I decided to turn away from the endless discussions about our current players and Our manager - and go back almost 50 years. I looked at every single transfer United made in the 70s, summarized quickly their United-career and gave them a rating. I don't know if anyones interested but here it is. As there are quite a few players I never saw in action, my ratings are based on their stats and what I found about them when searching online.
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Martin Buchan - 23 - Signed from Aberdeen for £125.000
Rating 9/10
Buchan had despite his young age played over 130 matches for Aberdeen. He was the captain of the side and had broken into the Scottish national side. His calm, composed style made him look much more experienced than he was. He joined United at the toughest time in the clubs modern history, but was one of the key-players as the club established themselves in the 1 division and won FA Cup finals in 1977 and 1983. Buchan was the first player to captain both a Scottish and an English FA-Cup winner.
Ian Storey-Moore - 27 - Signed from Nottingham for £225.000
Rating 2/10
It was considered a coup when Storey-Moore opted to sign for United, rather than with his old manager Brian Clough at Derby for a record-sum of £225.000. Storey-Moore had joined Forest from Scunthorpe as a 17 year old and had gained a reputation as a pacy, skilled winger/striker with a nose for goal, with 105 goals in 236 matches. However the injuries that had started to appear at the end of his Forest-career quickly turned from bad to worse at United. In about 3 seasons for United, he player a total of 39 matches, scoring 11 goals before retiring in 1974 at the age of 29.
Wyn Davies - 30 - Signed from Manchester City for £60.000
Rating 2/10
Wyn Davies was signed by Frank O'Farrell to be teamed up with another signing, Ted McDougall. Nicknamed "The Leap", Davies was a tall, old-fashioned striker who created a lot of problems in the air, but who never was a prolific goalscorer. He had scored 66 in 155 for Bolton, before scoring 40 goals in 5 seasons at St.James' Park. At City he only managed 8 goals in 45 matches and it was a surprise that O'Farrell signed him for £60.000. He was sold to Blackpool at the end of the season for £15.000. Never made a big impression, but at least scored 1 of the goals at United beat Liverpool 2-0 at Old Trafford in november.
Ted McDougall - 25 - signed from Bournemouth for £200.000
Rating 3/10
McDougall had been banging in goals Bournemouth in division 3. He had scored 35 goals during the 71/72 season and a total of 103 goals in 146 league matches for Bournemouth, and United signed the scottish striker in competition with several other clubs. McDougall who had joined Liverpool as a trainee before leaving for York and later Bournemouth, found life in division 1 much harder to adapt to. In a very poor United-side, McDougall scored on his debut in a 1-0 win against Birmingham in mid-October. He further scored 4 goals in 8 matches in november and december, but with the arrival of Tommy Docherty in december 1972, McDougall was frozen out and eventually sold to West Ham for £130.000 less than a year after his arrival.
Alex Forsyth - 20 - signed from Partick Thistle for £135.000
Rating 6/10
Forsyth had made his debut for Scotland and was a regular for Partick Thistle during the start of the 72/73 season. When Docherty replace O'Farrell as United-manager, Forsyth became one of his first signings. Forsyth was a regular for shorter periods, but never managed to make any position his own. At times he lost his place to Steve James at left-back, and later he struggled to play regularly at right-back with the emergence of Jimmy Nicholl. He played a total of 101 games, scoring 4 goals in the process.
George Graham - 28 - signed from Arsenal for £120.000
Rating 2/10
George Graham had been playing regularly at Arsenal since his arrival from Chelsea in 1966. But the signing of Alan Ball had made his position at Arsenal weaker and when Docherty contacted Arsenal about Graham, a transfer was made for a total of £120.000. However the player who regularly scored 10 goals a season for Arsenal never delivered at United. In his first 6 months he scored once against Leeds, and in his next season he scored again once in 24 matches as United were relegated. He was sold to Portsmouth in 1974 after 2 goals in 42 matches for United.
Trevor Anderson - 21 - signed from Portadown for £15.000
Rating 2/10
The small, pacy striker had done well for Portadown. 40 goals in 90 matches was a decent return for the 21 year old, but it was still considered a surprise that it would attract the attention of Manchester United. Anderson scored the winner against Leeds in the 72/73 season, and scored his 2nd and last goal for United in october 1973, but stopped at 19 matches for United. A month later he was sold to Swindon where he did fairly ok and scored 35 goals in 135 matches.
Rating 8/10
Macari had impressed so much at Celtic that several of the clubs in England were after him, but he decided to join the scottish revolution at United. He played more than 30 league matches 8 seasons in a row for United, and scoring an average of 7-8 goals a season from his midfield-position. When he left United in 1984, he had scored a total of 97 goals in 404 matches.
