A New Century

As the 1800s faded and the 1900s began significant changes began to occur at Newton Heath. Firstly, club secretary A. H. Albut was sacked after the club's worst season in the Second Division.

The 1900/01 season saw The Heathens finish 10th, despite great optimism at the start of the term. Sixteen defeats out of 36 and a goal difference of only +6 (38 scored, 32 conceded) brought an end to Albut's job with the club and a new man was hired as secretary - still no proper manager.

Mr James West was appointed but he could not improve the club's situation with the players he had at his disposal. Fortunately for West, the club's board agreed. Unfortunately, there was no money available for signings.

Something had to be done and so the club organised a Bazaar to raise funds, the outcome of which did save the club but not in the way intended.

Manchester United Is Born

The bazaar ran from Wednesday 27th February for four days, features being the brass bands of the Northern Military and Bess-o'-the-Barn playing amongst other things.

When the event came to an end on the Saturday evening and the cost of renting the hall had been deducted from the proceeds it was found that the bazaar had been less of a success than anticipated. The club was still in financial trouble with regard to transfer funds.

It was then that fate stepped in, it seemed. Newton Heath captain Harry Stafford had taken his St Bernard to the event with a collection box tied round its neck for people to donate. However, the dog had escaped from the hall and was later found wandering the town by a pub landlord.

The landlord showed the dog to a Mr Henry Davies, managing director of Manchester Breweries at the time. Davies liked the dog and bought it off the licensee.

Apparently feeling guilty, Davies then attempted to find the dog's rightful owner and soon discovered it was Harry Stafford. After meeting with the Newton Heath captain, Davies decided to make a financial donation to the club and promised to help out in future.

It was a promise he kept and John Davies later became club chairman and president.

In the meantime, the club had a disastrous season, finishing 15th having lost 17 out of 34 games and with a goal difference of -15 (38 scored, 53 conceded).

It was also around this time that the name 'Newton Heath' came under discussion. Not many liked it, especially as the club had left the area nine years previous. As the club was reorganised several names were considered, including Manchester Central and Manchester Celtic. Both were rejected before Louis Rocca came up with Manchester United.

It had been suggested before but was dismissed. This time, however, it was agreed upon and on 26th April 1902 Newton Heath became Manchester United.

At the same time as the name changed, United - as they are now known worldwide - changed the colour of their kit to the now famous red shirts and white shorts.

With a new name in place and James West as secretary the 1902/03 season saw Manchester United recover somewhat, ending the season in 5th in the Second Divsion. In the FA Cup, however, the second round was as far as they got.

A Manager At Last

A poor beginning to the start of the 1903/04 season - two defeats and a draw - saw James West resign and Manchester United employed their first real manager.

Ernest Mangnall was brought in from Burnley and given the title of secretary manager. With the club now financially secure thanks to Henry Davies, Mangnall proved to be shrewd judge of player in the transfer market.

Amongst his first signings were goalkeeper Harry Moger, Alex Bell, Dick Duckworth and the well respected centre half Charlie Roberts. The most impressive signing, however, was that of Manchester City player Billy Meredith, recognised as one of the best players in the country.

With Meredith in place other players followed him across town to United, including Herbert Burgess, Alex 'Sandy' Turnbull and Jimmy Bannister.

As Mangnall put together the squad he wanted results soon began to come and in his first season in charge United finished third in the Second Division, just missing out on promotion once again. The signs of a marked improvement were there for all to see, however.

The promise Mangnall's team was showing continued, with Charlie Roberts in particular. Signed from Grimsby for £450, the centre half was both strong and quick.

It is a surprise that he was only capped three times by England but it is believed that his reputation as something of a rebel contributed to his lack of recognition by the England selectors. Roberts used to wear his shorts 'short' in a time when the FA stated shorts should be worn below the knee.

The 1904 season saw a Boxing Day clash between Manchester United and Liverpool at Bank Street. 40,000 fans were in attendance as United beat Liverpool 3-1. The Merseysiders had their revenge four months later, hammering United 4-0 at Anfield and winning the Second Division to gain promotion to the First. For the 12th season in a row United failed to regain First Division status, again finishing third but with only five defeats in 34 matches and 81 goals scored. It was clear the club was still improving.

