Old Utd Fans, how was it like during 1989/90 season?

[Jeffthered]

Vaguely recall... we weren't great, but we were getting 'something'... Fergie had been dealing with the drinking culture, some big personalities (Robson, Whiteside, McGrath.. these are club legends..) and was trying to bring in players with better attitude, Choccie McClair, Neil Webb (who was a very good footballer..) It wasn't easy against good Liverpool and Arsenal teams.
Mark Robins goal was important at that moment, we needed a high profile trophy success... it galvanised Fergie (who must have been very worried.. he wasn't used to failure...) and the whole club. Martin Edwards got a real hold on things in the boardroom and the two of them shaped the club, built on a solid foundation.

 

[Zed 101]

Who you calling old you young whippersnapper

 

[miked99]

Born in 89 in Peterborough and my Dad’s a rugby guy not a football guy, so didn’t have a natural team to follow. Mum’s Welsh so Sparky and Giggs got me into United as a kid (probably didn’t hurt that the team was good, too!). Was gutted when we sold him. He scored some brilliant goals in those first couple of seasons of the premier league.

An aside, but the club used to do official season reviews on VHS back then. I loved getting those tapes at the end of the season and seeing all the goals that I missed during the season. Think they stopped doing them in the early 2000s; shame.

I still have this! Plus the first one. And the monthly 'Manchester United on Video' 'video magazines' that came out every month

I used to record all the United goals that were shown on TV onto VHS and keep them. I've still got a feckload of old videos with tons of footage from pre-Premier League United matches and other teams as well. Always said I'd edit them all onto DVDs but I'm never gonna get around to that. A lot of the footage isn't available on youtube so I'll just hoard them forever

 

[Tribec]

I've seen a few posts describing the football as dire. What do you think were the issues that caused the football to be dire during this time? E.g. the players, tactics, commitment levels etc.

I think it was a bit of everything, the players were good players, but were they great players? The ones to get you over the line at that moment in time, I'd so no they weren't. We shouldn't compare it to today, as with this team individual errors cost us in many games and as has been seen this year over the season they frustrate and infuriate with magnitude. As also has been stated certainly in that season we brought in 5 players who were all going into the team and it took time for them to settle, form partnerships and produce the best form for the team. Some never did (Webb and Wallace), but that helped with the inconsistencies.

I'd also suggest that Fergie was still trying to figure out the English league, to find the best tactics that would work for him and the team. He'd tried to bring his Aberdeen style down to us, but it needed adapting and we were chasing Liverpool and then Arsenal (sounds familiar doesn't it). I wouldn't blame commitment, they players were playing for him, if they didn't they were out and others would come in. Nothing came out in the press about the squad being unhappy etc. As maligned as some of his signings were they all played for United and Fergie it was just the quality. In that respect Milne is the perfect example, it was I'm sure a project for Fergie to get him back to his Dundee United best, but it didn't work and whilst the quality wasn't there any more, no one would question his commitment to the cause.

 

[flameinthesun]

I think it was a bit of everything, the players were good players, but were they great players? The ones to get you over the line at that moment in time, I'd so no they weren't. We shouldn't compare it to today, as with this team individual errors cost us in many games and as has been seen this year over the season they frustrate and infuriate with magnitude. As also has been stated certainly in that season we brought in 5 players who were all going into the team and it took time for them to settle, form partnerships and produce the best form for the team. Some never did (Webb and Wallace), but that helped with the inconsistencies.

I'd also suggest that Fergie was still trying to figure out the English league, to find the best tactics that would work for him and the team. He'd tried to bring his Aberdeen style down to us, but it needed adapting and we were chasing Liverpool and then Arsenal (sounds familiar doesn't it). I wouldn't blame commitment, they players were playing for him, if they didn't they were out and others would come in. Nothing came out in the press about the squad being unhappy etc. As maligned as some of his signings were they all played for United and Fergie it was just the quality. In that respect Milne is the perfect example, it was I'm sure a project for Fergie to get him back to his Dundee United best, but it didn't work and whilst the quality wasn't there any more, no one would question his commitment to the cause.