Jim McCalliog - 27 - signed from Wolverhampton for £60.000
Rating 5/10
McCalliog was signed on deadline-day in march 1974 from Wolves. He had established himself as a good all-round midfielder with over 50 goals in 300 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves and Docherty hoped the Scot could rescue United. He scored 4 goals in 11 matches at the end of the season, and added some more goals the season after but was sold to Southampton for £40.000 less than a year after his arrival.
Gerry Daly - 19 - signed from Bohemians for £20.000
Rating 7/10
Gerry Daly became a very good signing for United. Picked up for £20.000 he was instrumental in United getting promoted from division 2, scoring 11 goals in 37 matches. He played 1.5 season in division 1 before Derby signed the irishman for £175.000. He played a total of 111 matches and scored 23 goals from his midfield-position. He went on to have a long career, including 48 internationals for Ireland.
Ray O'Brien - 22 - signed from Shelbourne for £30.000
Rating 2/10
A young left-back United signed from Shelbourne. He played a total of 20 matches for United, before being sold to Notts County in 1974 for £40.000. He went on to be a legend for Notts County, playing over 300 matches and being the first defender in the clubs history to become the leading scorer. He scored 10 league-goals in the second 79/80.
Stewart Houston - 24 - signed from Brentford for £55.000
Rating 7/10
Not all of Tommy Docherty's scottish signings were good, but few were better value for money than the reliable left-back Stewart Houston. Not rated by Chelsea, he was sold to Brentford in 1972 before Docherty picked him up for £55.000. He was United's first-choice left-back until the emergence of Arthur Albiston around 1977/78. He played a total of 205 games scoring 13 goals for United.
Mick Martin - 22 - signed from Bohemians for £20.000
Rating 4/10
Mick Martin was yet another young player Tommy Docherty picked up from the irish league, after watching him excel in a league match against Shelbourne. He played regularly for the remainder of the 72/73 season after signing in january. Mick Martin was out of the team for parts of the 73/74 season, and when Docherty wanted to rebuild the side in order to prepare for a return to division 1, Martin was sold. He played 40 matches for United, scoring 2 goals. He went on the have a good career in England with WBA and Newcastle, as well as playing 51 times for Ireland.
George Buchan - 23 - signed from Aberdeen for undisclosed fee
Rating 1/10
George was the younger brother of Martin Buchan, and his signing came as something of a surprise as he hadn't exactly set Scottish football on fire. He came to United in 1973, played a total of 3 matches before being shipped off to Bury, where he wasn't a big success. At the age of 26 he joined amateur-club Mossley, which says it all.
Paddy Roche - 22 - signed from Shelbourne for £15.000
Rating 3/10
The young irish goalkeeper had already played 100 league matches when United signed him in 1973, and his name would be remembered by many United-fans for all the wrong reasons. Roche wasn't a bad goalkeeper, but the concept of playing for a club like Manchester United got to him. He would make mistakes, big mistakes - especially at home. And the more the fans turned on him, the worse it got. Once relegated to the reserves away from the spotlight, Roche looked like a completely different keeper. But once he got his chance in the first-team, the nerves returned. After just 46 matches in 9 seasons Roche was transferred to Brentford.
Rating 8/10
Pearson made his debut at Hull at the age of 17 and played 6 seasons at Boothferry Park scoring 44 goals in 129 matches. When Manchester United got relegated in 1974, they viewed Pearson as a striker who could get them back into the 1 division. He became the clubs leading scorer with 17 goals in 31 matches. He continued his fine form in the following seasons and scored a total of 55 goals in 139 matches for United, before being sold to West Ham in 1979. The nickname "Pancho" apparently was given to him because of a big moustache he had when he first signed for Manchester United.
Ron Davies - 32 - signed from Portsmouth for a small fee
Rating 1/10
Davies made a name for himself in the lower divisions scoring over 120 goals in 250 matches for Chester, Luton and Norwich. Southampton who won promotion to division 1 in 1965/66 with an exciting team including Martin Chivers, Mick Channon (who Davies went to school with) and future Chelsea-manager David Webb, signed Davies for £55.000. He scored 37 goals in his first season for Southampton, and the season after he was joint top-scorer in the league with George Best. After a match against United where he scored 4 goals, Busby said that he was the best striker in Europe. Injuries and better understanding on how to cope with his aerial threat made his less efficient in the early 70s and he eventually lost his place in the side and sold to Portsmouth in 1973. After 18 months at Pompey, United picked him up in november 1974 in order to boost their chances of winning promotion back to Division 1. He played 8 matches for United all from the bench, scored no goals and was sent to Millwall 6 months later. A brilliant striker 5-6 years earlier, but a strange signing when it was made.
