristol City in the final 1-0. Sandy Turnbull scored the only goal and Billy Meredith was named man of the match.

"The Outcasts"

For years since the formation of the Professional Footballers Union, tensions had mounted as players were unable to get their employers to recognise them as unionists. Things finally came to a head before the 1909-10 season when the League decided to ban, without pay, any player who was a union member.

The move inflamed the players, Manchester United's especially. They refused to give up union membership. Most clubs turned to amateurs to replace their professional players, but United were unable to sign enough. It was during this period that the famous "Outcasts FC" photograph was taken. Finally, the day before the season was due to begin, the League gave in, removing the suspensions and recognising the union.

Old Trafford

The Manchester United team at the start of the 1913-1914 season – note the "Welsh Wizard", Billy Meredith, at the back left

1909 was also a milestone for United for another reason. John Henry Davies once again lent financial support by lending £60,000, a huge sum at the time, to finalise the team's move to Old Trafford. They played their first game there on 19 February 1910 as Liverpool spoiled the celebrations with a 4-3 win in a close game.

Ernest Mangnall's leadership brought United to their first successful era. They would be the first winners of the Charity Shield in 1908, and the League again in 1911 pipping Aston Villa on a tense last day of the season. The Charity Shield victory in 1911 would be the end of this era and Ernest Mangnall would leave the next year for Manchester City.

Without Mangnall, the club stumbled to 13th place in 1912. Attendances slumped to 15,000 and the squad started to age under the leadership of JJ Bentley. They narrowly escaped relegation in 1914-15 by one point; three of United's players were later found to have conspired with Liverpool players in fixing a United win in the match between the sides, in the 1915 British football betting scandal. The United players were found guilty of match-fixing and banned for life.

The Football League was suspended at the outbreak of the First World War, during which Sandy Turnbull was killed in France.

Post-World War I

The League resumed in 1919 following the end of the war, but United were overshadowed by the rebuilding of Manchester City under old manager Ernest Mangnall and despite crowds sometimes in excess of 40,000, the club only managed 13 wins and finished in 12th place. The worst was yet to come and in 1921/22, they won only eight of 42 games, conceded 72 goals and were relegated. Billy Meredith had also left in 1921, following Ernest Mangnall to a thriving Manchester City.

Demoted to Division 2, United were a mere shadow of the former team. None of the big names from the pre-war era remained and fans had to get used to seeing the likes of Clapton and South Shields visit Old Trafford. Having finished 4th in their first season after relegation, they ended up 14th during the 1923/24 season, losing to sides like Clapton.

United finally returned to the top flight under John Chapman in 1925, finishing second to Leicester City. But in 1927, one of the great builders of Manchester United died. John Henry Davies, who had saved the club from extinction and brought them to Old Trafford, died and was replaced by G H Lawton as club president. That same year, Chapman received a lifetime ban from involvement with football for reasons known only to himself and the F.A., and was replaced for the rest of the season by experienced player Lal Hilditch. The team lost 15 games and finished a disappointing 15th.

A new manager, Herbert Bamlett, was appointed but his reign was not a successful one as United slowly slipped in the standings, never finishing higher than 12th in 1929 and finally finishing bottom of the league in 1931 after starting the season losing twelve times in a row. The finances were once again in a mess, and the much criticised Herbert Bamlett lost his job. Secretary Walter Crickmer was given control of the team for the next season, and was aided by chief scout Louis Rocca, largely because the club couldn't afford a new manager. The players had gone to collect their wages on Christmas week and were told there was no money available. Another financial bailout was needed.

Enter James W. Gibson, who was approached by a Manchester sports writer, Stacey Lintott. He met with the board and offered to help on condition that he became chairman and could choose his directors. They had little choice but to agree, and Gibson invested £30,000 into the club. A new manager was found, Scott Duncan, one of the new breed of managers who were retired players, now common, but an innovation in those days.

Scott Duncan

In 1934, United reached their lowest ever league position. On the final day of the season they were placed second-last in the table with their final match away against Millwall, who were one point ahead. With destiny in their own hands, they beat Millwall 2-0 and stayed in the Second Division by one point.

The next season saw an improvement with the side winning ten out of eleven games during October and November 1934. It seemed things were back on track and the fans started to flock back to Old Trafford as United finished 5th, and they announced their return to the top flight with a shout as they won the Second Division title in 1936 after being unbeaten in the last 19 games of the season. The title was won with a 3-2 victory at Bury, where over 31,000 fans invaded the pitch to celebrate a return to the big time.

Their joy was short-lived, however, as they were relegated back to the Second Division the next season. Scott Duncan resigned, and Crickmer resumed the manager's chair. Although now £70,000 in debt, United picked themselves up and finished runners-up in 1938, returning to the First Division, with future stars such as Johnny Carey, Jack Rowley and Stan Pearson. They would stay there for 36 years; after finishing 14th the next season, World War II broke out.

Old Trafford is bombed

First-class football was suspended for the duration of the Second World War (1939-45), but Manchester United continued to compete in part-time regional competitions. Old Trafford was severely damaged during a German air raid on Manchester in the early hours of 11 March 1941. It took eight years to rebuild and until 1949 United ground-shared with neighbouring Manchester City at Maine Road.