Welcome Newcomers: Introducing Manchester United

18 Yard Box looks at the most successful club in the English League

With a new edition of the premier league drawing closer we, at 18 Yard Box take a look at some of the title contenders. In this article we introduce the defending champions and 20 time premier league winners Manchester United F.C.

With a change in guard at the top, Manchester United start the new season with the relatively inexperienced David Moyes as their manager. Without any marquee signings in this transfer window, a transition in leadership and the retirement of another veteran player (Paul Scholes), United head into the new season with challenges galore.

But United’s history is full of such challenges and subsequent rise to glory.

History

Evolution of Manchester United logo

Manchester United was founded as Newton Heath LYR Football club in 1878 Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) depot at Newton Heath. In 1902, the club was renamed Manchester United and the club moved to the iconic Old Trafford stadium in 1910. Manchester United has won almost all major trophies in England including a record 20 Premier League titles, 11 FA cups and 19 Community Shields. The club has also won 3 European cups, 1 UEFA cup winners’ cup, 1 UEFA supercup, 1 Intercontinental cup and 1 FIFA club world cup. Not only was United blessed with a decorated trophy cabinet but also the best talent that England can offer. The Manchester United Youth academy has produced legends like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and continues to do so as we speak.

Three Major Moments

1. Munich Tragedy

A tribute to those who lost their lives

One of the saddest day in Manchester United history is the incident referred to as The Munich Air Disaster which occurred on 6^th February, 1958. A British European Airways flight carrying the Manchester United team crashed while attempting to take off from the Munich-Reim airport resulting in the death of 8 players from the Busby Babes. The team was returning from Belgrade after a European cup match against Redstar Belgrade and had stopped at Munich airport for refueling.  At the time of the disaster, the club were on a 11 game unbeaten run which saw them second in the Premier League, fifth round of the FA cup and semi final of the European cup. A potential treble winning season was dashed by this unfortunate incident.

2. The Ferguson Era

A legacy which may go unmatched

The period from 1986-2013 will always be part of United folklore as the ‘Fergie Era’. The Scot from Aberdeen, Sir Alex Ferguson, took over the reins at United from Ron Atkinson in 1986 and thus began a period of dominance by the Red Devils. A strict disciplinarian, Sir Alex focused on improving fitness levels and imposed upon United his style of play. Being a risk taker, he has not shied away from playing youngsters, notorious players and acquiring players with potential. Not a man to mince his words, the players and the press have experienced the infamous ‘blow-dryer treatment’ meted out to under-performing players. He has had his fair share of controversies and fall outs but nobody can deny his contribution to Manchester United football club. His retirement as manager of the club came as a shock to the entire football community. His achievements may never be matched by anyone else for a long time to come.

3. (Un)Welcome the Glazers

United not for $ale

After an unsuccessful takeover bid by BskyB Group, Manchester United were taken over by American Billionaire Malcolm Glazer in 2005 for a whopping 800m Pounds. This resulted in resentment among the United faithful as the acquisition resulted in heavy debts for the club and compromised on United’s ability to spend big in the transfer market. A group of wealthy supporters formed the Red Knights group and submitted a billion dollar bid for the club but failed to meet Glazer’s valuation of the club. The club’s supporters' distrust of their wealthy American owners continues till date with the odd disputes and protests.

Three Major Players

1. George Best

Best doing what he does BEST

There is a famous poem regarding the United legend which is often sung till date.

 "Maradona was good Pele was better but George, he was simply the BEST". 

No article on Manchester United is complete without George Best. His stylish game and dribbling ability could only be matched by his good looks and popularity with the ladies. A naturally gifted player, Best was destined for great things at United and fully lived upto his potential by winning the Champions League in 1968 against Benefica where he scored a goal.  Ably supported by legends like Sir Bobby Charlton and Denis Law, George Best brought glory to united under legendary manger Sir Matt Busby. Despite his success on the pitch it was his battle with alcohol which brought about his downfall. The legendary Irishman died of multiple organ failure on 25^th November,2005.

