History of Manchester United F.C. (1986–1998)
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Preceding article: History of Manchester United F.C. (1969–1986)
Succeeding article: Manchester United F.C. season 1998–99 (the Treble)
[edit] The arrival of Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson was hired from Aberdeen on 6 November 1986, the day after Ron Atkinson was sacked, and things began to change almost from the first day.
Despite losing 2-0 to Oxford United in their first game under Ferguson, United's form soon improved and their first victory under the new manager came on 22 November 1986 when they defeated Queen's Park Rangers 1-0 at Old Trafford in the league. On Boxing Day they triumphed 1-0 over Liverpool at Anfield [1] - this would be United's only league win of the season away from home, but more significantly it was Liverpool's only home defeat in the league that season and would count against them in their title challenge which was ended by Everton.
During the close season Ferguson signed full-back Viv Anderson from Arsenal for £250,000, and Brian McClair from Celtic for £850,000. Ferguson was intent on building a side that could win the league title - a success that the club had now gone 20 years without achieving.
[edit] Second place
In 1987-88, United finished runners-up in the league and finished nine points behind champions Liverpool (who had led by as many as 16 points at one stage). They never looked like overhauling Kenny Dalglish's men, and blew their best chance of success by losing to Arsenal in the Fifth Round of the F.A Cup. Perhaps their most impressive display of the season came at Anfield, where they were 3-1 down to Liverpool at half time but secured a 3-3 draw.
However, United were unable to compete in the 1988-89 UEFA Cup as UEFA voted to continue the ban on English clubs in European competitions for a fourth season.
At the end of the season, fans celebrated the return of Mark Hughes after his spell abroad at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. At the same time, Ferguson brought in Aberdeen goalkeeper Jim Leighton after Gary Bailey had retired through injury, Chris Turner failed to impress, and Gary Walsh was ruled out of action for long periods of time due to injury after a highly promising start to his career.
Half-way through the 1987-88 season, Ferguson had paid Norwich City £850,000 for centre-half Steve Bruce, whose arrival forced Kevin Moran out of the first team and led to his departure to Sporting Gijón of Spain.
Striker Brian McClair scored 24 First Division goals for United in his first season at the club, and was the club's highest scorer in a single season since George Best some 20 years earlier. He had been purchased from Celtic for £850,000 - a considerable bargain, as he was originally valued at £2 million.
Arthur Albiston, the club's longest-serving player at the time, moved to West Bromwich Albion, where Ron Atkinson was having a second spell as manager, while Peter Davenport signed for newly-promoted Middlesbrough.
United had expressed interest in signing the Newcastle United midfielder Paul Gascoigne, but the player was surprisingly sold to Tottenham Hotspur instead. During the autumn of 1987, United were all set to sign Glasgow Rangers and England defender Terry Butcher for £1million when the player broke a leg, prompting Ferguson to secure Steve Bruce instead.
Before the season started, Ferguson had made a bid to Watford winger John Barnes, only for the player to sign a deal with Liverpool. A bid for Nottingham Forest's Stuart Pearce was also unsuccessful. Ferguson's attempt to sign Peter Beardsley from Newcastle United for £2million (what would have been a record signing for a British club) was rejected, and the player opted to join Liverpool instead.
[edit] Under Pressure
With a slump in form and a number of injuries in the 1988-89 season, Ferguson began introducing some of his youth players such as Lee Sharpe into the side. United had been expected to feature in the 1988-89 league title race, but they finished a disappointing 11th in the league. Their last chance of success was thrown away in March when they lost to Nottingham Forest in the F.A Cup quarter final.
United's form in the league was neither particularly outstanding nor disastrous. They managed three successive wins in the league in September (following the sequence with a Football League Cup tie win) but after their 2-0 win at home to West Ham United on 24 September they didn't win again in the league until 3 December, when a 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic saw them occupy ninth place in the league after a run of five successive draws. [2] [3] By the end of January, they had climbed to sixth place in the league following a significant turnaround in fortunes [4]. A six-match winning run which began in mid January and lasted into February propelled them into third place by 11 February, putting them 11 points behind leaders Arsenal and sparking hopes of a late run to the title. [5] By the end of March, a slight setback had pushed them down to seventh place, but they still had at least one game in hand over five of the six teams above them and were still within an outside chance of title glory. [6] By the end of April, however, a six-match winless run had seen them fall further down the table into 11th place. [7]
The end of the 1988-89 season saw a further exodus of players. Gordon Strachan, the 31-year-old Scottish midfielder who had played in the 1985 F.A Cup winning side, decided that he needed a new challenge and accepted Leeds United's terms for a £300,000 move. Norman Whiteside, who had been instrumental in the two F.A Cup triumphs under Ron Atkinson but had endured a succession of injuries combined with a loss of form in more recent times, was sold to Everton in a £600,000 deal. Paul McGrath, another player desiring a new challenge, opted for a £500,000 move to Aston Villa.
