Ernest Mangnall became the new manager of Manchester United (though was referred to as a secretary at the time). He was recruited from Burnley and made several new signings. Probably the most significant was Charlie Roberts, who cost a record transfer fee of £600. At the time Mangnall was criticised for paying such a large sum for such an inexperienced player. However, it proved to be an inspired decision and it was not long before Roberts established himself as the keystone of the Manchester United defence.
One of his most controversial signings was John Peddie from Newcastle United. As Paul Joannou points out in his book, The Black ‘n’ White Alphabet: “Peddie… was often in trouble with the club’s hierarchy for a number of misdemeanours; refusing to play, being absent from training and ultimately being suspended sine-die in 1900 (later lifted).”
United maintained their red shirts and away shirt, and adopted a third strip that had a blue shirt.
In 1904, United finished in third place in Division Two.
Second Division
| Date | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 1903 | Bristol City | H | 2 – 2 | Griffiths (2) | 40,000 |
| 7 September 1903 | Burnley | A | 0 – 2 | 5,000 | |
| 12 September 1903 | Burslem Port Vale | A | 0 – 1 | 3,000 | |
| 19 September 1903 | Glossop | H | 5 – 0 | Griffiths (2), Arkesden,Downie, A. Robertson | 3,000 |
| 26 September 1903 | Bradford City | H | 3 – 1 | Pegg (3) | 30,000 |
| 3 October 1903 | Woolwich Arsenal | A | 0 – 4 | 20,000 | |
| 10 October 1903 | Barnsley | H | 4 – 0 | Pegg (2), Griffiths, A. Robertson | 20,000 |
| 17 October 1903 | Lincoln City | A | 0 – 0 | 5,000 | |
| 24 October 1903 | Stockport County | H | 3 – 1 | Arkesden, Grassam,Schofield | 15,000 |
| 7 November 1903 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 0 – 0 | 30,000 | |
| 21 November 1903 | Preston North End | H | 0 – 2 | 15,000 | |
| 19 December 1903 | Gainsborough Trinity | H | 4 – 2 | Arkesden, Duckworth,Grassam, A. Robertson | 6,000 |
| 25 December 1903 | Chesterfield | H | 3 – 1 | Arkesden (2), A. Robertson | 15,000 |
| 26 December 1903 | Burton United | A | 2 – 2 | Arkesden (2) | 4,000 |
| 2 January 1904 | Bristol City | A | 1 – 1 | Griffiths | 8,000 |
| 9 January 1904 | Burslem Port Vale | H | 2 – 0 | Arkesden, Grassam | 10,000 |
| 16 January 1904 | Glossop | H | 3 – 1 | Arkesden (2), Downie | 10,000 |
| 23 January 1904 | Bradford City | A | 3 – 3 | Griffiths (2), Downie | 12,000 |
| 30 January 1904 | Woolwich Arsenal | H | 1 – 0 | A. Robertson | 40,000 |
| 13 February 1904 | Lincoln City | H | 2 – 0 | Downie, Griffiths | 8,000 |
| 9 March 1904 | Blackpool | A | 1 – 2 | Grassam | 3,000 |
| 12 March 1904 | Burnley | H | 3 – 1 | Grassam (2), Griffiths | 14,000 |
| 19 March 1904 | Preston North End | A | 1 – 1 | Arkesden | 7,000 |
| 26 March 1904 | Grimsby Town | H | 2 – 0 | A. Robertson (2) | 12,000 |
| 28 March 1904 | Stockport County | A | 3 – 0 | Hall, Pegg, Schofield | 2,500 |
| 1 April 1904 | Chesterfield | A | 2 – 0 | Bell, Hall | 5,000 |
| 2 April 1904 | Leicester Fosse | A | 1 – 0 | McCartney | 4,000 |
| 5 April 1904 | Barnsley | A | 2 – 0 | Grassam, Schofield | 5,000 |
| 9 April 1904 | Blackpool | H | 3 – 1 | Grassam (2),Schofield | 10,000 |
| 12 April 1904 | Grimsby Town | A | 1 – 3 | Grassam | 8,000 |
| 16 April 1904 | Gainsborough Trinity | A | 1 – 0 | A. Robertson | 4,000 |
| 23 April 1904 | Burton United | H | 2 – 0 | Grassam, A. Robertson | 8,000 |
| 25 April 1904 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0 – 0 | 10,000 | |
| 30 April 1904 | Leicester Fosse | H | 5 – 2 | Schofield (2),Bonthron, Griffiths, A. Robertson | 7,000 |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Woolwich Arsenal | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 91 | 22 | 49 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 65 | 33 | 48 |
| 4 | Bristol City | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 73 | 41 | 42 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
FA Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 December 1903 | Intermediate Round | Small Heath | H | 1 – 1 | Schofield | 10,000 |
| 16 December 1903 | Intermediate RoundReplay | Small Heath | A | 1 – 1 | Arkesden | 5,000 |
| 21 December 1903 | Intermediate Round2nd Replay | Small Heath | Bramall Lane | 1 – 1 | Schofield | 3,000 |
| 11 January 1904 | Intermediate Round3rd Replay | Small Heath | Hyde Road | 3 – 1 | Arkesden (2), Grassam | 9,372 |
| 6 February 1904 | Round 1 | Notts County | A | 3 – 3 | Arkseden, Downie, Schofield | 12,000 |
| 10 February 1904 | Round 1Replay | Notts County | H | 2 – 1 | Morrison, Pegg | 18,000 |
| 20 February 1904 | Round 2 | The Wednesday | A | 0 – 6 | 22,051 |
Squad statistics
| Pos. | Name | Second Division | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| GK | Harry Moger | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| GK | John Willie Sutcliffe | 21 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| FB | Tommy Blackstock | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| FB | Bob Bonthron | 33 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 40 | 1 |
| FB | Vince Hayes | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| FB | Bert Read | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| HB | Alex Bell | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| HB | Walter Cartwright | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| HB | Alex Downie | 29 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 35 | 5 |
| HB | Dick Duckworth | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| HB | Billy Griffiths | 30 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 37 | 11 |
| HB | Charlie Roberts | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| HB | Alex Robertson | 27 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 32 | 10 |
| FW | Tommy Arkesden | 26 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 32 | 15 |
| FW | Ralph Gaudie | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| FW | Billy Grassam | 23 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 28 | 12 |
| FW | Proctor Hall | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| FW | William Hartwell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | Hugh Kerr | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | George Lyons | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | Bill McCartney | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| FW | Tommy Morrison | 9 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 16 | 1 |
| FW | Dick Pegg | 13 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 7 |
| FW | Sandy Robertson | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| FW | Tom Robertson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| FW | Alf Schofield | 26 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 33 | 9 |
| FW | Joseph Schofield | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | Harry Wilkinson | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |