ARSENAL FC

ARSENAL FC


Full Name: Arsenal Football Club
City: London
Founded: 1886
Stadium: Emirates Stadium (60,000)
Colors: Red, White
Previous Names: Dial Square (1886), Royal Arsenal (1886-91), Woolwich Arsenal (1891-1914)
Nickname: The Gunners
Rivals: Tottenham Hotspur
Official Website: arsenal.com

Description:

A works team named Dial Square were formed in 1886, Dial Square being a workshop within the Royal Arsenal armaments factory in Woolwich, a neighborhood in south London. The name changed within the year to Royal Arsenal and five years later to Woolwich Arsenal to reflect its growing popularity. Woolwich Arsenal joined the Football League in 1893 and were for several decades the only major club from London in the northern-dominated league. In 1914, they moved to the north London neighborhood of Highbury and dropped the Woolwich part of their name.

The Gunners nickname is a reference to the cannon in the club's emblem and their origins in an armaments factory. The red jerseys were adopted after a charitable donation from similarly red-clad Nottingham Forest. The white sleeves were introduced by legendary manager Herbert Chapman in the 1930s as a way to stand out from a number of other red/white kits. The club's supporters are often referred to as Gooners, a pun on the typical Gunners nickname.

Arsenal FC are the only English club to finish a top division season undefeated, that happening in 2003-04. The Gunners featured in the first English match broadcast on both radio and television. The rivalry with arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur is known as the North London Derby.

The Emirates Stadium is named for its sponsor, Emirates Airlines. Previous stadiums - Plumstead Common (1886-87), Sportsman Ground (1887-88), Manor Ground (1888-90), Invicta Ground (1890-93), Manor Ground (1893-1913), Highbury (1913-2006).

Arsenal FC History

Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) is a north London football club founded in 1886. They play at Arsenal Stadium, Highbury.

Early years

Arsenal were originally called Dial Square. The club later changed its name to Woolwich Arsenal, and then to Royal Arsenal, then back to Woolwich Arsenal again (the original founders were employed in the "Dial Square" area of the Woolwich Arsenal, an armaments factory in Woolwich, south London). In 1893 they were the first southern team admitted to the Football League, a move partly caused by the refusal of other southern teams to play them after they turned professional. From 1893 to 1904, Woolwich Arsenal played in the Second Division of the Football League. They were promoted to the First Division in 1904.

Woolwich Arsenal were relegated in 1913, the same year they moved from their south London home to Arsenal Stadium (often referred to as "Highbury") in north London. Their move away from this area precipitated the professionalism of Charlton Athletic - at this point an amateur club, amongst others who filled the void. With the move came the change of name to "The Arsenal". The club rejoined the First Division by dubious means in 1919 and have remained in the top division since that time, a unique feat in England.

This unbroken stretch of top-flight football has come much to the chagrin and longstanding enmity of Tottenham Hotspur (or "Spurs" for short) and their supporters, who lost their First Division place to The Arsenal. The First Division was due to be expanded and the decision to promote The Arsenal (who came fifth in the final league season before the war) rather than Barnsley or Wolves (third and fourth place, respectively), or to not relegate Spurs (who finished bottom of the First Division), has been linked to dubious back room deals by The Arsenal's chairman, and mastermind of the move from Woolwich to Highbury, Sir Henry Norris.

1930s to 1960s

In 1925, Huddersfield Town manager Herbert Chapman took over at The Arsenal. Under his leadership, a successful drive to rename the local tube station, Gillespie Road station, to Arsenal took place (the old name can still be seen picked out in tiles on the wall of the station). Chapman's Arsenal won the FA Cup in 1930 and the League in 1931 and 1933. They became the dominant team English football in the 1930s. It was also during Chapman's era that the club lost the definite article from its name, becoming just "Arsenal". It has been suggested by some that Chapman instigated the change so that Arsenal would be at the top of the League's alphabetical list, a position they maintain among the 92 top clubs today (however, should Accrington Stanley gain promotion from the Conference, they will lose it).

Chapman died suddenly in January 1934, but his legacy was continued by his successor, George Allison, who oversaw the club's completion of a hat-trick of league titles, and another FA Cup win in 1936. Such was Arsenal's dominance that in November 1934, Arsenal players made up seven of the eleven England players who beat World Champions Italy 3-2.

At the outbreak of war in 1939, Arsenal Stadium was requisitioned as an ARP station, with a barrage balloon operating behind the Clock End. The stadium continued to operate as a football ground for the armed forces, often with two or three games on it every day. During the Blitz, a 3,000lb bomb fell on the North Bank stand, destroying that stand's roof and setting fire to the scrap that was being stored on the terrace. Arsenal played their wartime home games at White Hart Lane, courtesy of their local rivals Tottenham Hotspur. After the war, the Arsenal board presented the Spurs board with a cannon as a gesture of thanks.

The war had cut short the careers of many of the club's star players, and upon the league's resumption in 1946-47 the club finished a dissapointing 13th. Allison resigned and was replaced by Tom Whitaker. Whitaker enjoyed immediate success with the club, winning the league in 1948 and 1953 and the FA Cup in 1950. However, after these the club went through a barren period, not winning a trophy for another seventeen years. England legend Billy Wright managed the club between 1962 and 1966 with little success, but he was succeeded by club physiotherapist Bertie Mee, who would lead the club to success in the early 1970s.

1970s to mid-1980s

Mee's appointment at Arsenal heralded a brief period of glory. The youth team had won the FA Youth Cup in 1966, and players such as Charlie George, John Radford and Ray Kennedy graduated to the first team. The team's early signs of promise included reaching two successive League Cup finals in the late 1960s, although they lost both times, the second one an infamous 3-1 loss to Third Division side Swindon Town.

Arsenal finally collected some silverware in 1970, when the club won its first European trophy, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. After beating Ajax Amsterdam, one of the strongest teams in the world at the time, in the semi-finals, Arsenal won the final 4-3 on aggregate over Anderlecht, after being (at one point) 3-0 down in the first leg.

The highlight of this period was the club's first FA Cup and League "Double" win in 1970-71.The League title was won at White Hart Lane, home of their deadly rivals Tottenham Hotspur, on the last day of the season; five days later Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley after extra-time, the winning goal scored by Charlie George.

Arsenal failed to capitalise on this success, and spent most of the mid-1970s in mid-table obscurity, brightened only with the emergence of Irish superstar Liam Brady. However, towards the end of the decade, under Terry Neill they proved their mettle in the cup. Between 1978 and 1980 Arsenal had a record-equalling spell in which they reached three FA Cup finals in a row. They won just the one, beating Manchester United 3-2 in the 1979 final after United had come back from 2-0 down. Alan Sunderland scored late on to secure a famous victory.