Rating 8/10
Value for money, there were few better signings for United in the 70s than the tricky winger Gordon Hill. Nick-named "Merlin" by the Millwall-fans, he even spent the summer of 1975 on-loan to Chicago Sting scoring 16 goals in 21 matches. With Hill on one wing, and Steve Coppell on the other, United flew through Division 2 and returned to the top-flight where his good form continued. Hill scored 39 league goals in 101 matches in 3 seasons at United, but when Docherty was fired for having an affair with the physios wife, new manager Dave Sexton agreed to sell Hill to Derby for £250.000. A very unpopular decision as Hill was loved at Old Trafford. Unfortunately this almost marked the end of his career as a footballer as injuries limited his appearances at Derby down to 24 over 2 seasons. At the age of 27, Hill moved to the US to play indoor soccer with great success. He eventually returned to Europe after 4 seasons in the US.
Steve Coppell - 20 - signed from Tranmere for £60.000
Rating 9/10
Coppell had made a name for himself as an exciting right-winger at Tranmere when United picked him up for £60.000. Coppell was an immediate success at Old Trafford. Hill was a more typical goalscorer from his left wing, while Coppell was the player making all the assists. He consistently played 50 matches each season, usually grabbing close to 10 goals. Coppell had to retire in 1983 after knee-injuries, but played a total of 396 matches, scoring 70 goals.
Tommy Jackson - 29 - signed from Nottingham Forest on a free transfer
Rating 2/10
Northern-Ireland international Tommy Jackson had moved to England and Everton at the age of 21. He played a total of 32 matches for Everton as an understudy to Alan Ball and Howard Kendall, and did well enough to attract attention from WBA who signed him in 1970. Once again he struggled for game-time and only managed 81 matches in almost 5 years at Forest. With the arrival of Brian Clough and midfield-maestro Martin O'Neill, Jackson practically never played and was released on a free. Docherty picked him up with the intention of captaining the reserves, but Jackson did well enough to start 17 games in the 75/76 season, before going back to the reserves next season. After 19 league games, he became player-manager for irish side Waterford where he retired.
Jimmy Greenhoff - 30 - signed from Stoke for £120.000
Rating 7/10
Docherty wanted a striking partner to Stuart Pearson, and with Stoke desperate for funds to repair Victoria Ground - agreed to sell Jimmy Greenhoff. Jimmy Greenhoff had been a solid goalscorer all his career, with 76 goals in 274 matches for Stoke. He was highly rated at Stoke, and many Potters-fans still consider him the best english player never to be capped. Greenhoff played 3 seasons as a regular at United, scoring 25 league goals. At the beginning of 1979/1980 he had been reduced to making the odd appearance, and left the club for Crewe in 1980. His total record at United was 36 goals in 123 matches.
Chris McGrath - 22 - signed from Tottenham for £30.000
Rating 4/10
Chris McGrath was a small winger who joined Tottenham as a youth-player and played a total of 38 matches for Spurs, and further 15 on-loan to Millwall. Docherty was looking for a back-up on the right-wing and signed McGrath for £30.000. But McGrath was given very few chances due to Steve Coppells superb form and only played 7 matches in 76/77 - and 5 of them were as substitute. With the arrival of Dave Sexton, McGrath his best season at United in 77/78 with 23 appearances in all competitions and his only goal at United came in that season. McGrath left United in 1981 to join Tulsa Roughnecks, playing a total of 34 matches, scoring 1 goal.
Colin Waldron - 28 - signed from Burnley on a free transfer
Rating 1/10
Colin Waldron had been a highly reliable defender for Burnley for a decade after joining the club from Chelsea in 1967, only 19 years old. When businessman Bob Lord sacked Burnley-manager Jimmy Adamson in 1976, he seemed determined to get rid of all players closest to Adamsson and released Waldron on a free transfer. Tommy Docherty who sold Waldron to Burnley 10 years earlier now signed him for United, but he only played 3 matches before Jimmy Adamsson, now in charge of Sunderland signed him from United.
Rating 6/10
Grimes was a very versatile-player who could play both as a defender and in midfield. United had previously had Grimes on trial, but didn't sign him until 1977 when Grimes was 20 years old. Grimes was never a regular during his 6 years at United, but he did a professional job wherever he was asked to fill in. His best season was in 1979/80 when he played 26 league matches and scoring 3 goals. He left United for Coventry in 1983 for £200.000 after playing 107 matches and scoring 11 goals.
Rating 8/10
The tall scottish defender Gordon McQueen had joined Leeds from St.Mirren only 20 years old, and soon established himself as a first-team regular alongside Norman Hunter. When United offered Leeds £495.000 for the 26 year old in 1978, Leeds couldn't turn the offer down. This happened just weeks after United signed Joe Jordan from Leeds for £350.000, and just 3 weeks earlier McQueen said he wanted to play out his career at Elland Road, but once the contract was signed he made the infamous quote: "99% of all players want to play for Manchester United, the rest are liars. McQueen struggled a bit with injuries during his 7.5 seasons at United, and only managed to play more than 30 league matches in 3 of those seasons. In total he played 229 matches and scored 26 goals
Tom Sloan - 19 - signed from Ballymena for £20.000
Rating 2/10
Tom Sloan was a small, central midfielder who had impressed for Ballymena and Northern Ireland U21, and United signed him in the summer of 1978. He played 4 times for United that season, and attracted a call-up to the national side. In total he only played 11 times for United in his 4 seasons at the club before being released by Ron Atkinson in 1982.
