.
Manchester United Season Review 1992-1993.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 1992–93 season was Manchester United’s first season in the newly
formed FA Premier League, and their 18th consecutive season in the top
division of English football.
The season was marked by the club winning the inaugural Premier
League title, ending their 26-year run without an English league title.
They ended up winning the title by a 10-point margin over runners-up
Aston Villa, but had fought a three-horse race for much of the season
with both Villa and Norwich City, not topping the table until January.
The arrival of Eric Cantona from Leeds United for ￡1.2 million in late
November helped boost United’s title challenge, after they had been as
low as 10th in the league shortly before. Cantona’s arrival came just
weeks after new striker Dion Dublin had been ruled out for six months
with a broken leg, and Cantona was the catalyst in United’s triumph.
Mark Hughes topped the goalscoring charts with 15 league goals, while
the brilliant Ryan Giggs was voted PFA Young Player of the Year for the
second year in succession. Steve Bruce was United’s captain for much of
the season, as the veteran Bryan Robson missed many games due to
injury. The arrival of Eric Cantona saw former striker Brian McClair
switched into midfield, further restricting Robson’s first team chances.
In the UEFA Cup, United bowed out on penalties to Torpedo Moscow of
Russia, after two goalless draws. Their League Cup campaign ended in the
Third Round with defeat at Aston Villa. The FA Cup bid ended in the
Fifth Round when they lost 2–1 to Sheffield United in a game where Steve
Bruce uncharacteristically missed a penalty.
Manchester United Season Review 1993-1994.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 1993–94 season was Manchester United’s second season in the
Premier League, and their 19th consecutive season in the top division of
English football. Manchester United won the Premier League and FA Cup
to become only the fourth club in the 20th century to win the Double.
Only a 3–1 defeat to Aston Villa in the League Cup Final prevented them
from winning a domestic treble.
They led the Premier League table from the fourth game onwards, and
ended up winning the league by eight points over nearest rivals
Blackburn Rovers. French striker Eric Cantona scored 25 goals in all
competitions and was voted PFA Player of the Year. Ryan Giggs, Lee
Sharpe and Andrei Kanchelskis also hit the headlines with their
brilliant form. In the FA Cup Final, United crushed Chelsea 4–0 thanks
to two penalties from Eric Cantona and single goals from Mark Hughes and
Brian McClair.
Roy Keane justified his tag as the most expensive footballer in
England, while veterans Mark Hughes, Brian McClair and Steve Bruce
continued to excel despite their advancing years. The end of the season
saw the club’s longest serving player and joint captain, Bryan Robson,
quit Old Trafford after 13 years to become Middlesbrough’s
player-manager. Also heading out of the exit door at the end of the
season were Les Sealey, Clayton Blackmore, Mike Phelan, Colin McKee,
Neil Whitworth and Giuliano Maiorana. With United’s squad arguably the
finest in England, Ferguson’s only close-season signing was David May
from Blackburn Rovers. May, 24, was signed by Ferguson in hope that he
would develop into an eventual long-term successor to Steve Bruce.
Manchester United Season Review 1994-1995.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 1994–95 season was Manchester United’s third season in the
Premier League, and their 20th consecutive season in the top division of
English football. It was their first season since 1988–89 to end
without a major trophy.
United acquired David May from Blackburn Rovers early on in the
season. They then bought Andy Cole from Newcastle United in January for a
British record fee of ￡7 million (￡6 million cash with ￡1 million-rated
Keith Gillespie in part-exchange). That month, Eric Cantona was
involved in an incident away to Crystal Palace. As a result of racial
abuse received from a fan, Cantona broke free of kitman Norman Davies’
grasp as he was escorting him from the pitch after being sent off, and
launched a kung-fu style kick at the fan. Cantona was banned from
football for eight months and fined ￡20,000 by his club and a further
￡10,000 by the Football Association.
United lost the Premier League title on the last day when, despite
Blackburn Rovers losing to Liverpool, United could only manage a draw
away to West Ham United. The misery continued when Manchester United
went on to lose to Everton in the 1995 FA Cup Final.
After the season was over, United controversially sold Paul Ince to
Internazionale and Mark Hughes to Chelsea, while Andrei Kanchelskis was
placed on the transfer list, eventually agreeing a deal with Everton
(which was delayed by contract wrangling). Meanwhile, Eric Cantona was
strongly linked with a ￡4 million move to join Paul Ince at
Internazionale.