Arsenal went on to lose the following season's FA Cup final to West Ham, and the Cup Winners Cup final on penalties to Valencia. After the departure of Liam Brady to Juventus, the team entered another barren period for the first half of the 1980s.

The George Graham years

At the end of the 1985-86 season, Millwall manager George Graham (a former Arsenal player) was appointed as the club's new manager and it was a beginning of a golden era of Highbury. He led the club to victory over Liverpool in the League Cup final during his first season in charge and at the end of his third season (1988-89) the club won its first league title since 1971 in dramatic fashion. Needing two goals to secure the league championship against Liverpool, an injury time goal by midfielder Michael Thomas (who, ironically, later became a Liverpool player) gave Arsenal a 2-0 win to secure the league title. Another league title came in 1991, with Arsenal losing just one out of 38 league fixtures, although they had 2 points deducted in October 1990 after ten of their players were involved in a brawl with Manchester United players in a match at Old Trafford.

By the early 1990s, Arsenal had probably the finest squad in the English league. Goalkeeper David Seaman, defender and captain Tony Adams, winger Paul Merson and striker Alan Smith were capable of competing with some of the best players in England, if not Europe. The £2.5million addition of Crystal Palace striker Ian Wright in October 1991 further boosted the squad. Arsenal completed a unique FA Cup/League Cup double in 1993 (beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in both finals) although they finished 10th in the inaugural Premier League and scored fewer goals (40) than any other team in the division.

1994 saw the club win its second European trophy, by beating Parma 1-0 in the Cup Winners Cup final with a goal from Alan Smith. But the following February, George Graham was sacked after nearly nine years in charge after he was discovered to have accepted an illegal £425,000 payment from Swedish agent Rune Hauge following the 1992 acquisition of Danish midfielder John Jensen. Assistant manager Stewart Houston took charge until the end of the season, and although Arsenal finished a disappointing 12th in the Premiership they did reach the Cup Winners Cup final again - only to lose 2-1 to a last minute goal from the halfway line by Real Zaragoza midfielder Nayim.

The interregnum

Bruce Rioch, who had just guided Bolton Wanderers to a League Cup final appearance and promotion to the top division after a 15-year exile, was appointed as the club's new manager for the 1995-96 season. He (briefly) broke the English transfer record by paying Internazionale £7.5million for Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp, and the new signing formed an impressive partnership with Ian Wright.

Arsenal reached the League Cup semi final and finished fifth in the Premiership at the end of 1995-96, securing a place in the following season's UEFA Cup and giving hope for an eventual title challenge. But in August 1996, just before the start of the new season, Bruce Rioch was sacked by the club's board of directors after a dispute over transfer funds.

Assistant manager Stewart Houston was once again put in temporary charge, remaining at the helm for a month, before resigning to take over at QPR. Youth team coach Pat Rice held the fort for several games, before making way for the 44-year-old Frenchman Arsène Wenger, who had guided AS Monaco to the French league title in 1988.

Wenger's Arsenal

With the advent of Arsène Wenger as manager, Arsenal rebuilt their squad with a crop of French players seemingly unknown to all but Wenger. This first batch included Nicolas Anelka, Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira, as well as the Dutch winger Marc Overmars. Wenger melded the team with some of the "old guard", retaining Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, Martin Keown and Steve Bould, and also keeping on Pat Rice as his assistant. The team immediately improved under Wenger's management, coming third and achieving a UEFA Cup place in 1996-97, with six minutes left in the last game of the season.

Wenger took the club much further, to their second ever double the following season, after closing a 11 point gap behind Manchester United. A 4-0 home win over Everton on May 3 gave Arsenal the title with two matches to spare, making Arsène Wenger the first foreign manager to win the English league. On May 16, Arsenal beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the FA Cup final to complete the double.

Despite the signing of Fredrik Ljungberg in 1998 and Thierry Henry a year later, a more barren period followed as Arsenal failed to win anything for the next few years, though they came close several times; they blew a winning position in the 1998-99 Championship, losing it on the final day, and lost the last ever FA Cup semi-final replay to Manchester United in extra time, after a Dennis Bergkamp penalty miss in normal time. They also lost the UEFA Cup Final in 2000, on penalties to Turkish side Galatasaray after a 0-0 draw, and the 2001 FA Cup Final to Liverpool, after leading 1-0 but succumbing to two late Michael Owen goals.

Arsenal bounced back in the 2001-02 season, as they won their second double under Wenger, winning all of their final 13 Premiership fixtures. They finished seven points ahead of runners-up Liverpool, the title secured in the penultimate game of the season with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. The previous weekend, Arsenal had wrapped up their eighth FA Cup success, beating Chelsea 2-0. Arsenal scored in all 38 league games and not losing any of their 19 away games. Henry was the club's leading league goalscorer with 24 goals in the Premiership.

Arsenal retained the FA Cup in 2002-03, but their joy was soured by the fact that they had surrendered the Premiership title to Manchester United when at the beginning of March they had led the table by eight points; Arsenal lost their title with a 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Leeds United in the penultimate game of the season.

Arsenal had a record breaking season in 2003-04, winning the Premiership unbeaten (26 wins, 12 draws, 0 defeats), becoming only the second team to do so without losing a single game - the first being Preston North End in 1889. Their rivals for the title gained revenge in other competitions though, as Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea and the FA Cup by Manchester United in successive games.

The team has yet to register top finishes in the UEFA Champions League, where they have still not progressed beyond the quarter-finals stage. This may have contributed to Thierry Henry's failure to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2003, although he is the third player to win the PFA Player of the Year award in two different seasons (after Mark Hughes and Alan Shearer), and is the first to win the award in two consecutive seasons. So far, Henry and other key players have shown loyalty to the team and its manager by renewing their contracts rather than departing for the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid, where they would almost certainly be paid greater amounts of money than at Arsenal.

Thanks to his success at Arsenal, Arsène Wenger is now rated by some as the best Arsenal manager ever, while most football enthusiasts rate him at least as good as Herbert Chapman, Bertie Mee and George Graham.

