The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 12 Fighting Spirit

"From its birth to today, the Red Devils have been able to withstand the test of multiple crises, survive bankruptcy and dissolution, and overcome various challenges. What exactly did they rely on?"

--Inscription

Since Busby officially announced his retirement in 1969, the Red Devils entered a long and struggling "post-Busby era".

Busby actually left a very strong lineup for the Red Devils, and the youth training he had always insisted on investing in continued to contribute talents, but his departure seemed to take away the magic of the head coach position, and his successors had no way to continue to keep the team strong and move forward.

The season after Busby retired, the team inevitably declined and eventually only finished 11th.

The Red Devils' first manager after Busby was Wilf McGuinness. At only 31 years old, McGuinness was incapable of leading the team and he did not even receive respect from the dressing room. The young manager felt almost suffocated, his own tactical level was seriously insufficient, and he fell into a tragic situation of losing battle after battle.

The Red Devils then appointed Frank O'Farrell as the new head coach in mid-June 1971. He had unparalleled personal charm. He vigorously reorganized the main lineup, introduced many stars, regained offensive football, and led the team to achieve dazzling results. The Red Devils once led the standings by 6 points in the first half of the 1971-1972 season. However, O'Farrell did not soon have conflicts with the superstars in the team. O'Farrell, who liked to whisper, could not shock the Red Devils' honored veterans. Best was unruly and Law was independent, which gave O'Farrell a headache. In the end, the Red Devils ended with regret and failed to successfully challenge the championship.

By the 1972-73 season, O'Farrell still had no way to resolve the conflicts in the dressing room, and his efforts to rebuild the team suffered a serious setback. The Red Devils had a bad start, and then in December 1972 they were beaten 12-5 by Crystal Palace. The Red Devils management fired the coach three days later.

O'Farrell was Tommy Docherty, and the Red Devils were in turmoil. First, Best broke with the club and left, then Charlton officially announced his retirement, and Denis Law went to Manchester City. The team struggled to avoid relegation throughout the 1973-1974 season, and finally had no choice but to be relegated. Docherty decisively reorganized the team, continuously purchased a number of strong players, tapped into the team's talents, and quickly won the Second Division Championship in the 1974-75 season and returned to the top league.

Docherty's team became competitive, the team reached the FA Cup final, and the performance in the league was also eye-catching. In the 1976-1977 season, he led the team to the FA Cup final again, and finally defeated Liverpool 2:1 to win the championship.

In the summer of 1977, just one month after winning the FA Cup, the Red Devils suddenly removed Docherty from his position as head coach, and the team fell into chaos. Dave Sexton then took over as head coach, and the Red Devils invested madly, setting a record for transfer fees four times. The Red Devils introduced famous players such as Joeton, McQueen, Wilkins and Bertus, and broke into the FA Cup final in 1979. In 1980, the Red Devils launched an attack on the league championship, and finally ranked second, only two points behind Liverpool.

But this is Sexton's strongest voice. The Red Devils did not perform well in the 1980-81 season, and Sexton could not control the locker room. His team became dull for a time, and he was fired at the end of the season.

Failure to win the league title for many consecutive years made it difficult for the Red Devils to select a coach. At that time, famous English coaches Rory McMenemy, Bobby Robson and Ron Thorndell all publicly rejected the Red Devils' invitation.

Ron Atkinson took over in the summer of 1981. He was previously the head coach of West Bromwich Albion. Atkinson brought in Robson from West Bromwich Albion, which was a successful signing. Atkinson also brought in Scottish star Strachan to build a frontcourt offensive structure. He also actively promoted the Red Devils' youth training players, and Whiteside and Mark Hughes grew into the main players of the first team.

Atkinson established his authority in the locker room and greatly strengthened the team by recruiting and promoting young players. He was ambitious and declared to win the championship. When Atkinson coached the Red Devils, he focused on offense, sought rapid advancement and aggressive steals, and resolutely implemented the 442 formation that was popular in England. The Red Devils under his command had a magnificent record of 19 consecutive wins, and the Red Devils became one of the most popular teams in English football that year.

