In the summer of 1956 Matt Busby got the letter he had been waiting for. The letter from UEFA, inviting him to participate in the forthcoming season’s European Cup. Busby had visions of European competition for some time but it had always been hampered by the authorities, he wasn’t going to let that happen this time. Having seen how the Football League rejected Chelsea from competing with Europe’s elite the season before, Busby knew he would have a battle on his hands and after getting resistance from the authority, he went straight to the FA. After convincing the governing body that Manchester United would ensure they could fulfil each league fixture as all European matches were mid-week, head of the FA Stanley Rous granted United permission. They were in.
United’s league campaign began with an anti-climactic 2-2 draw with Birmingham City – the current champions were hardly off to a flyer. Nevertheless they went on to win 12 of their next 13 league matches before coming back down to Earth with a 5-2 pummelling in front of 43,000 home fans at the hands of Everton – it would be one of six league losses that season. Yet United still dominated the league, playing football that combined grace with sheer power, scoring 103 goals in 42 league games. Tommy Taylor and Billy Whelan fired them throughout the season with 34 and 33 goals in all competitions. Some argue this was the most prolific side since Preston North End’s Invincibles of 1897.
Of course with the distraction of Europe team rotation was paramount as Bobby Charlton, Jackie Blanchflower and Wilf McGuiness all features more prominently in United’s starting XI. In Europe they were a force to be reckoned with – their first fixture seeing them travel to Brussels to face Anderlecht, a match United won 2-0. The reverse fixture two weeks later generated United’s highest ever European Cup win, battering the Belgian side 10-0 in front of 40,000 fans packed into Maine Road. It was a prerequisite by UEFA that all home grounds of European Cup competitors had floodlights, United’s weren’t installed until later in the season and therefore the first European match staged at Old Trafford was their 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in April 1957. Following a 3-1 loss at the Bernabeu, United were out of the competition. Nevertheless it had been an impressive maiden campaign for United, so much so that at one point in the season Real Madrid offered Busby an eye watering £100,000 a year to coach the Spanish side. As we all know, he rejected it.
Of course they still had all to play for on the home front as United secured their first back to back Division One titles, winning the league by eight points. United also made it to the FA Cup final, losing 2-1 to Aston Villa. But the signs were there, Matt Busby had a side that he knew could dominate domestic football for years to come…
-thanx to football-united-blogs.com
Hahaha..dah lama rasanya aku tak update blog aku ni!! Sory da very much coz busy dgn adik nak kawin and cuti sekolah lak tu nak bawak anak jalan2..
(alasan cover line..ekekeke)!! Okla..kiter teruskan dgn sesi pembelajaran sejarah kiter..kemenangan LIGA Man Utd utk kali kelima pada musim 1956/57!! Sir MATT BUSBY the LEGEND tolak tawaran Real Madrid tu....BELIEVE IT!! GGMU...
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