onlyoneunited blog

Harry Stafford

Robi Prosser — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:50:53 +0000

Harry Stafford was born in Crewe in 1869.
He served as an apprentice boiler-maker, probably working in the Engine sheds at Crewe railway yard, but Harry also played football for Southport Central on a Saturday afternoon.

In 1892 Stafford signed for Crewe Alexandra and three years later he played an important role in Crewe’s good FA Cup run.
It wasn’t until the end of the 1894 -95 seaason that Stafford was approached to play for Newton Heath, the game at that time was still amateur and the actual purchasing of a player from one team to play for another wasn’t allowed, Newton Heath however were a works side, and had the backing of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, steam engines had boilers, so it’s not hard to work out that Stafford would have been given a substantiaal inducement in his paypacket to play for Newton Heath LYR, Stafford was also appointed as the first recorded captain and became the dominating force at the club.

Apparently he was known for being a snappy dresser, with a liking for white hats, and bright colourful waistcoats.

Harry is often regarded along with his St Bernard dog “Major” to be the saviour of Newton Heath and therefore Manchester United, the series of events are well documented an need no elaboration here.

Stafford, along with Davies, became a director of Manchester United and James West was appointed as manager. Davies arranged for J.J. Bentley to be appointed as president of the club. However, at the end of the 1902-03 season West and Stafford were suspended by the Football Association for making illegal payments to players. In his defence, Stafford claimed: “Everything I have done has been in the interests of the club.”

With the help of John Henry Davies, Stafford ran an hotel in Wrexham. Later he moved to Canada where he owned a large hotel where the Ottawa and St. Lawrence met. By 1922 the amenities of the hotel included pitches for football, baseball, lacrosse and cricket. There were also tennis courts and a 250 yard track for whippet racing.

In total harry made 182 div 2 appearances and 17 FA cup appearances for Newton Heath, his debut was as RB against Darwen in Dvision 2 on the 3rd April 1896, at Bank Street.

A noted to add to the myth that was Harry Stafford the truth be known is that he never actually retired from the game, at a time when when most dealings were done under the table in brown envelopes Stafford in 1904 faced charges of financial irregularities when trying to keep Newton Heath afloat, his defence being that he had not lined his own pockets in his fraudulent book keeping and did it all for “the good of the club”, was dismissed, he was banned and never played for United again.

Filed under: Newton Heath Years 1878 - 1902

That Bloody Dog

Robi Prosser — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:48:18 +0000

I’ve been doing a bit of research into the Myth about Harry Stafford and his dog, and can now recount a different story to that one which is told in this thread Newton Heath Birth Of A Football Club.

The part about Stafford taking it upon himself to hold a bazaar to raise funds is true, he did organise it and it was held in St James’ Hall in Manchesters town centre, however how he came to meet J Henry Davies is different in this tale.

The bazaar was a fisasco with just over £200 being raised instead of the £2670 needed to save the club, so Staffords dog ( Major), a St Bernard was dispathed off round the city’s pubs to virtually beg for loose change, Major however disappeared along with a collecting tin which had been strapped around his neck, Stafford was distraught that he had lost Major, however a couple of days later an advert appeared in the local paper, a St Bernard had been found in one of the pubs belonging to the Manchester Brewery, the coincidence is he was looking for such a dog for his daughter, and both he and Stafford turned up at the pub at the same time. The two men ended up talking, and in exchange for the magnate putting money into the club, Stafford handed over the dog.

Thats how the story goes, however there is no further documentary evidence to prove or deny the story, the idea that Major saved Newton Heath has appealed to the romantics and is now part of the clubs mythology.

Filed under: Newton Heath Years 1878 - 1902

Mike Duxbury 1976-1990 345 Games 7 Golas

Robi Prosser — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:15:45 +0000

Written by: Adam Carpenter

Mike Duxbury was born in Accrington on 1st September 1959. He grew up as a young lad in Lancashire and was signed up to the Everton youth team at a very early age. The Merseyside club could see that the boy had the potential but as he played out a few more years on Merseyside and then it come to Manchester United persuading Everton to lure him to Old Trafford. When Mike was 16 years old he signed as a trainee for Manchester United, and he duly accepted the contract offer when he heard that Tommy Docherty was howling his name. Duxbury had to wait around 5 years or so until he could make his debut for the United first team. It came at the start of the 1980-1981 seasons against Birmingham City from the bench albeit.

Mike was predominantly a right back but could play anywhere along the back line if need be. He struggled to really make an impact as a first team regular for the next couple of years as he was mainly playing understudy to the likes of the wonderful Arthur Albiston and the inform John Gidman. Mike was still a very handy player to have in the squad though and whenever an injury came along to one of the players he never failed to disappoint when he stepped into the side. The unfortunate thing was it was a very rare sight to see Arthur Albiston or John Gidman injured. Duxbury started to adapt to the centre back role and helped out there for a few years and then he started to get more of a chance at his natural position at right back.

Duxbury was around the normal build for a defender, not at all the tallest player there has ever been but was no pocket rocket either. He was always to really play second fiddle to Albiston but when Arthur was one of the finest ever full backs fin the long illustrious history of this club, who can really argue with Duxbury being second choice? Mike was never the strongest player or the quickest, but he had the footballing knowledge in his brain and could read the game like a book. One of Mike’s biggest games in the United shirt came in the 1983 FA cup final replay where United won 4-0. Duxbury was playing at right back that day and turned in a performance no United fan could argue about. 2 years later he was disappointingly used as a substitute when united made it to Wembley again for another FA cup final. He did come off the bench for Arthur Albiston but didn’t really have all that much time to make an impact on the game but he was delighted that his team were to hold off Merseyside rivals Everton in a dramatic but nail biting 1-0 victory for Untied, after extra time.

As Duxbury was starting to get increasingly frustrated at the lack of appearances he was making towards the end of his Manchester United days, he had spent a long 14 years and served the club well, but he thought it was time to move on and in doing so he joined Blackburn Rovers in 1990 for a free transfer, after he was yet again left out of another FA cup final starting X1, this time to Crystal Palace.

To keep himself occupied nowadays Mike is starting work on coaching. He has been around the world to help the Manchester united soccer schools as a scout. His aim is to bring talents around the world into the English game and adapt to that.
I never witnessed Duxbury play, but in my opinion I think he sort of sounds like a 1970’s John O’Shea type of player, who has never really been always the first choice, but whenever he has played has never let anyone down and is a very loyal servant to this club and a definite team player. He has ensured himself as a Manchester United great for sure.

Filed under: McGuinness to Atkinson Years 1969 - 1986

Red Army Soldier part 4

Robi Prosser — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:31:07 +0000

Written by: GW

By now I was in the Royal Navy, and at last I could afford my own season ticket, I also had the added advantage of gettign free or reduced rail travel anywhere in the country courtesy of my ID card, the only thing I had to avoid was getting caught, that would mean a spell in the cells or even worse detention centre and a dishonourable discharge.

