The charity match between the United Reds and Marcelo Lippi’s Europe IX drew praises from all throughout, led by Sir Alex Fergusson calling it a “fantastic success”. The match was held in celebration of the 50th year of United in European competition. United went up against a selection of the finest players in the game today which was won by United 4-3 thanks to the efforts of Wes Brown and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The match drew praises as well from former Italy World Cup winning coach Lippi, who stated that the match was fitting to celebrate 50 years of joint celebration since the Treaty of Rome.

There was no pressure at all for everyone on hand as the atmosphere was totally relaxing. Fans, both young and old got treated to a classic match of football on a different level. Fans and players on hand played their part in making the event memorable and certainly it would be one that would be best remembered for years to come.

[tags]united reds, rome, europe, football, soccer[/tags]

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Henrik Larsson played his final game with an emphatic 2-2 FA Cup quarterfinal draw against Middlesbrough. Larsson has bid farewell the United Reds to return to his hometown of Sweden where he will continue to honor the contract that he had signed with his mother ball club last year.

While his departure will indeed be a big loss to the United team, Larsson believes that the team can still achieve a lot despite his loss. His brief but memorable stay will always be remembered by the Reds fans for his countless contributions.

An emotional sendoff was given to Larsson by his teammates and even Sir Alex Fergusson knows it all too well that he is losing one of the great contributors to the game. It is just too bad that Larsson has to go because if Fergusson had his way, he would surely not let go of his prized player to continue to rack in more championship trophies for the team.

[tags]henrik larsson, united reds, fergusson[/tags]

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Manchester United legend Eric Cantona is certain the Old Trafford side will win the Premiership this season.

“For sure they will be champions,” Cantona told the BBC’s North West Tonight programme.

“It’s a new era, a new generation. They have a great team but they have a lot to prove. They need to do it. United have been brave from the start and have a good atmosphere, where they work very well with young players like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Cantona praised manager Sir Alex Ferguson for the rebuilding he has carried out at old Trafford and establishing a team to challenge for the title.

“Ferguson is the kind of manager who can help the greatest player with a lot of experience and also help the young players. Not all managers can do that, but he can do that and find the balance on the pitch to have a strong team.”

The 40-year-old Frenchman has also been impressed with the heir to his number seven shirt at United, Cristiano Ronaldo.

“He needed to have experience and to score goals – now he has that and is a world-class player,” Cantona said.

He said he was not surprised the Old Trafford faithful had stood behind Ronaldo, despite the Portuguese winger’s role in Wayne Rooney’s sending off in the World Cup quarter-final against England.

“It can be difficult in another club than Manchester United,” Cantona said.

“But the fans of United are very faithful and behind you, they are the best. He plays for United and is one of the members of the family.”

[tags]cantona,ronaldo,man utd,premiership,wayne rooney[/tags]

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Manchester United will sign veteran striker Henrik Larsson on a three-month loan deal in January.

The 35-year-old former Celtic striker will leave current club Helsingborg on 1 January and will return on 12 March in time for the Swedish season.

Larsson said: “United have been after me before, after the first or second season with Celtic. It feels good to come and play for such a big club. I may not start every match, but it feels like a fun thing.”

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is short of options up front, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer injured and Alan Smith still seeking full fitness.

That leaves Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha as his only recognised strikers.

Ferguson said: “I have always admired Larsson. I made a move for him when he was at Celtic but then they managed to persuade him to stay. He is a great player. It is a terrific bit of business for us. We are bringing someone in who can change a game.”

Larsson left Barcelona at the end of last season to join hometown club Helsingborg, helping them to a fourth-placed league finish and the Swedish Cup in his first season.

However, their normal season ended in November, leaving Larsson free to play for United.

“I know the players,” said Larsson. “I have played against many of them, so it’s not a new thing. I hope the situation will be easier, knowing the faces and names. I will go over there to play as much as possible – but I have no idea of how they want to use me. We will see how much playing time there will be. Am I a back-up? Yes, at the beginning. Then you will see what I can contribute and how things are going. We have not discussed a jersey number at all. We will see what it will be.”