Promotion At Last!

The 1905/06 season was one packed with superb results. Perhaps the most memorable and certainly one of the clubs finest in its history was an FA Cup victory over Aston Villa.

Villa were one of the country's top club at the time. They had won the League Championship in 1894, 1896, 1897, 1899 and 1900, as well as the FA Cup in 1887, 1895, 1897 and in 1905, the previous season.

They were everyone's favourites to beat United at Bank Street but a record crowd of 40,000+ watched Villa take a 5-1 hammering on a mud bath of a pitch.

The joy of that result was shortlived, however, as Woolwich Arsenal defeated them in the next round 3-2.

While the FA Cup was a nice distraction it was promotion to the First Division that was the clubs aim. A 3-1 victory over the then-named Leeds City clinched promotion.

United finished off the season with a 6-0 drubbing of Burton United at Bank Street, after which there was a pitch invasion and the team were carried off the pitch. Mangnall addressed the crowd, promising more to come.

It is worth pointing out that while United did get promoted they did not win the Second Division championship. They finished second that season, losing only four games out of 38 and scoring an incredible 90 goals.

Consolidation and Building

The first season back in the First Division was one of consolidation and team building. It was at this time that Mangnall took advantage of a scandal at neighbours Manchester City and picked up the likes of Meredith.

A wage ceiling of £4 per game was in place at the time but it was discovered that City had been paying their players £6 or £7. The FA took a harsh view of this practice and dismissed five of the clubs directors and banned 17 players from ever playing for City again.

Mangnall swooped and signed Meredith and later four other ex-City players. All were signed in 1906 but because of the fiasco could not make their debuts until 1907.

As soon as they did, though, Manchester United began to get recognised. An exciting line-up played football with attacking flair and poise, with Meredith, known as the first "Welsh Wizard", pulling all the strings.

The first game they all played together it was Meredith's skill which led to Turnbull's goal, sending Aston Villa to a 1-0 defeat.

United completed that first season in eighth position and had become the talk of the country with their footballing style.

Champions!

The following season, 1907/08, finally saw the First Division Championship arrive at Bank Street. Manchester United's style of football and attacking prowess was too much for most teams in the Division and with Meredith pulling the strings and Turnbull knocking in the goals teams were beaten comprehensively.

The first game of the season saw United hammer Villa 4-1. This was followed by wins against Liverpool (4-0) and Middlesborough (2-1). Fourteen games into the season and United topped the table for the first time in their history with only two points dropped and the goals flowing freely.

It seemed United couldn't stop scoring in fact. They put six past Newcastle, five past Blackburn and four past Everton, Arsenal and Birmingham.

As the season drew to a close it seemed United had taken their foot off the pedal as seven straight defeats ended the year. The hard work had been done though and Manchester United were crowned champions for the first time and with a new record of 82 goals scored.

Winning the Championship did have it's downside for the club and the team in particular however. As a reward the club provided the team with a trip to the Austro-Hungarian Empire on what MUFC GOLD considers the first ever overseas tour.

The first game on the tour was against a combined team from Vienna Sport and Vienna FC, United running out 4-0 winners.

They then moved on to Budapest for a double header against Ferencvaros. The first match ended 6-2 to United but the second caused uproar.

United began the game with their usual attacking mentality and the Hungarians first of all lapped it up. But as United continued to hammer the home side the fans turned on the English Champions.

Matters were not helped by the referee, who sent off three United players sparking a riot on the terraces. The game ended with 8-man United winning 7-0 and as they walked off the pitch were subjected to spitting and verbal abuse from the Hungarian fans.

In the end police had to charge the fans with swords drawn in order to disperse them. More was to follow, however, as the team headed back to their hotel on an open-topped bus. The team were pelted with stones by crowds in the streets, several incurring head injuries before the police broke it up.

The Hungarian authorities apologised profusely and Manchester United diplomatically accepted the apologies. On his return to England, however, Ernest Mangnall vowed never to return to the country.

FA Cup Holders!