Joe Jordan - 27 - signed from Leeds for £350.000
Rating 7/10
Jordan had joined Leeds for £15.000 as a 19 year old, and had gained a reputation as an extremely tough, hard-working striker, but never a great goalscorer. When United offered Leeds £350.000 for the scottish international, they accepted. Jordan initially struggled and only scored 9 goals in his first 44 matches, but in his last 2 seasons at the club, he was quite prolific grabbing 28 goals in 65 matches. In 1981 Joe Jordan left United to join Milan where he stayed 2 seasons. Jordan was nicknamed "Jaws" for losing his 2 frontteeth early in his career.
Kevin Moran - 21 - signed from Pegasus for a small fee
Rating 8/10
Moran was picked up by United after being spotted by their irish scout Billy Behan. He hardly played in his first 1.5 season at the club, but with injuries to Martin Buchan in the 80/81 seasons, Moran suddenly found himself a regular. Moran was ruthless and often found himself injured after throwing himself into tackles. He was a fairly small central defender, but was exceptionally good in the air and scored 7 league goals both in 81/82 and 83/84. Kevin Moran will forever be remembered as the first player to be sent-off in an FA Cup Final in 1985, and despite United winning, he wasn't allowed to pick up a winners medal. Moran played regularly until the season 1987/88 when the arrival of Steve Bruce in december 1987, meant Moran was no longer first choice. During the summer of 1988, Alex Ferguson let Moran go to Sporting Gijon - a decision he later admitted was one of the biggest managerial mistakes of his career.
Mickey Thomas - 24 - signed from Wrexham for £300.000
Rating 6/10
In a Wrexham-side moving upwards in the league-system, no player impressed more than 24 year old winger Mickey Thomas. He score 7 goals in 43 matches as Wrexham got promoted to Division 2, and after 6 goals in 16 matches in Division 2, Dave Sexton signed the player for £300.000. He scored just 1 goal in 25 appearances for United in 78/79, but impressed the next season with 8 goals in 35 matches. Ron Aktinson joining United in 1981 was the exit of Thomas' United-career and he was sold to Everton during the summer. He player 110 games and scored 15 goals for Manchester United.
Gary Bailey - 19 - signed from Wilts University in 1979.
Rating 9/10
Gary Bailey paid for his fare to travel from Johannesburg to Manchester for a trial with United, and did so well that United signed the 19 year old. With Alex Stepney retiring, the goalkeeper position was up for grabs and Bailey quickly made the position his own. This happened despite Bailey was considered 5th choice when he arrived at the club. He broke into the United side before christmas in 1978/79 and despite being at fault for Arsenals winner in the 1979 FA cup Final, he was Uniteds first-choice goalkeeper for the next 7 seasons. Due to many good goalkeepers, Bailey had to wait until 1985 until he was given the chance for England, but was picked for England for the world-cup in 1986. Unforunately he sustained a serious knee-injury during training and had to retire from football before his 29th birthday.
Tom Connell - 19 - signed from Coleraine for a small fee
Rating 2/10
Tom Connell was another young player from the Nothern Ireland that was picked up by Dave Sexton. He made his debut at left-back for the injured Stewart Houston in december 1978 as United lost by 0-3 to Bolton. He was given another chance against Liverpool on boxing day the same week, but United yet again lost 3-0. He stayed at United, playing in the reserves, but the arrival of Ron Atkinson saw the end of his United-career and he was sold to Glentoran for £37.500
Rating 8/10
Ray Wilkins had been handed the Chelsea-captaincy at the age of 18. He had established himself in the English line-up and was the star of the Chelsea-side in the late 70's. Chelsea had narrowly escaped relegation in 1977/78, but season 1978/79 turned out to be a total disaster for Chelsea, and they ended bottom with only 20 points from 42 matches. Dave Sexton quickly signed Wilkins for a fee of £825.000. As well as being a brilliant footballer, Wilkins was one of the true gentlemen in football, and no one could find a bad word to say about him. Wilkins did well at United, but once Bryan Robson joined United in 1981, he was no longer the key-player in the side. And the general feeling was that Ron Atkinson never really got the best out of him, even if Wilkins absolutely played well at United. After 5 seasons, 160 matches and 7 league-goals, Wilkins left United to join AC Milan for £1.5 million.
