Busby Clinches League

In November of the 1951/52 season Busby gave debuts to two youngsters. Jackie Blanchflower and Roger Byrne made their first team debuts against Liverpool at Anfield and were so impressive that Tom Jackson of the Manchester Evening News wrote:

"United's 'Babes' were cool and confident."

That was the first time the word 'Babes' was used in connection with Matt Busby players.

This was the season that Busby lifted his first Division 1 championship and while the introduction of Byrne and Blanchflower signalled the way in which the manager was taking the club, it was mainly the old guard of Carey and Pearson et al that led the way.

In February of 1952 Manchester United stood at the top of the table and remained there for the rest of the season, pushed hard by Arsenal.

The penultimate game of the season saw the rivals clash, with Arsenal needing to beat United by seven clear goals to stop them winning the title.

Some hope as United put in a championship winning performance to beat the Londoners 6-1 and secure Busby's first title.

Jack Rowley finished the season with a club record 30 league goals. It was not to be beaten until Dennis Viollet came along.

This was also the season that Manchester United's benefactor and chairman James Gibson died.

Edwards & Taylor

The season following the championship saw several changes to the side. The two most important of these were the signing of a young Tommy Taylor from Barnsley and the debut of a certain Duncan Edwards.

Taylor was signed for £29,999 and when asked why it had not been a straight £30,000 Busby replied that he did not want to burden such a young man with a £30,000 price tag.

Edwards was informed by Busby that he would be in the first team against Cardiff City on the 4th of April 1953, making him the fifth teenager to wear the senior shirt. He did not look out of place amongst the established greats.

Carey Retires

1953 also marked the retirement of one of United's greatest ever captains and servants. Johnny Carey made 344 appearances for United, wining both the FA Cup and the First Division Division championship as captain. He played in nine different positions for his club and seven for the Republic of Ireland, looking comfortable in each and every one.

It was Roger Byrne that stepped into his boots with United. Carey went on to manage Blackburn Rovers, Everton, Leyton Orient and Nottingham Forest.

Youth Emergence

While United could only finish eighth and reach the fifth round of the FA Cup, the youth side, already pushing for first team recognition, won the FA Youth Cup with a 9-3 aggregate win over Wolves.

The names in that side have become United folklore. They include Eddie Colman, Liam Whelan and David Pegg.

Credit for the discovery of the players in that successful side has to go to the man who took over as chief scout from Louis Rocca after the war - Joe Armstrong.

The youth side retained the FA Youth Cup the following year, again defeating Wolves over two legs, this time 5-4 on aggregate. It was to be a long sequence as United captured the cup five times in succession in all.

Busby, ever mindful of the future, was slowly introducing these fast-developing players in to the first team. Roger Byrne was already established as captain at 25 and Duncan Edwards was a regular, while Blanchflower, Dennis Viollet, Colin Webster, Albert Scanlon, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Liam Whelan and Bill Foulkes were all given run outs at some point during the season.

That same season United improved on the last, finishing fourth, but crashed out of the FA Cup at the third round.

1954/55 saw the younger players firmly establish themselves in the first team. The 'Busby Babes' were born. Not quite ready for the championship, they nonetheless finished a respectable 5th, scoring 84 goals in 42 matches. Again, the youth won the Youth Cup, beating West Brom 7-1 over two legs.

Babes Make Their Mark

After signalling their intent with some scintillating football, the English media was split over whether or not Busby's youngsters had what it took to win the League. Many hailed them as not-too-distant future champions but many others wrote them off as too inexperienced. The first occurence of a "You can't win anything with kids"-type comment!

With only three wins in the first eight games it appeared the latter set of journalists had been proven right, but the Babes went on to win all but four of the remaining games, topping the table early on and remaining there until the end of the season, beating Blackpool into second place eleven points clear.

The championship was ensured with a 2-1 win over their rivals at Old Trafford on April 7th, 1956. 62,227 fans were in attendance.

Busby's careful nurturing of the talent at his disposal had paid dividends as he collected his second championship as United manager. The average age of the side was just 22.

Dennis Viollet had notched 20 goals in his first full season and the general public were in awe of the clubs young, attacking side.

Europe

Always a visionary and at the forefront of innovation in football, Busby took United into Europe for the first time in the 1956/57 season.

The European Cup, as it was known, was invented by French newspaper L'Equipe. They had invited Chelsea to take part the previous season but the Football League insisted they did not.

When Manchester United won the title in 1955, it entitled them to a berth in the competition. The Football League again tried to stop it, but Busby was adamant that United would participate, despite the threat of sanctions.

Eventually the League backed down and Manchester United became the first English club to compete in a European copetition.

As European games are played at night and Old Trafford did not, at the time, have floodlights, United returned to Maine Road to play their home legs in the competition.