Paul was still a big part of the Streford End, I had joined him and migrated from my peripheral standing spot to one near the core, courtesy of my exploits with the wooden wedge, I’d also picked up a new nickname thanks to the patch on my crombie I became known as joker, not a name I liked that much, but it was better than being called mate all the time.

I think the first thing that should be cleared up is the skinhead myth, yes there were skinheads in the Army, but they were only part of it, the seventies and eighties were made up of all types, the music you preferred had some influence over your style of dress too, the Army had as many Led Zeppellin fans as it did Slade fans (Slade were a skinhead band before they went Glam rock), I was what was termed as a suedehead, my hair was about a half inch long, sort of standard crew cut, the minimum length the Navy would allow.

Dress varied from full blown Levi’s/Wrangler look, to the more suave Modish style of Crombies, shirts and ties.

The rucks started as that, just rucks with fists flying all over place, when a bloke went down you invariably left him, rarely putting the boot in to a man on the ground, but soon weapons started to appear and it got a bit nasty at times, worst of all were the West Ham ICF ( Inter City Firm), they took to kncukle dusters, and fought dirty, kicking blokes on the deck, and not just body kicks, but in the face too. The favourite weapon was the butt end of a snooker cue, pool was very popular in pubs, and you could get a cue that came in two pieces, the butt end very conveniently fitted down a trouser leg and didn’t interfere with you’re walking or running too much, some though became evn more inventive, they would sharpen belt buckles to a knife edge, and thought it a good idea until they forgot about it whe they went for a shit and cut their own hands.

The West Ham ICF had started to brag that they were the boys, they had for once got the better of the Millwall lads in a ruck, and now they though they were kings of that castle, the word went round that the Army was going to do them on their own turf, the next West ham game would be one massive, you have to remember in those days there was no internet, mobile phones or anything like that, everything was organised by word of mouth, whispers in pubs, and the odd telephone call to round up the soldiers.

The first I heard was from Paul, our “Battallion” was to meet up at Paddington, no scarves, nothing was to show to give us away as United fans, we had to be model citizens on the trains and the tube, we all took scarves but tied them around our stomachs under our shirts and coats, there must have been a couple hundred of us at paddington, and to be honest we were not that inconspicuous, but stop and search was for the future, so we all rushed to the tube and headed for Upton Park, the nearest tube station to the Boleyn Ground, (Calling West Hams ground Upton Park is wrong, Upton Park is the tube, the Boleyn gorund is where they play). When we came off the tube we headed up the escalator, it was only 11am and the local residents were already boarding up shops and house windows, United were coming to town and they were taking no chances.
We formed a fairly orderly crocodile, following the leaders, who led usout into the sun an down the road, we walked for a good five minutes, turning the odd corner until we came out in front of what some would call a typical London dockers pub, not big, but big enough, it must have been chocker of West Ham fans, they were singing their heads off, and it was obvious they had been in there a while, while some went round to see if there was another entrance, the rest of us walked through the gap in the low stone wall, a few of the lads helping themsleves to a loose brick or two, well quite a few loose bricks actutally. We started to chant “UNITED! UNITED ! “, confident reply came back form inside the pub, United we heard them chant, some faces looked out of the window, we even got a thumbs from a couple of them… then the news came back that there was only a small door at the back, next we sent up a chorus of “Bubbles”, back came the reply from inside, then as normal the scarves came out, the next song would be our calling card.

We waited, silence,….then the chant went up “HELLO …HELLO …WE ARE THE BUSBY BOYS ” the pub went dead, faces appeared at the window, as we continued with WATPOAE, followed by the first brick, then another and another, the bricks continued to fly, not a single window was left unbroken, then the front door of the pub opened as those inside tried to get at us, but we were ready, the door was flung back in the face of the first, used like a battering ram to keep them back, some had the sense to throw the brick back at us, clambering through the windows, the bricks went in again, only this time people were heading them, it wasn’t glass you could here it was the dull thud of brick on flesh.

i never realised how many cockneys you could cram in a pub, there must have been a good hundred in there, if not more, and it showed, we got pushed back a bit, I stumbled over the wall and fell on my back, fending off boots from every angle, one caught me hard above the right eye, and just as the owner was about to stamp on my face, I saw Paul put a well placed doc martin in his groin, pulling me up into the meleé, the guy went down, and got a return boot from me in the cheek, I felt the bone break under the force, fists and boots were flying all over the place, but we felt we were holding our own, we were away from home, the numbers of the West Ham fans was begining to swell as the noise went up and it was soon obvious we would soon be outnumbered, we conttinued to battle it out though, bricks, boots and fists flying al over the place.

The ruck gradually turned into a maul, and was only really broken up by the sound of Police sirens, and the arrival of the vans, you’ve never seen so many run in so many different directions, Paul and I ended up running away from the ground, which turned out to be stroke of luck,as everyone else was running towards it, my eye was bleeding like mad, Paul reckoned I needed stitches in it, after asking a few questions and getting directions we ended up at a hospital, where I had five stitches put above my right eye, and no anaesthetic in those days, Paul told them he had found me, and reckoned I’d been set on, the nurses seemed to swallow it, and let me go after giveing me cup of tea and making sure I was Ok, all I can remember is a stinkin gbloody headache for days afterwards.

We made the game just in time, we reckoned we’d done the ICF in their own back yard, and felt quite pleased with ourselves, the team didn’t follow our lead though, we lost 2-1, and when we came out of the ground, it was escorts all the way, we were shepherded all the way by Police on horses, and on arrival at Paddington we met a show of force there too, and not until they had seen us onto our homebound trains did they leave the stations, Paul and I ended up in a compartment, typical British rail, no toilet, no buffet, just two bench seats, we were joined in there by a few more United fans, we nodded at them as they got in, four blokes and a girl, we started talking, the girl jsut chewed gum and stared out of the window, after a while she huffed, and stared around, “Anyone got any johnnies, I wanna feck !!” I’d heard of thing like this happening but had just thought it blokes bragging, one of the bloke produced a packet of three, she squealed with delight “Ow many ye got” two left he said,
The girl removed jeans and leant back, still chewing gum, two of the other skinheads had her there in the compartment, the one who was left out waas told to nip out at Reading and buy another packet !!

It was 10pm when we staggered into our local, bruised and a bit battered, we downed a couple of pints, went ove rmy story a few times, and hten headed home, I was knackered and needed my bed………….my Dad had other idea’s though.

Filed under: My Old Trafford Experience

Edwin Van Der Sar 2005-?

