The History of Manchester United – 1902 to 1939

The history of Manchester United – Naming the club
The naming of this great club was not as straightforward as it first appeared. A meeting took place to find a suitable name for the former Newton Heath football club. Firstly the name Manchester Central was put forward but this was swiftly rejected, over fears it would sound too much like a railway station; in some ways may have been quite apt, due to role the railways played in the history of Manchester United. Manchester Celtic was also a name that was mulled over, but again was thrown out, this time because it was thought that the name would be misleading as the club didn’t really have any links to Celtic organisations.

Finally an Italian business man called Louis Rocca – would later become scout for nearly fifty years - suggested the name Manchester United, which was really popular amongst the decision makers and so Manchester United Football Club was born.

The history of Manchester United – Ernest Mangnall
In 1903 after a poor start to the season and grumblings from stands a man called Ernest Mangnall was appointed as Man Utd’s first real manager and would play an integral role in shaping the history of Manchester United.

An insight into the psyche of this great man could be seen when writing a piece for the Manchester Evening News- Mangnall wrote:

A great intricate, almost delicate, and to the vast majority of the public an incomprehensible piece of machinery is the modern, up to date football club. It is a creation peculiarly by itself. There is nothing like it and it is only when one takes an active and practical part in the manipulation of the strings that work such an organisation that one realises to the fullest sense what it all means.

The veriest layman need not be told that the greatest and first essential to success is the selection of a capable team, but it requires a deep rooted and special knowledge to know and to obtain the right stamp of men. How many clubs have lamentably failed and steered perilously near the rocks of irretrievable adversity by starting out with men with reputations; ‘stars’ as they are popularly called?

They are fickle difficult to manage, and most times too supremely conscious of their own importance ‘balloon headedness’ is a disease which has ruined more promising players and brought greater disaster to clubs than anything else I know of.

There must be a judicious blending of the young and old. A team may carry three or four men of small stature, but too many wee men, no matter how clever and artistic, will not do, for the reason that the strain of First Division football becomes more severe every season .

As they say in the world of fisticuffs, ‘nothing beats and good little ‘un like a good big ‘un!’

Where have we seen that forward thinkingness and doggedness before?

The following season things on the filed started to improve. United started the 1904-05 season by taking 3 points out of a possible 6 and then went on a fantastic run of games which saw the unbeaten in 18 games, winning 16 of them, scoring 48 goals and conceding just 11. Although they went on that great run and only lost five games that season they could only manage a third place finish, just missing out on promotion for the second year running . Disappointed as everybody associated with the club were, there was renewed optimism around Old Trafford that the team was on the verge of changing the history of Manchester United for the better.

The team now had a solid core. Mangnall signed goalkeeper Harry Moger from Southampton; Jack Picken for Plymouth Argyle and influential skipper, Charlie Roberts, who was one of the first players to wear shorts. The backbone was now in place to go onto bigger and better things.

The history of Manchester United – Promotion to the top table
The 1905-06 season started brightly for Man Utd who won there first six games which provided them with the platform to go on and end the season in second place, thus gaining promotion to the top flight of English football. Mangnall, in just three year had propelled the club into the elite league after spending ten seasons in the doldrums.

The history of Manchester United – United’s first superstar
In 1906, Billy Meredith was signed from Man City and would go down in the history of Manchester United as possibly being their first ever superstar. The circumstances surrounding the transfer of the “Welsh Wizard” - as he would later be nicknamed - were unusual to say the least. Weeks before united signed the player he was suspended for three years for trying to bribe an Aston Villa player to throw a game and then trying to obtain payment from Manchester City while serving this ban. His punishment was later reduced and ironically Meredith’s first game for Man Utd was on New Years day 1907 in a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa.