Thanks for the insight!

 

[GueRed]

I was still in my youth so was pretty oblivious to the pressures Fergie was going through during the season.

All i remember results were crap. Apart from the 4-1 against Arsenal there wasnt much to brag about to my Liverpool and Arsenal supporting mates/classmates during the season, it was tough.

However the ending to the season was brilliant. Winning the FA Cup. Back when it was the biggest game of the domestic season.

I was made up as a kid, my first trophy as a United fan.

 

[Nytram Shakes]

i was 5, i don't remember much of the actual season but I went to watch my first game we drew 0-0 with QPR...

 

[Nytram Shakes]

I wasn’t born yet

lazy!

 

[Grande]

Hardly anyone talked about things like 'defined playing style' back then - all that kind of chat is a very modern phenomenon with stats, tactical analysis etc. British teams all played in a similar way, so it was essentially down to results and goals.

The team was mostly shit the year before (11th in the league) so expectations weren't particularly high but it turned out to be the worst league season since getting relegated! Winning the cup undoubtedly saved his job.

Lots of parallels to today as expensive signing like Pallister was considered a waste of money. Many fans blamed the ownership and Michael Knighton came close to the buying the club.

Not ‘defined playing style’, no, but excitement, grit and panache could give some extra miles in the peoples bank. Unfortunately, the football in Ferguson’s first seasons where largely not that exciting.

I agree it was a bit like now, albeit an extreme version. United had big names like Robson, Whiteside, McGrath, Strachan and were underachieving due to fifferent reasons like injuries, alcohol, unprofessionality, mismatch with coaching. Much like Rangnik, Ferguson deemed wholesale changes were needed, and much like Ten Hag, had to buy a few good players and many mediocre ones to make up the numbers. People complaining about Antony and Mount today, probably wouldn’t have been blown away by Danny Wallace, Terry Gibson or Mal Donaghy back then. Lots of injuries and relying on youth who were interesting but inexperienced. Two 11th finishes and one 13th as I recall, and nothing like ‘but the performances were good’. Even after several heavy buys, McClair, Ince, Pallister, Hughes comeback, we still struggled.

What saved Fergies bottom imo was the 2nd place finish in is second season showing what he was capable of, and the board buying into the need for full rebuild, young players and patience. He still might have gotten fired if not for that replay victory at Wembley courtesy of Lee Martin, wich was probably more important than Mark Robins goal in the esrlier rounds.

I remember I was tired of football at that point, almost resigned, and didn’t even bother to watch the replay final as I was invited to a party with girls that night. It was the following season getting an encouraging 6th and that Europa run made things look up, and I was extatic beating Barca 2-1 in the final. Today, most of the caf would have him fired after that season alone, which is funny to think about.

 

[JoeyJoJoJrShabadoo]

My memory from 89/90 was we had fecked it during the summer. Sold Strachan and my hero Paul McGrath. Webb, Pallister and Ince came in, Ince was quite young but looked really good. I struggled with Pallister but he came good. Can't remember but I think we got Phelan in too.

There were some miserable losses, like getting thumped by City 5-1. Most of the season we just couldn't score enough goals. Choccy had a really poor season goal wise, 2 years previous he hit 30 overall, 89/90 he couldn't hit 10.