Robi Prosser — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:09:45 +0000

Written by: Michael Ballard

Edwin Van Der Sar

Born October 29th 1970 in Voorhout, Holland, Van Der Sar began his career at his hometown club, Foreholte. At a relatively late age he caught the eye of Ajax manager Louis Van Gaal. Van der sar enjoyed a long successful stint at Ajax Winning the 1991-1992 Uefa cup the 1994-95 Champions league, 4 Dutch eredivisie titles, 3 KNVB cups, 3 Dutch super cups a Uefa super cup and an Intercontinental cup.
All of his hard work was recognized when he won the Best European
goalkeeper award in 1995. It was during Van Der Sar’s spell at Ajax that he broke into the Dutch national team, first as an unused substitute in the 1994 World Cup, before making his debut in 1995 against Belarus. He was in-goal for three successive eliminations by penalties: Euro 96, France 98 and Euro 2000.
He was ever-present between the sticks for Ajax and the following year he helped his club reach a second consecutive Champions League final. However, Van der sar had to settle for a runners-up medal the second time around The match was locked at 1-1 after extra time and Ajax lost the penalty shootout 4-2 to Italian giants Juventus.

Van Der Sar made 226 appearances for Ajax and scored a penalty in an 8-1 thrashing of de Graafschap.

In 1999 after Ajax finished a disappointing 6th in the Dutch eredevisie and bottom of their champions league group and realizing he’d won everything there was to win in Holland Van der sar decided it was time for a new challenge and Joined Juventus for a transfer fee of £5 million.

Van der sar made his debut for Juventus in a 1-1 draw against Regina on 29/08/1999 becoming the first Non Italian in Juventus history to keep goal for the club but quickly found himself on the subs bench after the emergence of Gianluigi Buffon. Despite being second choice for much of his spell at Juventus he was still 1st choice for his country , locking down the number one spot in Euro 2000 which Holland crashed out of on penalties and for the 2002 Fifa World cup qualifiers which Holland failed to reach, he would have to wait 4 years for his next international tournament.
In his brief 2-year stint at Juventus Van Der Sar made a total of 83 appearances and won a Uefa Intertoto cup in his first year with the club.
Uncontent with being second choice to Buffon Van Der Sar made the switch to English football and joined Premier League club Fulham in 2001 for a reported fee of £7.1 million smashing the clubs transfer record.

Van Der Sar spent four seasons at Craven Cottage and built a reputation of being one of the most solid goalkeepers in the EPL. He only missed one match in 2003-04 being solid as ever and holding the record for the most shots saved in a single campaign. Despite being linked with a move back to Holland with PSV Van Der Sar stayed with Fulham and was named in the Dutch squad for Euro 2004. With his contract to expire in the summer of 2005 the cottagers managed to sign him up for a two-year extension in January despite much speculation about a move to Manchester United. But at the end of the 05 campaign Van Der Sar agreed to move to Old Trafford and after the two clubs settled on a fee believed to be in the range of £2 million but was undisclosed. Van Der Sar made a total of 127 appearances for Fulham.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson considered him the best goalkeeper to play for the club since Peter Schmeichel.

Van Der Sars arrival at Old Trafford provided a much-needed improvement to the team’s defensive performances. In his first season he helped United clinch second place and earn the automatic Champions League spot as well as helping United to a 4-0 victory against Wigan Athletic in the league cup final. Van Der Sar was called up to the Dutch national squad for the 2006 World Cup. Prior to the tournament, he had not conceded a goal in nine competitive matches.

In the 06-07 season Van Der Sar was ever present between the sticks and on May 5th 2007 his penalty save helped ensure a 1-0 win over Manchester City in the Manchester derby. The following day title rivals Chelsea failed to beat Arsenal at the Emirates and United clinched their 9th premier league trophy in 15 years, he was a vital part of the team that went on to the semi-finals of the Champions league before crashing out against eventual champions AC Milan.
He was also named in the 2006-07 PFA team of the year. Three months after lifting his first Premier League trophy Van Der Sar was a key player in United’s 16th FA Community Shield victory as he saved 3 consecutive penalties in a shootout after Manchester United and Chelsea were locked at 1-1 after regular time

The 07-08 campaign would prove to be his best since his arrival; he had several great performances despite playing with a nagging groin injury. Van Der Sar would help United clinch their second successive Premier League trophy and their 10th in 16 years. On Wednesday, 21 May 2008 Edwin Van Der Sar stamped his name in Manchester United folklore forever, playing Premier League Rivals Chelsea in the Champions League final making it the first all-english final in the competition’s history and only the third time that two clubs from the same country contested a final. United and Chelsea were locked at 1-1 after extra time and were down in the penalty shoot-out after a Cristiano Ronaldo miss, Chelsea’s John Terry could have clinched it with one shot but slipped during his run up to the ball and watched it sail past the right post. Nicholas Anelka eventually stepped up to take a spot kick in the lead up to the shot Van Der Sar cheekily pointed to his left distracting Anelka then diving to his right to deny him, clinching United’s third European crown. The significance for United was this marked the 50th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster and the 40th anniversary of United’s first European triumph in 1968. The club signed him up for a one-year extension on 12 December 2008 keeping him at the club until at least the end of the 2009-10 season.

On his 37th Birthday Van Der Sar was interviewed by Radio 538 and said that he intended to retire from international football after Euro 2008. He captained the sides that thrashed Italy 3-0 and France 4-1. On 21 June he played in the 3-1 to loss to Russia in the quarter-finals which was believed to be his final international match, this was his 16th appearance in a European championships match. Following Euro 08 Van Der Sar has the distinction of playing more minutes at the European Championships than any other player.

On 3 October 2008 after being urged by new Dutch manager Bert Van Marwijk he agreed to come out of international retirement During the 2010 World Cup qualifiers for two matches. The Dutch won both matches and Van Der Sar kept two clean
Sheets. He earned his record 130th cap in the win against Norway making him the most capped player in Dutch national team history and puts him in the top 30 most capped players of all time.