Around about the same time as the bribery scandal fate smiled kindly on United; the F.A. launched an enquiry and found City guilty of making illegal payments to their players. The governing body threw the book at them and 17 of their players were banned from playing for City for life. This team had won the cup two years prior and was considered to be one of the best teams in the country. At this point they had no choice but to sell the suspended players and that’s when United made their move. In an incredible coup the reds signed three more City players; fantastic full-back Herbert Burgess and strikers Jimmy Bannister and Alec ‘Sandy’ Turnbull, who all helped Manchester United consolidate their position in the First Division, ending the season in a respectable eighth place, just nine points behind eventual winners Newcastle United.

The history of Manchester United – Champions of England
The 1907-09 League season started off in spectacular fashion, Manchester United won 13 of their first14 matches, scoring an incredible 48 goals in the process. The team seamed unstoppable with Sandy Turnbull in superb form – he managed to bag himself 19 goals in 12 matches in the early stages of the season including 3 hat-tricks. That from propelled Man Utd to the top of the table and that’s where they pretty much stayed for the rest of the season. The team was crowned champions on 25 April 1908; they finished 9 points ahead of nearest rivals Aston Villa and Manchester City.

The title winning team was: Moger, Holden, Burgess, Duckworth, Roberts (Captain), Bell, Meredith, Bannister, J. Turnbull, S. Turnbull, Wall

So in four years Mangnall had taken the team from Second Division obscurity to Division One champions a remarkable feat, but for those who knew manager it came as no surprise.

Although the team had performed marvelously in the league they were disappointedly knocked out of the FA Cup in the fourth round by Second Division, Fulham. However, little did the fans know; FA Cup glory would be lurking around the corner.

History of Manchester United – FA Cup glory
The following season (1908-09) started off brightly for Manchester United they won there first four games but unfortunately this form didn’t last. The team would go on to lose 16 of the remaining 32 games. The form at the end of season was so bad that the team only managed one victory in the last fifteen games. They finished that season in a disappointing 13th position, thus proving that the Championship is hard to win, but even to harder retain.

Thankfully all was not lost that season, Manchester United performed much better in the FA Cup than they had done in the League.

United’s FA Cup campaign kicked-off with a home tie against Brighton and Hove Albion on 13 January 1909. Although United peppered the opposition’s goal, they could only muster a 1-0 victory with a goal by forward, Harold Halse, but it was enough to book a place in the second round.

On 6 February 1909 United took on eventual League One runners-up, Everton at Bank Street. A tough game was decided by a solitary goal scored by cup hero Harold Halse. Two weeks later Manchester United faced 5 time cup winners Blackburn Rovers at their Clayton home. A cracking match saw the reds romp to a 6-1 victory with a hat-trick a piece from Jimmy and Sandy Turnbull. As the FA Cup run went on belief began to grow that United could go all the way and win it for the first time, but first they would have to get through a tricky tie against Burnley at Turf Moor.

The game was as tough as the reds expected; they were losing one-nil when a freak snowstorm led to the tie being abandoned. Four days later on 6 March 1909, Mangnall and Manchester United returned to Burnley and were triumphant, edging out The Clarets in a 3-2 victory, with goals by Jimmy Turnbull(2) and Harold Halse.

The club was now in touching distance of their first FA Cup final – the first of many in the history of Manchester United – but first they had the tough task of dispatching Newcastle United who were running away with league title. The tie was played at Bramall Lane with The Reds ran out 1-0 victors with a goal by Howard Halse, who was now making a name for himself as a match winner; it was the third time in that years FA Cup run that United had won 1-0 with Halse being the solitary scorer.

Bizarrely because both teams played in red the FA made them choose neutral colours to wear. Bristol City picked a nice blue and white number, where Manchester United ran out with an all white kit, with the red rose of Lancashire emblazoned on the breast. The match was a drab affair with the only real highlights coming from the mercurial Mereddith, who was the man of the match. Thankfully, poor as the match was Manchester United won the game with their favourite scoreline of 1-0; however Sandy Turnbull was the hero of the hour this time, with his 22 minute goal being enough to give The Reds victory.