2. Eric Cantona

Vintage Cantona style

1966 was the best year for England. England won the World Cup and Eric Cantona was born. Bought from rival club Leeds United for a measly 1.2m pounds in the 1992-93 season, the charismatic Frenchmen flourished during his time at Old Trafford. The short hair, scraggly beard and up-collar Cantona will always be remembered for his eccentric and attacking style of play. Nifty passing, ability to get into attacking postions and a keen eye for goal made Cantona a force to be reckoned with in the premier league. During his time at United Cantona won the 4 premier league titles. However, his eccentricity and passion got the best of him when he kicked a Crystal Palace fan in the stand and was subsequently banned for 8 months. At the end of the 1996-97 season 'King' Eric announced his retirement from football.

3. Paul Scholes

A visionary

A member of the class of 1992, Paul Scholes rose through the ranks at Old Trafford to carve a place for himself in United’s history and fans’ hearts. In stark contrast to players like Cantona  Scholes is a shy, no-nonsense midfielder blessed with ‘satellite navigation’ passing, long distan,ce shooting and ‘lousy but innocent’ tackles. Starting out his career as an attacking midfielder, Paul Scholes has constantly adapted his game to his age and the needs of his team. He moved from the hole behind the striker to the holding role with ease and made himself indispensable to Sir Alex Ferguson. Remaining the humble servant to United, Paul Scholes returned from retirement to help out his team after a 6-1 demolition by Manchester City. In 2013, ‘Scholesy’, as he is admirably called, got back into retirement refusing a coaching role.

The Treble

United at the pinnacle of success

Winning the Champion’s League is a remarkable achievement for any club and a distant dream for many but Manchester United is one of the few teams in World Football to have won the Champions’ League, English Premier League and the F.A cup all in the same year. The 1998-1999 season marked the pinnacle of United dominance of not just English football but also European football. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, United achieved this feat with players like Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Roy Keane (2 goals against Juventus in the semifinal), Ole Gunnar Solksjaer (injury time winner against Bayern munich in the final), Jaap Stam(rock solid in the heart of defence), David Beckham (goals from free kicks on demand), Ryan Giggs (amazing solo goal against Arsenal in FA cup Semifinal) and legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmiechel (team captain with decisive saves). It was the season that established United’s presence among the big boys of European football.

Style of Play

The United 4-4-2

One of the characteristics of Manchester United has been their traditional 4-4-2 formation. A flat backline with attacking full backs while on the counter has been a regular feature of all United teams. United have always had good wingers with the ability to weave past defenders with trickery, guile, speed, power and deliver an inch perfect cross to the forwards. The current United set up has wingers like Nani, Valencia, Ashley Young and youngster Wilfred Zaha. The central midfield has a holding and an attacking player. In recent times United have lacked creative players in the centre of the park. The Manchester United frontmen over the years has seen players like Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Robin van Persie, Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez. With reference to playing style there is nothing common but their ability to score goals from attacking positions and to link well with each other has been an asset to the club.

A club with a rich history and reputation moves into the new era under David Moyes. But will they live upto the supermassive expectations of their supporters and continue winning titles at will? Or will they falter and stagnate like certain other clubs?

The next season of the premier league can alone answer our questions. 

Written by

Pranav Shenoy

Pranav is a contributor/writer at 18 Yard Box.

Welcome Newcomers: Introducing Manchester City

18 Yard Box has a look at the new big spenders of the Premier League. 

Continuing with our series on title contenders, in this article, 18 Yard Box covers the team which belongs to the blue half of: Manchester City F.C. A new season with a new manager and an array of new stars, Manchester City will hope to overcome their next door neighbours and regain the Premier League crown.