The 2008-2009 campaign also proved very successful for Van Der Sar, helping United to a third consecutive Premier League title, Carling cup and second consecutive appearance in the 2009 Champions League Final in Rome. And on 27
January 2009 he put his name in the history books once again setting a new club and Premier League record for consecutive clean sheets, United’s 5-0 win over West Bromwich Albion meant they had gone 11 matches and 1,032 minutes without conceding a goal, beating the previous record of 1,025 minutes and 10 matches set by Chelsea’s Petr Cech in the 2004-2005 season. Four days later he broke the overall English record of 1,103 minutes set by Readings Steve Death in 1979. On 8 February 2009 Van Der Sar racked up another clean sheet against West Ham at Upton Park and extended the record to 1,212 minutes breaking the British top flight record of 1,155 minutes Set by Aberdeen’s Bobby Clark in 1971. Finally on 18 February 2009 Van Der Sar extended the record to 1,302 minutes and broke the single season world record of 1,289 minutes set by Jose Maria Buljubasich in 2005 in the chilean Clausura. The clean sheet run ended on 4 March against Newcastle United at St-James Park after making an error allowing Peter Lovenkrands to score after just 9 minutes. In total, Van Der Sar went 1,311 minutes in the league without conceding a goal, these clean sheets were a huge part of Uniteds 08-09 Premier League triumph. With a total of 21 clean sheets he was awarded the Premier League’s golden glove, however he missed out on his third Champions league medal after United suffered a 2-0 loss in the final to Barcelona. 14 years after winning it the first time with Ajax Van Der Sar was awarded the Best European Goal Keeper award and was also one of the five players short listed for the PfA Players’ Player of the Year but it went to fellow team-mate Ryan Giggs.

Edwin Van Der Sar is currently playing out his contract at United which is set to expire at the end of the 2009-2010 season.

Filed under: Alex Ferguson Years 1986 - ?

Red Army Soldier part 3

Robi Prosser — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:58:24 +0000

Written by: GW

A few months after my first OT game my Dad & Mum informed my sister, two brothers and myself that we would soon be moving away, to a new home in Herefordshire, Dad had got a better job there, and he felt his children would have better opportunities moving to the country, my tow brothers and I were well pissed off, they had a great deal of friends they would find hard to stay in touch with, and I had just discovered United, and now we moving a whole day or more away from them.
We moved within the month, I ended up in a small primary school, where we had to take a bus trip to play a game of football on grass, I had to share a room with my two brothers, me having the bottom bunk, I had to be content with a very small patch of wall to stick my pictures carefully removed from the brand new Shoot! Magazine which I bought every week with my 2/6d pocket money (12.5p).
Things went on apace and sooner than I thought my two brothers and sister were married off, and I at last had my own room, I was fifteen, it was the early seventies, and life was a bit tough, growing up on a council estate you had to learn to look after yourself, luckily for me a bloke by the name of Paul had taken me under his wing, he was few years older than me, and was a staunch red, he told of trips of trains to see games, I asked if I could come along, he looked me up and down, a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, the smoke obviously getting in his eye making It water, “alright he said I’ll take ya” but you ask your Dad first.
And that is how it began, I managed to scrounge some money off my Mum now and again, but invariably we would hitch a ride, or jump the barriers at stations, trains in those day had compartments not corridors, so you could go almost anywhere with out a ticket if you were quick.
The seventies were flying by, Paul and I had become real mates, by now I had managed to get a part time job to support my passion, my weekends were filled with travelling to first division grounds all over the country, I was soon to become a member of what the media called the Red Army, we loved that, and played up to it.
I can vividly remember one game it must have been around 1978, by that time we were well known, BR the Police and the authorities were clamping down on us hard, the riot gear was being established, we would be searched and if you so much as stepped off the pavement you would find yourself in the back of a Black Maria until the game was over.
November 11th 1978 was a bloody cold morning, I woke up with frost on the inside of my bedroom window, we only had a small heater for the whole of upstairs and it was like pissing in the wind, the water in the sink was cold as well, I couldn’t be bothered to go down and boil a kettle for a hot wash, so I cleaned my teeth and splashed cold water on my face, it was icy and woke me up in an instant, back in my bedroom, I pulled on my drainpipe jeans, Ben Sherman shirt, braces, and dug my 18 hole DM’s from under the bed, my jeans were cut to show off the shiniest pair of DM’s you’d ever seen, 18 holers were expensive, so if you could afford them you showed them off, because of the cold I decided to wear my Crombie overcoat, draping it over my arm I walked downstairs. The whole ensemble would have cost me in the region of four weeks wages, the crombie alone was £65.
My Dad was in the kitchen making breakfast, the kettle was chugging away.
“Morning I said
He looked at me
“Where are you off to………..Football again, he said answering his own question
Of course it’s Saturday isn’t it ? I replied just as quickly
This was a conversation we had most Saturdays and I knew the questions before they were even asked.
Where is it this week ?
Birmingham
Who are you go with ?
Paul and a few mates
Well don’t get into trouble, I don’t want the Police knocking on my door
No Dad I wont, he knew this was a lie, but stayed quiet this week so he obviously wasn’t in the mood for a row about it.
Who’s paying he said putting his hand in his pocket
I’ve got my train fare, Pauls helping me out with the entrance money I lied
He withdrew his hand as I sat down and poured a very large bowl of cornflakes, moments later there was a knock on the door Paul strolled into the kitchen.
Alright he said, I nodded, my mouth full of food
He looked at my Dad, “Alright Mr W
My Dad stared at Paul, well he looked up to him actually, Paul was over 6ft tall, and built like a brick shithouse, and hands like shovels.
Look after him will you, Paul finished the sentence “and make sure he stays out of trouble !
Exactly said my Dad.
The journey was a right one, first a bus ride to Hereford, no heating, then a short walk to catch a train to Worcester, it was one of the old compartment trains, no corridor, no buffet no toilets, and we would be on it for a good two hours, there were a few Birmingham fans on the platform at Worcester so it was obvious why that train was used, they wanted to keep us apart, there were plenty of United fans around so we spent a bit of time giving the Brum fans the finger and singing, “Come and have go”, they didn’t. The train was bloody freezing as well, I was glad I’d worn my Crombie, Paul was just in his Levi jacket, he must have been freezing.
We got off at New street, there must have been a couple of hundred united fans milling around, it was gone midday, and soon the specials from Manchester started arriving, they literally poured off those trains in their thousands, the cheer went up to greet them “UNITED !! UNITED !!, HELLO HELLO WE ARE THE BUSBY BOYS CAME BACK AT US, followed by a chorus or two of United calypso, the Police were escorting small groups of us as we made our way to St Andrews, bloody hell it’s a long way on foot. We were quite well behaved and contented ourselves by singing and chanting, we were in good spirits and the general feeling was there would be no trouble today.
As we approached St Andrews, Paul nudged me, “You still up for it ?
“Of Course I said, I showed him the wedge,
Good lad, but watch you bloody fingers will ya.
We made our way down the hill, and started to queue at a turnstile, we were packed together, the police were intent on cramming as many people in as small a place as possible, Paul was right behind me, in front was a bloke I didn’t know, but I knew I had to stay tight to him, as we approached the turnstile I said in his ear
“We’re wedging the gate.
“Okay mate he said in a broad Manc accent.
He entered the gate and stalled, I bent down almost on my knees, between his legs, the pawl on the turnstile went up as he paid, wedge in hand I rammed it as hard as I could under the pawl,
“ Go! I screamed
Paul lifted me off the ground and heaved forward, others behind us seeing what was happening rushed forward, we streamed into the ground, Paul was pointing to me, and my back was getting slapped from all angles.
Fucking brilliant young un. I looked back and people were still coming through, eventually they managed to close the outer door, Paul reckoned on a couple of hundred getting in scot free.
The game was a disaster, we lost 5-1, Jordan scoring a consolation goal for us, believe it or not we were very well behaved, I think we were all so cold and pissed off we couldn’t be bothered, on the way back to the station a few minor rucks took place, as the odd group of Birmingham fans goaded us and fancied their chances, but they were soon put in their place We were herded like cattle to our trains, it took some convincing that we didn’t actually wan tot go to Manchester, the Police watched us like hawks as we bought tickets, none of them though to ask how we got there, dumb fuckers.
We got home just before the pubs shut, and managed a quick pint to drown our sorrows, next week would be different.
That season was a bit like that, we won only 15 of our 42 games, and drew just as many, finishing 9th in the league, the dippers won it again 23 points ahead of us, it was horrible being a United fan sometimes.