The History of Manchester United – The P.F.A.
Although the Union of Professional Footballers Association (P.F.A.) at the start of the 1909-10 season had been up and running for 11 years players were still having difficulties getting their employers to recognise their rights as trade unionist. Ongoing battles were fought over wage increases within the smaller clubs. In addition to this life was pretty insecure for a professional footballer as some clubs still had amateur and part-time players on their books.

A year earlier – against the wishes of both the F.A. and the League Manchester United and Newcastle United played a friendly match to raise funds for the beleaguered Union. During the next twelve months the players you union fought to be affiliated to the Federation of Trade Unions. Just before the 1909-10 season was about to commence the situation reach boiling point. The football authorities become increasingly concerned that if the Players Union had their wish granted then the collective power of the footballers could lead to strikes over non-football related issues such as conditions and payment.

On 27 August 1909, less than a week before the commencement of the football season, officials of the League clubs met in Birmingham and it was there where they decided that any footballer openly admitting to being part of the Players Union should be suspended indefinitely from playing football and have his wages stopped.

Although the move was put in place to avoid strike action from the now collective power of the footballers, it actually nearly caused one instead. This harebrained scheme seriously backfired, the League thought this move would convince the footballers that being part of the Union would do them no good whatsoever; instead it had the opposite affect.

The following day a players meeting was called by Ernest Mangnall. The players put it to the club that they had no problems with Manchester United, but thought they owed it to themselves and their colleagues at other clubs to remain loyal to the Players Union by retaining their membership to it. These actions by the players meant that Man United had no players to fulfill their upcoming League fixtures.

Just two days before the start of the season most of the League clubs claimed that they had signed enough amateur players to get the fixtures underway, but not United. On the eve of the new season the authorities did a dramatic u-turn they accepted the Players Union and lifted the bans dealt to the renegade players. Many commentators at the time and since have suggested that the Stance taken by Manchester United resulted in the change of heart form the Football League.

The History of Manchester United – Old Trafford bound
As the new season kicked off work had yet to be completed on the new £60,000, 100,000 capacity Old Trafford stadium, which in later years would have a wonderfully positive impact on the history of Manchester United. The season went reasonably well, but it was the Move to their new ground which was the highlight of the season as far as The Reds Burnley. 7,000 spectators saw the team run out 5-0 winners with goals by Charlie Roberts (2), Connor, Hooper and quite fittingly by star player Billy Meredith.

The team finally said goodbye to the Clayton ground which had been their home for seventeen years and moved to their plush new ground in Salford Quays. Just two days before the inaugural opening game at Old Trafford a ferocious gale hit Manchester and the surrounding area. The winds were so devastating that they blew down and destroyed the old wooden stand at Bank Street, badly damaging the adjacent houses. It was a good thing this hadn’t happened during a match, because god only knows what damage it may have heaped on human life.

The first game to be played at Old Trafford was on 19 February 1910 against arch rivals Liverpool. An injury hit United lost the cracking encounter 4-3 with The Reds goals coming from Homer, Turnbull and Wall.

Manchester United ended the 1909-10 season in 5th place, eight points behind eventual winners Aston Villa, a leaky defence was probably to blame for a lower League finish than expected, the team conceded three or more goals in nearly a third of their League games, which was not Championship winning form, but it was onwards and upwards as The Reds settled into the new home.

The History of Manchester United – A Second League Title
The move to Old Trafford seemed to bring the out the best in the players they only lost one of their nineteen home games, averaging nearly 2.5 goals a game along the way, now this was championship winning form.

This season’s League title race would go right down to the proverbial wire. In the penultimate game of the season Manchester United met second place and reigning champions Aston Villa at Villa Park, The Reds were just one point a head of their title rivals and looked nervous from the outset. United would finally go onto lose the game 4-2. That was it the League title race looked like foregone conclusion, but the never say die attitude, which would become synonymous with Manchester United and fate had different ideas.