History

The club was founded in 1880 as St. Mark’s and was later renamed as Ardwick Association Football club in 1887. The name Manchester City was adopted in 1894. Before being renamed the Etihad stadium their home ground was called The City of Manchester Stadium. Manchester City were at the pinnacle of their success during the late 1960 to early 1970 period when they won the FA cup, League cup, European Cup Winners’ Cup. This period from 1967 to 1976 was a historic period for Manchester City. However, the club was relegated in 1983, 1987, 1996 and in 2001. However, the club has risen each time with a new vigour and a strong management team. The club was recently purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008 and became one of the wealthiest clubs in the world.

Three major historic moments 

1. The Mercer-Allison Era

Happier times

Following relegation to the lower leagues in 1963, Manchester City was in deep trouble and needed a revival plan to avoid any further deterioration of fortunes. In the summer of 1965, the club appointed Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison to manage the club. It sparked a beginning of a glorious period for Manchester City. In 1967, they won the League Division with odds of 200-1. In the following seasons, they won the 1969 FA cup, 1970 League cup and cup winners’ cup. The heart of this revival was due to the signing of key players like Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee and Francis Lee. But a power struggle between the two led to the resignation of Joe Mercer in 1972 and subsequently Malcolm Allison the following summer.

2.  Relegation Troubles

Disappointed supporters

Manchester City were one of the founding members of the Premier League but the club struggled to stay afloat in the highest division and saw themselves sink to the lower divisions in 1996 and 2001.Two successive promotions saw the club rise back to Premier League under David Bernstein from the third tier of English Football in 1998. After the relegation in 2001, city returned to the premier league once again under Kevin Keegan and never looked back again.

3. The Sheikhs of England

Sheikh Mansour with his return on investment

Following the ousting of Thai PM Thakshin Shinawatra from his country, Manchester City were acquired by the supremely wealthy Abu Dhabi United Group. This acquisition sparked another period of city dominance not on the pitch but in the transfer market. The club rapidly acquired stars and bid heavily to get the best players money can buy. In the summer of 2009 alone Manchester city spent 100m pounds in the transfer market. When this spending did not yield results Mark Hughes was ousted and replaced by the Italian Roberto Mancini. City continued buying and selling players on the transfer market to consolidate their squad. This exercise finally gave results in the form of the English Premier League title in 2012. However, the disappointments in Europe and failure to retain the title led to the sacking of Mancini and the arrival of Manuel Pellegrini. City seem to have adopted the ‘perform or perish’ principle of Chelsea.

Three Major Players

Although there were many who came and went, three players stood out for City amongst them. Here they are

1. Francis Lee

Lee in Action

One of the major players during the Mercer Allison era, Francis Lee was signed from Bolton Wanderers for a mind boggling 60,000 pounds in 1967. He not only won many trophies but also many penalties for his club. He set an English record of 15 goals from penalties earning the nickname ‘Lee Won Pen’. Lee left city in 1974 and moved to Derby County where he continued his goal scoring streak and won the league title in 1974. He is also joint top scorer in the Manchester Derby with 10 goals.

2. Richard Dunne

4 time player of the season for City

The sturdy Irish defender has been at the heart of city’s defence and the fans. Acquired from Everton for 3m Pounds, he has seen the god days and the bad days at the club. In his debut season City were relegated and the Irishman was part of the squad which clawed its way back to the league. Dunne is good at man marking his opponents and putting in timely tackles for his team.  He won the player of the season for Manchester city for 4 consecutive years from 2004 to 2008. But with arrival of big stars like Vincent Kompany, Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott, Richard Dunne was finally sold to Aston Villa in 2009. His respect for the club and the fans continued even after his move to Villa which is demonstrated by his refusal to celebrate after scoring against them.