Larsson spent two years in Spain and played a decisive role in this year’s Champions League final when he came on in the second half and set up both goals in the defeat of Arsenal.

The Swede joined Barca in 2004 following a hugely successful seven-year spell at Celtic, where he is widely hailed as one of the best players in the club’s history.

He scored 242 goals in more than 300 appearances for the Scottish club.

Former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill was recently asked if he might be interested in signing Larsson for current club Aston Villa, but said he had not been in contact with the striker.

The pair will meet again on 13 January when United meet Villa at Old Trafford.

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Man United Blog brings you the eleventh part of its look at MU History, covering the period 2000-onwards.

Manchester United started the new decade, century and millennium in typical pioneering fashion. They entered a brand new competition with the FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil – but at the expense of their participation in the FA Cup, of which they were the holders. The January jaunt to South America didn’t result in any silverware, but beating the Brazilian sides in their own backyard and stifling climate was another landmark and it gave the Reds valuable relaxation time in the sun. Rejuvenated by this, they raced ahead of their rivals in the title race when they returned to England. They achieved their sixth Premiership title early, in April, and still without a convincing replacement for Peter Schmeichel.

Several goalkeepers including Mark Bosnich tried and failed to establish themselves during the 1999/2000 season. So it was hardly surprising when Fabien Barthez joined United in July 2000, fresh from adding the European Championships crown to his World Cup winners medal.

The eccentric but brilliant French goalkeeper helped United to win their third successive title in 2000/01, a feat that had previously been achieved by only a handful of clubs in England. Liverpool had been the last team to do it, in 1982, 1983 and 1984, but this was under the supervision of two different managers- Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan.

Sir Alex Ferguson had been at the helm for all three of United’s back-to-back titles, and was therefore the first manager in English football to achieve the hat-trick. On the back of this latest trophy, Fergie announced he would be retiring from management at the end of the 2001/02 season. Meanwhile, his right-hand man Steve McClaren announced he would be leaving immediately to replace Bryan Robson as Middlesbrough manager. Ferguson filled the gap left by McClaren by promoting ex-players Jim Ryan and Mike Phelan to the posts of assistant manager and first team coach respectively. But Sir Alex then created another troublesome void by offloading star defender Jaap Stam to Lazio in a transfer that took everyone by surprise, including the player!

One of Barthez’s World Cup-winning team-mates, Laurent Blanc, joined United on a free transfer to play in Stam’s position and forge a new partnership with Wes Brown, Gary Neville or Ronny Johnsen. Many people assumed Blanc would be Fergie’s last signing as United manager, especially after the expensive acquisitions of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Juan Sebastian Veron. But Sir Alex splashed the cash again in January 2002, to sign Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan from Independiente. It was difficult to see where Forlan would fit in, given that van Nistelrooy had just set a new Premiership record by scoring in eight consecutive league games. United had won all those games to rejoin the title race, having previously lost more matches (six by early December) than was usual for their trail-blazing standards. And Sir Alex decided to stay on….

The 2003/4 and 2004/5 seasons were dominated by first Arsenal and then Chelsea respectively and United were unable to match the limitless spending power of new Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich. Some of United’s transfer buys failed to make the grade- including Eric Djemba Djemba and Jose Kleberson. United offloaded their most expensive signing ever, Juan Sebastian Veron, to their Chelsea rivals- and also sold the “golden boy” David Beckham to Real Madrid. With Ferguson rebuilding his third great team, in a bid to emulate the great Sir Matt Busby, MU brought in an eighteen year old, Cristiano Ronaldo, to take over the great no.7 shirt. With some of the old guard leaving- including Nicky Butt, Phil Neville and Roy Keane- and the trauma of Manchester United being taken over as a Plc. by the American family, the Glazers- it has been a difficult period for the club. Nevertheless, Sir Alex has continued to invest in youth- bringing in more recently players such as Wayne Rooney, The Ji Sung-Park, Alan Smith as well as still making full use of the MU youth system. Despite all the ups and downs over recent years, Man Utd. have continued to always finish in the top three of the Premiership and win silverware in the Cups, if not repeating the remarkable achievement of 1999 treble and European glory.