On 29 April 1911 the final set of League fixtures for that season took place. Aston Villa needed a win against mid-table Liverpool in order to retain and guarantee the Title while United faced a tricky home game against third place Sunderland. In a shock twist to the season Liverpool beat the Midlanders 3-1 which meant that United would snatch the League title if they beat Sunderland, The Reds dually obliged they routed The Black Cats 5-1 with goals from Harold Halse (2), Turnbull, West and an own goal. United were Champions of England for the second time, a feat they would not achieve for another 41 years.

After a disappointing 1911-12 season Ernest Mangnall decided to call it a day at Old Trafford and jump ship to join fierce rivals Manchester City.

The gaping hole left by United's outgoing secretary-manager was filled by John J. Bentley who guided the club to a fourth place finish in his first season at the helm. Although the club got off to a satisfactory start under their new boss, it seemed that the end of an era - in the history of Manchester United - was upon them. The household names which graced the Old Trafford turf began to drift out of the game, as Father Time came calling.

By the end of the 1913-14 season - in which the club finished a poor 14th - only a handful of the Championship winning team were left; these included Meredith, Duckworth, Stacey, Turnbull, West and Wall and by the end of the following season attendances had dropped dramatically to an average just 15,000. This was ultimately as a result of poor performances on the pitch. Manchester United won just 9 of their 38 games of that League season and scored a measly 46 goals. In fact they only managed to escape relegation by one point after winning their las two games of the season, against Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively.

In Decemebr 1914 Manchester United appointed the first manager in the club's history, when they swooped for Brighton and Hove Albion boss John Robson. Although Ernest Mangnall was referred to as "the manager" his actual title was 'secretary manager'. Robson would work under secretary John J. Bentley and basically concentrated his efforts on the playing side of things until he left the post in 1921.

The History of Manchester United - The Outbreak of the First World War
In 1915 World War I brought football to a grinding halt, which had a detrimental affect on the club, due to the large overheads being generated for the running of Old Trafford.

Sadly the war robbed United of one of its all time greats. Sandy Turnbull was killed whist serving in France, and when football returned to some sort of parity in the 1919 the line-up for club's first game at Old Trafford v's Sheffield Wednesday was unrecognisable. It read:

Mew, Moore, Silcock, Montgomery, Hilditch, Whalley, J A Hodge, Meehan, Spence, Woodcock, Hopkin.

Following the trials and tribulations of the war attendances began to rise nicely, and by the end of the new season crowds of 40,000 were not uncommon. Unfortunatley the faith showed by the fans was not repaid on the field by the players, who could only muster a 12th place finish; a massive 20 points (or 35 points in today's terms) behind eventual First Division champions West Bromwich Albion.

A season later John Chapman was brought in to replace John Robson as manager and additionally filled the role as secretary too.

In 1921 "Welsh Wizard" Billy Meredith left the club at the grand old age of 46 to re-sign for bitter rivals Mancheser City. The wonderful winger would truly go down as one of the greatest players in the History of Manchester United.

The History of Manchester United - Relegation From the Top Flight
The1922 season was one to forget as the thing that nobody even dared think about happened, United finished bottom of the First Division and were relegated. The side won just 8 of their 42 games, scoring a paltry 41 goals and shipping 73. and to make things worse North West rivals Liverpool ran away with the League title.

Many Manchester United fans hoped that the team would bounce straight back up to the topflight, but after the team failed to win a game throughout October and Novemebr 1922, they only managed to finish fourth, meaning they would have to spend at least one more season in the old second division. The following season 1923-24 wasn't much better foir the Manchester United faithful, as the team sluttered to a miserly 14th place finish.

The following season Manchester United got off to the start they wanted as they won 8 of their first 11 matches during the campaign. They went on to be promoted after finishing second, just two points behind winners Leicester City. Amazingly, although they went up that season they did so by scoring just 57 goals in 43 matches. Because of this poor return in the goalscoring department there were worries that the club would not be prolific enough in front of goal in order to consolidate their position in the top flight. Fortunatley for The Reds the 33 goal partnership of Frank McPherson and Charlie Rennox, spurred United on to a 9th place finish.