1970/1971
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1971/1972
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1972/1973
Martin Buchan - 23 - Signed from Aberdeen for £125.000
Rating 9/10
Buchan had despite his young age played over 130 matches for Aberdeen. He was the captain of the side and had broken into the Scottish national side. His calm, composed style made him look much more experienced than he was. He joined United at the toughest time in the clubs modern history, but was one of the key-players as the club established themselves in the 1 division and won FA Cup finals in 1977 and 1983. Buchan was the first player to captain both a Scottish and an English FA-Cup winner.
Ian Storey-Moore - 27 - Signed from Nottingham for £225.000
Rating 2/10
It was considered a coup when Storey-Moore opted to sign for United, rather than with his old manager Brian Clough at Derby for a record-sum of £225.000. Storey-Moore had joined Forest from Scunthorpe as a 17 year old and had gained a reputation as a pacy, skilled winger/striker with a nose for goal, with 105 goals in 236 matches. However the injuries that had started to appear at the end of his Forest-career quickly turned from bad to worse at United. In about 3 seasons for United, he player a total of 39 matches, scoring 11 goals before retiring in 1974 at the age of 29.
Wyn Davies - 30 - Signed from Manchester City for £60.000
Rating 2/10
Wyn Davies was signed by Frank O'Farrell to be teamed up with another signing, Ted McDougall. Nicknamed "The Leap", Davies was a tall, old-fashioned striker who created a lot of problems in the air, but who never was a prolific goalscorer. He had scored 66 in 155 for Bolton, before scoring 40 goals in 5 seasons at St.James' Park. At City he only managed 8 goals in 45 matches and it was a surprise that O'Farrell signed him for £60.000. He was sold to Blackpool at the end of the season for £15.000. Never made a big impression, but at least scored 1 of the goals at United beat Liverpool 2-0 at Old Trafford in november.
Ted McDougall - 25 - signed from Bournemouth for £200.000
Rating 3/10
McDougall had been banging in goals Bournemouth in division 3. He had scored 35 goals during the 71/72 season and a total of 103 goals in 146 league matches for Bournemouth, and United signed the scottish striker in competition with several other clubs. McDougall who had joined Liverpool as a trainee before leaving for York and later Bournemouth, found life in division 1 much harder to adapt to. In a very poor United-side, McDougall scored on his debut in a 1-0 win against Birmingham in mid-October. He further scored 4 goals in 8 matches in november and december, but with the arrival of Tommy Docherty in december 1972, McDougall was frozen out and eventually sold to West Ham for £130.000 less than a year after his arrival.
Alex Forsyth - 20 - signed from Partick Thistle for £135.000
Rating 6/10
Forsyth had made his debut for Scotland and was a regular for Partick Thistle during the start of the 72/73 season. When Docherty replace O'Farrell as United-manager, Forsyth became one of his first signings. Forsyth was a regular for shorter periods, but never managed to make any position his own. At times he lost his place to Steve James at left-back, and later he struggled to play regularly at right-back with the emergence of Jimmy Nicholl. He played a total of 101 games, scoring 4 goals in the process.
George Graham - 28 - signed from Arsenal for £120.000
Rating 2/10
George Graham had been playing regularly at Arsenal since his arrival from Chelsea in 1966. But the signing of Alan Ball had made his position at Arsenal weaker and when Docherty contacted Arsenal about Graham, a transfer was made for a total of £120.000. However the player who regularly scored 10 goals a season for Arsenal never delivered at United. In his first 6 months he scored once against Leeds, and in his next season he scored again once in 24 matches as United were relegated. He was sold to Portsmouth in 1974 after 2 goals in 42 matches for United.
Trevor Anderson - 21 - signed from Portadown for £15.000
Rating 2/10
The small, pacy striker had done well for Portadown. 40 goals in 90 matches was a decent return for the 21 year old, but it was still considered a surprise that it would attract the attention of Manchester United. Anderson scored the winner against Leeds in the 72/73 season, and scored his 2nd and last goal for United in october 1973, but stopped at 19 matches for United. A month later he was sold to Swindon where he did fairly ok and scored 35 goals in 135 matches.
1973/74
Lou Macari - 24 - signed from Celtic for £200.000Rating 8/10
Macari had impressed so much at Celtic that several of the clubs in England were after him, but he decided to join the scottish revolution at United. He played more than 30 league matches 8 seasons in a row for United, and scoring an average of 7-8 goals a season from his midfield-position. When he left United in 1984, he had scored a total of 97 goals in 404 matches.
Jim McCalliog - 27 - signed from Wolverhampton for £60.000
Rating 5/10
McCalliog was signed on deadline-day in march 1974 from Wolves. He had established himself as a good all-round midfielder with over 50 goals in 300 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves and Docherty hoped the Scot could rescue United. He scored 4 goals in 11 matches at the end of the season, and added some more goals the season after but was sold to Southampton for £40.000 less than a year after his arrival.