This ongoing period on Manchester United football club is covered in some excellent books which you can find at The Ji Sung-Park Online Shop. You can also but some wonderful memorabilia through one of our sponsors: Kitbag

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Man United Blog brings you the tenth part of its look at MU History, covering the period 1990-1999.

The dawn of the 1990′s saw Alex Ferguson collecting his first silverware as Manchester United manager, and Liverpool winning their last League Championship with an ageing team. The tide was turning…

Fergie’s first FA Cup, achieved after a replay against Crystal Palace, seemed at the time to be a stand-alone success, one that possibly saved his job after another poor season in the League. But nine years later, it seemed that Lee Martin’s winning goal against Palace lit the fuse for an explosion of unprecedented success. First and foremost, winning the FA Cup in 1990 allowed United to make their return to European competition after an absence of five years. Far from being rusty, they went all the way to the final of the European Cup Winners Cup in Rotterdam where their opponents were Barcelona, the former club of United striker Mark Hughes. Two goals by Hughes sealed the match 2-1 in Fergie’s favour in May 1991, 23 years after the club’s previous triumph in Europe.

The other long wait, for that elusive League Championship, very nearly ended in April 1992. The Reds had already won Fergie’s third trophy in March, the League Cup, and were in a two-horse race with Leeds. Liverpool were out of the running, but they still had a say in the destiny of the title, beating United 2-0 at Anfield to ruin their challenge. The 1991/92 title would be remembered in Manchester as the title that United lost, rather than the one that Leeds actually won. Leeds, after all, were not the greatest of football powers in the 1990′s and their star quality was further reduced when they allowed one of their best players to join Manchester United in December 1992.

In selling Eric Cantona to Old Trafford, the Yorkshire club practically handed over the keys to the League Championship. The Frenchman brought that little extra bit of magic that had been missing from United’s previous campaigns and was an instant hit with the Mancunian faithful, scoring nine goals to help the Reds win their first title in 26 years. In the following season 1993/94, the team virtually picked itself en route to an historic League and FA Cup Double, with Cantona sporting the number seven shirt that had been Bryan Robson’s property for so long. The number one, meanwhile, was undoubtedly Peter Schmeichel, arguably the best goalkeeper ever seen at Old Trafford.

Cantona’s eight-month absence from January 1995, following his clash with a fan at Crystal Palace, proved to be United’s undoing as they tried to defend their Double. They lost the title by one point to Blackburn Rovers and then lost the FA Cup final by one goal to Everton. The former champions were hampered at Wembley by an injury to Steve Bruce, the brave captain who was a defensive rock in the early 1990’s. Bruce also missed the following year’s FA Cup Final, at the end of the 1995/96 season, but this time the result was rather different. Liverpool stood between United and a first-ever ‘Double Double’ and were holding out for extra-time, when Cantona struck home a sublime shot in the 86th minute. The French skipper had throughout the season been an inspiration to the talented young players in the team, including David Beckham and Gary Neville.

In May 1997, Cantona helped the club to its fourth League Championship of the decade. It was to be his last, as he surprisingly retired from football later that same month. The shock waves of Eric’s decision seemed to last for a whole year, as the Reds went empty-handed in 1997/98 while Arsenal won the Double. Again, injuries to key players, especially Ryan Giggs and Roy Keane were cited for United’s downfall. The influence that Giggs could have on results was never more apparent than in the 1998/99 FA Cup semi-final replay, when he scored perhaps the goal of the decade – a solo run and finish that left Arsenal’s defenders grasping at thin air. It booked United’s place in their fifth FA Cup final of the 1990′s, and this time they won it, beating Newcastle United 2-0 with goals by Paul Scholes and substitute Teddy Sheringham. That result clinched United’s third Double, six days after the Premiership title had been wrapped by Andy Cole’s goal against Tottenham at Old Trafford. But still there was more to come from a remarkable campaign.