But Atkinson's coaching did not really transform the Red Devils. After winning two FA Cups in a row and finishing second in the league, they entered a period of stagnation, and then came the collapse of the 1986-87 season.

In November 1986, this fallen giant team once again fell to the edge of the relegation zone in the league, and the dark shadow once again made people worried.

If they are really relegated again at this time, then returning to their heyday and reviving as a dominant team will become an unattainable dream.

Under the dual pressure of competition and economy, the Red Devils are once again on the verge of danger.

From the glory of 1968 to the current decline in 1986, the Red Devils' decline was unexpected and deeply saddening.

Of course, if we look at the history of the Red Devils from the founding of Newton Heath LYR to the current top league giants, the history of this team will always give people strong confidence.

why?

Why has this team been able to continue to develop after its birth?

Why are they so strong and keep moving forward no matter how many difficulties and setbacks they encounter?

Even now, many Red Devils fans have adapted to the positioning of the so-called Internet celebrity team, but they still understand the foundation of this team.

Why are the Red Devils called the most successful club in the Premier League?

Even though Ferguson has retired for ten years and the Red Devils have been in decline for nearly a decade, why do they still have such strong confidence?

Why do the Red Devils fans believe that the team can overcome difficulties, rise again and revive again?

What is the magic of this team?

The answer comes from the history of the Red Devils.

And history reveals the future.

The Red Devils came from the grassroots, a team of railway workers, and they were born with a will to fight.

The team continues to move forward, always maintaining a fighting spirit, never bowing to difficulties, and always having lofty goals.

Based in Manchester, they won the Manchester Cup, participated in the English First Division, suffered relegation, faced financial difficulties where income could not cover expenditures... but they would not give up; they rushed from the Second Division to the First Division, won the First Division championship in the 1907-08 season, won the FA Cup in the 1908-09 season, and won the league championship in the 1910-11 season. Their will and goal were firm, which motivated them to strive for the championship.

The Red Devils fell into trouble after Mangnall resigned, but despite falling from the peak, the Red Devils never lost confidence and kept fighting. The First and Second World Wars were both huge blows to the Red Devils, with the stadium bombed, personnel lost, and players scattered, but the Red Devils still retained their resilience.

Matt Busby's legend is the glorious era of the Red Devils, and it is also the era when the Red Devils truly entered the European giants. Even though Busby was so powerful, the Red Devils also encountered various difficulties and setbacks. The Munich air crash was a heavy blow, and the Red Devils were almost unable to maintain, but they finally chose to persevere. It is precisely because of these traumas and thorns, because of these difficulties and dangers, that Busby's Red Dynasty is so legendary.

The Red Devils have been reborn from the ashes, further branded with the mark of bravery and tenacity, and have also made the historical heritage of the Red Devils even more profound.

There is no difficulty that the Red Devils cannot overcome, and the spirit of the Red Devils will never die!

The Red Devils suffered a plane crash at the peak of their heyday, and then quickly returned to the top; Busby led the Red Devils to dominate the league twice and led the Red Devils to become a world-class giants, which is the best portrayal of the Red Devils' fighting spirit.

The greatness of this team lies in the fact that they never give in to difficulties and always fight tenaciously; the greatness of this team lies in the fact that they always have strong self-confidence and they firmly believe that as long as they keep working hard, victory will always come.

The nickname of this team, "Red Devils", is also related to the fighting spirit. In 1960, England's "Salford Rugby" rugby team went to France to participate in the game. The players in red uniforms were brave and brave, which shocked the French people and called this team "Red Devils". Busby was inspired and decided to call his team "Red Devils" in the hope of promoting the brave fighting spirit. In 1973, the team added the shape of a devil holding a trident to the logo, which also vividly interpreted the team's pursuit.

This is the fighting Red Devils.

The Red Devils will not bow to fate. This team has the genes of the working class.