Gerry Daly - 19 - signed from Bohemians for £20.000
Rating 7/10
Gerry Daly became a very good signing for United. Picked up for £20.000 he was instrumental in United getting promoted from division 2, scoring 11 goals in 37 matches. He played 1.5 season in division 1 before Derby signed the irishman for £175.000. He played a total of 111 matches and scored 23 goals from his midfield-position. He went on to have a long career, including 48 internationals for Ireland.
Ray O'Brien - 22 - signed from Shelbourne for £30.000
Rating 2/10
A young left-back United signed from Shelbourne. He played a total of 20 matches for United, before being sold to Notts County in 1974 for £40.000. He went on to be a legend for Notts County, playing over 300 matches and being the first defender in the clubs history to become the leading scorer. He scored 10 league-goals in the second 79/80.
Stewart Houston - 24 - signed from Brentford for £55.000
Rating 7/10
Not all of Tommy Docherty's scottish signings were good, but few were better value for money than the reliable left-back Stewart Houston. Not rated by Chelsea, he was sold to Brentford in 1972 before Docherty picked him up for £55.000. He was United's first-choice left-back until the emergence of Arthur Albiston around 1977/78. He played a total of 205 games scoring 13 goals for United.
Mick Martin - 22 - signed from Bohemians for £20.000
Rating 4/10
Mick Martin was yet another young player Tommy Docherty picked up from the irish league, after watching him excel in a league match against Shelbourne. He played regularly for the remainder of the 72/73 season after signing in january. Mick Martin was out of the team for parts of the 73/74 season, and when Docherty wanted to rebuild the side in order to prepare for a return to division 1, Martin was sold. He played 40 matches for United, scoring 2 goals. He went on the have a good career in England with WBA and Newcastle, as well as playing 51 times for Ireland.
George Buchan - 23 - signed from Aberdeen for undisclosed fee
Rating 1/10
George was the younger brother of Martin Buchan, and his signing came as something of a surprise as he hadn't exactly set Scottish football on fire. He came to United in 1973, played a total of 3 matches before being shipped off to Bury, where he wasn't a big success. At the age of 26 he joined amateur-club Mossley, which says it all.
Paddy Roche - 22 - signed from Shelbourne for £15.000
Rating 3/10
The young irish goalkeeper had already played 100 league matches when United signed him in 1973, and his name would be remembered by many United-fans for all the wrong reasons. Roche wasn't a bad goalkeeper, but the concept of playing for a club like Manchester United got to him. He would make mistakes, big mistakes - especially at home. And the more the fans turned on him, the worse it got. Once relegated to the reserves away from the spotlight, Roche looked like a completely different keeper. But once he got his chance in the first-team, the nerves returned. After just 46 matches in 9 seasons Roche was transferred to Brentford.
1974/75
Stuart Pearson - 25 - signed from Hull for £200.000Rating 8/10
Pearson made his debut at Hull at the age of 17 and played 6 seasons at Boothferry Park scoring 44 goals in 129 matches. When Manchester United got relegated in 1974, they viewed Pearson as a striker who could get them back into the 1 division. He became the clubs leading scorer with 17 goals in 31 matches. He continued his fine form in the following seasons and scored a total of 55 goals in 139 matches for United, before being sold to West Ham in 1979. The nickname "Pancho" apparently was given to him because of a big moustache he had when he first signed for Manchester United.
Ron Davies - 32 - signed from Portsmouth for a small fee
Rating 1/10
Davies made a name for himself in the lower divisions scoring over 120 goals in 250 matches for Chester, Luton and Norwich. Southampton who won promotion to division 1 in 1965/66 with an exciting team including Martin Chivers, Mick Channon (who Davies went to school with) and future Chelsea-manager David Webb, signed Davies for £55.000. He scored 37 goals in his first season for Southampton, and the season after he was joint top-scorer in the league with George Best. After a match against United where he scored 4 goals, Busby said that he was the best striker in Europe. Injuries and better understanding on how to cope with his aerial threat made his less efficient in the early 70s and he eventually lost his place in the side and sold to Portsmouth in 1973. After 18 months at Pompey, United picked him up in november 1974 in order to boost their chances of winning promotion back to Division 1. He played 8 matches for United all from the bench, scored no goals and was sent to Millwall 6 months later. A brilliant striker 5-6 years earlier, but a strange signing when it was made.