My main memory is them trying to sell the club very publicly

 

[SirMattlives]

I do remember those days. I won't say we all kept the faith, clearly some were losing patience, but many of us felt SAF was doing something. That 'something' might not have translated well in terms of results but for me, he had money in the bank from acknowledging early on that even though he'd improved the team in his second season considerably, this was not good enough, and rather than just improve what he inherited, he needed to do a complete rebuild. Add to this the fact that in interviews with the press and TV he came across as driven, committed and aware of what the club meant to the fans. This always endeared him to me, though I confess, when we lost out to Leeds after a disastrous run-in in 92 I was angry like most of the fans and wondered if he was just not able to get us over the line. In those days, winning the league was everything. And in case any of you younger folks think this is new, the media at the time were hell bent on questioning him, doubting the signings, taking some kind of perverse pleasure in a cynical view of the club. Nothing changes. If anything, that made me dig in even harder in support (but of course, I'm old enough to remember relegation in 74 so when people speak of dark days, I have a firm reference point). IS there a lesson here for ETH -- perhaps so but the topic is early SAF years so I'll say no more.

 

[simonhch]

I’m offended by the thread title. I was feeling good about myself today, only to be labelled “old” because I remember that season. fecker.

 

[LDUred]

We went 11 games in that season without a win scoring only 5 goals and picking up five points. No wonder SAF was under pressure.

I remember that season it was expected that we would go down. But the win at Millwall was a turning point and after a partial recovery we picked up four straight wins, but we could easily have been relegated.

Mark Robins had some serious form towards the end of that season. It wasn't just his goal in the cup against Nottingham Forest, it was also in the league to. His goals per minutes ratio was outstanding considering where we were in the league. He really did play a crucial role in our history.

 

[WitchWithoutACat]

An aside, but the club used to do official season reviews on VHS back then. I loved getting those tapes at the end of the season and seeing all the goals that I missed during the season. Think they stopped doing them in the early 2000s; shame.

They definitely did them on DVD up until Van Der Sar was here as I remember the producers played a "can't say yes or no" game with the players.

Rooney was rubbish, lasted two questions, whilst VDS would go on a massive spiel about life in the Netherlands and everything, then the screen would fade to black before returning and he was still talking.

It was pretty funny!

 

[cyril C]

If you want to know what MU was like back in 89, just watch all the highlight of Mark Hughes and Brian McClair. Spectacular overhead kick, lots of cross into the box, high tempo game but lots of blood and sweat. But then most teams played with such style back then.

 

[Rood]

Not ‘defined playing style’, no, but excitement, grit and panache could give some extra miles in the peoples bank. Unfortunately, the football in Ferguson’s first seasons where largely not that exciting.

I agree it was a bit like now, albeit an extreme version. United had big names like Robson, Whiteside, McGrath, Strachan and were underachieving due to fifferent reasons like injuries, alcohol, unprofessionality, mismatch with coaching. Much like Rangnik, Ferguson deemed wholesale changes were needed, and much like Ten Hag, had to buy a few good players and many mediocre ones to make up the numbers. People complaining about Antony and Mount today, probably wouldn’t have been blown away by Danny Wallace, Terry Gibson or Mal Donaghy back then. Lots of injuries and relying on youth who were interesting but inexperienced. Two 11th finishes and one 13th as I recall, and nothing like ‘but the performances were good’. Even after several heavy buys, McClair, Ince, Pallister, Hughes comeback, we still struggled.

What saved Fergies bottom imo was the 2nd place finish in is second season showing what he was capable of, and the board buying into the need for full rebuild, young players and patience. He still might have gotten fired if not for that replay victory at Wembley courtesy of Lee Martin, wich was probably more important than Mark Robins goal in the esrlier rounds.

I remember I was tired of football at that point, almost resigned, and didn’t even bother to watch the replay final as I was invited to a party with girls that night. It was the following season getting an encouraging 6th and that Europa run made things look up, and I was extatic beating Barca 2-1 in the final. Today, most of the caf would have him fired after that season alone, which is funny to think about.

Definitely a completely different level of expectations today seeing as we hadn't won much for years

Winning the FA Cup back then was a massive achievement and close 2nd to winning the league - nowadays it's a sackable offence unless you finish in the Top4!

Similarly some might argue that Ten Hag's strong debut season is a reason to back him for a rebuild under new management

 

[padzilla]

I remember there was a lot of suggestion that it was only a matter of time before Fergie got the sack and that Steve Coppell was the obvious choice to take over, given the job the former United star was doing at Palace at the time.