New signings were made in the summer as Alex Ferguson prepared to build a side which he felt was capable of winning trophies.
Ferguson filled Paul McGrath's place in defence by paying a national record fee of £2.3 million for Middlesbrough's lanky centre-half Gary Pallister. He then replaced Gordon Strachan by paying £1.5 million for Nottingham Forest's talented midfielder Neil Webb, and £1.8 million for West Ham United's promising young midfielder Paul Ince as an effective successor to Norman Whiteside. He also paid £1.2 million for Southampton winger Danny Wallace to fill the gap left by Bordeaux-bound Jesper Olsen.
[edit] Fergie silences the critics with cup win
The 1989-90 season started on a high note as they triumphed 4-1 over defending champions Arsenal at Old Trafford, giving fans further hope that the long wait for the title could soon be over.
However, Ferguson came under fire for some poor performances (notably a 5-1 hammering at Manchester City on 22 September) and there was also a media furore over a takeover bid by Michael Knighton. Chairman Martin Edwards agreed to sell the club to Knighton for £20 million, and Knighton even juggled a ball on the Old Trafford pitch, but the deal fell through when his financial backers pulled out.[1] The addition of Neil Webb, Paul Ince, Gary Pallister, Mike Phelan and Danny Wallace in the 1989 close season was seen as vital for Alex Ferguson's hopes of mounting a serious title challenge, but Webb's form slumped dramatically after he was injured playing for England, and Pallister's form was initially poor, despite his transfer fee of £2.3 million, then a British record for a defender.
After the opening day triumph over Arsenal, United collected one point from their next four games before ending their dismal run with a 5-1 demolition of Millwall. Even after the humiliation by City at Maine Road, there was still convincing form in the league that autumn, particularly a 4-1 away win over Coventry City on 21 October. Though they were still only 14th in the table, the gap between themselves and the rest of the league was relatively narrow; they were just eight points behind leaders Everton and had a game in hand. [8]
Their form in November was mixed as they finished November in 10th place [9], but in December they failed to win any of their six league games and finished the 1980s in 15th place, just two points clear of the relegation zone. [10]
This depressing run of form sparked rumours that Ferguson would be fired, but the board stuck by him and it has since been reported that Ferguson's dismissal was an issue that was simply never up for debate. Although naturally disappointed by the lack of success, the board understood the reasons for United's shortcomings, particularly the string of injuries to many key players.
Their league form was so dismal that The Times newspaper ran an article in which the columnist stated that it was now 23 years since United had been league champions, but the fact that it had been 16 years since they were last relegated now seemed more relevant.
United ended the 1989-90 season by winning the FA Cup, silencing the critics and beginning the most successful period in the team's history. United beat Crystal Palace in the final, who were managed by former United player Steve Coppell.
The FA Cup had been a long and hard one, in which they had not played at home once. When the FA Cup third round draw was made in December 1989, United were paired with Nottingham Forest - who had been one of the most successful cup teams of the last 15 years - at the City Ground. However, a Mark Robins goal gave United a lifeline, and they were handed a far easier tie in the fourth round with Fourth Division Hereford United at Edgar Street. United won 1-0, and in the fifth round they triumphed 3-2 at Second Division promotion chasers Newcastle United. In the quarter-final, they eliminated Dave Bassett's impressive Sheffield United side with a 1-0 win at Bramall Lane. The semi-finals saw a clash with Second Division cup specialists Oldham Athletic at Maine Road. The first game ended in a 3-3 draw, and United won the replay (also at Maine Road) 2-1.
In the final, they drew 3-3 with Palace. Mark Hughes scored twice for United, with the over goal coming from Bryan Robson. In the replay, they triumphed 1-0 win a goal from young defender Lee Martin. Also crucial in their triumph was Ferguson's decision to drop the inconsistent Jim Leighton for the replay and replace him with on-loan Les Sealey.