The Red Devils will not give in to difficulties, because they start fighting as soon as they are born. They have the social attributes of the working class, which is the most precious value of the team.

From the Newton Heath LYR team to today's European giants, the historical bloodline of the team cannot be changed. The Red Devils' spiritual accumulation, unity, bravery, fighting and pursuit of victory are their DNA.

The Red Devils will not bow to the powerful or to injustice, because they have a spirit of resistance and a tradition of fighting. Around 1906, the wave of trade union movement in England surged into the football field. On December 1907, 12, Red Devils players Meredith and Charlie Roberts formed the "Football Players and Managers Union Association", becoming the first trade union organization in the league. The Red Devils club fully supported the establishment of the "Players' Union", and many football clubs established trade unions.

The English Football Association believed that its power was undermined and ordered all clubs to disband their unions immediately. In 1909, it began to impose indefinite suspensions on players who joined the "Players' Union". The "Players' Union" called on players to respond with a strike and fight to the death for their legitimate rights and interests.

The Red Devils stood firm under the high pressure from the English Football Association and clearly supported the rights protection movement. The English Football Association, angry and humiliated, banned the entire Red Devils team, but the Red Devils would rather be banned than back down, and even sued the English Football Association in court.

The Red Devils' unyielding and tenaciousness has gained more and more support. Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Sunderland and other clubs have supported the players to re-establish a union and announced that they will strike to support the Red Devils' ban. Other teams have also launched a strike to support the Red Devils, and some teams are even preparing to leave the English Football Association and establish a new league.

Under widespread pressure, the FA finally admitted defeat and lifted the ban on the Red Devils.

The performance of the Red Devils Club has been widely respected, and the "union struggle" reflects the Red Devils Club's recognition of the interests of the players and its spirit of daring to fight. The Red Devils Club has completely offended the English Football Association, a bureaucratic institution, and has been frequently targeted and treated unfairly.

The Red Devils will never bow down to their opponents on the field, and will never admit defeat in front of strong opponents. They will always strive for victory in the arena, never admit defeat, and never give in. The Red Devils always insist on attacking, even if the opponent is strong, they are not afraid. This offensive gene brings passion to the Red Devils. Whether it is a big win or a big defeat, the Red Devils will fight like this.

Many of the Red Devils' classic comebacks in games are a display of this fighting spirit.

Looking back at the more than 100 years of history of the Red Devils since their establishment, there have been brilliant chapters and declining rubble, league summits and tragic relegations, the king of business and the brink of bankruptcy, the glory of the Champions League and the pain of air crashes... The Red Devils have experienced everything that a great team has experienced.

The Red Devils never give up their spirit and will never stop fighting.

With the rapid economic development, the commercialization of modern football has reached its peak. The Internet era has turned teams into traffic giants. Players are no longer the working class who were struggling 100 years ago. The current Manchester United is full of superstars. The weekly salary of any star is a figure that the working class cannot imagine. The Manchester United is no longer a club that belongs solely to English fans. It has long become a luxurious money-printing machine privately owned by capitalists, a complete rich club.

Even so, the Red Devils are still working hard to inherit the fighting spirit and stick to the offensive style.

In this era of fashion and entertainment, the Red Devils are still working hard to maintain their own characteristics.

In the roots of the team, the Red Devils still have those innate genes flowing. After Ferguson retired, the Red Devils continued to decline and struggle, but the team's historical traditions have not changed, and the fighting spirit still plays a role in the most critical times.

The current Red Devils are, to some extent, similar to the situation back then.

When the wheel of history turned to November 1986, Ferguson started a new chapter in the history of the Red Devils.

Ferguson, who came from a poor family, Ferguson, who is brave and aggressive, and Ferguson, who has a tough personality, is so consistent with the traditional fighting spirit of the Red Devils. They are simply a perfect match.

Ferguson seemed to be the coach specially prepared for the Red Devils. His appointment in a time of crisis was a perfect arrangement of fate.