 

[.Phil1968]

Started the season well beating the reigning champions Arsenal 4-1 in the first game before which Michael Knighton had juggled balls. Pretty much downhill from there apart from our cup run. Playing every round away from Old Trafford probably helped , I remember quite a few Fergie out chants as well as calls for Robbo to take over.
Lost 5-1 at Maine Road which was a low , scrapping all over the place that day. A few bookies advertising odds for disaster double : both Manchester clubs to go down . It was only in the middle of April and a 2-0 victory over Aston villa which made us mathematically safe from relegation. Robins scored twice in that game , his second was a beauty and he was a bright spot in the season.
Incredible that one cup win could transform the whole club and give it the confidence to become the huge success story which followed .

 

[Eleven-Eighteen]

My memory of those first few years under Sir Alex was that the team was largely pretty dysfunctional and awful to watch. Being honest, there were plenty of times I wanted him out, as I couldn’t see the development of a cohesive team at that time.

I know the club has always scorned the idea that the Mark Robins goal saved Fergie, but the pressure for change from fans at that time was pretty fierce, and I believe the club might have heeded it at that point, had United exited the FA Cup.

And do you still stand by that opinion?

 

[Red in STL]

And do you still stand by that opinion?

It was a valid opinion at the time, in hindsight obviously not, in today's game he would have been already gone by then

 

[golden_blunder]

I remember some people quoted Cantonas record in Europe as some sort of “he wasn’t as good as some say”.

But English teams had been out of Europe for years and were well behind the serie A and top Spanish clubs. Even our great treble winning team didn’t blow European teams away, most our games were close, nothing between teams. So it’s unfair to blame Cantona for Uniteds euro shortcomings (foreigner rule also f**ked us).

For me, Cantona was the difference between dominating English football in 90s, to maybe being decent and winning the odd trophy. The momentum his presence helped build was quite remarkable. Even his practising after training and how that influenced other players in the squad and youngsters. The more I think about it, the more I feel I have forgotten how important he really was to us.

In those first years we were hampered by the home grown rule especially as they were counting Irish players as foreign

 

[golden_blunder]

It's a shame there's no a bit more love for Mark Hughes because he went to city, but he is a proper united legend.

My favourite player growing up

 

[golden_blunder]

I don't recall if the football was that dire or not, but there were plenty of chants for Fergie's head so I suspect it was.

If United hadn't won the FA Cup there wouldn't have been that night singing in the rain of Rotterdam, without those events I don't see any scenario where SAF wins the first PL.

Cantona was the catalyst for that, I think you had to be there to understand the influence he had on United, I can't explain it, it was more than just his ability on the field, I have no doubt that the class of 92 would not have been as successful without him

I think it was Neville that said they saw him coming in for training earlier than the other first team players and they got hooked on his professionalism. Then the CO92 players in particular put the extra hours in.

 

[Chumpsbechumps]

In those first years we were hampered by the home grown rule especially as they were counting Irish players as foreign

Yeh , was a load of bollox to be fair

 

[Eleven-Eighteen]

It was a valid opinion at the time, in hindsight obviously not, in today's game he would have been already gone by then

Didn't think you would bite

 

[Red in STL]

Didn't think you would bite

Why not - it's true, there's a lot of fans who think everything during SAF's reign was all rosy and he was perfect, those of us who were there know that is just not true, we'll probably never know for sure unless Martin Edwards comes out and tells us, if he would have survived if he hadn't won the FA cup

 

[El Zoido]

If you want to know what MU was like back in 89, just watch all the highlight of Mark Hughes and Brian McClair. Spectacular overhead kick, lots of cross into the box, high tempo game but lots of blood and sweat. But then most teams played with such style back then.

I miss when football was like this. It all just felt more raw and exciting, more real.