1975/76
Gordon Hill - 21 - signed from Millwall for £70.000Rating 8/10
Value for money, there were few better signings for United in the 70s than the tricky winger Gordon Hill. Nick-named "Merlin" by the Millwall-fans, he even spent the summer of 1975 on-loan to Chicago Sting scoring 16 goals in 21 matches. With Hill on one wing, and Steve Coppell on the other, United flew through Division 2 and returned to the top-flight where his good form continued. Hill scored 39 league goals in 101 matches in 3 seasons at United, but when Docherty was fired for having an affair with the physios wife, new manager Dave Sexton agreed to sell Hill to Derby for £250.000. A very unpopular decision as Hill was loved at Old Trafford. Unfortunately this almost marked the end of his career as a footballer as injuries limited his appearances at Derby down to 24 over 2 seasons. At the age of 27, Hill moved to the US to play indoor soccer with great success. He eventually returned to Europe after 4 seasons in the US.
Steve Coppell - 20 - signed from Tranmere for £60.000
Rating 9/10
Coppell had made a name for himself as an exciting right-winger at Tranmere when United picked him up for £60.000. Coppell was an immediate success at Old Trafford. Hill was a more typical goalscorer from his left wing, while Coppell was the player making all the assists. He consistently played 50 matches each season, usually grabbing close to 10 goals. Coppell had to retire in 1983 after knee-injuries, but played a total of 396 matches, scoring 70 goals.
Tommy Jackson - 29 - signed from Nottingham Forest on a free transfer
Rating 2/10
Northern-Ireland international Tommy Jackson had moved to England and Everton at the age of 21. He played a total of 32 matches for Everton as an understudy to Alan Ball and Howard Kendall, and did well enough to attract attention from WBA who signed him in 1970. Once again he struggled for game-time and only managed 81 matches in almost 5 years at Forest. With the arrival of Brian Clough and midfield-maestro Martin O'Neill, Jackson practically never played and was released on a free. Docherty picked him up with the intention of captaining the reserves, but Jackson did well enough to start 17 games in the 75/76 season, before going back to the reserves next season. After 19 league games, he became player-manager for irish side Waterford where he retired.
Jimmy Greenhoff - 30 - signed from Stoke for £120.000
Rating 7/10
Docherty wanted a striking partner to Stuart Pearson, and with Stoke desperate for funds to repair Victoria Ground - agreed to sell Jimmy Greenhoff. Jimmy Greenhoff had been a solid goalscorer all his career, with 76 goals in 274 matches for Stoke. He was highly rated at Stoke, and many Potters-fans still consider him the best english player never to be capped. Greenhoff played 3 seasons as a regular at United, scoring 25 league goals. At the beginning of 1979/1980 he had been reduced to making the odd appearance, and left the club for Crewe in 1980. His total record at United was 36 goals in 123 matches.
Chris McGrath - 22 - signed from Tottenham for £30.000
Rating 4/10
Chris McGrath was a small winger who joined Tottenham as a youth-player and played a total of 38 matches for Spurs, and further 15 on-loan to Millwall. Docherty was looking for a back-up on the right-wing and signed McGrath for £30.000. But McGrath was given very few chances due to Steve Coppells superb form and only played 7 matches in 76/77 - and 5 of them were as substitute. With the arrival of Dave Sexton, McGrath his best season at United in 77/78 with 23 appearances in all competitions and his only goal at United came in that season. McGrath left United in 1981 to join Tulsa Roughnecks, playing a total of 34 matches, scoring 1 goal.
Colin Waldron - 28 - signed from Burnley on a free transfer
Rating 1/10
Colin Waldron had been a highly reliable defender for Burnley for a decade after joining the club from Chelsea in 1967, only 19 years old. When businessman Bob Lord sacked Burnley-manager Jimmy Adamson in 1976, he seemed determined to get rid of all players closest to Adamsson and released Waldron on a free transfer. Tommy Docherty who sold Waldron to Burnley 10 years earlier now signed him for United, but he only played 3 matches before Jimmy Adamsson, now in charge of Sunderland signed him from United.
1977/78
Ashley GrimesRating 6/10
Grimes was a very versatile-player who could play both as a defender and in midfield. United had previously had Grimes on trial, but didn't sign him until 1977 when Grimes was 20 years old. Grimes was never a regular during his 6 years at United, but he did a professional job wherever he was asked to fill in. His best season was in 1979/80 when he played 26 league matches and scoring 3 goals. He left United for Coventry in 1983 for £200.000 after playing 107 matches and scoring 11 goals.
1978/79
Gordon McQueen - 26 - signed from Leeds for £495.000Rating 8/10
The tall scottish defender Gordon McQueen had joined Leeds from St.Mirren only 20 years old, and soon established himself as a first-team regular alongside Norman Hunter. When United offered Leeds £495.000 for the 26 year old in 1978, Leeds couldn't turn the offer down. This happened just weeks after United signed Joe Jordan from Leeds for £350.000, and just 3 weeks earlier McQueen said he wanted to play out his career at Elland Road, but once the contract was signed he made the infamous quote: "99% of all players want to play for Manchester United, the rest are liars. McQueen struggled a bit with injuries during his 7.5 seasons at United, and only managed to play more than 30 league matches in 3 of those seasons. In total he played 229 matches and scored 26 goals
Tom Sloan - 19 - signed from Ballymena for £20.000
Rating 2/10
Tom Sloan was a small, central midfielder who had impressed for Ballymena and Northern Ireland U21, and United signed him in the summer of 1978. He played 4 times for United that season, and attracted a call-up to the national side. In total he only played 11 times for United in his 4 seasons at the club before being released by Ron Atkinson in 1982.