HONORS

League Titles:

* English Premier League (1998, 2002, 04)
* Football League First Division (1931, 33, 34, 35, 38, 48, 53, 71, 89, 91)

Cup Titles:

* Charity Shield (1930, 31, 33, 34, 38, 48, 53, 91*, 98, 99)
* Community Shield (2002, 04)
* FA Cup (1930, 36, 50, 71, 79, 93, 98, 2002, 03, 05)
* Football League Cup (1987, 93)

International Titles:

* European Cup Winner's Cup (1994)
* Fairs Cup (1970)
Stadium: Arsenal Stadium (Highbury)
Noticias del Arsenal FC

CHELSEA FC

CHELSEA FC

Full Name: Chelsea Football Club
City: London
Founded: 1905
Stadium: Stamford Bridge (42,294)
Colors: Blue, White
Nicknames: The Blues
Rivals: Fulham

Official Website: chelseafc.com

Description:

Chelsea Football Club was formed on March 14, 1905 by Gus Mears, owner of the Stamford Bridge athletics ground. He attempted to persuade other clubs to move into the stadium but when he could find no takers eventually formed a club of his own to fill it. Chelsea joined the Football League that following autumn for the 1905-06 season. Chelsea is a neighborhood of London, although the club and stadium are actually based in the nearby district of Fulham. The club's emblem includes a lion from the coat of arms of the Earl Cadogan, the former Viscount of Chelsea who was an early club president. The club originally wore light blue jerseys in homage to the horse racing colors of Earl Cadogan. They changed to royal blue in 1912 and adopted blue shorts in the 1960s in a bid to become more distinctive. Stamford Bridge gets it name from a bridge over the Stanford Creek, a local waterway that has long since dried up

Chelsea FC History

Chelsea Football Club (also known as the Blues, previously known as the Pensioners), founded in 1905, is a Premier League football team that plays at Stamford Bridge football ground in South west London. Notwithstanding the club's name, it is not actually based in the borough of Chelsea, but just outside its boundaries, in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is on the Fulham Road, which runs between Fulham and the borough district of Chelsea. Chelsea currently have the seventh longest unbroken tenure in the top division, having been there since the 1989-90 season.

Chelsea's history is inextricably linked to Stamford Bridge - the club's stadium since its inception - and its history, therefore, begins with the building of the stadium although this was before the foundation of the Club.

Stamford Bridge officially opened on 28 April 1877. For the first 28 years of its existence it was used almost exclusively by the London Athletic Club as an arena for athletics meetings and not for football at all. In 1904 the ownership of the ground changed hands when H A (Gus) Mears and his brother, J T Mears, obtained the deeds, having previously acquired additional land (formerly a large market garden) with the aim of establishing a football team there on the now 12.5 acre (51,000 m²) site. The Mears family remained the owners of the ground (and subsequently the Club) until the 1970s.

Stamford Bridge was designed by Archibald Leitch and initially included a 120 yard long stand on the East side which could hold 5000 spectators. The other sides were all open in a vast bowl with thousands of tons of material excavated from the building of the underground railway providing high terracing on the West side.

The stadium was initially offered to Fulham Football Club, but the offer was turned down. As a consequence, the owners decided to form Chelsea Football Club to occupy the new grounds. Most football clubs were founded first, and then sought grounds in which to play. By contrast and a historical quirk, Chelsea was founded for Stamford Bridge - a readymade club for the ground. Although technically in Fulham, the founders decided to adopt the name of the adjacent borough of Chelsea for the new club as there was already a Fulham Football Club in existence.

Chelsea F.C. was founded on March 14, 1905 at The Rising Sun pub (now The Greene Room) opposite today's main entrance to the ground on the Fulham Road. This was followed by the club's election into the Second Division at the Football League AGM on May 29, 1905. Chelsea's first match took place away at Stockport County on September 1, 1905. The Club began with established players recruited from other teams and promotion to the top flight was swift, but the club's early years were uneventful. Chelsea reached the FA Cup final in 1915, but no major honours were won until the 1954-55 season when Chelsea finished top of the First Division and lifted its first trophy - the league title.

The swinging 60's ushered in an era that saw football and inimitable style merge in the heart of London; with the fashionable King's Road at the heart of the swagger. A 60's Chelsea that oozed charisma and class soon built up a major following, but ultimately failed to match its swagger with on-field triumphs. No major domestic titles were won, except for the League Cup in 1965 (Chelsea's first League Cup), followed by an FA cup final loss in 1967.

The early 1970s saw a great Chelsea team which is still fondly remembered (not least because it was a couple of decades before its achievements were matched at the club): it featured the likes of Ron 'Chopper' Harris, Ian Hutchison and Peter Osgood. In 1970 Chelsea ran out F.A. Cup winners (beating 'dirty' Leeds 2-1 in a pulsating final). A UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph was added to the haul the following year - Chelsea's first non-domestic honour.

But there was no further success in that decade as the discipline of the team degenerated and an over-ambitious redevelopment of the stadium (which only got as far as the pioneering East Stand, which retains its place even in the modern stadium) threatened the financial stability of the club as well. Further problems were caused by a fearsome reputation for violence amongst a section of the supporters (the boundary between passion and hooliganism being dangerously narrow in those days) and the club started to fall apart both on and off the field.

The financial problems exacerbated the club's other difficulties and a spiral of decline began. Star players were sold off, the team was relegated, and the freehold of the stadium site was sold off to property developers, which was to create serious problems in the years to come.

As always, however, Chelsea retained its high profile; and its widespread base of supporters, many of them very hard core, saw it through what proved to be the very difficult years of the 1970's and 1980's. However, although relegated to the Second Division twice, it never fell further (although it came dangerously close).

Chelsea was, at the nadir of its fortunes, acquired from the Mears family interests by new Ken Bates for the princely sum of £1, and Bates proved to be a real fighter as the new Chairman, although his opponents included supporters (who did not take kindly to his suggestion of electrified fences to keep them off the pitch) as well as the property developers who now owned the freehold. In 1992, Bates finally outmanoevred the latter and reunited the freehold with the Club, by seeing the property developers go bust and doing a deal with their banks.

In the meantime, Chelsea had achieved promotion to the First Division again as Second Division champions in 1989 and, this time, it managed to stay in the top flight: indeed, it has remained there ever since.

In 1989-90, Chelsea finished fourth in the First Division under Bobby Campbell but were denied a place in the UEFA Cup because only the runners-up (Aston Villa) qualified for the competition. Campbell quit as manager the following season to be replaced by Reading manager Ian Porterfield, a former Chelsea player. In the inaugural 1992-1993 season of the Premier League Chelsea finished 11th, but not before seeing Porterfield resign and replaced (in a stop-gap capacity till the end of the season) by another former Chelsea player - David Webb, who had been part of the legendary 1970 FA Cup winning side. He made way for 35-year-old player-manager Glenn Hoddle at the end of the season.

Although Hoddle himself had no Chelsea pedigree at all - having spent his best playing years at rival London club Tottenham Hotspur - his appointment proved to be a turning point. Hoddle recruited world class players, albeit at the end of their careers, such as Ruud Gullit, and a vision of continental flair (Hoddle himself had played for AS Monaco) was introduced to the club. Upgrading of the stadium facilities also began again, now that the ownership question had been resolved, and a large contribution from millionnaire supporter Matthew Harding (later killed in a helicopter accident whilst travelling to an away game) made it possible to construct the present Matthew Harding Stand (the North Stand).

Hoddle's first season saw the club's league position drop 3 places to 14th - but this was made up for by the club reaching in 1994 its first FA Cup final since 1970. The final was lost 4-0 to Manchester United in a game marred by the award of two penalties against Chelsea.