 

[cyril C]

I miss when football was like this. It all just felt more raw and exciting, more real.

Lots of hit and miss though. Kind of Plan B right from the beginning, probably lasting 20min or so.

Hence the dominance of Italian football, wear you down into sleep mode. Football has somehow settled in the middle.

 

[Red in STL]

Lots of hit and miss though. Kind of Plan B right from the beginning, probably lasting 20min or so.

Hence the dominance of Italian football, wear you down into sleep mode. Football has somehow settled in the middle.

It lasted the whole game not 20 mins or so, no stat driven x crap this and x shite that, and Italian football sent the fans to sleep for sure, it was 10% excitement and 90% mind-numbing boredom

 

[PaulRich]

My memories as a 16 year old LMTB holder:

• Off to a good start - battering Arsenal 4-1 at home on the 1st day and then slowly sliding off a cliff - it was a pretty dismal league campaign at the end.
• Michael Knighton making a complete CUNext Tuesday of himself...............and us.
• THAT 5-1 hammering at Maine Road.
• The advent of the first draft of the Fergies Fledglings (Beardsmore, Sharpe, Robins, etc).
• Ronnie Whelan scoring one of the best ever own goals seen at O.T - 25 yard lob over Bruce Grobelaar
• Buying your Red Issue on the corner of Warwick Road with the same shiftiness as if you were scoring for gear.
• Getting off the 34 bus from Leigh at Salford University and walking all the way to O.T
• IIRC the first Cup Winning Team to lift an FA Cup without playing at home (stand to be corrected on that one)
• The sad demise of Jim Leighton.
• We were shit but the craic was always there at the games, the whole 'Madchester' thing was in full effect so the whole place just seemed to have a great vibe.

 

[stevoc]

I was at Cantonas debut against city , won’t ever forget it. I was only 14 at the time. Everybody else supported Liverpool or Arsenal or Leeds. I remember watching United lift the trophy in the Blackburn match with my dad in an empty pub as there was no United fans back then.

Where abouts are you from?

 

[Zen86]

I keep reading the thread title as Only UtdFans

 

[fps]

It sounds like Fergie brought in players in a slightly hit and miss style, but a lot of them had the right culture?

 

[Chumpsbechumps]

Where abouts are you from?

Dublin

Was at that game in 1992 cause my uncle had a heart attack in Manchester. Kevin Moran got us the tickets

 

[Josh 76]

We went 11 games in that season without a win scoring only 5 goals and picking up five points. No wonder SAF was under pressure.

I remember that season it was expected that we would go down. But the win at Millwall was a turning point and after a partial recovery we picked up four straight wins, but we could easily have been relegated.

Mark Robins had some serious form towards the end of that season. It wasn't just his goal in the cup against Nottingham Forest, it was also in the league to. His goals per minutes ratio was outstanding considering where we were in the league. He really did play a crucial role in our history.

I remember that win at Millwall. We were 1-0 down. I remember thinking, this is it. Then I checked the score on Grandstand and couldn't believe we had won. I think Danny Wallace and Mark Hughes scored. Had we lost that day, I really think Utd could have got relegated.

In a weird way, I loved those days. Maybe it's nostalgia. Football was different in those days. There wasn't much coverage as there is today, so any opportunity to watch it on TV was gold dust. I remember doing my paper round in the mornings and was so excited who we were going to sign.

That season Utd went on a mad spending spree. We started off by smashing the Champions (Arsenal) 4-1 on the opening day of the season. Then it all went down hill. The FA Cup run was amazing. We were drawn away from home in all of the rounds. Forest, Hereford, Newcastle. Then was the classic semi final against Oldham.

I remember it all like it was yesterday. Loved it all!