3. Sergio 'Kun' Aguero

Lean Mean scoring machine

In 2011, Manchester City announced the signing of Argentine talisman Sergio Kun Aguero for 38m Pounds from Athletico Madrid. An all out centre forward, Aguero dazzled on his debut with 4 goals against QPR. Aguero is supremely gifted with agility, pace, acceleration and strength. Sharp and clever in front of goal, Aguero can score with either foot. Many describe his game as being better than that of compatriot Carlos Tevez. His iconic last minute goal against QPR in the last game of the season earned city the Premier League Title after decades. In his short time at Etihad stadium he has already emerged as a crowd favourite and has never let down his team.

The Major Trophy-1970 European Cup Winners’ Cup

European Glory: A thing of the past??

The recent Premier League title in 2012 is still fresh in the minds of city fans but it is their triumph way back in 1970 which is still recalled with great pride. In just their second appearance at the European level, City reached the final with wins against Athletic Bilbao, Lierse S.K, Coimbra and Schalke 04. Up against Gornik Zabrze, the club was missing talismanic winger Mike Summerbee but Francis Lee ensured his team would not miss out on this chance at glory as he created the first goal for team mate Neil Young before going on to score a penalty himself. Gornik managed to score a goal in the second half but could not match the might of city. Even today, the club with its infinite resources yearns for the top prize in Europe.

Style of play

Mancini's actical formation

Manchester City are spoilt for choice when it comes to players but Roberto Mancini had a certain system in which he fit his stars. Talented youngster Joe Hart has become a regular between the sticks. Young Belgian Vincent Kompany established his position in the heart of defence. City’s fullbacks have been dangerous on the attack and alert at the back. Gael Clichy, Pablo Zabaleta and Kolarov have been instrumental to the success of the club with pacy bursts down the wing and freekicks. Yaya Toure as the holding midfielder and David Silva as the playmaker dictate city’s midfield flow. With strikers like Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero, city have brilliant strikers with the ability to score goals at will. However, with the arrival of Pellegrini and stars like Stephan Jovetic, Jesus Navas and Fernandinho, City have reverted more to an attacking mindset. The 5-3 win against Milan and the 3-1 loss against Arsenal in the pre season clearly shows that Pellegrini needs to work on his defensive tactics if he is to fight for the title.

A club yet to reach its full potential, Manchester City look to start the Pellegrini era with loads of trophies and other accolades. They have the resources and the tactical think tank but will they do it is another question all together.

Written by,

Pranav Shenoy

Pranav is a contributor/writer for 18 Yard Box. 

Welcome newcomers: Introducing Chelsea F.C

18 Yard Box welcomes its new readers and starts off this series by taking a look at a club which has over the years proven to be the Pride of London.

Only a day is left for the Premier League to spring into action and before it does let us have a look at the top teams taking part in the League.

We, at 18 Yard Box, give you a preview of some of the top clubs. In this editorial we take a look at one of the strongest contenders for the title- Chelsea Football Club.

HISTORY

Evolution of the Chelsea logo

Founded in 1905, Chelsea Football Club is a Fulham based club located inWest London. Now in its 108th year, Chelsea FC is one of the heavy-weights in English football. Popularly known as The Blues, the club has come a long way from not winning anything (for almost half a decade since its inception) to being the strong contenders in almost all possible competitions

Three Historic Moments 

1. League Champions for the first time (1954-55)

The Chelsea team which won them their maiden trophy

Chelsea tasted its first success in 1955 when they won the league championship. For a club which was known for signing star players and attracting huge crowds, there wasn’t anything to show in terms of silverware. Former England centre-forward Ted Drake was at the heart of this transformation and put Chelsea on the winning track in the years to follow.

2. The Comeback

The duo turned Chelsea into winners

Reeling under several legal battles, Ken Bates steered the club through financial turmoil and put the club back on track. But it was the appointment of Ruud Gullit which swung the fortunes for Chelsea FC. Chelsea won their first FA Cup in 1997 in the new Premier League. Having won 15 major trophies since that historic triumph, Chelsea football club hasn’t looked back since that day. In June 2003 a Russian billionaire by the name Roman Abramovich (right) took over the London club and introduced the philosophy of 'splashing the cash'. He, alongwith the Portuguese Jose Mourinho (left) paved the way for glory. After having some glorious years with Chelsea, the duo fell apart and Mourinho had to leave The Blues in 2007. However, coined as the 'Special One', Mourinho returns to Chelsea after resolving all the issues he had with the owner.