Filed under: My Old Trafford Experience

Red Army Soldier part 2

Robi Prosser — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:54:44 +0000

Written by: GW

During the following summer after my trip to Wembley I literally pestered my Dad on a daily basis to take me to Old Trafford. I wanted to see United play again, I had got the bug.Going to a match then was nearly a “day out” especially if you lived as we did some way out of town, these were of no consideration to an 11yr old boy though, alli was interested in was going, the getting there was my Dad’s concern, and we didn’t have a car in those days, Dads job as a gardener was no that well paid.

My pestering carried on through the summer, August came and went and soon we were into September and Dad started coming home earlier from work, I played my trump card, I can remember I’d been saving my 2/6d (12.5p) weekly pocket money, Look I said to my Dad, i’ve saved my own fare and my money to get in , showing him the 10/- (50p0 I’d saved, Mum looked at me Dad and said “You have to take the lad”, he’s near got enough for both us with that, so I suppose I’d better, a couple of the lads from work go, I’ll ask on Monday how ye go about it, we might need tickets.Monday couldn’t come soon enough for me, as soon as Dad was home i was like a puppy at his heels,It’s alright he said apparently theres a game this week we can go to, United are playing Newcastle United, It’ll cost five bob for me, two an a tanner for the lad and a two shilling each for the bus, it’ll be an expensive day out missus (The sum total was 11/6d (57.5p)), I rushed upstairs to my piggy bank, and emptied it on my bed, slowly I counted the money, I had 12/6d, more than enough for both of us, I rushed downstairs and pushed the coins into my Dads hand, and i’ve got enough for a pie and bovril at half time too Dad, my Dad smiled and rubbed my head.

The following week dragged by, schooll was unbearable, I’d told all my friends at school that I was going, some believed me, some didn’t, but I knew I was going, Dad had promised.I was up with the lark on the Saturday, eager and keen, we weren’t leaving until the noon bus, and it was long ride, Mum had done some sandwiches for us, and Dad made some tea, putting it in an empty cider bottle, he stuffed it into his work bag, and we set off to catch the bus, there were a few waiting at the stop, Dad nodded to each of them turn, saying their name as he did.
As the bus trundled along I listened intently as the others talked about the game, each giving their opinion on who should be playing, names like Best, Law and Charlton were rolling off their tongues, with the odd Stepney and Foulkes thrown in. The bus kept stopping and gradually filled, some were obviously going to the game as they were wearing red and white scarves, some had rattles poking out of their coat pockets, the excitement was growing in me, we ate our sandwiches, the other people gave
us a few stares as Dad offered me the cider bottle, “Cold tea” he said nodding his head towards them.

Gradually the country gave way to more and more houses, the bus pulle dover and stopped, and all those going to the match got off, “c’mon Stan” said one of his mates, “it’s a bit of a step from here” Well we walked and we walked, my feet were starting to drag a bit, trying to keep up as an eleven year old was a bit tiring, the more we walked the bigger the crowd got, Dad took hold of my hand, “It’s getting busy” Stay close to me son, we were soon in a long procession, walking fast was becoming harder, we were now all walking at the same pace, I saw a few lads about my age, and nodded to them, some were sporting rosettes and scarves, the older men were all in caps and scarves, I started to see people selling rosettes, badges and scarves on the side of the pavement, but if i tried to dawdle, Dad would tug my arm and off we would go again.One of Dads mates turned to us “Look for the paddock Stan, you want to be in there with the boy, the entrance is next to ours, meet up with us down here after the game, we’ll wait for you”, the crowd on the pavement started to thin a little, it was then I got my first glimpse of that red edifice, I could see the floodlight towers, and as we turned the corner for the first time ever I saw that sign it proudly proclaimed “MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB”, I stood in awe at the sheer size of the place, it was like Wembley only better, I stood transfixed, I felt as if I’d come home, a tingle ran down my spine, as this thought ran through my mind, it was then I realised that United had found me, not me them, it was then I became a United for Life. I could hear the fans chanting and singing inside, it must have loud, you could make out every word, the tingles grew as we stood in the queue, with each clack of the turnstile my moment was getting closer, eventually it was our turn, one and a half said my Dad, the turnstile turned; my Dad egged me on, “Go on Lad ” he said with a firm push, i walked through that small tunnel out into the paddock, then it hit me, if I thought the fans were noisy outside, inside was even noisier, a cacophony, a cauldron of noise, there must have been 20000 people behind us, all signing and chanting UNITED !!! Moments later, there came new song, a lad next to me eyed me up, “first time”, “aye” I replied, thought so he said, “you’ll get used to it” then the song went up again, I don’t know if i got the words right but i joined in at the top of my voice “WE ARE THE PRIDE OF ALL EUROPE THE COCK OF THE NORTH” rang out across the ground, My Dad looked at me, blimey lad anyone would think you’d been coming here for years, I looked up at him and smiled and thought to myself it feels like I have, I’ve come home…the Ref blew his whistle and the game was underway.

Filed under: My Old Trafford Experience

Red Army Soldier part 1

Robi Prosser — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:50:11 +0000

Written by: GW

Football fans always say that you don’t choose who you support, the team chooses you, well in my case it was a twist of fate, and a series of coincidences that led me to United.

My first memories of watching foottball are when I was about eight or nine, these were the days when the BBC showed a First Divsion game live on a Saturday afternoon as part of the Grandstand programme, my Dad didn’t work on Saturday afternoons so I spent a bit of time watching the games with him, he was a Sunderland supporter (don’t ask), and the one game that sticks in my mind was watching them play Q.P.R.me being a bit of a rogue I decided to cheer on QPR through the TV screen, I think QPR won and for some reason it stuck, I suppose I like the hooped shirts, they looked different to all the other teams playing in varying shades of grey on our 16″ black and white t.v. set.