The only major signing at Old Trafford during the summer of 1990 was Denis Irwin, a 24-year-old full-back recruited from Oldham Athletic in a £500,000 deal.
Goalkeeper Les Sealey had been signed on loan from Luton Town in December 1989, and had featured in the FA Cup final replay - only his third game for the club. He was offered one-year permanent contract to stay at United, and he accepted the offer, becoming United's first-choice goalkeeper for 1990-91 ahead of Jim Leighton.
[edit] Euro glory and floatation
1990-91 saw United progress further, although a lack of league consistency saw them finish sixth in the First Division. They lost to Second Division Sheffield Wednesday, managed by former United manager Ron Atkinson, in the League Cup final. But the season ended on a high note when United marked the return of English clubs to European football (following the ban arising from the Heysel Disaster) by beating Barcelona 2-1 in the Cup Winners' Cup final in Rotterdam. Mark Hughes scored both of the goals against his former club, and a late goal-line clearance by Clayton Blackmore prevented the match from going into extra time.
Also in 1991, United floated on the London Stock Exchange, with a valuation of £18 million. This move brought the club's finances into the public eye, and made it vulnerable to takeover speculation.
United's league season kicked off with 2-0 home win over Coventry City, but September saw two results which showed that United still had some way to go before they could be considered as serious title contenders - first they lost 2-1 to newly promoted Sunderland, and shortly afterwards they were thrashed 4-0 by defending champions Liverpool. However, two days after their humiliation at Anfield, they took on Liverpool at Wembley in the FA Charity Shield and managed a 1-1 draw which saw the two sides share the trophy.
They occupied third place in the league at the end of September, but were five points behind leaders Liverpool, who still had a 100% record as well as a game in hand. [12]
On 20 October, all of their players and 10 of Arsenal's clashed in a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford - a melee which saw Arsenal deducted two points and United one. A week later, United drew 3-3 with Manchester City in a thrilling derby draw at Maine Road. By then, however, they had slipped to sixth place in the table and were now 14 points behind leaders Liverpool, who had collected a massive 28 points from their opening 10 games. [13]
November brought similar form in the league, but the month ended with one of the most impressive results yet achieved under Ferguson - a 6-2 win over Arsenal in the Football League Cup fourth round tie at Highbury, in which 19-year-old winger Lee Sharpe scored a hat-trick.
United entered 1991 in the hunt for a unique cup treble of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, FA Cup and Football League Cup. However, their defence of the FA Cup ended in the fifth round when they lost 2-1 at Norwich City - one of the most successful smaller clubs in the top flight around this time. Their shock defeat by Sheffield Wednesday in the Football League Cup final was all the more frustrating because they had eliminated Arsenal, Liverpool and Leeds United (all top four sides) earlier in the competition. However, they kept up their good form in the Cup Winners' Cup, defeating FC Barcelona 2-1 with two goals from Mark Hughes.
The end of the 1990-91 season saw the departure of goalkeeper Les Sealey, who had wanted a two-year contract but left to join Aston Villa after Alex Ferguson offered him only one more season on contract at United. Also on their way out were winger Ralph Milne, who had not played a first team game for over a year and had been consigned to the reserves for two of his three seasons at the club, and reserve goalkeeper Mark Bosnich, who followed Les Sealey to Aston Villa.
[edit] Nearly but not quite
At the end of the 1990-91 season, goalkeeper Les Sealey signed for Aston Villa after rejecting a new one-year contract; he had been hoping for a two-year deal but opted for a transfer when he was offered better terms elsewhere. His successor was Peter Schmeichel, the 27-year-old Brondby and Denmark international goalkeeper. Also joining the ranks was QPR and England full-back Paul Parker, also 27, who had impressed at the previous summer's World Cup. Parker played on the right side of defence, with previous right-back Denis Irwin switching to left-back, a position previously favoured by utility player Clayton Blackmore.
