The Manchester United Shirt - A Short History

Manchester United Football Club is a football club in England that currently plays in the "Top Flight" Premier League. The club has been managed by Sir Alex Ferguson since 1986 and are one of the most successful clubs in the world. They currently boast more than 300 million fans worldwide or one in twenty of the world's population. They are also the richest football club in the world valued at almost 900 million pounds. During the club's long and rich history, many notable players have worn the famous strip which can trace its origins back when Manchester United were known as Newton Heath Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Football Club.

When the club went under the Newton Heath moniker, the shirts were constructed of yellow and green panels - 1892), and looked a bit like a jockey's silks. Some additional colour schemes were also employed such as a red and white shirt (1892-1894) paired with blue shorts. This all changed in 1902 when the club changed its name to Manchester United, the club radically altered the kit colours to red shirts, white shorts and black socks. The red, white and black scheme has been used for the home strip ever since. The away strip is white jerseys, black shorts and white socks however different looks to this strip have existed. The most notorious of these was the all-grey strip employed in the 1995-1996 campaign. The club did not win a single game when sporting the grey shirts. The team were vociferous in their claims that the drab colour meant they had difficulty seeing their team-mates, hence passes were being sprayed all over the pitch! Another variation was the all-black kit used in 1994 and 2003. There is also a "Third Strip". This shirt which is not often used, is an homage to the kit worn when the club won the 1968 European Cup. The team has occasionally used the strips employed for training sessions in actual matches although this has been a rare occurance.

For home games this season, the shirt in use is the traditional red with some alterations such as the vertical white stripe running down the back. A patch with the words "The Red Devils" on a picture of the club's famous devil mascot is sewn onto to the bottom-left of the jersey. By contrast, the away shirt in use today is white with blue piping at the edges. It has red trim on the neck and the club emblem is on a white background on the left breast. The team logo is on a white shield on the left breast. The emblem has been altered through the years but was originally designed based on the crest of the City of Manchester. One day Matt Busby was watching a local rugby team in Salford and was impressed by their flair and adventure on the pitch. When he discovered their nickname was "The Red Devils" he decided to attach it to his Manchester United team.

Hopefully this article has given an informative insight into the history of the Manchester United Shirt, and should you be asked on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" for the colour scheme of the Newton Railways Club shirt, you won't need to phone a friend!

By Patrick Attlee

Patrick Attlee is a football / soccer fan writing extensively on the Beautiful Game. His main area of focus is on the histories of the big clubs in England. You can find out more about the Manchester United Shirt at => http://www.manchester-united-shirt.com

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English Football Premiership - The Run In

What a strange season we've had so far in the English Premiership football. At the start of the season, teams were taking points off each other and there was no team laying claim to establishing themselves at the top and it was becoming almost impossible to predict how the season would pan out.

Even at the top of the table, we had the likes of Hull (in their first ever season in the premiership) in fourth place and the best team in the world, Man Utd in the bottom half. It was truly bizarre.

It wasn't really until December that things began settling down and we started to get an idea of how the top section of the table would pan out. Aston Villa were doing brilliantly, even having a great slice of luck. Liverpool were challenging for the title along with Chelsea and Manchester Utd finally had a great run of form and joined them. Everton began a great run that saw them rocket up the table to sixth, but the rest of the league continued taking points off each other, meaning relegation was a threat up to seventh place! Unheard of.

So, over the Christmas period and into the New Year, the top six of Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Villa and Everton began moving away from the rest. The bottom three continually changed, until West Brom decided they would like to stay at the bottom. Villa looked strong in fourth as Arsenal had a major injury crisis. Everton had their own injury crisis, playing several games without a recognised striker. It didn't hamper them as they remained unbeaten in 18 games, losing once only to a penalty to new world club champions, Man Utd.

In that period, it looked like Liverpool had lost their chance to take hold of the division as too many draws were costing them. Utd looked supreme, being several points ahead with games in hand over their nearest rivals.

