It couldn't have started better. Beating the defending Champions 4-1, Stretford end bouncing, new signings scoring worldies, we went away that day thinking a corner had been turned (and there was Knighton and a new dawn too). But it unravelled very quickly. Towards the end of the previous season I went to OT when we played Everton and Wimbledon in front of 21k and 26k crowds, unbelievable to think that now. So we had a real first game bounce, then remarkably the wheels came off quickly. Neil Webb got injured playing for England in the September which was a real blow, followed by some very poor performances where we looked like a lost team, culimating in the 1-5 trouncing at Maine Road. Tensions after that began to climb, and some - including myself - had run out of patience with Ferguson. I still went to every game, but it was a tough watch. At one point, I remember us going to Millwall in a real relegation battle and scraping a win, and at the time of the FA Cup Semi I think we were around fifth from bottom. I would say though, that you had a sense of camaraderie from those who went to the game at the time, almost like diehards only at one point! But it still felt good that we were there, through the bad times as well as good. We still cheered on youngsters like Beardsmore and Sharpe, hoping they'd give us a little light, and ultimately as we all know the FA Cup saved the season - and Fergie without doubt. I think playing away from home every round actually relieved some pressure at the time, and I cheered Robins' winner in the semi-replay louder than any goal since Whiteside in '85. We felt we just needed to get over the line and win a trophy, which we did in the Final reply, which brought relief more than anything. I can't say it honestly felt to me like a team coming together in '90 (Although it was a great time to be alive in Manchester!), and I was a pretty surpised that we did so well in Europe the following year, and suddenly looked like a squad going places. Thankfully, we rose from the Division One depths like the prevebrial Phoenix, and it was times like 88/89 & 89/90 that made the following twenty years so magnificently wonderful.