United started the season well, beating newly promoted Notts County 2-0 at Old Trafford on the opening day, and going unbeaten in their opening 12 league games before losing 3-2 at Sheffield Wednesday (a newly promoted side emerging as surprise title contenders under rookie manager Trevor Francis) in late October. They were now second in the league, but were just a point behind leaders Leeds United and had a game in hand. The nearest threat to the top two came from neighbours Manchester City, who were thriving under their player-manager Peter Reid. [14]
United's strong form continued into November, and by the end of the month they were still one point behind Leeds United with a game in hand. [15]
On Boxing Day, they triumphed 6-3 at Oldham Athletic in arguably one of the finest league performances ever witnessed under Alex Ferguson's management. They were now top of the league, two points ahead of Leeds United and with two games in hand. [16]
On New Year's Day, however, they were humiliated 4-1 at home by unfashionable Queen's Park Rangers in only their second league defeat of the season. They did not lose again until a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on 18 March, but the goals had dried up to such an extent by this stage that many earlier games had ended in draws, and United were now back in second place with Leeds United two points ahead - but United still had two games in hand and their chances of claiming the title still looked good. [17]
On 22 April 1992, United travelled to East London where they took on already-relegated West Ham United at Upton Park. United were now just one point behind Leeds United, with a game in hand, and were firm favourites for this game, knowing that a win would put the title race in their hands. However, United lost 1-0. [18]
Four days later, United lost 2-0 to Liverpool at Anfield and on the same day Leeds United defeated Sheffield United. This meant that the championship trophy went to Elland Road, while United's title wait would now go into its 26th season.
They won the League Cup, defeating Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the final, but this was seen as scant consolation and the season was considered a disappointment. The season saw the emergence of talented 18-year-old Welsh winger Ryan Giggs, who was voted Young Player of the Year.
Desperate not to endure the same misery in the following season's new Premier League, Ferguson delved into the transfer market and was determined to sign a top striker. First he tried to sign David Hirst from Sheffield Wednesday then Alan Shearer from Southampton, but the player moved to Blackburn Rovers instead, while Hirst decided to stay put at Sheffield Wednesday. Ferguson raised a few eyebrows when he shelled out £1 million on a player with no top flight experience - Cambridge United striker Dion Dublin.
The only notable player to leave United in 1991-92 was goalkeeper Jim Leighton, who departed to Dundee on 6 February having played just once in his final 18 months at Old Trafford. The arrival of Peter Schmeichel had practically ended his hopes of first-team recognition, while Gary Walsh was now second-choice goalkeeper and in a Football League Cup tie Ferguson had even fielded 18-year-old Ian Wilkinson between the sticks in favour of Leighton.
[edit] Champions at last
Manchester United had a mixed first few months in the Premier League, slipping up and down the top ten of the 22-club division. But the £1.2 million acquisition of Eric Cantona, the Frenchman who had helped Leeds win the previous season's title, in late November helped United improve their league form and cruise to the league title after a 26-year wait. Young winger Ryan Giggs was voted PFA Young Player of the Year for the second year running.
United were on the receiving end of the first Premier League goal, scored by Sheffield United's Brian Deane at Bramall Lane on 15 August 1992. The game ended in a disappointing 2-1 defeat for United, who lose 3-0 at home to Everton in their second game of the season and drew 1-1 at home to newly promoted Ipswich Town in their third. Victory came at the fourth attempt, when a late goal by new signing Dion Dublin gave them a 1-0 win at Southampton. Four successive victories followed, propelling them into third place behind leaders Norwich City (yet to win a league title) and second placed Blackburn Rovers (without a title since 1914 and playing top division football for the first time since 1966). Defending champions Leeds United and traditional favourites Liverpool were, surprisingly, well behind the leading pack and not yet posing any threat to United's title hopes. [19]
United then went on a five-match run of draws in the league (during which time they progressed to the third round of the Football League Cup but were eliminated from the UEFA Cup at the first hurdle), which ended on 31 October when they lost 1-0 at home to Wimbledon. Three days before the game, they were eliminated from the Football League Cup by Aston Villa, who defeated them 1-0 in the league on 7 November. They had now gone seven league games without a win, and stood 10th in the league - eight points behind leaders Arsenal. Aston Villa had also emerged as title challengers alongside surprise contenders Queen's Park Rangers and Coventry City. [20]
The winless run ended on 21 November when United won 3-0 at home to Oldham Athletic, starting an unbeaten run which lasted until the end of January. By this time, United had climbed to second place in the league and were just one point behind leaders Norwich City. Aston Villa had maintained their strong challenge, while Blackburn Rovers were swiftly falling out of contention following a serious injury to Alan Shearer. Ipswich Town, meanwhile, were emerging as surprise contenders for the title. [21]
On 14 February, United endured perhaps their biggest disappointment of the season when they were eliminated from the FA Cup by Sheffield United in the fifth round, losing 2-1 at Bramall Lane in a game where Steve Bruce missed the penalty that could very well have kept United in contention for their first-ever double.