However, all that was to change as a humiliating 4-1 defeat to second placed Liverpool at Old Trafford was followed by a 2-0 loss against Fulham. Liverpool then snuck a win in the last minute against Fulham themselves and they were two points clear at the top, although Utd had two games in hand. But it still looked like Liverpool would hold onto top place as the next day in Utd's game against Villa, they were losing 2-1 at home with just eleven minutes left. But Utd's class managed to overhaul that and win 3-2 thanks to a last minute goal by a seventeen year old Italian, to return to the top. Exciting stuff.

As the season approaches its climax, we are finally getting an idea of where many teams will finish. The current top four of Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal will likely remain that way. Neither Villa (5th) nor Everton (6th) have the resources to mount a serious challenge to break that elite group, although both will of course try. The battle for fifth will go to the wire, and I think Villa might just sneak it. The game at Villa Park in mid April maybe the decider for that.

Relegation wise, West Brom looked doomed. The other two clubs currently in the bottom three, Newcastle and Middlesboro, look like they have the strength to stay up, but of course there are still many over clubs that could yet get sucked in. Even though Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has taken the reigns at St James' Park as manager, I don't think this latest Messiah has what it takes to rescue this poor Newcastle team.

Mid table will be dominated by underachievers such as Spurs and Man City. Both have spent heavily, but neither have a strong team spirit. You only have to look at the likes of Jo to realise this. Bought by Man City for a cool £19 million last summer, he has struggled and so went out on loan to Everton for the remainder of the season. He wants now wants to stay at Everton rather than return to the cold team spirit of Man City. Whether Everton will be able to afford him is another matter. But it just goes to show, money cannot buy everything.

Of course, over achievers with the likes of Wigan and West Ham look set to finish strongly, but even they have to be careful to be pulled back into the relegation battle. A couple of losses there could see them in dangerous territory.

Many Premiership marketers claim that the Premiership is the best league in the world. Based on this season, they may be right, but in my opinion, there are only seven or eight good teams in it, the rest being a much of a muchness. The rest of the season will be interesting to watch, and finally we may see a great finish to a season.

By Richard Hull

Richard Hull is the site owner of Blargins' Injury Time a light hearted look at Everton FC and general football.

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The Best Domestic League in European Football (Soccer)

There are many fine domestic leagues in Europe but only a handful of them are truly excellent. Spain, Italy and England's domestic football [soccer] leagues are all ahead of the pack, because of money, home grown talent, support and superior skill sets. But as far as the top league in Europe, I would have to Spain ahead of them all.

The reason I have the Spainish La Liga as the top domestic league in Europe is because of the high quality and quantity of soccer they show week after week. For example, you have Lionel Messi the top player in the world playing for Barcelona, Iker Casillas the top goalkeeper in football, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o, Raul, David Villa, I could go on but you get the idea. And also besides Real Madrid, most of the Spanish teams have a considerable amount of "home grown" talent from Spain playing significant roles on their teams, or as substitutes, which is very tough to do while competing at such a high level.

Look at the English Premier League, it is very tough to find more then 3-4 English players on any of the top 4 teams. On the top 4 Italian teams in Serie A at least 6-7 starters are of Italian descent, which is similar to Spain's top 4 teams. This is another reason why I must put Spain's La Liga ahead of England. Another key as I said is not only the quality but the quantity, there are about 7 different teams in Spain that have a chance to win the League Title, unlike the leagues in England and Italy were the same top 3 or 4 clubs consistently win. Five different teams have won it in the last 15 years, and a team like Deportivo de La Coruña , has been 3rd three times, and 2nd four times, but on top of that the other teams that are usually competing every year for the title, are Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Villarreal and Seville. The teams in bold have all won La Liga title in the past 15 years.

By Matt Lostracco

http://thebesteuropeanfootball.blogspot.com/

I also have a blog about European Football [Soccer] and all the ins and outs of the major football [soccer] clubs Domestically and the Champions League/UEFA Cup, as well as World and European Cups when they come around every couple of years.

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Who is Next?

Being a Manchester United supporter at the moment is highly stressful! We have had an amazing season thus far, no one can deny that we have scared every team in the premiership. At times we have looked impeccable, in all quarters of the field. The back four have been sublime even when without Neville and Ferdinand, Vidic has developed into arguably one of the best defenders in the world. Furthermore who can forget the contribution of Jonny Evans this season, a relatively inexperienced 21 year old. He played a key role along with Vidic and Van der Sar in going 14 games unbeaten without letting in a goal.