3. Obtaining the Holy Grail

They proved to be the first London team to win it

19th May 2012: This day is etched in the memory of Chelsea fans. A tournament which gave them their greatest agony in 2008, gave them their greatest glory in the Club’s 108-yr old history. Having been ousted in 2008 in the finals, The Blues came back to win it in 2012.  Not the most stylish, comprehensive or exceptional way to win the trophy, but it was their immense resolve & indomitable spirit which won them Club competition’s biggest trophy. They followed it up by winning the Europa League next season, becoming the only club to hold Europe’ two major titles simultaneously.

The Three Iconic Players in clubs' history-

Although Chelsea have produced great players in the form of Didier Drogba, Claude Makelele, John Terry in recent history, three players stand out from the rest when it comes to getting the tag of 'Legends'. Here are the three.

1. Gianfranco Zola

The Italian starlet played 229 games for Chelsea

Voted as Chelsea’s Greatest Player of all time (winning with a staggering 60% of the total vote), Gianfranco Zola is all time Chelsea favourite. Having plied his trade with Chelsea for 7 long years, this midfielder mesmerized one & all with his silky skills and some truly magnificent goals. The 'Little Magician’s' last act in a Chelsea jersey involved a delighful dribble past four defenders who were left bemused by his amazing skills.

2. Frank Lampard

He currently holds the record for the most goals scored by a player in a Chelsea shirt

The name says it all. Frank Lampard has been offering his unwavering services to the club since from moving from West Ham United in 2001. From 2005 to 2010, Lampard has scored an astounding 20 goals every season, a rare feat for a midfielder. Also, he currently stands 2nd in Premier league’s all-time list of assists with 91 to his name & he is now Chelsea’s all-time leading goal-scorer, having broken Bobby Tambling’s long-standing record of 202 goals. Frank Lampard is surely among the finest midfielders England has produced in the recent past and has been involved in all major triumphs of this club. Leading from the front, his presence in the heart of the midfield proves to be the driving force that the team needs. Alongwith John Terry, the Englishman shares a special bond with the Chelsea faithfuls. After signing a one year contract extension this year, Lampard is all set to lead Chelsea to greater heights.

3. Peter Osgood

 King of Stamford Bridge

Known as the “King of Stamford Bridge", Peter Osgood was the talisman of the Chelsea side of the 60’s & the 70s’. Best remembered by Chelsea fans for his heroics during the 1970 FA Cup where he managed to score in every round (he remains the last player to do so) eventually winning them the cup. Sadly, this iconic midfielder passed away in March 2006. A statue of this legendary player was unveiled in September 2010.

Style of Play

Chelsea usually adopt a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 formation. They rely heavily on the wingers. Players like Mata and Hazard cut in from the flanks to support the sole striker upfront and also chip in with goals quite regularly. They have solid defense and the defensive midfielders, Ramires or Mikel or both, act as the link-up between attack and defense. The defensive midfielders have long been a vital cog in Chelsea’s success over the recent past. 

Tactic board

With Mourinho at the helm of affairs at Chelsea this season, it will be interesting to see what tactics he comes up with. “Splash the cash” has been the mantra of the Abramovich Era but it has brought them glory as well. Having roped in the likes of Marco van Ginkel, Andre Schurrle, Kevin De Bruyne, Oscar and Eden Hazard, Chelsea haven’t hesitated one bit in spending the money to avail the services of these players as they seem to have laid the plans for a very bright future.

Will it pay rich dividends as it has over the past decade? It is a question which will only be answered during the course of the season.

Written By,

Pranav Byatnal

Pranav is a writer for 18 Yard Box

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