After an epic Champions League semi-final against Juventus, when Keane inspired the team to fight back from 2-0 down in the second leg, United marched into an epic final against Bayern Munich in Barcelona. United’s attempts to win the European Cup for the first time since 1968 looked to be doomed when Bayern took an early lead through Mario Basler and defended it with typical German resilience. But then, in injury time, the Reds produced one of the most stunning revivals in sporting history – Sheringham equalised, and moments later his fellow substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fired in the winner to make the score 2-1. United had won the Treble; their manager Alex Ferguson was subsequently knighted as his fans around the globe basked in the glory.

The Treble became a quadruple later in the year when Sir Alex Ferguson’s men travelled to Tokyo to compete for the Inter-Continental Cup. Keane’s goal against Palmeiras of Brazil bestowed upon United the title of World Club Champions. Officially, at the end of the millennium, the biggest football club in the world had also become the best in the world!

This unbelievably successful period on Manchester United football club is covered in some excellent books which you can find at The Ji Sung-Park Online Shop. You can also but some wonderful memorabilia through one of our sponsors: Kitbag

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Man United Blog brings you the ninth part of its look at MU History, covering the period 1980-1989.

Manchester United made a poor start to the 1980′s. In January 1980, Tottenham knocked them out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle. In early March, Dave Sexton’s side was thrashed 6-0 at Ipswich Town. However, Sexton and his team refused to acknowledge any vultures that might have circled overhead – instead they recovered to win eight of their last ten league games, and finish just two points behind Liverpool in the title race.

United produced another blistering finish at the end of the following season, 1980/81, when they won their last seven league games in a row. This time, however, they could only finish eighth in the table – a position which the club’s board could not tolerate. Sexton was sacked on 30 April 1981, after four seasons in the hotseat. Sexton’s replacement Ron Atkinson brought in Mick Brown as assistant manager and Eric Harrison as youth coach. But it was his on-the-field acquisitions that really excited the fans. He broke the British transfer record to recruit Bryan Robson from his old club West Bromwich Albion for £1.5m and he spent around a third of that again to add another ex-Albion man, Remi Moses, to the United squad.

In midfield the new arrivals wonderfully complemented the finesse of Ray Wilkins, the ball-playing England star. But still there was something missing. United needed a forward who could match the strike rate of Ian Rush at Liverpool, who again won the Championship in 1982, 1983 and 1984. Atkinson’s men were never far behind, finishing third or fourth in every season of his reign. But they were never that close either.

The domestic cups offered United their best chances of silverware, and in 1983, they reached Wembley in both competitions. Liverpool beat them 2-1 after extra-time to win the Milk (League) Cup, while little-fancied Brighton and Hove Albion provided the opposition in the FA Cup final. Big Ron’s Reds were expected to stroll it against the Seagulls, but instead they found Brighton to be a tough nut to crack and the showpiece match finished 2-2. In fact, the underdogs would surely have won the Cup, had United goalkeeper Gary Bailey not blocked Gordon Smith’s shot in the last minute of extra-time.

The nation braced itself for a televised repeat five days later, but this time, Brighton could not match United who stormed to a 4-0 replay win with goals from Robson (2), Arnold Muhren and Norman Whiteside. Whiteside’s habit of rising to the big occasion was never more gratefully received than in 1985, when he curled in the only goal of the FA Cup Final to beat Everton 1-0. United had earlier been reduced to ten men by the dismissal of Kevin Moran, who formed a great defensive partnership in the 1980’s with Paul McGrath. It was Atkinson’s second FA Cup success in three seasons, but eighteen months later he became the fourth successive United boss to be sacked, for his inability to break Merseyside’s monopoly of the League Championship. Not even ten straight wins at the start of 1985/86 could lead him to the Holy Grail.