But since Manchester United had won the Premiership, the runners up spot nevertheless qualified Chelsea for the 1994-95 Cup Winners' Cup competition. This was its first participation in non-domestic competition since its former glory days in the early 1970's and marked another step forward for the club. Chelsea reached the semi-finals in the 1994-1995 Cup Winners' Cup competition (losing by a single goal). The same season saw a respectable if unexciting mid-table Premiership finish at 11th place.

The 1995-96 season saw Chelsea finishing 11th in the Premiership - its third 11th place finish in four seasons. Hoddle left at the end of the season to manage the England national team. He was replaced as player-manager by the 33-year-old Ruud Gullit, the celebrated Dutch exponent of 'total football' who had joined the club a year earlier on a free transfer from Sampdoria.

Under Gullit, Chelsea started winning major honours again. He made history in 1996-97 by being the first foreign manager to win the FA Cup when his Chelsea side beat Middlesbrough 2-0 in the Final. That game set the record for the fastest goal scored in an F.A. Cup ever - with Chelsea's Roberto di Matteo scoring 43 seconds into the game. This was Chelsea's first major trophy for 25 years. Chelsea also achieved its best-yet finish in the Premiership, in sixth place.

In February 1998, Gullit was suddenly sacked as manager following a dispute with the board of directors. Another of Chelsea's star foreign players, the veteran Italian striker Gianluca Vialli took over as player-manager and quickly established himself by winning two major competitions - the domestic League Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup, both in 1998. By now, Chelsea had one of the largest contingents of foreign players in the Premiership, and had the dubious distinction of being the first team to field a non-English starting 11. Out went the likes of Gareth Hall, Mark Stein, Paul Furlong, David Rocastle and John Spencer. In came Dutch goalkeeper Ed de Goey, Nigerian defender Celestine Babayaro, Italian striker Gianfranco Zola (in 2003, voted as the best player in club history by the fans) and French midfielder Bernard Lambourde. But important English players remaining in the side included defender Graeme Le Saux and midfielder and Captain Dennis Wise.

Under Vialli, Chelsea continued to win trophies faster than at any time in its previous history. Chelsea lifted the European Super Cup at the start of 1998-99 season when it beat the reigning European Cup champions Real Madrid. Vialli subsequently led Chelsea to victory in the FA Cup in 2000 (the last showpiece final to be held at Wembley before its redevelopment). Chelsea also won the Charity Shield in August 2000. But despite these trophies, Vialli was sacked in September 2000. He had, it was reported, lost the confidence of his players.

Another Italian, Claudio Ranieri, replaced him as manager and set about rebuilding what was now an ageing side. Ranieri was Chelsea manager for four years, and bought players wisely without having unlimited funds at his disposal. His team, whilst it disappointingly won no honours, routinely pushed for a top 3 finish in the league and qualified, through its league positions, for UEFA Cup competition in the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. In 2002 Chelsea reached the final of the FA Cup, but were beaten finalists at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Ranieri qualified for the 2003-04 Champions League competition in his penultimate season - a competition that saw the high of an emotional Chelsea victory over their London rivals Arsenal, followed by the low of ignominious defeat in the semi-final by 10-man Monaco. In the Premiership, Chelsea finished an extraordinary 2003-4 season as Premier League runners up - their highest league placing for half a century - once again qualifying them for the Champions League.

By now, the Club's extravagant spending on players and on buildings had caused it to accumulate huge debts of some £80 million which had brought it to the brink of insolvency. But in July 2003, Chelsea was suddenly acquired from Ken Bates by Roman Abramovich, a previously unknown Russian billionaire who was far and away the richest person ever to acquire a British football club. British tabloids immediately dubbed the club Chelski.

At a stroke, Abramovich used his fortune to wipe out the club's substantial debt, and then proceeded to fund the acquisition of new players on an unprecedented scale. New signings for the start of the 2003/04 season included the Irish left winger Damien Duff, Cameroon international right-sided midfielder Njitap Geremi, French midfielder Claude Makelele who joined from Real Madrid, Argentinian striker Hernán Crespo, English youngsters Wayne Bridge, Glen Johnson and Joe Cole and the Argentinian midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón. During the Christmas transfer period English midfielder Scott Parker joined after having impressed with his performances for Charlton Athletic.

Despite his side finishing runners-up in Premier League during the 2003-2004 season, and reaching the semi finals of the Champions League, manager Claudio Ranieri was sacked at the end of his fourth season at the Club, and first season under Abramovich's ownership, on 31 May 2004. It was clear that Abramovich wanted more than runners up status for his new club - and it seemed that he had the money to get what he wanted. Ranieri was well-liked inside and outside the Club, but he had won nothing, worked only with the first team, and did not share the holistic vision the board had for a manager in his capacity.

Ranieri's replacement is one of the most successful young managers of recent times - José Mourinho. Having won successive Portuguese league titles, the UEFA Cup, and the Champions League on the trot with an unfancied FC Porto, he was appointed Chelsea manager on 2 June 2004.

Mourinho's signings of Didier Drogba, Mateja Kezman, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, and Tiago, coupled with the already-agreed deals for Arjen Robben and Petr Cech, pushed Abramovich's total spending on players above £200 million.

In the 2004-05 season, Chelsea went on to win the 2005 League (Carling) Cup, beating Liverpool 3-2 in the final. They are also top of the Premiership, and have advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

League Titles:

* English Premier League (2005, 06)
* Football League First Division (1955)
* Football League Second Division (1984, 89)

Cup Titles

* Charity Shield (1955, 2000)
* Community Shield (2005, 09)
* FA Cup (1970, 97, 2000, 07)
* Football League Cup (1965, 98, 2005, 07)

International Titles

* European Cup Winner's Cup (1971, 98)

INTER MILLAN FC

INTER MILLAN FC

Description:

Football Club Internazionale Milano was formed on March 9, 1908 by breakaway members of Milan. At the time Milan only allowed Italian players. The new group wanted the team open to all nationalities and logically chose the name Internazionale. The team was forced to merge with US Milanese and change its name to Ambrosiana by the Fascist government of the time, Internazionale sounding suspiciously left-wing and non-Italian. Ambrosiana is a reference to St. Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan. After the collapse of the Fascist regime the club reverted back to its original name. Inter are the only team to have appeared in every season of Serie A. The Nerazzuri are sometimes referred to globally as Inter Milan, but within Italy they are always and only Inter. The derby with Milan is called the Derby della Madonnina, in honor of the statue of the Madonna which graces the famous Duomo cathedral in Milan and which is the symbol of the city. The 2006 Serie A title was awarded to Inter after Juventus were stripped of it in a match-fixing scandal.