Joe Jordan - 27 - signed from Leeds for £350.000
Rating 7/10
Jordan had joined Leeds for £15.000 as a 19 year old, and had gained a reputation as an extremely tough, hard-working striker, but never a great goalscorer. When United offered Leeds £350.000 for the scottish international, they accepted. Jordan initially struggled and only scored 9 goals in his first 44 matches, but in his last 2 seasons at the club, he was quite prolific grabbing 28 goals in 65 matches. In 1981 Joe Jordan left United to join Milan where he stayed 2 seasons. Jordan was nicknamed "Jaws" for losing his 2 frontteeth early in his career.
Kevin Moran - 21 - signed from Pegasus for a small fee
Rating 8/10
Moran was picked up by United after being spotted by their irish scout Billy Behan. He hardly played in his first 1.5 season at the club, but with injuries to Martin Buchan in the 80/81 seasons, Moran suddenly found himself a regular. Moran was ruthless and often found himself injured after throwing himself into tackles. He was a fairly small central defender, but was exceptionally good in the air and scored 7 league goals both in 81/82 and 83/84. Kevin Moran will forever be remembered as the first player to be sent-off in an FA Cup Final in 1985, and despite United winning, he wasn't allowed to pick up a winners medal. Moran played regularly until the season 1987/88 when the arrival of Steve Bruce in december 1987, meant Moran was no longer first choice. During the summer of 1988, Alex Ferguson let Moran go to Sporting Gijon - a decision he later admitted was one of the biggest managerial mistakes of his career.
Mickey Thomas - 24 - signed from Wrexham for £300.000
Rating 6/10
In a Wrexham-side moving upwards in the league-system, no player impressed more than 24 year old winger Mickey Thomas. He score 7 goals in 43 matches as Wrexham got promoted to Division 2, and after 6 goals in 16 matches in Division 2, Dave Sexton signed the player for £300.000. He scored just 1 goal in 25 appearances for United in 78/79, but impressed the next season with 8 goals in 35 matches. Ron Aktinson joining United in 1981 was the exit of Thomas' United-career and he was sold to Everton during the summer. He player 110 games and scored 15 goals for Manchester United.
Gary Bailey - 19 - signed from Wilts University in 1979.
Rating 9/10
Gary Bailey paid for his fare to travel from Johannesburg to Manchester for a trial with United, and did so well that United signed the 19 year old. With Alex Stepney retiring, the goalkeeper position was up for grabs and Bailey quickly made the position his own. This happened despite Bailey was considered 5th choice when he arrived at the club. He broke into the United side before christmas in 1978/79 and despite being at fault for Arsenals winner in the 1979 FA cup Final, he was Uniteds first-choice goalkeeper for the next 7 seasons. Due to many good goalkeepers, Bailey had to wait until 1985 until he was given the chance for England, but was picked for England for the world-cup in 1986. Unforunately he sustained a serious knee-injury during training and had to retire from football before his 29th birthday.
Tom Connell - 19 - signed from Coleraine for a small fee
Rating 2/10
Tom Connell was another young player from the Nothern Ireland that was picked up by Dave Sexton. He made his debut at left-back for the injured Stewart Houston in december 1978 as United lost by 0-3 to Bolton. He was given another chance against Liverpool on boxing day the same week, but United yet again lost 3-0. He stayed at United, playing in the reserves, but the arrival of Ron Atkinson saw the end of his United-career and he was sold to Glentoran for £37.500
1979/80
Ray Wilkins - 22 - signed from Chelsea for £825.000Rating 8/10
Ray Wilkins had been handed the Chelsea-captaincy at the age of 18. He had established himself in the English line-up and was the star of the Chelsea-side in the late 70's. Chelsea had narrowly escaped relegation in 1977/78, but season 1978/79 turned out to be a total disaster for Chelsea, and they ended bottom with only 20 points from 42 matches. Dave Sexton quickly signed Wilkins for a fee of £825.000. As well as being a brilliant footballer, Wilkins was one of the true gentlemen in football, and no one could find a bad word to say about him. Wilkins did well at United, but once Bryan Robson joined United in 1981, he was no longer the key-player in the side. And the general feeling was that Ron Atkinson never really got the best out of him, even if Wilkins absolutely played well at United. After 5 seasons, 160 matches and 7 league-goals, Wilkins left United to join AC Milan for £1.5 million.