However its crunch time and the pressure is on. There's no doubt we are feeling the heat, our solid back four were unrecognisable against Aston Villa on the 5th of April. As a team we have wobbled ever since coming through against Inter in the Champions League, a game that could have gone either way. One would never put money against United not regaining composure, but the way in which we didn't hold on to the lead against Porto is another sign that the structure and assuredness has deserted Ferguson's men for the time being. Personally I think we have done enough to win the league and Porto will find it tough this week. What is troubling me is that next season could well be Fergie's last and I can't help thinking who the hell can replace him?

There's no doubt a good cluster of talented managers exist but to replace that aura Ferguson has built up over the years will be tough. It will take a couple of seasons for supporters and players to get used to the new environment. We need someone who is willing to stay long term, stamp their mark on the club and go from there. That's why for me the manager needs to be British, unless your Solskjaer or Cantona of course! Both Manchester United through and through. If our man is from the UK, being away from family wont become a factor. We all know having a run of new managers brings instability, teams under perform and spend season after season falling short of the trophies. Look no further than Chelsea, an array of world class players but have been lacking in solid leadership.

Furthermore the new manager will need to know what Manchester United is all about, bringing youth from the academy and an attitude of attack, attack, attack. Jose Mourhino's name is on many people's lips but his focus tends to lean on the defensive, making sure the back four are brilliant technically. This would not go down well at Old Trafford. If he came, there would undoubtedly be a honey moon period but the wheels would soon fall off when things get tricky. He is too much of a personality and when things get tough he can loose his cool, instead of focusing on the job in hand.

David Moyes has to be high on the list, apparently he is Ferguson's favourite to take over. What he has managed to do at Everton, out of minimum funds has to be applauded. Finishing in the top six in three of the past four seasons. He is a great manager, not flashy and knows how to get the best from his players. Then there's Martin O' Neill, another fantastic manager who enjoys building something from nothing. Focusing on bringing the youth through and showing belief in them by playing them in crucial games, similar to Fergie with Welbeck, Fabio and Rafael. Belief is what the youngsters need to propel them to the next level, look no further than Federico Macheda in the past week. Unfortunately O' Neill is doing so well at Aston Villa and still aiming to build on solid foundations, it should be difficult to prize him away.

Who can forget Mark Hughes, he played his best years under Ferguson and would probably love the job. You sense that this is the legacy Ferguson has left, he managed to keep the likes of Hughes, Bruce, Keane, Giggs, Scholes, Neville and Ferdinand at the club for years and in turn they love the club more than any supporter could. When retired those last four players will undoubtedly want to be involved with the club on some level, this promising to carry on where Fergie left off. In these terms the future doesn't look too bleak, we will always have a part of Alex.
Roy Keane, before Sunderland was one of my personal favourites but he seriously needs to learn how to build a relationship with his players. Fergie is firm and we all know who the boss is, Keane also has that steeliness but unfortunately he can come across as a scary depressive, doesn't do wonders for the confidence!

Solskjaer coaches the reserves team at the moment and will definitely be adding to what he has already learned from the man. For me it may too soon for him, a few more years as the understudy and he will be there. I can see him as a Queiroz type, the right hand man.

What made me fall in love with the club was the sense that something special was brewing, starting from the bottom and building an unbeatable club. Growing up I saw the same players play week in week out, Butt, Beckham, Irwin, Ferguson's teams have been more about building a generation rather than seeing players go in and out too often. His experience has taught him to think outside of the box, becoming a master away from the pitch also. In my eyes he bought Nani, Ronaldo's Portuguese team mate partly to keep the winger settled. Furthermore he can handle Rooney better than anyone and seems to have a huge influence on Ronaldo, managing to convince him not to sign for Real Madrid.

With departure looming Man United have a good crop of players who as far as I can see want to stay even beyond the Fergie days. For someone to ignite so much passion inside these players is great to watch. The amount of respect he has from everyone involved in the club is awesome to see, he is the heart beat of Old Trafford. That first game at home after he has gone is a day that will take the wind out of everyone's sails.

By Eryn Beynon

Something to think about if your a Manchester United fan.

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