Manchester United History:
Manchester United Football Club, often simply referred to as Man United or United, is one of the most storied and successful football clubs in the world. Established in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club, it wasn't until 1902 that the club adopted its current name, Manchester United. The club is based in Manchester, England, and plays its home matches at Old Trafford, one of the most iconic stadiums in football.
United's early years were marked by modest success, but it was under the management of Sir Matt Busby in the mid-20th century that the club truly began to ascend to greatness. Busby, who took charge in 1945, built a formidable team known as the "Busby Babes" in the 1950s, featuring talented young players such as Duncan Edwards, Bobby Charlton, and George Best. This period culminated in winning the Football League in 1956 and 1957.
Tragedy struck in 1958 when the Munich air disaster claimed the lives of several players and staff members, including eight players from the famed Busby Babes. Despite the devastation, Busby rebuilt the team and led them to European glory, winning the European Cup in 1968, becoming the first English club to do so.
In the decades following Busby's retirement, Manchester United experienced ups and downs, including periods of success under managers like Tommy Docherty and Ron Atkinson, but also periods of underperformance. However, everything changed with the appointment of Sir Alex Ferguson in 1986.
Under Ferguson's legendary reign, which lasted until 2013, Manchester United became the dominant force in English football, winning 13 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, and 2 UEFA Champions League titles, among numerous other domestic and international trophies. Ferguson's tenure is widely regarded as one of the most successful managerial reigns in the history of the sport.
Since Ferguson's retirement, Manchester United has experienced some turbulence, with several managerial changes and varying degrees of success on the field. However, the club's global fanbase remains fervent, and there is a constant drive to return to the pinnacle of domestic and European football.
Throughout its history, Manchester United has not only been synonymous with success on the field but also with a rich tradition of developing talented players, playing attractive football, and embodying the fighting spirit of the city of Manchester.
What next for Manchester United
As earlier stated Manchester United have had a turbulent time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. With the likes of David Moyes, Mourinho, Van Gal and Ole Gunnar Solskjær. All these managers have had some success but never met the high expectations of Manchester United’s stature.
In the summer of 2022, Manchester United announced the appointment of former Ajax manager Eric Ten Hag. In his first season, he got the club back into top 4 and won the League cup. He also guided the red devils to the FA Cup final where he narrowly lost to Manchester City.
This showed huge promise for the club, fans expected big things from Manchester United this year. So far, it has failed to deliver, they had a terrible start to the Premier League season and finished bottom of their group in the Champions League.
Manchester United have been very inconsistent with results and performances. one week they will blow teams away, another week they struggle to teams they should be beating.
However, since 2024 they have managed to regain some form and they are back in the hunt for top 4. With the amount of money spent since Ten Hag's arrival, top 4 should be the minimum.
Can Jim Ratcliffe turn fortunes?
As Radcliffe bought 25% shares in Manchester United and agreed to run the club many believe that huge changes could be in place.
The first question asked to Radclife was about how the club was run, bringing in new sporting directors including Dan Ashworth from Newcastle.
The next question that all fans wanted to know was who was going to be in charge of Manchester United next season. There have been many rumours that Radcliffe isn’t a huge fan of the Dutch manager.
However, these are primarily just rumours, Ten Hag has made it very clear that he has discussed his future many times with ownership in a positive manner.
With the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool all searching for a manager in the summer, Manchester United could fall short on top class managers if they only decide Ten Hag's future in the summer.
Garry Neville made this point quite clear when Manchester United announced they wont make any decisions until may. Neville believes that United have been guilty of following and never being ahead of the curve.
If they decide to part ways with Eric Ten Hag at the end of the season, the likelihood is that other major clubs would've already snapped up who they want. Leaving United to pick whoever is left.
Many believe that not only does the manager need reviewing but so does the transfer policy. Manchester United have spent one of the highest amounts of money in Europe on transfers.
Signing the likes of Casimiro, Antony and many more who have not lived up to the price tag. Manchester United have been known for buying players in the latter end of their career without thinking of the future.
In more recent times they have started to sign players with more potential, one example of this is Hojlund. A striker who came in for huge money however, the Danish striker has huge potential. Many United fans believe this is a brilliant signing.
If Jim Radclife carries on this strategy for the future, the future looks a lot more positive for the Red Devils. Radcliffe has a huge job ahead of him, being a fan will hopefully mean he has the club in his best interests.