The first round saw United drawn against Belgian champions Anderlecht. After a 2-0 win in Belgium, United were confident of progression, but could not have known the result they were about to hand out.

On Wednesday, 26 August, 1956 Anderlecht came to Manchester and received a 10-0 hammering at Maine Road. Goals from Johnny Berry, Liam Whelan (2), Tommy Taylor (3) and Dennis Viollet (4) set Europe alight and Manchester United were well and truly on the map.

But more was to follow from Busby's Babes. In the next round they faced Borussia Dortmund. A 3-2 win at home and a 0-0 draw in Germany was enough to see United through to the third round where they were drawn against Spanish champions Atletico Bilbao.

A 5-3 defeat in Spain did not bode well for further progression but a fantatsic comeback at Maine Road saw United go through with a 3-0 victory, the goals coming from Taylor, Viollet and Berry.

While the Anderlecht result signalled United's intentions in Europe, it was this win that made the rest sit up and take notice.

The accolades from around Europe were starting to come in. They included:

"Worldbeaters." - Jeff Mermans, Anderlecht Captain

"...the greatest football I have ever seen, the greatest football crowd I have ever heard and the greatest centre forward display I have ever seen." - George Follows, Daily Herald, describing Tommy Taylor and the 3-0 win over Bilbao.

And so United had made it to the semi-final of the European Cup at the first attempt. Awaiting them was the European super power Real Madrid.

The Babes were going up against the likes of Di Stefano, Puskas, Yashin, Kopa and Gento. It would be their toughest test yet.

The first leg, away at Real's Bernabeau Stadium, revealed the fact that while they may be a potent and promising force, the Babes still had a lot to learn. Real Madrid proved their superiority with a comfortable 3-1 win, Taylor grabbing United's goal and his sixth of the competition.

By the time the return leg was due to be played floodlights had been installed at Old Trafford and United returned there for the first ever European match in the stadium.

65,000 crammed into the ground to watch a thrilling match. Real scored twice and Taylor hit his seventh of the campaign but it wasn't to be and United could only manage a 2-2 draw, a young Bobby Charlton scoring a late equaliser. Real went through 5-3 on aggregate (eventually winning the final 2-0 vs. Fiorentina) but United had served notice that they would be around in Europe for some time yet.

On the domestic fron that season United retained the League championship, finishing eight points clear of Spurs. They also reached the FA Cup final where they faced Aston Villa.

FA Cup Controversy

The final itself was marred by controversy as Villa player McParland clattered United keeper Ray Wood in the sixth minute, breaking his cheekbone. The referee, however, did not see the challenge as serious enough to send McParland off. Wood retired to the dressing room for treatment and Jackie Blanchflower donned the goalkeeper's jersey as no subs were allowed back then. He performed admirable, holding the halftime score to 0-0.

Wood bravely returned in the second half but his injury did not let him play to his potential and Villa won the final 2-0...with both goals coming from the very fortunate McParland.

AT THIS POINT MUFC GOLD HAS PROVIDED A SPECIAL SECTION ON THE 1957/58 SEASON. AS MOST WILL KNOW, THIS IS THE SEASON IN WHICH THE TRAGEDY IN MUNICH TOOK PLACE. PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO VISIT THE MUNICH MEMORIAL SECTION.

Munich Aftermath

United finished the 1957/58 season in ninth and were losing FA Cup finalists, a brave and courageous feat considering the events in Munich. With Busby battling for his life in hospital, Jimmy Murphy took over as manager.

United needed to rebuild quickly for the 1958/59 season and Murphy did, signing Ernie Taylor from Blackpool and Steve Crowther from Aston Villa.

They, alongside Bill Foulkes and Harry Gregg and a mixture of youth and reserve players, flew the flag for the wounded club.

As the season progressed more signings were completed. Wilf McGuiness, Warren Bradley and then record buy Albert Quixall all joined as the club attempted a rebuilding process.

Bravely, United finished second in the league, scoring 103 goals, Charlton bagging 29 of them.

United continued to try and rebuild their decimated side. In addition to the £45,000 signing of Quixall, Maurice Setters arrived from West Brom to shore up a leaky defence in 1959. Dennis Viollet continued his goalscoring feats in the 1959/60 season, scoring a record 32 league goals in 36 appearances - the record still stands today.

Despite finishing only seventh in the League, United regularly drew crowds of around 65,000.

As the decade came to a close and Matt Busby, back in the managers chair, assessed the damage done to the club by Munich, it was realised it would be a long time before United once again rose to the heights seen between 1956 and 1958.

But Busby was determined to put United back at the top. The Sixties were to be a long and arduous, but success would eventually be attained. And far more than had gone before it.

Busby began his rebuilding with the signings of Tony Dunne, Noel Cantwell, Nobby Stiles and David Gaskell.