Docherty had been popular with the fans, and the new manager, Dave Sexton from QPR, needed success to dispel the unfavorable comparisons. With the FA Cup win, United qualified for the Cup Winners Cup, but were nearly expelled because of crowd trouble in Saint-Etienne. Once more United made it to the FA Cup final, but narrowly lost to Arsenal in what was known as the "five-minute final" for the flurry of goals in the last minutes. The 1979-80 season saw the Reds narrowly miss out on league glory, finishing second to Liverpool. During that season, United fans were blamed for a collapse at Ayrsome Park causing the death of two Middlesbrough supporters. Controversy also erupted over allegations that United had been making illegal payments to young players. An injury crisis at the start of 1980-81 caused the team to slump to midtable and fall in the FA Cup. Despite a rally in which United won seven games in a row, the fans had made up their minds and Dave Sexton lost his job. The Ron Atkinson Era
Ron "Big Ron" Atkinson was hired in June 1981 to take over. He would sign Bryan Robson from West Bromwich Albion for record £1.5 million. Norman Whiteside also broke through the youth ranks. Success followed as United won the 1983 FA Cup after a replay against Brighton.
Although United crashed out of the FA Cup the next year in a humbling defeat at the hands of Third Division Bournemouth, they managed to beat Barcelona in the Cup Winners Cup and made it to the semi-finals before losing to Juventus. Mark Hughes made his debut the following season and was selected as the Young Footballer of the Year. But once again, United were disappointed in their bid for a League championship. In 1985, Manchester United would beat League champions Everton to win another FA Cup, but not without some drama as Kevin Moran became the first player, albeit controversially, to ever be sent off in an FA Cup final. Down to ten men, Norman Whiteside scored the only goal of the game in extra time to win the Cup. Once more, however, injuries and a lack of fan support would conspire to bring down a Manchester United manager. United raced to the top of the standings with a run of victories, but then injuries piled up and a slump began. When United lost the top spot and news broke of Mark Hughes' imminent move to Barcelona, the fans were angry, and Atkinson was finally sacked after a 4-1 loss to Southampton. The Alex Ferguson Era
Alex Ferguson, who had achieved huge success with Aberdeen in Scotland, was named as Atkinson's successor and guided United to a mid table finish. They even managed to win an away game, beating Liverpool at Anfield and helping crush the Merseysiders' title challenge. During the close season
Ferguson made expensive new signings including Viv Anderson, Steve Bruce and Brian McClair. The new players had a positive effect on a United side who finished league runners-up in the 1987-88 season, although they were nine points behind champions Liverpool. After the end of the season, striker Mark Hughes returned to United after two unsuccessful years with Barcelona in Spain.
United were hopeful of mounting another title challenge in 1988-89, but their season wallowed away following the turn of 1989 and they finished 11th in the final table - behind weaker and less expensively assembled sides like Coventry City and Norwich City. The addition of Neil Webb, Paul Ince and Gary Pallister in the 1989 close season was seen as vital for Alex Ferguson's hopes of mounting a serious title challenge.
FA Cup And Cup Winners Cup Success
Manchester United had a difficult season in 1989-90, finishing 13th in the league - their lowest finish since relegation in 1974. Fans were calling for Alex Ferguson to be sacked but the club's board stood by the manager and were rewarded with an FA Cup final victory over Crystal Palace, managed by former United player Steve Coppell.
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. | Nearly But Not Quite
Manchester United won a major trophy in 1991-92, making it three successive trophy-winning seasons in a row. They defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the League Cup final. Another bright spot of the season was the emergence of the extremely talented 18-year-old Welsh winger Ryan Giggs. But the season ended in disappointment when they were overhauled by Leeds United in the race for the last ever Football League Championship before the creation of the FA Premier League.
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 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 running. After the season was over, United paid an English record fee of £3.75million 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 would remain at Old Trafford for one more season before leaving to become player-manager of Middlesbrough.
Ooh Ahh Cantona
The final piece in the puzzle was finally pushed home as Eric Cantona was signed for £1.2 million from Leeds. After 26 years, Manchester United won the inaugural FA Carling Premiership in 1993.
In a season marked by the death of Sir Matt Busby on January 20, 1994, United gunned for the domestic treble, the League Cup, FA Cup and the FA Premier League. However, with Peter Schmeichel suspended, they lost to Aston Villa in the final. But they managed to clinch the elusive Double with a win against Chelsea at Wembley - only the fourth team to achieve it. Disappointment followed the next season as both the League and the FA Cup slipped from grasp in the last weeks of the season. Eric Cantona was also involved in the infamous attack on a fan at Selhurst Park which led to him being charged with assault and being banned for 9 months. The close season met with transfer controversy as Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis all leaving the team. Ferguson replaced them with young players from the FA Youth Cup winning team. Defeat in the opening game prompted the infamous "You'll never win anything with kids" remark by the pundit Alan Hansen, but the team, powered by Cantona's return, repeated their 1994 success with a second League and FA Cup double. This team would provide the backbone of the next successful side. Manchester United overcame injuries and a fixture glut the next season to retain the Championship. There was disappointment in the Champions League as they demolished FC Porto 4-0 before falling in the semi-finals to eventual winners Borussia Dortmund. The Double
Manchester United led the 1993-94 Premiership table virtually all season long, 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.
At the end of the season, long-serving midfielder Bryan Robson finally left the club after 13 years - to become player-manager of Middlesbrough. He had missed out on many first-team games during the 1993-94 season due to the arrival of Roy Keane, but still played enough league games to qualify for a championship-winning medal. He was not include in the F.A Cup final squad. Also leaving United in the summer of 1994 were goalkeeper Les Sealey, defender Neil Whitworth, striker Colin McKee and midfielder Mike Phelan. |