The nickname Nerazzuri translates as the Black and Blue, the club colors. The colors black and blue were chosen to represent the night (black) and the sky (blue). The stadium is located in the San Siro district of Milan and is formally named for Guiseppe Meazza is a legendary former Inter player.

League Titles:

• Italian Championship (1910, 20)
• Serie A (1930, 38, 40, 53, 54, 63, 65, 66, 71, 80, 89, 2006, 07, 08, 09)

Cup Titles:

• Coppa Italia (1939, 78, 82, 2005, 06)
• Supercoppa Italiana (1989, 2005, 06, 08)

International Titles:

• European Cup (1964, 65)
• UEFA Cup (1991, 94, 98)
• Intercontinental Cup (1964, 65)

BARCELONA

Away Jersey/ Home Jersey/ Logo





Full Name: Futbol Club Barcelona
City: Barcelona
Founded: 1899
Stadium: Camp Nou (98,787)
Colors: Blue, Scarlet
Previous: Football Club Barcelona (1899-1940), Club de Fútbol Barcelona (1940-73)
Nicknames: Barça, Los Azulgranas, Blaugrana, Los Culés
Rivals: Real Madrid, Espanyol

Official Website: fcbarcelona.com

Description:

Football Club Barcelona was founded on November 29, 1899 by Joan Gamper, a Swiss expatriate. Barcelona are the flagship of the Catalonia region of northeastern Spain. The club's motto is més que un club - More than a Club in Catalan - symbolizing their political and social importance. The club's president was killed by Francoist soldiers during the Spanish Civil War. This event and perceived persecution during the Franco era led to the club being seen as a symbol of resistance to Franco and of Catalan nationalism. This dynamic is played out in each and every meeting with arch-rival Real Madrid, proud standard-bearers of the Spanish center. This matchup - El clásico - is the central date of the Spanish football calendar and one of the best rivalries in the world. From 1940-73 the club was forced to use the Spanish name Club de Fútbol Barcelona by the France regime. Immediately after his departure they changed to the Catalan Futbol Club Barcelona. For many years they were the only major club to resist having a sponsor on their shirt. They finally do have one now, though it is the charity UNICEF and the club receive no income from it.

The club's emblem includes the cross of St George (a symbol of historic Catalonia) and the red and yellow stripes of the Catalan flag, as well as the red and blue of the jerseys. The Blaugrana (The Blue and Scarlet in Catalan) have never been relegated and are the only team to have competed in European competition in every season. Their Los Culés nickname - the asses - is derived from the time at Estadio Les Cortes - people would sit along the wall of the stadium watching the match, and all you could see from the streets were hundreds of asses. Los Azulgranas means The Blue and Scarlet in Spanish. Until 2000 the stadium was officially known as the Estadi del Futbol Club Barcelona, though always popularly called Camp Nou - the New Field. Previous stadiums: Hotel Casanovas (1900-01), Carretera d'Horta (1901-05), Carrer Muntaner (1905-09), Carrer Industria (1909-22), Les Corts (1922-57).

League Titles:

• La Liga (1929, 45, 48, 49, 52, 53, 59, 60, 74, 85, 91, 92, 93, 94, 98, 99, 2005, 06, 09)

Cup Titles:

• Copa del Rey (1910, 12, 13, 20, 22, 25, 26, 28, 42, 51, 52, 53, 57, 59, 63, 68, 71, 78, 81, 83, 88, 90, 97, 98, 2009)
• Supercopa de España (1983, 91, 92, 94, 96, 2005, 06, 09)

International Titles:

• European Cup (1992)
• Champions League (2006, 09)
• European Cup Winner's Cup (1979, 82, 89, 97)
• Fairs Cup (1958, 60, 66)
• European Super Cup (2009)

MANCHESTER UNITED

MANCHESTER UNITED

Manchester United Full Name: Manchester United Football Club
City: Manchester
Founded: 1878
Stadium: Old Trafford (76,000)
Colors: Red, White
Previous Names: Newton Heath L&YR (1878-80), Newton Heath (1880-1902)
Nicknames: The Red Devils, Man United, United
Rivals: Manchester City, Liverpool

Official Website: manutd.com
Description:

Manchester United represent the only football club in the world with an honest chance at challenging Real Madrid for the title of "biggest club in the world". While they can't match the Spanish side's record haul of European Cup and Champions League titles nor their impressive number of domestic titles, they can surely challenge (and probably surpass) Madrid in the popularity and name recognition department. From humble origins as a railway workers team, the Red Devils have evolved into a hugely successful football club with trend-setting business acumen that is rarely outside the spotlight.

History:
Manchester United F.C. is an English football club based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. Common abbreviations include Man United, United and Man U., although few of the club's supporters still use 'Man U.' and many find it annoying.

They were formed as Newton Heath LYR F.C. in 1878, as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath, becoming Manchester United on 26 April 1902.

Traditionally one of the larger and most-supported clubs in England, Manchester United, under manager Sir Alex Ferguson achieved a degree of dominance in domestic competitions in the 1990s unseen since the great Liverpool F.C. sides of the mid 1970s and early 1980s. This culminated in 1999, with the club winning an unprecedented treble of the English Premier League, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

In 2004, Manchester United qualified for the group stage of the Champions League for the ninth successive year, breaking a record held by Norway's Rosenborg. Manchester United have been largely unable to transfer their domestic dominance to European competition; in fact qualifying for the European Cup final on only two occasions in their history.

Their last success in this competition was in 1999, when they came from behind in the last minutes of the UEFA Champions League final to beat Bayern Munich 2-1. Although their dominance in English football is considered by some to be over, they are still one of the best teams in British football, the only team who remain a viable threat to Chelsea F.C. in the current 2004-2005 season. In addition, the club are the most financially successful in England, due to their supporter base which reaches all around the world, even to Asia.

Manchester United began life in 1878 as Newton Heath, formed by workers of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. They nearly went bankrupt in 1902 and were rescued and renamed as Manchester United. The earliest known film of Manchester United is the 2–0 victory at Burnley on 6 December 1902, filmed by Mitchell and Kenyon.

United have had three successful eras, under J. Ernest Mangnall in the 1900s, in the 50s and 60s under Sir Matt Busby, and in the 90s to present under Sir Alex Ferguson. They have won the FA Cup 11 times, the most of any team, and 15 league championships. They have also won the European Cup (now Champions League) twice. These trophies make them the second-most successful club ever in England, behind Liverpool F.C. who have a record 18 league titles, 4 European Cups and 6 FA Cups, although Manchester United have sustained their sucesses over far longer periods.

The 1958 Manchester United team was nicknamed the "Busby Babes". On February 6, they were flying home from a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade when the plane crashed on takeoff in a snow storm in Munich, Germany (see Munich air disaster). Eight team members were killed, and two players suffered career-ending injuries. Amongst the dead was Duncan Edwards, a 21-year-old who many believe was on his way to establishing himself as one of England's greatest players ever. A survivor, Bobby Charlton would help England to win the Football World Cup in 1966.