In November 1986, Manchester United at last appointed a proven winner. As Aberdeen manager, Alex Ferguson had claimed every prize that Scotland had to offer, not to mention the added bonus of the European Cup Winners Cup when his team defied overwhelming odds to beat Real Madrid! Fergie clearly had the talent for the job, but he also needed time to turn United round. The club remained patient as the Reds finished eleventh in 1986/87 and again in 1988/89. After all, the season in between, 1987/88, had offered encouraging signs as United finished second to Liverpool by winning eight and drawing two of their last ten games. The promise of that season, and some of the signings he had made, would soon be fulfilled by Mr Ferguson.

This period on Manchester United football club is covered in some excellent books which you can find at The Ji Sung-Park Online Shop. You can also but some wonderful memorabilia through one of our sponsors: Kitbag

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Man United Blog brings you the eighth part of its look at MU History, covering the period 1970-1979.

With memories of the European Cup triumph beginning to fade, Manchester United’s attentions turned to their managerial vacancy. Sir Matt Busby had led the club to the promised land just 10 years after losing half his team, and nearly his own life, in the Munich tragedy. But now he had retired, to leave the board with a problem. Their first solution was to appoint from within, by promoting one of Busby’s coaches and former players Wilf McGuinness to the senior position. To say that he had a big job on his hands in following Sir Matt is an understatement of huge proportions. A combination of ageing players and the lack of overall control in team affairs meant that McGuinness struggled with Sir Matt looking over his shoulder. Putting players like Denis Law and Shay Brennan on the transfer list didn’t help matters, neither did George Best’s continuing antics off the field.

Wilf wasn’t allowed to struggle for too long. On Boxing Day 1970 he was relieved of his duties and Sir Matt was put in temporary charge while the club again looked for a worthy successor.

Frank O’Farrell was the next man to attempt mission impossible, after leaving Leicester City for United in June 1971. Despite a promising start to the 1971/72, the Irishman did not fare much better than McGuinness. United’s 5-0 defeat by Crystal Palace on 16 December 1972 was his last match in charge. Although O’Farrell’s reign was short, he still left his mark on the team of the 1970′s by signing Martin Buchan for a record fee of 125,000 pounds. The former Aberdeen captain was to become a key player for O’Farrell’s successor, Tommy Docherty, who was appointed at Christmas in 1972. The Doc’s first challenge was to keep the team up while gradually replacing the legends of the 1960′s. Sir Bobby Charlton had announced he would retire at the end of the 1972/73 season, George Best was veering off the rails once again and Denis Law had passed his peak. Law, in fact, was given a free transfer in July 1973, a move which later came back to haunt Docherty. The striker joined Manchester City and scored against the Reds at Old Trafford in April 1974, on a day when United’s relegation to the Second Division was confirmed.

Some of Docherty’s predecessors must have felt aggrieved when he was spared the sack after taking United down. But to Docherty’s credit, the Reds bounced back very quickly. They won the Second Division Championship in 1974/75, with top scorer Stuart ‘Pancho’ Pearson scoring 17 league goals. Lou Macari scored the goal that clinched promotion, at Southampton on 5 April 1975. United then reached two successive FA Cup finals, losing to Southampton in 1976, but then returning twelve months later to beat Liverpool 2-1. The Doc’s men rose perfectly to the challenge of destroying Liverpool’s Treble hopes- the Merseyside club won the League Championship and the European Cup on either side of United’s triumph under the Twin Towers.