Manchester United Season Review 1995-1996.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 1995–96 season was Manchester United’s fourth season in the
Premier League, and their 21st consecutive season in the top division of
English football. United finished the season by becoming the first
English team to win The double (league title and FA Cup) twice. Their
triumph was made all the more remarkable by the fact that Alex Ferguson
had sold experienced players Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei
Kanchelskis before the start of the season, and not made any major
signings. Instead, he had drafted in young players like Nicky Butt,
David Beckham, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil.
Eric Cantona returned from a nine-month suspension at the beginning
of October, and finished the season as the club’s top scorer with 19
goals in all competitions, the last one being the winner against
Liverpool in the FA Cup Final. He also picked up a Premier League
winner’s medal and the FWA Player of the Year award. The title had been
sealed on the final day of the season with a 3–0 win at Bryan Robson’s
Middlesbrough.
Veteran defenders Steve Bruce and Paul Parker moved on at the end of
the season, as did goalkeeper Tony Coton, who had only joined the club
in January and never played a first team game. As the season drew to a
close, speculation mounted that United would sign a world class striker –
possibly Alan Shearer – to partner Eric Cantona in the bid to bring the
European Cup to Old Trafford.
Manchester United Season Review 1996-1997.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 1996–97 season was Manchester United’s fifth season in the
Premier League, and their 22nd consecutive season in the top division of
English football. United clinched the Premier League title with 75
points – placing them seven points ahead of the three teams below them;
Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool.
They also reached the European Cup semi-finals, bowing out to
eventual winners Borussia Dortmund of Germany, after losing both legs
1–0. Earlier in the competition, they had lost at home in Europe for the
first time, with a 1–0 defeat to Fenerbah?e of Turkey in the group
stage. Their defence of the FA Cup ended in the Fourth Round replay with
a 1–0 defeat to Wimbledon, while their bid for success in the League
Cup was short lived as they bowed out to eventual winners Leicester City
in the Fourth Round.
New signing Ole Gunnar Solskj?r was one of the biggest breakthrough
stars in the 1996–97 Premier League season, with 19 goals in all
competitions making him the club’s top goalscorer. 22-year-old
midfielder David Beckham clinched the PFA Young Player of the Year award
in the same season that he won his first England cap. Solskj?r’s fellow
Norwegian, Ronny Johnsen, proved himself as a fine successor to Steve
Bruce in central defence, but ￡3.5 million Czech winger Karel Poborsky
failed to win a regular first team place and was one of the Premier
League’s biggest disappointments that season. Jordi Cruyff, son of Dutch
legend Johan, was similarly disappointing, failing to win a regular
first team place despite being able to play in midfield, attack or on
the left wing.
Just before the start of the season, winger Lee Sharpe left the club
after eight years to sign for Leeds United in a ￡4.5million deal.
Earlier in the summer, captain Steve Bruce had departed to Birmingham
City on a free transfer after almost a decade at Old Trafford, while
Paul Parker left on a free transfer after his final two seasons at the
club had been plagued by injury and the loss of his place in the team to
Gary Neville.
The season ended with a major shock as Eric Cantona announced his
retirement from playing, prompting manager Alex Ferguson to search for a
new striker. The search ended with the ￡3.5 million capture of
Tottenham and England’s 31-year-old Teddy Sheringham.
Manchester United Season Review 1997-1998.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 1997–98 season was Manchester United’s sixth season in the
Premier League, and their 23rd consecutive season in the top division of
English football. The campaign ended in disastrous fashion, having
being pipped to the Premier League title by Arsenal, who managed a
nine-match winning streak in the last two months of the season as well
as being eliminated by league strugglers Barnsley and French outfit AS
Monaco in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, respectively. To make
matters worse, United entered March still in contention for a League and
European double after opening up an eleven-point gap, regardless of the
fact that nearest challengers Arsenal had three games in hand. This was
manager Alex Ferguson’s first trophyless season since the 1994–95
campaign.
Following the loss of talismanic captain and star striker, Eric
Cantona at the end of the previous season, Ferguson acquired the
services of England international Teddy Sheringham as a direct
replacement on a three-year deal from Tottenham Hotspur for ￡3.5
million. Cantona’s departure meant that Roy Keane was promoted as
captain and a reshuffle of squad numbers occurred; David Beckham was
awarded the coveted number 7 shirt and Sheringham was given Beckham’s
former squad number 10. Henning Berg was the only other new face to
arrive at Old Trafford from Blackburn Rovers for a ￡5 million fee at the
start of the season.