1999 was arguably United's best season, in which the Red Devils won the Premier League, The FA Cup (beating Newcastle United) and the Champions League. The Champions League win was especially memorable, as United scored two goals in stoppage time to defeat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the final.

Early Years (1878-1902)

Manchester United began life in 1878 as Newton Heath F.C., a team formed by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway organisation. The club competed in railway competitions until 1889 when it joined the Football Alliance, a league below the Football League. When the Football League expanded in 1892, Newton Heath was elected to the First Division but suffered relegation to the Second Division after just two seasons. Newton Heath's only claim to success was victory in the 1898 Lancashire Cup and by the turn of the 20th century they were in deep financial trouble. The club's financial problems were so severe that by February 1902 they were in receivership with debts of £2,670. The club was saved by a group of four men who each injected £500 into it, leading the consortium was Manchester brewer J.H Davies. Until 1893 Newton Heath played at a spartan ground in Monsall Road, Newton Heath, before relocating to a better-equipped stadium at Bank Street, Clayton.

Manchester United is born

Following the takeover by J.H Davies, the club's finances had been secured and the new owners decided to change Newton Heath's name to Manchester United.

The First Great United Side

Davies appointed Ernest Magnall as team manager in 1903 and the club began to move forward, winning promotion to the First Division in 1906, the league title in 1908 and the FA Cup in 1909. Davies helped pay for a new stadium in 1910, located in the Stretford area. It was named Old Trafford and was capable of holding more than 70,000 supporters as well as having top class facilities for players and spectators alike. United marked their first full season in their new home by lifting another league title in 1911. This was to be their last major honour for many years. Their manager Ernest Magnall joined Manchester City, and from then on the club drifted like a boat without a rudder.

The Interwar Years

Successive managers, including Herbert Bamlett, John Chapman and Scott Duncan, attempted to put Manchester United back on course. But still the club bounced from First to Second Division and back again, perhaps uncertain as to their rightful place. Added to this, money was again a problem.

J.H Davies died in 1927 to be succeeded by James Gibson. He too injected cash into the club and fought off the creditors.

By 1938, Manchester United were back in the Second Division but their debt now amounted to more than £70,000.

Old Trafford is Bombed

First-class football was suspended for the duration of the Second World War (1939-45), but Manchester United continued to compete in part-time regional competitions. Old Trafford was severely damaged during a German air-raid on Manchester in the early hours of 11th March 1941. It took eight years to build and until 1949 United ground-shared with neighbouring Manchester City at Maine Road.

Matt Busby

When the war ended in 1945, 36-year-old Matt Busby was named as the club's new manager. He had just finished his playing career which had seen him turn out for Manchester City and Liverpool as well as the Scottish national side. Busby had a limited transfer budget so many of his players were home-grown. The only major signing of the post-war years was Scottish winger Jimmy Delaney from Celtic, while several players remained from the immediate pre-war years.

The Great Post-War United side

Matt Busby helped end Manchester United's 37-year wait for a major trophy when his side defeated Blackpool (then a big club containing world class players like Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen) 4-2 in the 1948 FA Cup final. Busby had unearthed new stars in the shape of captain Johnny Carey and the forward-line of John Downie, John Aston, Jack Rowley and Stan Pearson. The side's good progress continued into the 1950's and they won the league title in 1952—the club's first league championship in 41 years.

By 1952, the side captained by Johnny Carey was beginning to show its age and a new set of players had to be found.

The Busby Babes

Matt Busby took a radically different direction to other clubs when rebuilding his ageing team. Rather than splash out huge sums of money on world-renown players, he recruited teenage players who had just left school. In the space of five years, he only made two major signings - winger John Berry from Birmingham and striker Tommy Taylor from Barnsley. Home-grown youngesters like Bobby Charlton, Dennis Viollet, Duncan Edwards, Albert Scanlon, Mark Jones and Bill Foulkes established themself as regular first team players at a very early age and the policy paid off as United maintained their reputation as a strong team.

Manchester United won the league championship in 1955-56 thanks to the efforts of a team whose average age was just 22 years. They were England's first representatives in the European Cup, and reached the quarter finals where they were knocked out by the great Spaniards of Real Madrid. United retained the league title in 1956-57 but lost out on a domestic double by losing 2-1 to Aston Villa in the F.A Cup final.

The Munich Air Disaster

On 6th February 1958, Manchester United were flying home from Yugoslavia where they had beaten Red Star Belgrade to reach the European Cup semi finals. The plane stopped to refuel at Munich, West Germany, and on take-off it overshot the runway and crashed into the snow. Seven players (Roger Byrne, Geoff Bent, Mark Jones, Eddie Colman, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Bill Whelan) and three club officials (secretary Walter Crickmer and coaches Tom Curry and Bert Whalley) were killed instantly. Eight journalists (including the former Manchester City goalkeeper Frank Swift), a friend of Matt Busby named Willie Satinoff, a member of the crew and a travel agent also died at the scene. 21 people lost their lives that day. An eighth player, the great 21-year-old wing-half Duncan Edwards, died in hospital from his injuries two weeks later, as did co-pilot Ken Rayment, bringing the death toll to 23. Jackie Blanchflower and John Berry were injured to such an extent that their playing careers were over. Matt Busby himself was in hospital for two months recovering from multiple injuries.

While Busby recovered in hospital, his assistant Jimmy Murphy took temporary charge of team affairs and guided United to the FA Cup final, where a side made up of Munich survivors and youth team players lost to Bolton Wanderers.

The Great 1960's Team

Matt Busby spent heavily on new players in the five years that followed the Munich Air Disaster, as well as retaining some players from the pre-Munich era. The likes of David Herd, Denis Law, Albert Quixall and Paddy Crerand helped United beat Leicester City 2-1 in the F.A Cup final in 1963. Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes and Harry Gregg were the only three pre-Munich players left in the side by that date. In the 1963-64 season a 17-year-old Northern Irish forward called George Best broke into the first time and quickly became one of the most exciting talents in the footballing world.

United won the league championship in 1965 and regained it two years later, but the pinnacle of Matt Busby's reign came in 1968 when United hammered Benfica 4-1 in the European Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Busby received a knighthood while star player George Best was voted European Footballer of the Year.

Busby retired in 1969 and became a director. He handed over the reins to reserve team manager Wilf McGuinness, whose playing career had been ended a decade earlier by a broken leg.

The Early 1970's Decline

Wilf McGuinness was sacked in December 1970 after just 18 months in charge of a Manchester United team whose league fortunes had plummeted. Bobby Charlton and Denis Law were approaching the end of their careers while George Best was constantly missing training and sometimes even matches after heavy drinking sessions in nightclubs.