United went top of the Premier League on 6 March, winning 2-1 at Liverpool - who had surprisingly failed to feature in the title race and were occupying a lowly 15th place in a division which they had been champions of on no less than 18 occasions, the most recent just three years earlier. [22]
On 10 April, they looked set to lose their lead of the table to Aston Villa, who were winning their own game while United were trailing 1-0 at home to Sheffield Wednesday with 90 minutes showing on the clock. However, two late goals from Steve Bruce saw United win 2-1 and maintain their one-point lead. [23]
United were crowned champions on 2 May, their 26-year title wait ended when nearest rivals Aston Villa suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat to Oldham Athletic - a result which helped Joe Royle's team pull off a remarkable survival act in the relegation battle. The next day, United proved themselves to be worthy champions as they defeated Blackburn Rovers 3-1 at Old Trafford. On the final day of the season, they beat Wimbledon 2-1 away in a game where Bryan Robson scored his first goal in 18 months. [24]
After the end of the season, United paid an English record fee of £3.75 million for Nottingham Forest's 22-year-old Irish midfielder Roy Keane. Alex Ferguson saw Keane as a long-term replacement for the ageing Bryan Robson, who at 36 was no longer an automatic choice.
The season also saw Neil Webb return to Nottingham Forest after three injury-plagued years, and at the end of the campaign forgotten midfielder Russell Beardsmore dropped down two divisions to sign for AFC Bournemouth.
In mid-season, United re-signed goalkeeper Les Sealey to act as Schmeichel's understudy after he had fallen out of favour at Aston Villa. Before Sealey's return, United had taken former reserve goalkeeper Fraser Digby back to the club on loan from Swindon Town, but Digby never saw first-team action and was soon on his way back to the County Ground to help Glenn Hoddle's team win promotion.
New striker Dion Dublin missed much of the season, due to a double leg fracture suffered against Crystal Palace when he fell victim to a reckless tackle from Eric Young. However he still gained a title medal.
Veteran striker Mark Hughes, fast approaching 30, had another strong season as he topped the club's goalscoring charts with 15 league goals.
[edit] The double
Manchester United led the 1993-94 Premiership table from the end of August and were crowned champions at the beginning of May, with Eric Cantona scoring 25 goals in all competitions and the likes of Paul Ince, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe providing their own fair share of goals. United finished as champions with a seven-point gap over runners-up Blackburn and completed the double by beating Chelsea 4-0 in the FA Cup final. Eric Cantona, who scored two penalties in the final at Wembley, was voted PFA Player of the Year. Sadly, the season is also remembered for the death of Sir Matt Busby on January 20, 1994. United also reached the final of the League Cup, but with Peter Schmeichel suspended, and Andrei Kanchelskis sent off during the game, they lost to Aston Villa 3-1.
United had started the season with Wembley glory, beating Arsenal on penalties in the FA Charity Shield after a 1-1 draw. The league campaign started at Norwich City with a 2-0 win, and the 3-1 win at Southampton on 28 August (sixth league game) saw them go top of the table and they maintained this lead all season long. [25] Their first defeat came on 11 September, when they lost 1-0 at Chelsea in a game that they would have drawn had Eric Cantona's shot from the halfway line not bounced off the bar into Dmitri Kharine's hands. By the end of October, United had built up an 11-point lead at the top of the Premier League. Their nearest challengers were Norwich City, Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa (all level on points). [26]
Their last game of 1993, a 5-2 win over relegation-threatened Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park, saw them establish a 14-point lead over their nearest challengers Blackburn Rovers. The threat from Norwich City and Aston Villa, their challengers the previous season, was now virtually gone. [27]
United's six-month unbeaten run in the league was finally ended in early March, when Chelsea defeated them once again, this time at Old Trafford, where once again the scoreline was 1-0. It was their first home defeat for a year. United's lead over Blackburn Rovers was now down to just four points, though they had a game in hand. [28]
On 27 March, United's hopes of a unique domestic treble were ended with a 3-1 defeat by Aston Villa in the Football League Cup final. It was the second time in four seasons that United had been on the losing side in the final to a team managed by their own former manager Ron Atkinson.