The joy of that win didn’t last very long for the Doc, however. Just 44 days later, he was sacked when it emerged he had set up home with his lover Mary, the wife of the club physiotherapist Laurie Brown. QPR manager Dave Sexton stepped into the breach, and although he finished no higher than tenth in the table in his first two seasons 1977/78 and 1978/79, he again guided the side to Wembley in 1979. Unfortunately the Reds lost there, 3-2 to Arsenal in one of the most memorable finishes to an FA Cup Final. Gordon McQueen and then Sammy McIlroy scored in the last five minutes to bring United back from 2-0 down, only for Alan Sunderland to grab Arsenal’s winner on the brink of extra-time. Those frenetic last few moments at Wembley summed up the 1970′s for United, a decade of high drama when great highs and lows were never far apart. Greater stability was called for as the 1980′s dawned.

This period on Manchester United football club is covered in some excellent books which you can find at The Ji Sung-Park Online Shop. You can also but some wonderful memorabilia through one of our sponsors: Kitbag

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Man United Blog brings you the seventh part of its look at MU History, covering the period 1960-1969.

After building one of the greatest teams seen in England, Matt Busby had to start all over again at the start of the 1960′s. The Munich air disaster had robbed him, and football, of some of the era’s greatest players. But the great manager was never one to sit still for long. Once he had recovered from his own injuries, he set about building another side to take the world by storm. Dennis Viollet was one of the leading names within this team. In 1959/60, the Munich survivor broke Jack Rowley’s club record by scoring 32 goals in one league season. The team in total scored 102, but they conceded too many (80) at the other end and finished in seventh place.

Viollet wasn’t the only player to survive Munich and enjoy a great career at Old Trafford; others included Bill Foulkes, and Bobby Charlton, who came through the club’s youth ranks to break goalscoring records for club and country. Nobby Stiles followed the same path, from youth team to first team, while Denis Law came the more direct route, by record ?115,000 transfer from Torino. United’s form was erratic at the start of the decade, while the new names settled in, but then everything came together with a run to Wembley for the 1962/63 FA Cup Final. Matt Busby’s new-look team beat Leicester City 3-1, with two goals from David Herd and one by Denis Law.

The next season saw United build on the foundations of FA Cup success to challenge for the title- United finished second, only four points behind the champions Liverpool, to whom they lost both at home and away. The 1962/63 season was also notable for the signing and debut of George Best, the young man from Belfast who would become football’s first superstar. It was a case of Best by name, best by nature. His incredible skill, pace and control left opponents in knots, making him a hit with the fans, while his filmstar looks made him a hit with the ladies.

In 1964/65, the famous trio of Best, Law and Charlton took United to new heights. They won the League Championship, pipping Leeds on goal difference, and reached the semi-finals of the European Fairs Cup and the FA Cup. Law plundered goals galore and was named the European Footballer of the Year.

The title-winning team seemed to be the finished article but they took their foot off the gas during the next season, 1965/66, losing the title to Liverpool again and finishing fourth. Two cup runs, with United losing in the semi-finals of both the FA and European Cups, seemed to take their toll towards the end of the season. The highlight had been the 5-1 away thrashing of Benfica in the European Cup quarter-finals, when Best had been in blistering form. In 1966/67 United were crowned League Champions again, with Law scoring 23 goals in 36 games. The title success secured another season of top-level European football in 1967/68. Hibernians, FK Sarajevo, Gornik Zabrze and Real Madrid were swept aside as the Reds marched towards the European Cup final at Wembley. Benfica put up a good fight in the final. Jaime Graca equalised Charlton’s headed goal to take the game into extra-time; in fact Benfica might have won the match in normal time had Alex Stepney not saved superbly from Eusebio. Best, Brian Kidd and Charlton bossed the added half-hour, scoring one goal each to crush the Portuguese champions 4-1. The European Cup was heading to Old Trafford for the first time. Just 10 years after Sir Matt had seen his dream team destroyed by tragedy, he had performed the impossible. He was knighted soon afterwards.