Busby returned to the manager's seat on a temporary basis until the appointment of Frank O'Farrell, who had been sacked by December 1972 as United hovered just above the First Division relegation zone. His successor was the Scottish national coach Tommy Docherty, who was unable to save United from relegation at the end of the 1973-74 season. Their fate was ironically sealed by a 1-0 defeat at home to neighbours Manchester City, with the only goal of the game coming from former United striker Dennis Law - who retired days afterwards. By this stage, long-serving legendary players like Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes had retired and troublesome striker George Best had been sacked.

The 1977 FA Cup victory

Tommy Docherty got Manchester United back into the First Division at the first time of asking, as they won the Second Division championship at the end of the 1974-75 season. They lost the 1976 F.A. Cup final to Southampton but overcame Liverpool the following year to secure their first major trophy in the post-Busby era. The new-look Manchester United side contained impressive young players like Steve Coppell, Brian Greenhoff, Jimmy Greenhoff, Arthur Albiston and Stewart Pearson.

Docherty was sacked just weeks after the 1977 FA Cup victory for having an affair with the wife of the club's physiotherapist.

The Dave Sexton Era

Q.P.R manager Dave Sexton was the Manchester United director's choice for Docherty's replacement, and spent four years trying to mount a title challenge - coming agonisingly close in 1980 by finishing runners-up to Liverpool. But he was finally sacked in the summer of 1981 after four seasons at the helm had failed to deliver a major trophy.

The Ron Atkinson Era

Dave Sexton's replacement was the colourful West Bromwich Albion manager Ron Atkinson. Atkinson spent heavily in his quest to bring success to United, paying large sums of money for players like Bryan Robson, Remi Moses, Frank Stapleton and Gordon Strachan. This impressive set of players gave United FA Cup success over Brighton in 1983 and Everton in 1985, but failed to gain a league title. Atkinson was finally sacked in November 1986 as United were struggling near the foot of the First Division.

The Alex Ferguson Era

The Transition

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.

F.A 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 F.A 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 F.A 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 keen 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.

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 F.A Cup final. Eric Cantona, who scored two penalties in the final at Wembley, was voted PFA Player of the Year.

1994-95

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 8 months and ordered to serve 120 hours' community service for kicking a Crystal Palace supporter who had taunted him 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.

On a brighter note, United broke the English transfer record again by paying £7million 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.

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 F.A 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.

The Double Double

Before the 1995-96 season began, United announced the sale of three of their star players - Paul Ince to Inter Milan, Mark Hughes to Chelsea and Andrei Kanchelskis to Everton - for a combined fee of £14million.

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 1980's) 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), Phil 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.

Alex Ferguson was defiant of the critics, and following the return of Eric Cantona 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.

United finally went top of the Premiership in mid March, shortly after beating Newcastle at St James's 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 F.A Cup final to become the first ever English club to win the league title/F.A Cup double twice. Eric Cantona, who scored 19 goals in 1995-96 (including the F.A 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.

1995-96 was one of the most successful seasons in the history of Manchester United football club, 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.

More success

Manchester United won their fourth Premiership title in five seasons in 1996-97, with little-known Norweigan striker Ole Solskjaer forcing his way into the side after his £1.5million move from FK Molde 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.

The club's most expensive acquisition in the summer of 1996 had been Karel Poborsky, the 23-year-old Czech winger signed from Slavia Prague for £3.5million. But he was unable to claim the right-wing position from the brilliant young David Beckham and eventually moved to Benfica.

At the end of the season, Eric Cantona sent shockwaves 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. He was replaced by the respected England international Teddy Sheringham, a £3.5million signing from Tottenham who was initially disappointing but would later start to repay his fee in style.

The 1997-98 season saw Manchester United overhauled by Arsenal in the Premiership and finish empty-handed for only the second time in the 1990's. Shortly after this disappointment, Alex Ferguson went on a spending spree of £28.35million (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 Treble

Manchester United won their final game of the 1998-99 season to ensure that they, and not Arsenal, would be Premiership champions. A week later they completed a unique third championship/F.A Cup double by beating Newcastle United 2-0, and four days after the F.A Cup success they took on Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp, Barcelona, in the Champions League (European Cup) final. Mario Basler's early strike appeared to have won it for the Germans as they led 1-0 after 90 minutes, but the referee allowed 3 minutes of injury time. Teddy Sheringham appeared to have forced extra time when he fired in an equaliser within the first minute of extra time, but Ole Solskjaer scored the winner and made history with the last kick of the game. Manchester United became the first English team to win the championship/F.A Cup/European Cup treble. Alex Ferguson was later awarded a knighthood for his contribution to United's success.

Into the New Millennium

The new millennium has seen Sir Alex Ferguson's side land more silverware, although they have faced some stiff competition off other teams - first Arsenal and now Chelsea.

Many players have come and gone. Since the 1999 treble success, Peter Schmeichel, Denis Irwin, Ronny Johnsen, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham, Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke have all left to be replaced by a new generation of players including Tim Howard, Roy Carroll, Rio Ferdinand, Gabriel Heinze, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney. Other expensive players like Fabien Barthez and Juan Sebastian Veron have arrived and left within the space of a few seasons.

United won the Premiership title in 1999-2000 with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and just three league defeats all season. They won their third successive title the following season, making United the fourth team to achieve that success and Sir Alex Ferguson the first manager to stay in charge of any team thoughout a championship hat-trick.

Sir Alex Ferguson had intended to retire at the end of 2001-02, but then decided to postpone his retirement by at least three seasons. This uncertainty could not have helped United's playing fortunes after a disastrous run of six defeats in seven Premiership fixtures earlier in the season counted against United and they finished third in the table - the first time they had been out of the top two since 1991.

United won another Premiership title in 2002-03, overhauling Arsenal to secure their eigth title in 11 seasons. Sir Alex Ferguson even described this success as his greatest achievement since becoming United manager in 1986.

But the sale of David Beckham and the suspension of Rio Ferdinand (for a total of 8 months, including the final 4 months of the season) sabotaged United's title challenge in 2003-04 and they finished third in the Premiership, which was won by unbeaten Arsenal. United were knocked out of the Champions League by FC Porto and the League Cup by Aston Villa, but they salvaged some success by beating Millwall 3-0 in the F.A Cup final.

To date, Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in English football. He has so far won eight Premiership titles, five F.A Cups, one League Cup, one European Cup, one Cup Winners Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and seven charity shields (one shared) - 24 trophies in all. He had expressed a desire to continue in his job for a good few years yet, and there is surely more to come. He may even help United emulate Liverpool's record as winning the most trophies than any other English football club.
The Red Devils (initially yellow and green) were founded in 1878 under the name Newton Heath (L&YR) FC - the works team of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath, a neighborhood of East Manchester. Their first ground was named North Road, located in Newton Heath on a road of the same name (though it's actually now named Northampton Road). The North Road ground was actually owned by Manchester Cathedral and only rented out to the football club.