Manchester United Season Review 1998-1999.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 1998–99 season was the most successful in the history of
Manchester United Football Club. By the season’s end the club had won a
treble of trophies (the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions
League), the first side in English football to achieve such a feat.
During the campaign United lost only five times, including a one-off
Charity Shield fixture, in the League Cup against eventual winners
Tottenham Hotspur and their only home defeat, a league match against
Middlesbrough in December 1998. A run of 33 games unbeaten in all
competitions began on 26 December at home to Nottingham Forest.
Veteran players Brian McClair and Gary Pallister, along with a host
of younger and less experienced players such as goalkeeper Kevin
Pilkington and striker Graeme Tomlinson, had left the club before the
season began. The big news of the pre-season was the arrival of Dutch
defender Jaap Stam for a club record fee of ￡10.75 million. Other
additions included striker Dwight Yorke and Swedish winger Jesper
Blomqvist. Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel announced his intention to leave
the club after eight years at Old Trafford, joining Sporting Clube de
Portugal at the end of the season.
The team’s never-say-die attitude, instilled in previous seasons, was
key to their success as the players often thrived in difficult
situations. The highlight was United’s dramatic comeback in the
Champions League final, when Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskj?r
each scored in injury time to overturn Bayern Munich’s first-half lead.
The treble haul is often regarded by fans and writers as manager Alex
Ferguson’s finest hour, although he has dismissed that assertion in
later years. Tens of thousands of fans lined the streets of Manchester
to welcome the team as the season drew to a close. In recognition of his
achievements Ferguson was awarded a knighthood, and handed the Freedom
of the City of Glasgow in November 1999.
By the end of the season Manchester United had become the world’s
richest football club, and the most valuable sporting brand worldwide.
The club was also at the centre of a takeover bid by BSkyB, which was
blocked by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in March 1999.
Manchester United Season Review 1999-2000.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 1999–2000 season was Manchester United’s eighth season in the
Premier League, and their 25th consecutive season in the top division of
English football. United won the Premier League title for the sixth
time in eight seasons (with a record 18-point margin and 97 goals
scored), but surrendered their European Cup title with a 3–2 defeat by
Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. The club controversially did not
defend their FA Cup crown, upon request by The Football Association, to
compete in the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil.
Mark Bosnich, previously at United as a reserve goalkeeper from 1989
to 1991, returned to the club as Peter Schmeichel’s successor, but
failed to live up to expectations and in September, the club swooped for
Italian Massimo Taibi to provide competition for him. However, Taibi
suffered some high-profile mistakes and returned to his homeland at the
end of the season after just five games for the club. United then solved
the goalkeeping crisis by paying AS Monaco ￡7.8 million for Fabien
Barthez. Also new to the squad for 1999–2000 were French defender Mika?l
Silvestre and South African winger Quinton Fortune. Jesper Blomqvist
and Wes Brown missed the entire season due to injury, while similar
misfortune restricted defenders David May and Ronny Johnsen to one and
two first team games respectively. Jordi Cruyff left the club on a free
transfer to Deportivo Alavés at the end of the season, seeing out his
four-year contract at a club where he had failed to claim a regular
first
Manchester United Season Review 2000-2001.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 2000–01 season was Manchester United’s ninth season in the
Premier League, and their 26th consecutive season in the top division of
English football. United won the Premier League for the third
successive season and the seventh time since its inauguration in 1993.
They were less successful in cup competitions, going out in the fourth
round of the FA Cup, the fourth round of the League Cup and the
quarterfinals of the Champions League.
New goalkeeper Fabien Barthez was an instant success, and previous
first choice goalkeeper Mark Bosnich failed to feature in the first team
in 2000–01, opting to join Chelsea on a free transfer in January,
despite equally limited first team opportunities at Stamford Bridge.
Veteran striker Teddy Sheringham had an excellent season, topping the
club’s goalscoring charts and gaining both the PFA and FWA player of the
year awards. However, the arrival of Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy
from PSV Eindhoven at the end of the season prompted Sheringham to
return to Tottenham on a free transfer. Also on his way out of the Old
Trafford exit door was Henning Berg, who was loaned to his old club
Blackburn just after the start of the season, and moved on a permanent
contract in December, joining former United players John Curtis and Mark
Hughes in Blackburn’s successful campaign that saw them promoted back
to the Premier League after a two-year exile.
Winger Ryan Giggs celebrated 10 years as a professional with United before Christmas.