It was a case of after the Lord Mayor’s show in 1968/69. The European Champions could only finish eleventh in the league, and they were knocked out of the FA Cup in the sixth round and the European Cup at the semi-final stage. They also lost the World Club Championship 2-1 on aggregate to Estudiantes. Despite the anti-climatic end to the decade, United fans could feel delighted with the 1960′s. Few could begrudge Sir Matt Busby’s decision to retire at the end of 1968/69, after all he’d achieved.

This dramatic and perhaps most successful period on Manchester United football club is covered in some excellent books which you can find at The Ji Sung-Park Online Shop. You can also but some wonderful memorabilia through one of our sponsors: Kitbag

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Man United Blog brings you the sixth part of its look at MU History, covering the period 1950-1959.

If all good things must come to an end, it was certainly true of Matt Busby’s first post-war United side at the dawn of the 1950′s. Dressing room dissent led to the break-up of the 1948 FA Cup winning team, with Johnny Morris departing for Derby and Charlie Mitten exporting his wing wizardry to Colombia. Some United supporters were worried to lose star players of that calibre, but any fans that placed their faith in Busby were soon rewarded.

The great Scot’s plan was to promote the youngsters he’d been recruiting and grooming in the late 1940′s. Jackie Blanchflower and Roger Byrne were the first to emerge and be labelled “Babes” by the newspapers; in their debut season 1951/52, United won the League Championship for the first time since 1911. Byrne, aged 21, played a big part in that success, making 24 appearances, including the final six on the wing, from where he scored seven goals. He then returned to his customary left-back role, and captained the side for four years from February 1954.

In 1955/56 and 1956/57, Byrne lifted the Championship trophy as skipper of a great young side that included several more products of Busby’s youth academy. Eddie Colman, Mark Jones and David Pegg were all first team regulars, having cut their teeth in the FA Youth Cup, which United won five years in a row from its inception in 1953. Not all the young talent was home-grown, however. The United manager was equally happy to plunge into the transfer market, and in March 1953, he spent one pound short of thirty thousand on Tommy Taylor, the prolific Barnsley striker. He proved to be an excellent signing, as he continued to knock in the goals for United and England.

Another young man who excelled for club and country was Duncan Edwards. So powerful, talented and mature was the Dudley teenager that Matt Busby could not hold him back from United’s first team. In April 1953, he became the First Division’s youngest-ever player at the age of 16 years and 185 days. One match that perhaps epitomised the new Busby Babes era more than most was against Arsenal at Highbury on 1 February 1958. In front of a crowd of 63,578 the Reds beat the Gunners in a nine-goal thriller with goals from Edwards, Taylor (2), Bobby Charlton and Dennis Viollet.

Sadly, what was perhaps their greatest game on English soil was certainly to be the last for that particular Manchester United team. From Highbury, the Babes headed off into Europe to play the second leg of a tie against Red Star Belgrade. Again they won 5-4, this time on aggregate, but on the way home their celebrations were cut short by tragedy. After refuelling in Munich on 6 February 1958, the United aeroplane crashed, killing twenty-two people, including seven players: Byrne, Colman, Jones, Pegg, Taylor, Geoff Bent and Liam Whelan. Duncan Edwards became the eighth player to die of his injuries, fifteen days later in a German hospital.

The club, the city of Manchester and the English game entered a long period of mourning, and it seemed inconceivable that United could ever recover from such an appalling disaster. But as Matt Busby defied the medics to recover from his crash wounds, the team bounced back and, patched up by assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, they reached the FA Cup Final in May 1958. They lost at Wembley to Bolton Wanderers, twelve months after losing the final to Aston Villa.
To continue the theme of finishing a close second, the Reds were also runners-up in the League Championship of 1958/59. By then, the team was again in a transitional period, as Matt Busby constructed another great team for another great decade.

This incredible and perhaps most important period on Manchester United football club is covered in some excellent books which you can find at The Ji Sung-Park Online Shop. You can also but some wonderful memorabilia through one of our sponsors: Kitbag

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