Manchester United played in the following seasons curtain raiser, the first ever Charity Shield against QPR at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge.

A 1-1 draw led to a replay and 40,000 people turned out to watch United win comfortably 4-0, Turnbull scoring a hatrick.

With the Championship in the bag United turned their attention to the only trophy they hadn't won, the FA Cup. The club had never gone further than the eighth round before the 1908/09 season.

1-0 home wins against Brighton and Everton in the first two rounds saw them draw Blackburn Rovers in the third round. A 6-1 victory at Bank Street signalled to the rest of the clubs in the competition that United were to be feared.

The first away game of the competition saw United travel to Second Division Burnley and already a goal down inside 18 minutes United looked to be heading out of the Cup in the fourth round.

Fortunately snow began to fall and quickly turned into a blizzard, meaning the match had to be abandoned. United won the rescheduled game 3-2 and progressed to the semi-finals.

The opposition were current Cup holders Newcastle, and not many were backing United to get to the final. A goal from Harold Halse, however, meant United scraped through to their first ever FA Cup final.

The final was played at Crystal Palace's ground and the opposition were Bristol City. As Cup fever gripped Manchester thousands headed for London any way they could, mostly by train.

70,000 fans packed into Palace's ground to watch the game, despite threatening weather. Reports suggest it was a poor game, but it didn't matter to the travelling United fans.

A goal from Turnbull was enough to win the Cup for United for the first time, although Billy Meredith is remembered as being the difference between the two sides.

There was a minor scare the following morning when the lid of the Cup appeared to be lost...only for it to turn up in Turnbull's jacket, courtesy of some practical joker who was never discovered!

On the team's return to Manchester some 300,000 fans awaited in the streets. Mangnall appeared and held the trophy aloft to a huge roar from the assembled fans. He was followed by Charlie Roberts and the rest of the team, many wearing red and white hats.

The team was taken from the train station to Bank Street in a motor coach through streets thronged with fans. 30,000 more awaited them at Bank Street and it was to be the old ground's finest hour. A move to a new stadium had already been arranged.

Following the Cup final there was still a league game to be played. United lost to Arsenal and eventually finished a lowly 13th. It didn't matter though, as the FA Cup was safely entrenched in the boardroom.

Taking A Stand

In August 1909 the entire Manchester United team were suspended by the FA for refusing to renounce the Players Union they had helped set up.

Originally every player in the country joined but after pressure from the FA to drop it many left until it was only Manchester United players. They wouldn't be bullied out of it and so were suspended, gaining themselves the nickname "The Outcasts", of which Charlie Roberts was a leading member.

It looked like remaining a deadlock until Tim Coleman of Everton deserted his club and sided with the United team. He was quickly followed by the teams of Newcastle, Middlesborough, Sunderland, Everton and Liverpool.

The FA had no choice but to back down and the Players Union became an official body when an agreement was signed with the FA.

The Union still exists today, mainly thanks to Manchester United players of that time.

A New Home

With the Bank Street ground looking dilapidated and the pitch nothing more than a mudpit Manchester United took the decision to move to a new ground in 1908. Bank Street was sold to the Manchester Corporation for £5000 and a new site in Trafford Park was chosen for the new ground.

A grant of £60,000 was used to purchase the land and Henry Davies paid for the cost of the building work out of his own pocket. The original design was for the stadium to be the largest and most impressive in the country with a 100,000 capacity.

However, when construction began new estimates sent the cost soaring to £30,000 over budget. The plans were revised and the capacity cut to 60,000.

The last game played at Bank Street was on January 10th 1910. United defeated Spurs 5-0 and the club officially left Bank Street for the last time. Shortly after, a gale blew across Clayton, knocking the Bank Street stand to the ground and damaging several houses in the area.

And so, on February 19th 1910, Manchester United's new ground was officially opened and christened Old Trafford.

The visitors that day were Liverpool and they somewhat spoiled the part by defeating Manchester United 4-3 after United had led 2-0. This turned out to be a blip however, as it was a year later before United lost again at Old Trafford.

Old Trafford's inaugural season saw United finish in a respectable fifth place in the league.