Fate took a twist in 1968/9 my Dads parents were aging and being a young lad I didn’t fully inderstand things, but one day Dad announced that we would have to visit Aunty Kathleen in London, I didn’t even know I had an Aunty Kathleen, let alone one who lived in London, we had a car but Dad said we would have to go by train as it was too far for him to drive, so along with him and my Mum we packed suitcases and boarded the train, it was May 27th 1968, I was just past my eleventh birthday, we set off from Manchester very early, and arrived at my Aunties place very late at night, I was packed off to bed with a cousin I’d never met and who I thought talked real funny, it was like he was a foreigner, I could hardly understand a word he said.

The follow day Dad spent a lot of time talking to Aunty, I was left a little to my own devices, my cousin had to go to school, I can remember going out with Mum in the afternoon, the place was much like Manchester, very busy and lots of traffic, people were milling every where, later that day I met my Uncle Harold, he looked at me,
“Do you like football lad” he asked rubbing my hair.
My Dad replied for me “Aye he plays a bit, and watches games with me at ‘ome”
Uncle Harold looked at me and I nodded sheepishly.
“Would you like to go to a game tonight” he asked
“I can’t pay” me Dad chirped in
” No need for money Stan, he can come with me, I’ll look after the young lad”
Dad looked across at me and I nodded excitedly
“Ow can you look after ‘im if your working” me Dad said
“He’ll be fine, I’ll pop him in the crowd down by the tunnel, a few mates of mine get down there he’ll be fine” I could see my Uncle was trying to reassure my Dad, I looked across to my Mum.
“Oh let him go Stan, He’ll be fine with Harold, besides he’ll only be bored here”
I looked at my Dad.
“Ok son but mind you behave and do everything Uncle Harold tells you to”.
We shall have to leave quite soon, I need to check the pitch, and make sure things are alright for the referee.
“your Uncles a groundsman at Wembley” me Dad butted in, “He gets to see lots of games”
C’mon ******” said my Uncle, “you’ll not need a coat,it’ll be warm enough”

My Uncle guided me through the door and down the street, we went by the tube to Wembley, and as we walked up Wembley way I got my first ever look at those towers, it was still daylight, as I follwed him through a small side door and into a room where there were five or six men drinking tea, Uncle nodded to each of them in turn, saying a name.
“This is *****” he said pointing to me, “he’s down with his Dad from up north,… Sammy “?
One of the younger men nodded at Uncle, look after ‘im will ya, take him down by the tunnel after you’ve shown the lad around a bit”
For some reason I was expecting a guided tour of the ground, but instead I was given a tour of the groundsmans store and given a blow by blow account of mowers, nets, flags, white lining machines, and sweeping brushes with heads a special width to fit the terraces, I would probably find it all more interesting now, but back then to be honest I found it a bit boring.

Eventually with the tour over. we made our way back to the small room, I was completely lost, and had no idea where we were, after Sammy had drunk a cup of tea and managed to smoke two cigarettes he said it was time to go.

Sammy led me down numerous corridors and up stairs, until eventually we came out in the tunnel, he ushered me out quickly,
“We have to be quick!” he said
I ran behind him to the end of the tunnel, he helped me over the low wall.
“Now stay there, I’ll be back at half time to check on ya” I nodded excitedly, and stood nervously behind the wall.
People were already starting to arrive, and theplace I was standing started to fill quite quickly, at first I was ignored then one man started to talk to me.
“You Harry’s boy” he asked
I looked up at him, “No me Dads called Stan”
The bloke looked at me and smiled “Did you come here with Harold who works here?”
I remember looking up and down at him, “My Uncle Harold works here yes ” I said
He offered a hand ” I’m Tom, the one he told your Dad that would look after you”
I shook his hand and introduced myself, I was soon chatting to him, he was very patient, and must have had kids, because I reckon I tried his patience a bit.
The crowd was now begining to fill Wembley, and it was getting noisier, i was having to shout to be heard.
“Who’s playing” I asked
Tom Laughed, “Who’s playing, blimey lad I’d have though coming from Manchester you would have known”
I gave him a stare
“Its the European Cup Final, Manchester United are playing Benfica tonight”
He showed me his program, the list of players was mind blowing, I couldn’t believe it, I was going to watch the best team in England.
I turned to the pitch and my eyes were glued to it.

“It’s down there you need to look Tom Pointed down the tunnel, we get to see the teams first, far down in the tunnel I could see a group of players, some in blue, some in White, one stood out
“Is that George Best” I asked Tom
Tom craned his neck around the wall,
“Yes thats Best” he said
My mouth went dry, my stomach flipped, I felt sick inside and excited at the same time, I watched in awe as the two teams walked towards me, I was speechless as the Wembley crowd, cheered and swung their rattles to welcome the two teams.
Tom put his hands on my shoulders as I stood there open mouthed, then at the top of my voice I joined in with the rest of the crowd, for the first time ever I shouted

UNITED !!

Filed under: My Old Trafford Experience

Steve Coppell 1975-1983 396 Games 72 Goals

Robi Prosser — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:42:25 +0000

Written by: Adam Carpenter

Once a scouser, always a manc. That was the tale of the playing career of Steve Coppell. Yet again another player from the era of the loyalty and good service provided to the club from the players. Coppell was never a letdown whilst playing for United, and he will not be forgotten by many that ever managed to witness him play.

As a twenty year lad who had already had two full seasons of football under his belt. He transferred to United in 1975 for £40,000 from Tranmere Rovers and he never looked back when he inked a deal to United. Steve had been rousing supporters who could see how effective he was with his direct wing game, and he was still only a student at Liverpool University. He was a very astute signing from the manager at the time Tommy Docherty. The manager had a reputation for adopting an old fashioned attacking style of play and Coppell was an integral part of those plans and settled into the team like a hot knife through butter. He was loved by the fans for his 100% commitment to the club and his appetite to attack the opposition full back at every chance possible. He was clearly in love with playing for United and a famous quote from him after playing retirement on his United career was ‘they were the great days. I had to keep pinching myself. My only dream was to play until I dropped.’

With only four appearances shy of the landmark of 400 games, he was an ever present in the side for a good eight years. He was never really blessed with trophies in his playing days and never managed to get a taste of winning the first division title. But without question the most important game he played for the red devils was against arch rivals Liverpool in 77 for the prize of the FA cup winner. A season that will have been remembered dearly by all Liverpudlians as they attempted an assault on the treble, with the title already wrapped up, United spoiled the fun with their cup final victory. This day he did manage to taste victory and how sweet it was at a sun basked afternoon at Wembley. On the day it was 2-1 to United with Stuart Pearson and Jimmy Greenhoff scoring the goals. It wasn’t really the best ever game Coppell had, but he lasted the whole 90 minutes and helped see his side to the only major trophy of Tommy Docherty’s regime as the clubs manager. But it was sweet justice as the year before United were cruelly beaten in the final as Southampton won 1-0 with a goal inside the last ten minutes. Just two months after the ecstasy of the cup final victory in 77, Docherty was sacked and a new transition phase was underlined by new manager Dave Sexton.