 

[Josh 76]

My memories as a 16 year old LMTB holder:

• Off to a good start - battering Arsenal 4-1 at home on the 1st day and then slowly sliding off a cliff - it was a pretty dismal league campaign at the end.
• Michael Knighton making a complete CUNext Tuesday of himself...............and us.
• THAT 5-1 hammering at Maine Road.
• The advent of the first draft of the Fergies Fledglings (Beardsmore, Sharpe, Robins, etc).
• Ronnie Whelan scoring one of the best ever own goals seen at O.T - 25 yard lob over Bruce Grobelaar
• Buying your Red Issue on the corner of Warwick Road with the same shiftiness as if you were scoring for gear.
• Getting off the 34 bus from Leigh at Salford University and walking all the way to O.T
• IIRC the first Cup Winning Team to lift an FA Cup without playing at home (stand to be corrected on that one)
• The sad demise of Jim Leighton.
• We were shit but the craic was always there at the games, the whole 'Madchester' thing was in full effect so the whole place just seemed to have a great vibe.

May i add

Les Sealy coming from no where to start the cup final replay.

Mark Hughes over head kick against City.

Gary Pallister nightmare debut at home to Everton.

Lee Martin

Geff Thomas had a blatant penalty not given in the Cup final replay.

 

[buchansleftleg]

It sounds like Fergie brought in players in a slightly hit and miss style, but a lot of them had the right culture?

I think it's very hard to compare with the modern Premier league. Liverpool had won a lot of titles with a few star players and a lot of journeyman professionals. For every Kenny Dalglish they also had a Craig Johnston. Also the general standard of the mid and lower table sides was way lower than what we see now in the modern era. Lower level teams would generally have a couple of hard cases and one or two flair players and Fergie was trying to bring in bargain players to be the equal of those I think.

With the finances available now mid ranking teams can pick up bargains from around the world, stars on the decline or on the rise from the best academy teams. In the late 80's it was generally only the elite and well financed teams that would pay for foreign players. Fergie was able to amass a few more star players later on but still relied on his stable of "dependables" to get through those matches against lower level teams.

As the 90's progressed you got higher levels of general fitness and nutrition following the examples set by Wenger at Arsenal. Also the increased revenue saw teams like Bolton under Big Sam curating a team of fallen stars and nearly stars into something much more formidable than Liverpool would have faced in the 70's and 80's.

 

[stevoc]

Dublin

Was at that game in 1992 cause my uncle had a heart attack in Manchester. Kevin Moran got us the tickets

I'm from Belfast and yeah I remember there being a few more Leeds fans back then as well. I always remember United having a lot of fans as a kid but after the Premier League and so many matched being televised. Interest in United and football in general just exploded.

 

[Chumpsbechumps]

I'm form Belfast and yeah I remember there being a few more Leeds fans back then as well. I always remember United having a lot of fans as a kid but after the Premier League and so many matched being televised. Interest in United and football in general just exploded.

I actually didn’t know any United fans early 90s. I knew Liverpool mostly , couple of Leeds , Villa (Irish players playing for them) and spurs fans but no United ones.

I remember watching bits of the famous 3-3 draw away with Pool , standing on a box outside a pub trying to look in through the window.

You think about football availability now and then , it’s nuts. Even listening to Fa cup games. I remember listening to 5 live (I think) and Keith Gillespie scored against Im gonna say bury. Commentary is something like “remember that name Keith Gillespie”.

I find the over saturation Of football kind of dilutes enjoyment. On one level I like being able to see all United games , but on another there’s no real excitement as there’s no real value to be watching them. It’s maybe concept of supply/demand whereby the harder it is to get something the more we value it (or some other psycho babble like that).

 

[BorisManUtd]

You'll piss off quite a few people with that title

Great thread and I'm enjoying reading all the posts. Gives you perspective on how it never looked like we would do and win anything significant but ended in so much success that we younger fans took for granted.

Obviously the topic here is 1989/90 season and especially Fa Cup win but you'd think finishing 2nd in his first full season and all the success Fergie had at Aberdeen were also big factor in board giving him time and trust.

Hopefully right now we're living in some kinds of 80s 2.0 that'll be followed by successful era again.