Manchester United Season Review 2001-2002.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 2001–02 season was Manchester United’s tenth season in the
Premier League and their 27th consecutive season in the top division of
English football. The second full season of the new millennium was
rather dismal for the Red Devils in comparison to the previous three
years. The club finished in third place in the Premier League, their
lowest finish in the history of the Premier League, and they were
knocked out of the FA Cup in the fourth round. Worthington Cup success
was not expected, and the club duly obliged by playing what was
effectively a reserve team against a strong Arsenal side in the third
round. United’s best success in the 2001–02 season came in the UEFA
Champions League, in which they reached the semi-finals before being
knocked out by Bayer Leverkusen on away goals. Ultimately, United’s
failure to win anything boiled down a dismal run of form in November and
early December when they suffered five defeats in seven league games,
including three defeats in a row against Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham
United in December. They also lost six home games in the Premier League,
their worst home record since the 1977–78 season. They only lost three
more league games all season, but that terrible form earlier in the
campaign counted against United for the rest of the campaign and they
finished 10 points behind champions Arsenal (who sealed their crown by
beating United 1–0 at Old Trafford in the penultimate game of the
season) and seven points behind runners-up Liverpool.
Before the season began, Sir Alex Ferguson had announced his
intention to retire from football at the end of the season, and the club
began the process of trying to find a successor for the most successful
manager in their history. However, Fergie went back on his decision to
retire, many people citing his failure to win the Champions League in
his home town of Glasgow as the reason for this reversal.
Winger Ryan Giggs was honoured with a testimonial match against Celtic, having now been at United for more than a decade.
￡19 million striker Ruud van Nistelrooy did was expected of him by
scoring 36 goals in all competitions and collecting the PFA Player of
the Year award, but ￡28.1 million national record signing Juan Sebastián
Verón was a major disappointment in midfield, though it was in defence
where United were at their weakest following the shock departure of Jaap
Stam to Lazio just after the start of the season, and the surprise
acquisition of 35-year-old Frenchman Laurent Blanc as his successor.
2001–02 was the final season at Old Trafford for veteran players
Denis Irwin and Ronny Johnsen after 12 and six years at the club
respectively. Also on the way out of the club were goalkeeper Raimond
van der Gouw and striker Dwight Yorke. Striker Andy Cole left United
after seven years when he sealed a transfer to Blackburn Rovers at the
end of December.
Manchester United Season Review 2002-2003.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 2002–03 season was Manchester United’s 11th season in the Premier
League, and their 28th consecutive season in the top division of
English football. This season saw the club finish at the top of the
Premier League table, after their lowest finish in the history of the
Premier League the previous season, when they came third. In order to
win the title, the team had to pull Arsenal back from an eight point
lead at the beginning of March. United also finished as runners-up in
the Worthington Cup, with Liverpool eventually taking the prize. The
club also broke the English transfer record for the third time in just
over a year as they paid ￡29.1 million for Leeds United defender Rio
Ferdinand.
At the end of the season, United midfielder David Beckham decided to
move to Real Madrid in a ￡25 million deal, having spent 12 years at
United (eight of them as a first-team regular). Meanwhile, 37-year-old
centre-back Laurent Blanc announced his retirement from playing. Fellow
centre-back David May was finally given a free transfer after nine years
at the club, the last five of which had seen his first team
opportunities limited to a handful of appearances.
Manchester United Season Review 2003-2004.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 2003–04 season was Manchester United’s 12th season in the Premier
League, and their 29th consecutive season in the top division of
English football.
United won the eleventh FA Cup of their history with a 3–0 win over
Millwall at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, but surrendered the Premier
League title to unbeaten champions Arsenal, with a second half dip in
league form coinciding with Rio Ferdinand starting an eight-month ban
from football due to a missed drugs test and restricting United to a
third place finish.
New to the United side were Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo,
Brazilian World Cup-winning midifelder Kléberson, Cameroonian midfielder
Eric Djemba-Djemba and French striker David Bellion. Ronaldo, who
scored one of United’s goals in the FA Cup final, was the only one of
these players to make much of an impact.
United’s European Cup and League Cup dreams ended in the last 16,
with the European exit being particularly painful as a last minute goal
by eventual champions Porto put them out of the competition and denied
them an eighth successive European Cup quarter-final.
Manchester United Season Review 2004-2005.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 2004–05 season was Manchester United’s 13th season in the Premier
League, and their 30th consecutive season in the top division of
English football.