A 2-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers on 2 April saw the gap at the top cut to three points, and United's game-in-hand advantage had already gone. There was much speculation as to whether United would be overhauled by Blackburn in the title run-in. [29] When United lost 1-0 at Wimbledon two weeks later, Blackburn Rovers had drawn level on points and United's lead that had been well into double figures only two months earlier was now merely on goal difference. [30]
A week earlier, United's FA Cup dream had also looked to be dead and buried. With only a minute to go in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, they were 1-0 down to Oldham Athletic and it seemed certain that Joe Royle's team would be in the FA Cup final for the first time. However, a last-gasp volley by Mark Hughes forced a replay. Three days later, the replay at Maine Road ended in a 4-1 win for United. On the scoresheet was a 37-year-old Bryan Robson, who had scored his 97th and final goal for the club.
However, United pulled together after the Wimbledon defeat, and on 2 May - the day after their 2-1 win at Ipswich Town - defeat for Blackburn Rovers ensured that the championship trophy stayed at Old Trafford.
In the FA Cup final on 14 May, it was goalless at half time but two penalties by Eric Cantona and subsequent goals from Mark Hughes and Brian McClair gave United a comprehensive 4-0 win over Chelsea and saw them match Tottenham's record of eight FA Cup triumphs.
Ferguson felt that his current squad were good enough to challenge on all fronts in the season which followed the double, and made only one close season signing, paying Blackburn Rovers £1.2 million for 24-year-old defender David May. He signed May in the hope that he would develop into a suitable replacement for the ageing Steve Bruce.
1993-94 was Bryan Robson's final season at United. As the club's longest-serving player, he departed at the end of the campaign to take over as player-manager at Middlesbrough. Following Robson to Ayresome Park was Clayton Blackmore, who had failed to feature in a single game all season due to a succession of injuries. Veteran goalkeeper Les Sealey signed for Blackpool on a free transfer, and midfielder Mike Phelan signed for West Bromwich Albion but would return in 2001 as first team coach and eventually assistant manager in 2008.
Youngsters Colin McKee, Neil Whitworth, Brian Carey and Darren Ferguson all moved on to new clubs during and after the 1993-94 campaign.
[edit] Season of headlines ends without a trophy
The 1994-95 season rarely saw Manchester United out of the headlines, although they were not always the sort of headlines the club wanted.
Eric Cantona was banned for 3 months initially by the club themselves, only for the FA to impose a further 5 month suspension, and ordered to serve 120 hours' community service for kicking Matthew Simmons, a Crystal Palace hooligan who had taunted him with racial epithets after being sent off in a January fixture at Selhurst Park. United were also without players like Paul Parker, Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis for long periods of time due to injury.
1994-95 also saw the debuts of promising young players Paul Scholes and Phil Neville. Scholes was particularly impressive, scoring 5 goals in 17 games. Having made a handful of appearances in the previous two seasons, Gary Neville, David Beckham and Nicky Butt all made more regular appearances for United during 1994-95.
On a brighter note, United broke the English transfer record again by paying £7 million (£6 million in cash plus £1 million-rated winger Keith Gillespie) for Newcastle United's free-scoring striker Andy Cole. He had been signed just two weeks before the Cantona incident as an eventual replacement for Mark Hughes, but with Cantona suspended it was Hughes who ended up being Cole's partner for the rest of the season. Cole didn't take long to get amongst the goals, bagging five goals in a premiership record 9-0 trouncing of Ipswich Town at Old Trafford in 1995.
United almost made it three Premiership titles in a row, but just couldn't get the better of West Ham United who held them to a 1-1 away draw on the final day of the season. The disappointment was made all the more frustrating because champions Blackburn had lost their final game of the season to Liverpool (the former club of manager Kenny Dalglish) and a victory for United would have seen Alex Ferguson's side win the title. The FA Cup also slipped out of United's grasp when they lost 1-0 to unfancied Everton in the final at Wembley. This left United without a major trophy for the first time since 1989.
United raked in £2 million in September when striker Dion Dublin was sold to Coventry City. Dublin's chances of regular first team football had been sabotaged by a broken leg and the arrival of Eric Cantona, so he opted for a move to Highfield Road as he knew he would be virtually guaranteed a place in Phil Neal's team.
[edit] The double double
Before the 1995-96 season began, United announced the sale of three of their star players - Paul Ince to Internazionale, Mark Hughes to Chelsea and Andrei Kanchelskis to Everton - for a combined fee of £14 million. The sale of these players proved controversial, and some fans even called for Ferguson to be sacked.