These early years were spent in local competitions such as the Lancashire Cup and Manchester & District Cup and their debut at the national level didn't come until the 1886-87 FA Cup. In 1889 Newton Heath began league competion as founder members of the Football Alliance. The league lasted only three seasons before being absorbed into the Football League and Newton Heath joined that same season, 1892-93.

In the summer of 1893, after increasing friction with the North Bank ground's owners, Newton Heath were evicted and moved to a new ground in another eastern Manchester suburb, Clayton. This new ground - Bank Street - was just a few miles south of North Road and interestingly only a few hundred yards from the City of Manchester Stadium where United rivals Man City are now based.

At the turn of the century Newton Heath were in serious financial difficulty and near extinction when a most unlikely series of events turned their fortunes for the better. The club hosted a fundraiser and in the midst of this fundraiser a dog with a money tin attached to its collar (a major attraction of the fundraiser apparently) escaped. The dog somehow found its way to the home of John Henry Davies, a local brewer. Davies was intrigued by the story of the club and decided to invest in the club. Soon after Davies had the club pushing for a bigger profile and in 1902 Newton Heath was no more, its name changed to Manchester United (chosen over Manchester Celtic and Manchester Central) and the famous red and white colors adopted.

Eight years later United were on the move again, this time to the borough of Trafford on the southwest side of Manchester, just outside the city limits. The new stadium had a much larger capacity than Bank Street and the increased number of supporters were treated to a league title that first season, the club's second. It would be a long wait until that third title.

The 1920 and 1930s were a turbulent period for United as they shuttled between the first and second division of the Football League. In World War II Old Trafford suffered heavy damage and United were forced to share Manchester City's Maine Road stadium for eight long seasons. At about this time the first great Man United manager arrived, Matt Busby in 1945. He would go on to lift the club out of their long stagnation, bring them several league titles with a wonderful young side named the Busby Babes, see the club through the dark tragedy of Munich and on to ultimate success in the European Cup.

Busby's first title was the 1948 FA Cup, followed by three league titles in the 1950s. However it all came to halt on February 6, 1958 when a plane carrying the team home from a European Cup match in Belgrade crashed after refueling in Munich. Seven players (and an eighth two weeks later) died and the memory of that day still burns brightly in Manchester United supporters. Busby amazingly survived the crash, recovered and set about rebuilding his squad. It took nearly a decade but United were First Division champions in 1965 and 1967 and in 1968 the Red Devils became the first English side to win the European Cup, knocking out Benfica 4-1 in extra time at Wembley.

Sadly for United this was the end of an era and the club drifted from the heights of that success to mediocrity to downright disaster when they were relegated from the First Division in 1974, losing to Manchester City on the final day of the season. 28 seasons of top-flight football came to an end. While United bounced straight back, winning the Second Division at first attempt, it was not until the arrival of Alex Ferguson in 1986 that the club truly began to climb back upwards.

26 seasons without a league title finally ended with Manchester United winning the debut season of the English Premier League. Since that time United have gone from strength to strength, winning 11 EPL titles and equalling Liverpool's record of 18 top-flight league titles. The Red Devils have also won two Champions League finals, including the spectacular 2-1 win over Bayern Munich which included two injury time goals to overturn the Germans.

During this period Manchester United have been transformed into a massively popular global club, with tens if not hundreds of millions tuning in for every match. Old Trafford has been transformed beyond recognition and a series of superstars have plied their trade at the "Theater of Dreams" including Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and so many more. United were also controversially bought out by American investor Malcom Glazer, who borrowed heavily to fund the purchase and then transferred that debt back to the (previously debt-free) club. This was the last straw for some supporters and a rival supporter-run club called FC United of Manchester was launched in 2005.

On the field though very little has changed, Manchester United have won three English Premier League titles in succession, not to mention Community Shields, League Cups, Champions League and World Club Cup titles. The Red Devils keep marching on.

Nicknames:

Manchester United's most common nickname is The Red Devils, which actually goes back to the Manchester rugby club Salford, who were given the nickname Les Diables Rouges (The Red Devils) during an unbeaten 1934 tour of France. It was later adopted by supporters of Manchester United for their own similarly colored club. The club are also known as simply United or Man United.

Rivals:

Manchester United are in the enviable position of being their opponent's game of the season in virtually every fixture they play. There are only a handful of clubs that really get Manchester United supporters up in arms and out of these two stand out from the crowd.

The Manchester United-Liverpool rivalry can in some ways be considered the "English derby" as the Reds and Red Devils represent the two most successful clubs in the history of English football. Add to that the relative proximity of the two cities (28 miles) and their position as the two biggest cities in the Northwest of England (it's also called the Northwest Derby) and you can understand how the struggle between the two grows and grows. In fact no player has been transferred between the two clubs since 1964. Manchester United hold a slight edge in the overall series.

The second major match on the Man United calendar is the Manchester derby with Manchester City. While Manchester United are light years ahead of Manchester City in trophies won, the balance of results between the two is not as lopsided as you might imagine. United have won about 40% of the matches, City 30% and the rest have been drawn.

Stadium:

The stadium is located near the Old Trafford cricket ground in the borough of Trafford, on the southwest side of Manchester just outside the city limits. The Red Devils played for eight seasons in the 1940s at Manchester City's Maine Road stadium because of war damage to Old Trafford.

Previous stadiums: North Road (1880-93), Bank Street (1893-1910), Old Trafford (1910-41), Maine Road (1941-49).

HONORS
League Titles:

* Football League First Division (1908, 11, 52, 56, 57, 65, 67)
* English Premier League (1993, 94, 96, 97, 99, 2000, 01, 03, 07, 08, 09)

* Football League Second Division (1936, 75)

Cup Titles:

* FA Cup (1909, 48, 63, 77, 83, 85, 90, 94, 96, 99, 2004)
* Football League Cup (1992, 2006, 09)
* Charity Shield (1908, 11, 52, 56, 57, 65*, 67*, 77*, 83, 90*, 93, 94, 96, 97)
* Community Shield (2003, 07, 08)

Titles marked * were shared with another club.
International Titles:

* European Cup (1968)
* UEFA Champions League (1999, 2008)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1991)
* Intercontinental Cup (1999)
* World Club Cup (2008)

League History:

* Football League First Division: 70 seasons (1892-94, 1906-15, 19-22, 25-31, 36-37, 38-39, 46-74, 75-92)
* English Premier League: 18 seasons (1992-2010)

* Football League Second Division: 23 seasons (1894-1906, 22-25, 31-36, 37-38, 74-75)

* Football Alliance: 3 seasons (1889-92)