During their first season back in the top flight new stars began to appear for Manchester United including Joe Spence whould go on to play for The Reds for 14 years, man mountain Frank Barson - a former blacksmith come centre-half and wing-half Clarrie Hilditch, who later became player manager of this great club.

in 1927 the man responsible for saving Manchester United from the wolves, John Henry Davies passed away and was replaced by G. H. Lawton as the club's President.

Not only did Manchester United have a new man at the helm, they appointed Herbert Bamlett as there new manager, who still holds the record for being the youngest manager - at the age of 32 - to have managed a team in the F.A. Cup final.

Under Bamlett and his assistant and United stalwart Luis Rocca, the team began to slip as in consecutive seasons from 1926-27 - 1929-30 the club finished 15th, 18th, 12th and 17th respectively. Once the 1930-31 season had commenced the writing was on the wall, culminating in The Reds being relegated in 1930-31 season. Manchester United lost their first 12 games of the campaign., leading to the biggest run of consecutive losses in the club's history, which still stands today, 14 iin all (the last two games of the 1929-30 and the first twelve of the 1930-31 season).

On the pitch, United were on the brink too after winning just three of their fourteen matches and by Decemebr 1931 the club were facing bankruptcy. They were in urgent need of a John Henry Davies figure to save the club from extinction.

In the Christmas of 1931 things came to a head when the players went to pick up their wages, only to be told there was no money to pay them. At time a sportswriter, Stacey Linnot got wind of the story, but before he sat down at his typewriter, to write it. He went to see James William Gibson, a contact of his. Gibson a sports loving business man whose company produced military uniforms wa persuaded to help the club.

The Mancunian business man met with club directors and laid down an action plan in order to save United. Two of the terms of this plan were that he would become the club's chairman and he would be allowed to elect his own directors to the board. Manchester United's directors - at the time - had no choice; they either accepted or went out of business.

James Gibson invested £30,000 of his own money into the club, paid the players their wages, settled the clubs debts and generally go the club back on his feet.

He then brought in Scott Duncan, who had appeared as a player for Glasgow Rangers and Newcastle United.

The 1931-32 season, in which Duncan took over was deemed to be a transitional one, with the would be extinct Manchester United finishing a creditable 12th. Although the following season the future began to look bright - after The Reds had finished sixth - danger was just around the corner. The 1933-34 season did not gon to plan, to say the least and after an appalling run of games Manchester United were in danger of being relegated to the old Third Division.

The 5th of May 1934 would go down as one of the most important dates in the history of Manchester United. Going into the last game of the season the team were in 21st place in the Division, one point away from safety. Fortunately for the club their future was in their own hands, as in the last game of the season they would be taking on Millwall, the team just above them and keeping them in the relegation zone.

That day Manchester United played as if their lives depended on it. They took the lead through Tom Manley and then put the game beyond doubt when Cape added a second. This result meant Millwall were relegated to the Third Division instead of Manchester United.

In the 1934-35 season - after the massive scare, which the club received - the team performed much better, by finishing in 5th position in the Division. The return to form, saw a return to Old Trafford by the fans, as attendences began to increase massively.

The following season (1935-36) Manchester United got back to where they belonged as a forward line consisting of Tom Manley, Thomas Bamford, George Mutch and Henry Rowley yielded an impressive 70 goals, to help The Reds clinch the Second Division title and more importantly promotion back to the top flight.

Unfortunately the good times would not last, and after they won only 10 of their 42 matches, they were relegated back to the Second Division. To make matters even harder to stomack for Manchester United fans, rivals City won the Championship. At the end of the disasterous campaign Scott Duncan resigned as manager and went on to take the reigns at non-league Ipswich Town.

During that season Luis Rocca - on one of his many scouting missions to Ireland - spotted a yound forward who went by the name of Johnny Carey, would go on to become one of the clubs greatest legends. The Irishman made his Manchester United debut on 25 September 1937 in the 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Southampton.

In the 1938-39 season Manchester United finished 14th in the First Division and would get to fight another season in the top flight. However the 1939 to 1946 football was suspended due to the outbreak of World War II.

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