Sexton tried to get Coppell to employ a different style of game to the one previous. But this still did not hinder the level of his performance, playing just as brilliantly as he did under Docherty, Steve was asked to play more robustly and try to also develop technique. The attraction of good style of football was long gone when Sexton took over, as the stated all he was asking for was a good result. However after guiding United to another FA cup final in 1979, Sexton was to be unlucky and United lost out 3-2 to Arsenal, which is popularly branded about as the ‘’five minute final’’. But this day Coppell was immense, and helped create both of United’s goals with ingenious play. It was again harsh on Untied as it was 2-0 to Arsenal with around 5 minutes left to play, United decided to turn a=up and make a dramatic late comeback to make it all square at two a piece, and with extra time looming large, the gunners managed to snatch it right at the death of the 90 minutes. 2 years later Sexton was sacked despite winning his last seven games in a row in charge, but he left the club after four years trophy less, with the 79 FA cup final coming closest to landing him any silverware.

The days for Coppell as a professional footballer were now numbered. After Sexton had departed, he had only two years left before in 1983, he decided enough was enough and left United and from playing football as a whole, knowing that once he has left United, he could never reproduce his form for any other club. He was appreciated gratefully by the Old Trafford faithful for his wonderful and loyal 8 years stint at Old Trafford.

His international career was a decent one for where he racked up 42 appearances in only six years, scoring seven goals in the process. His best moment in the white shirt of England was to score the only and winning goal in a 1-0 victory over arch rivals Scotland at Hampden Park. Steve also featured in the plans on a regular basis of Ron Greenwood and played numerous friendlies and qualifying matches for major international tournaments. In 1979 to put disappointment of a cup final loss behind him, he again scored for England against Scotland at Wembley Stadium in a 3-1 victory. The habit of him scoring against the Tartan army continued a year later when he scored again against Scotland in a 2-0 victory at Hampden Park. He was making a name for himself north of the border that couldn’t stop scoring against them, and really put some impressive performances in for his country as a whole, not just against Scotland. He also featured in the 1980 European championship group matches. This was his last major tournament as he suffered a horrific injury just before the 1982 world cup, which in the end after a brief return to club and country, saw him hang up his boots in 1983 from all forms of the game, sadly due to that incident which shattered his knee.

Not only can Steve be regarded as a wonderfully talented football player, but he has also been a good a manager too. He decided to enter management straight away after retiring from football, and has managed numerous clubs over the last 25 years or so. He had four stints as manager of Crystal Palace who was his first club to be appointed at after only being 28 years old. He has also managed Brentford, Brighton and Manchester City, but arguably his most impressive time as a manager came more recently as the Reading boss. He only decided to call it a day last year in 2009 and joined the club back in 2003. He was very fond of by the fans in Berkshire and they gave him a very warm farewell when he decided to resign as manager of the club. Reading were a club that were stuck in the lower ranks for a long time and in the 2005-2006 season the dream of becoming a premier league team became reality. The royals stormed their way to the championship title only losing twice in the league, and Coppell was regarded as a hero at Reading. There was no letting up there either, the following season and the debut of Coppell’s team in the premier league, was a very impressive one. Reading finished as 8th place in the premier league and was only one point shy off of UEFA cup football. This really was a remarkable achievement by the club and Steve was deservedly rewarded as manager of the year for his personal achievements, and there was not man who disagreed with that decision.

However after sheer delight in the first season of the premier league football for Reading, the following season was not so wonderful, with Reading suffering from the so called ‘’second season syndrome’’ they were relegated back to the championship only just though, and the fans were still firmly behind Coppell to take them back to the promised land. Reading lost out in the 2008-2009 season in the playoff semi final in the championship, despite a protest from the clubs fans to keep Coppell at the club, he resigned straight after the game. Ever since he has been unemployed for almost 9 months to date, supposedly believed to be focusing more on family and private life.

But to sum the whole story of this up, Steve Coppell will be regarded as a footballing and Manchester United legend, without mentioning his impressive achievements in the managerial side of the game too. Steve really is an asset to the game of football.

Posted in McGuinness to Atkinson Years 1969 - 1986

Bryan Robson 1981-1994 461 Games 97 Goals

Robi Prosser — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 17:35:21 +0000

Written by: Robi Prosser

Bryan Robson was a leader of the highest calibre, he started his career at West Bromwich Albion in 1972, accepting an offer of a two-year apprenticeship, his weekly wage was just £5 per week in the first year and £8 per week for the second year, as Robson turned 17 he was starting to make a name for himself in the reserve team at West Brom and was subsequently offered a his first professional contract in 1974, the contract on offer included a significant pay rise to £28 per week and a £250 signing on fee. During the next season Robson was playing week in week out for the reserves but for some reason manager Don Howe would not give him his chance to play in the first team, however when Don Howe departed the managers position at West Brom Robson was called up to the first team squad immediately by caretaker manager Brian Whitehouse. He made is debut for with only 3 games remaining of the season and he impressed enough on his first games to play in all three also scoring two.

During the 1975-76 season Bryan struggled to get into the team and was forced to play out of position at left back or center back due to competition for places in the center of the park, his main challenger for the place in the central midfield spot was none other than player-manager and former Manchester United player Johnny Giles, Robson played 16 games during the season and West Brom gained promotion back to the First Division, the 1976-77 season proved to be an absolute nightmare for Robson although he was playing in the first team more he was still playing out of position at left back more often than he would have liked, it was while playing at left back his nightmare began when he broke his left leg which kept him out of the side for the best part of two months, worse was to come in his comeback game Robson fractured his leg in the same place he broke it two months earlier, again Robson made a comeback and after a good run in the side he scored his first professional hat-trick, but the joy was short-lived as the injury troubles struck again for the third time a month after his latest comeback he broke his ankle effectively ending his season. During the next season Robson was in and out of the team mainly due to there being three managerial changes during the season.

During the 1977-78 season Bryan became a key member of the West Brom side under new manager Ron Atkinson helping his team qualify for the UEFA Cup, he was playing at a higher level compared to some of his team mates and in the next season he helped West Brom reach their highest ever position on top flight football when they finished the season in third place, they also reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup, the 1979-80 season was not so good for West Brom but now Robson had established himself as a household name in the West Brom team and was starting to get the recognition for his displays with a call up to the England International Team, he gained his first of many England caps in February 1980. The 1980-81 season Robson played 40 games and scored 10 goals as West Brom achieved fourth place in the league, in June of 1981 though manager Ron Atkinson left West Brom after being offered the chance to manage Manchester United, West Brom knew that Robson had a great relationship with the manager and knew they would struggle to hold on to him, Albion offered Robson a new contract on £1000 per week which was a significant pay rise but Robson turned down the contract offer and put in a transfer request.