Alex Ferguson was expected to splash out a large sum of money on a world class player—Roberto Baggio, Marc Overmars, Darren Anderton, David Platt (who had been a United youth player in the mid 1980s) and Paul Gascoigne (who had snubbed the club in favour of Tottenham in 1988) were all linked with moves to United. But United began the season without a major signing and a side made up of young players like David Beckham (20), Gary Neville (20), Philip Neville (18), Paul Scholes (21) and Nicky Butt (20) lost 3-1 at Aston Villa on the opening day of the season. Many pundits wrote United's title chances off and expected big spending clubs like Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal to win the season's honours. Alan Hansen's assessment "you'll never win anything with kids" on Match Of The Day on 19 August 1995 was the most memorable.[2]
Alex Ferguson was defiant of the critics, and following the return of Eric Cantona in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool in early October, United went into overdrive. They chased Newcastle United for the top-of-the-table position and didn't give up hope even when trailing Kevin Keegan's side by 10 points at Christmas.
But as the season heated up Alex Ferguson entered into some mind games with Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan claiming certain teams in the Premier League tried harder to beat Manchester United than any other team. Prompting a furious Keegan to respond with "I will love it if we beat them, love it".
United finally went top of the Premiership in mid-March, shortly after beating Newcastle at St James' Park, and their title success was confirmed with a 3-0 away win at Bryan Robson's Middlesbrough on the final day of the season. A week later United beat Liverpool 1-0 in the FA Cup final to become the first ever English club to win the league title/FA Cup double twice. Eric Cantona, who scored 19 goals in 1995-96 (including the FA Cup final winner), was voted Footballer of the Year by football journalists who were impressed at the way he had returned from his suspension. Cantona was made team captain following the departure of veteran Steve Bruce to Birmingham City.
Bruce was not the only player to walk out of the Old Trafford exit door in the summer of 1996. After five years at the club (the final two of which had been plagued by injury), full-back Paul Parker joined Derby County on a free transfer. Winger Lee Sharpe, frustrated with not appearing in as many games as a player of his calibre might expect, became the most expensive player to leave Old Trafford when he joined Leeds United for £4 million.
1995-96 was one of the most successful seasons in the history of Manchester United, and the success was perhaps made even sweeter by the fact that so many people had written the club's chances off almost before the season began.
[edit] Another title
Manchester United won their fourth Premiership title in five seasons in 1996-97, with little-known Norwegian striker Ole Gunnar Solskjær forcing his way into the side after his £1.5 million move from Molde FK and scoring 19 goals in all competitions. Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Gary Neville all had an impressive seasons while Eric Cantona and Andy Cole both fell below their expected standards. There was much hope of glory in the UEFA Champions League as they demolished FC Porto 4-0 on aggregate, but the dream ended in the semi-finals with defeat to eventual winners Borussia Dortmund.
The club's most expensive acquisition in the summer of 1996 had been Karel Poborský, the 23-year-old Czech winger signed from Slavia Prague for £3.5 million. But he was unable to claim the right-wing position from the brilliant young David Beckham and moved to Benfica after just 18 months at Old Trafford.
At the end of the season, Eric Cantona sent shock waves throughout the footballing world by announcing his retirement from football just a few days before his 31st birthday. Cantona explained his relatively early retirement by saying that he wanted to retire while still at his peak, and not wallow away into mediocrity, perhaps sensing that he was getting past his peak as 1996-97 had been a mediocre season by his standards. He was replaced by the respected England international Teddy Sheringham, a £3.5 million signing from Tottenham who was initially disappointing but would later start to repay his fee in style.
[edit] Arsenal pip United to the title
The 1997-98 season saw Manchester United overhauled by Arsenal in the Premiership and finish empty-handed for only the second time in the 1990s. Shortly after this disappointment, Alex Ferguson went on a spending spree of £28.35 million (twice breaking the club's transfer record) by signing Dutch defender Jaap Stam from PSV, Trinidadian striker Dwight Yorke from Aston Villa and Swedish winger Jesper Blomqvist from Parma. He was determined to avoid disappointment in 1998-99, although even he could surely not have predicted just how successful United would be.
The summer of 1998 saw the departure of the club's two longest-serving players. Brian McClair ended his 11-year association with United by returning to his first club Motherwell, while Gary Pallister returned to Middlesbrough after nine years at Old Trafford. Pallister had cost £2.3 million on his arrival in 1989, and despite being in his 33rd year, Bryan Robson had been prepared to pay £2.5 million for his services - so United had made a £200,000 profit.
[edit] Footnotes
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