Manchester United squad picture 1908/09
After winning the league title Manchester United set off on a brief European tour. The beat teams in Czechoslovakia and Austria before thrashing the Hungarian side, Ferecvaros, 7-0. The home fans took the defeat badly and attacked the United players as they left the pitch. Police on horseback had to draw their swords in order to rescue the players. United went through a disappointing defence of their Championship but had some consolation in the form of their first ever FA Cup win.
United slipped to a disappointing 13th place finish in 1908–09. Meredith was suspended for the month of January in punishment for kicking a Brighton & Hove Albion player in an FA Cup match. The club reached the 1909 FA Cup Final, knocking out Brighton, Everton, Blackburn Rovers, Burnley, and Newcastle United. Their cup final opponents at Crystal Palace were Bristol City, captained at centre-half by Billy Wedlock – England captain and staunch opponent of the Players’ Union.As both clubs usually wore red, Bristol played in blue whereas Manchester United played in white shirts with a deep red “V”. The shirts became famous in reproductions over the years and Nike were rumoured to be reproducing the shirt 100 years later – these pictures show a design was allegedly made, though never released.
A Sandy Turnbull goal settled the tie, which was described as quite a boring game; Meredith himself dismissed reports of the match, stating “it was a good game for dashing, keen, thrilling football, great goalkeeping and narrow escapes at either end”. Meredith and his teammates celebrated the victory with music hall stars such as George Robey.
First Division
Date | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 September 1908 | Preston North End | A | 3 – 0 | J. Turnbull (2),Halse | 18,000 |
7 September 1908 | Bury | H | 2 – 1 | J. Turnbull (2) | 16,000 |
12 September 1908 | Middlesbrough | H | 6 – 3 | J. Turnbull (4),Halse, Wall | 25,000 |
19 September 1908 | Manchester City | A | 2 – 1 | Halse, J. Turnbull | 40,000 |
26 September 1908 | Liverpool | H | 3 – 2 | Halse (2), J. Turnbull | 25,000 |
3 October 1908 | Bury | A | 2 – 2 | Halse, Wall | 25,000 |
10 October 1908 | Sheffield United | H | 2 – 1 | Bell (2) | 14,000 |
17 October 1908 | Aston Villa | A | 1 – 3 | Halse | 40,000 |
24 October 1908 | Nottingham Forest | H | 2 – 2 | S. Turnbull (2) | 20,000 |
31 October 1908 | Sunderland | A | 1 – 6 | S. Turnbull | 30,000 |
7 November 1908 | Chelsea | H | 0 – 1 | 15,000 | |
14 November 1908 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 3 – 1 | Halse, J. Turnbull,Wall | 25,000 |
21 November 1908 | Bradford City | H | 2 – 0 | Picken, Wall | 15,000 |
28 November 1908 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 3 – 1 | Halse, J. Turnbull,Wall | 20,000 |
5 December 1908 | Everton | A | 2 – 3 | Bannister, Halse | 35,000 |
12 December 1908 | Leicester Fosse | H | 4 – 2 | Wall (3), Picken | 10,000 |
19 December 1908 | Woolwich Arsenal | A | 1 – 0 | Halse | 10,000 |
25 December 1908 | Newcastle United | A | 1 – 2 | Wall | 35,000 |
26 December 1908 | Newcastle United | H | 1 – 0 | Halse | 40,000 |
1 January 1909 | Notts County | H | 4 – 3 | Halse (2), Roberts,S. Turnbull | 15,000 |
2 January 1909 | Preston North End | H | 0 – 2 | 18,000 | |
9 January 1909 | Middlesbrough | A | 0 – 5 | 15,000 | |
23 January 1909 | Manchester City | H | 3 – 1 | Livingstone (2),Wall | 40,000 |
30 January 1909 | Liverpool | A | 1 – 3 | S. Turnbull | 30,000 |
13 February 1909 | Sheffield United | A | 0 – 0 | 12,000 | |
27 February 1909 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0 – 2 | 7,000 | |
13 March 1909 | Chelsea | A | 1 – 1 | Wall | 30,000 |
15 March 1909 | Sunderland | H | 2 – 2 | Payne, J. Turnbull | 10,000 |
20 March 1909 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 0 – 3 | 11,000 | |
31 March 1909 | Aston Villa | H | 0 – 2 | 10,000 | |
3 April 1909 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0 – 2 | 15,000 | |
9 April 1909 | Bristol City | H | 0 – 1 | 18,000 | |
10 April 1909 | Everton | H | 2 – 2 | J. Turnbull (2) | 8,000 |
12 April 1909 | Bristol City | A | 0 – 0 | 18,000 | |
13 April 1909 | Notts County | A | 1 – 0 | Livingstone | 7,000 |
17 April 1909 | Leicester Fosse | A | 2 – 3 | J. Turnbull, Wall | 8,000 |
27 April 1909 | Woolwich Arsenal | H | 1 – 4 | J. Turnbull | 10,000 |
29 April 1909 | Bradford City | A | 0 – 1 | 30,000 |
Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | Sheffield United | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 51 | 59 | 37 |
13 | Manchester United | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 58 | 68 | 37 |
14 | Nottingham Forest | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 66 | 57 | 36 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
FA Cup[edit]
Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 January 1909 | First Round | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1 – 0 | Halse | 8,300 |
6 February 1909 | Second Round | Everton | H | 1 – 0 | Halse | 35,217 |
20 February 1909 | Third Round | Blackburn Rovers | H | 6 – 1 | S. Turnbull (3), J. Turnbull (3) | 38,500 |
5 March 1909 | Fourth Round | Burnley | A | A – A | Match abandoned at 0–1 | |
10 March 1909 | Fourth Round | Burnley | A | 3 – 2 | J. Turnbull (2), Halse | 16,850 |
27 March 1909 | Semi-Final | Newcastle United | N | 1 – 0 | Halse | 40,118 |
24 April 1909 | Final | Bristol City | N | 1 – 0 | S. Turnbull | 71,401 |
Squad statistics
Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
GK | Harry Moger | 36 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
GK | Tom Wilcox | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
FB | Herbert Burgess | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
FB | Tony Donnelly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
FB | Vince Hayes | 22 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
FB | Dick Holden | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
FB | Aaron Hulme | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
FB | Oscar Linkson | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
FB | George Stacey | 32 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
HB | Alex Bell | 20 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 2 |
HB | Joe Curry | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
HB | Alex Downie | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
HB | Dick Duckworth | 33 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
HB | Harold Hardman | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
HB | John McGillivray | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
HB | Charlie Roberts | 27 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
HB | Ernest Thomson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
FW | Jimmy Bannister | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
FW | Bill Berry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
FW | David Christie | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
FW | Joe Ford | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
FW | Harold Halse | 29 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 35 | 18 |
FW | George Livingstone | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 3 |
FW | Billy Meredith | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
FW | Ernest Payne | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
FW | Jack Picken | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 |
FW | Jack Quinn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
FW | Jimmy Turnbull | 22 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 28 | 22 |
FW | Sandy Turnbull | 19 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 25 | 9 |
FW | George Wall | 34 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 40 | 11 |