On October 1 1981, Robson followed Ron Atkinson by signing for Manchester United for a then British record transfer fee of £1.5m, at the time of his signing Ron Atkinson said: “It may seem like a lot of money, but it’s not a gamble, you know. you’re not even gambling with someone like him. This fella is solid gold. Atkinson asked legendary manager Bill Shankly how much he should bid for Robson and Shankly’s reply ws: “Every penny that it takes, Ron, Every penny. He signed his contract in front of the Old Trafford faithful in the middle of the pitch, he made his debut in front of 47,000 people at Old Trafford just 4 days later against Tottenham Hotspur, he finished the season playing in 32 games and scoring 5 goals as he helped United finish fourth place in the league. The next season Bryan Robson was appointed Captain of the United team and was wearing the famous number seven shirt which he would make his own in time, he was also made captain of England by manager Bobby Robson who referred to him as “captain marvel”. Robson was now becoming a star player and showed why he was made captain of club and country with great stamina, aggression, fearless tackling, shrewd distribution, powerful heading and a priceless goalscoring touch which made him unique, an example of the playing style is all in 20 seconds of play in a long-forgotten 1982 encounter against Notts County, the Red’s skipper scrapped for possession on he edge of his own box, won it, bamboozled two opponents with an immaculate turn and gave the ball top Remi Moses. he the sprinted to the Notts County goal area as the move continued through Mike Duxburry and Arnold Murhen, he arrived in time to nod the Dutchman’s cross in to the bottom corner from 8 yards out, it was the contribution which was to become expected from Robson and summed up to inspirational qualities of the player as forcefully as any of the famous, minutely documented incidents which bejeweled his glorious career.

In his first season has captain Robson gained his first major honour when he scored twice in a 4-0 FA Cup final win over Brighton and Hove Albion, he has also played 49 games scoring 15 goals helping United finish in third place, next season 1983-84 Robson regards has his finest for United even though he ended the season without a winner’s medal, he started the season in great form scoring twice in the Charity Shield in front of 92,000 fans at Wembley to beat fierce rivals Liverpool 2-0, United went on a succesful run in the European Cup Winners’ Cup and after he scored twice in a 3-0 win over Barcelona in the quarter-finals to win 3-2 on aggregate the world saw what is probably the most enduring image of Bryan Robson has he was pictured leaving the pitch held aloft the shoulders of his team mates draped in a Union Jack flag saluting the crowd, he looked the perfect sporting hero, Robson missed both legs of the semi-final against Juventus with a hamstring injury, but whilst in Italy Robson was given permission by United to talk to Juventus and Sampdoria about a proposed transfer there, thankfully the move never materialised as Juventus and other interested clubs were put of by United £3m asking price, Robson instead signed a new contract at Old Trafford in 1984 for seven years worth around £1m, he ended the season with 18 goals in 47 games as United finished 6 points of the Championship in fourth place. During the 1984-85 season Robson captained United to another FA Cup final this time against Everton, Robson again climbed the famous steps at Wembley a winner after United won 1-0 thanks to a goal from young Irish striker Norman Whiteside after Kevin Moran became the first ever player to be sent-off in an FA Cup final, United finished the season in fourth place again as Robson played in 46 games and scored 14 goals.

1985-86 started very well for Robson as United started the season winning 10 games on the trot and for the first team since 1967 United looked like they were on their way to becoming champions again, then disaster struck after 27 games into Robson’s season he got injured and would miss the rest of the season, without Robson United struggled and from the remaining 30 points available they only took 10 and finished fourth place yet again. Ron Atkinson was sacked the following season and was replaced with young manager Alex Ferguson, Robson stayed in favour with Ferguson who like his never say die attitude to the game and despite United’s short comings in the next 4 years he was still first choice in the team and remained captain of club and country.

During the 1989-90 season Robson was ravaged by injury and he was contained to only 20 games all season but he did play an important role as he scored in the FA Cup semi-final and the Final to get a replay, United won the replay over Crystal Palace and in doing so Robson became the first player to lift the FA Cup as captain atop the Wembley steps as a winner. On 20 November 1990 Robson was awarded a testimonial match for his services to United in which United lost 3-1 to Celtic, but injury was now starting to take its toll on Robson and during the 1990-91 season he was restricted to only 17 games but he was available for one of the biggest games of his career the European Cup Winners’ Cup Final against Barcelona, it was a massive return to European football for English clubs as this was the first time in 5 years since a ban was put on English team entering Europe due to the Hysel Stadium Disaster, Robson walked the winning steps again at the De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam after United had beaten Barcelona 2-1 thanks to two goals from Welshman Mark Hughes. the next season United came the closest yet to winning the league losing out to arch-rivals Leeds United with lees than 5 games left United lost 3 and drew 1 of the remaining 5 games and ended up as runners-up, he also played in his final game for England he had gained 90 caps and scored 27 goals, 65 of his England caps were played as captain.

Robson was now 36 years old and during the 1992-93 season he only played 14 league game this season, although he was still club captain Steve Bruce was captain on most match days and they shared the job remarkably, Robson scored on the final day of the season and thus becoming the oldest post-war scorer for the club, the main reason for Robson not playing so much was not mainly due to his age it was that Brian McClair was now playing in midfield with Paul Ince because United had signed the enigmatic player that went by the name of Eric Cantona, United were not to be beaten this year and for the first time in 26 years the were crowned League Champions and Robson and Bruce both went and picked the trophy up together. Robson career was now coming to an end and United knew this and signed future captain Roy Keane in the summer on 1993 this was the twilight of Robson’s career and he started only 10 league games of the 1993-94 season, although he played in the last game of the season against Coventry City this was to be his last game fo the club but it was enough for him to pick up his second Championship winners medal and he was an unused sub in the 1994 FA Cup final and won his fourth FA Cup winners medal. He played in 461 games for United and scored 97 goals, he spent 12 years as captain and his the longest-serving captain in United’s history, upon leaving United he had two League Titles, four FA Cups, one League Cup, three Charity Shield, one European Cup Winners’ Cup and one European Super cup winners medals, he was also awarded an O.B.E in 1990 for his services to football and charity.

Robson went to Middlesbrough after United in 1994 to become their player-manager, he has since managed Bradford, West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield United and is the current manager of Thailand, he his also a global ambassador for Manchester United.

Posted in McGuinness to Atkinson Years 1969 - 1986