The season finished trophyless (only their fourth trophyless season
in 17 seasons) for United, who finished third in the Premier League with
77 points – an amount which in some seasons would have been enough for
title glory. The title went to Chelsea, who finished the season with a
record 95 points and lost just one game all season, with the previous
season’s champions Arsenal finishing runners-up.
Their European Cup dream ended in the Second Round at Milan, while
they were eliminated from the League Cup by Chelsea in the semi-finals.
The last chance of silverware was blown by a Paul Scholes penalty miss
against Arsenal in a shoot-out after a goalless draw in the 2005 FA Cup
Final.
On a more positive note, newly-signed 19-year-old striker and leading
club goalscorer Wayne Rooney was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.
United also ended Arsenal’s record-breaking 49-game unbeaten league run with a 2–0 home win in late October.
Manchester United Season Review 2005-2006.Xvid.DVDRip.2CD
The 2005–06 season was Manchester United’s 14th season in the Premier
League, and their 31st consecutive season in the top division of
English football.
After having finished in third place in both of the previous two
seasons, the Red Devils improved slightly to finish the 2005–06 season
in second place, despite finishing 8 points off the lead.
However, despite the improvement in their league form, United’s
European form took a massive blow, with the club failing to reach the
knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since
1993–94. The club fared better in the FA Cup, reaching the Fifth Round,
but their real success came in the Carling Cup, in which they beat Wigan
Athletic 4–0 in the final. United scored their 1000th Premier League
goal on 29 October, in a 4–1 defeat to Middlesbrough at the Riverside.
Cristiano Ronaldo hitting the milestone.
The 2005–06 season also saw the departure of club captain Roy Keane,
who had been at Old Trafford since 1993. Keane played his last game for
the club on 18 September 2005 in a goalless draw with Liverpool, but was
forced to withdraw from the match only a couple of minutes before full
time. It was later revealed that Keane had picked up a foot injury and
he eventually left the club for his boyhood team Celtic on 18 November
2005. Keane was subsequently replaced as captain by his deputy, Gary
Neville. On 25 November 2005, just seven days after Keane left the club,
United fans were plunged into mourning by the death of legendary former
player George Best, who died at the age of 59.
Manchester United Season Review 2006-2007.Xvid.DVDRip.3CD
The 2006–07 season was Manchester United’s 15th season in the Premier
League, and their 32nd consecutive season in the top division of
English football. United enjoyed a much more successful season than the
previous three seasons, winning the Premier League by a six-point margin
over Chelsea. They also reached the final of the FA Cup and the
semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, losing to Chelsea and Milan
respectively. However, for all their success in the major competitions,
the club was unable to defend the League Cup title they had won in
2005–06, losing to Southend United in the Fourth Round.
Manchester United were not only dominant on a team level in 2006–07,
but also on an individual level, with eight United players earning spots
in the PFA Team of the Year, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo picking up no
less than eight individual awards for his performances over the season
and Sir Alex Ferguson winning the Premier League’s Manager of the Season
award.
The 2006–07 season also marked the 50th anniversary of the Busby
Babes’ first foray into European competition. The event was marked by a
charity football match, organised in collaboration with UEFA, who were
commemorating 50 years since the signing of the Treaty of Rome, against a
team of the best players from Europe’s top clubs.
Manchester United Season Review 2007-2008.Xvid.DVDRip.3CD
The 2007–08 season was Manchester United’s 16th season in the Premier
League, and their 33rd consecutive season in the top division of
English football. The season was regarded as a success, despite the
team’s slow start in the league, as they claimed their third European
Cup title and a tenth Premier League title (their 17th in the top
division, putting them just one title short of Liverpool’s record 18);
the European Double.
The club was not as successful in the domestic cup competitions,
however, losing to eventual FA Cup winners, Portsmouth, in the Sixth
Round, and losing to Coventry City in the Third Round of the League Cup.
In February 2008, the club commemorated the 50th anniversary of the
Munich air disaster, as a result of which eight United players and three
members of the coaching staff lost their lives. The club held a
memorial service at Old Trafford on 6 February 2008, renaming the tunnel
under the South Stand as the “Munich Tunnel”. This was followed on 10
February by the Manchester derby. United took to the field in a retro
kit reminiscent of the kit worn by the 1958 team, abandoning squad
numbers in favour of a 1–11 numbering system.
United’s players were also successful on an individual level in the
2007–08 season, with three players in the PFA Premier League Team of the
Year, while Cristiano Ronaldo picked up six individual awards,
including the Premier League Golden Boot for his 31 league goals.
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