United made a poor start during the 1980's. Following an early FA Cup exit to Spurs and a First Division hammering at Ipswich, the team recovered to win eight of their last ten league games, and finished just two points behind Liverpool in the title race. United created another intense finish at the end of the following season, 1980/81, when they won their last seven league games in a row. This time, however, they could only finish eighth in the table – a position which the club's board could not bear. Sexton was dismissed on 30 April 1981, after four seasons. Ron Atkinson appointed Mick Brown as assistant manager and Eric Harrison as youth coach. Even the fans and supporters loved his on-the-field acquisitions. He recruited Bryan Robson from his old club West Bromwich Albion for £1.5m and spent around a third of that to appoint ex-Albion man, Remi Moses, to the United squad. The domestic cups offered United their best chances of silverware, and in 1983, they reached Wembley in both competitions. Liverpool defeated them, 2-1 to win the League Cup, while Brighton and Hove Albion were defeated in two attempts in the FA Cup final. A shock 2-2 draw was followed up by a thumping 4-0 win for United through goals from Robson (2), Arnold Muhren and Norman Whiteside.
Whiteside’s habit of rising to the big occasion was never more gratefully received than in 1985, when he curled in the only goal of the FA Cup Final to beat Everton 1-0. United had earlier been reduced to ten men by the dismissal of Kevin Moran, who formed a great defensive partnership in the 1980’s with Paul McGrath. It was Atkinson’s second FA Cup achievement in three seasons, but eighteen months later he was sacked for his inability to break Merseyside’s monopoly of the League Championship. Not even ten straight wins at the start of 1985/86 could lead him to the Holy Grail.
In November 1986, United at last appointed a proven winner. The 1990's saw Alex Ferguson winning his first silverware as Manchester United manager, and Liverpool winning their last League Championship with an ageing team. Nine years later, it seemed that Lee Martin's winning goal against Palace was the turning point for the teams’ success. First and foremost, winning the FA Cup in 1990 allowed United to make their return to European competition after an absence of five years. Far from being rusty, they went all the way to the final of the European Cup Winners Cup in Rotterdam where their opponents were Barcelona, the former club of United striker Mark Hughes. Two goals by Hughes sealed the match 2-1 in Fergie's favor in May 1991, 23 years after the club's previous triumph in Europe.In the following season 1993/94, the team virtually picked itself en route to an historic League and FA Cup Double, with Eric Cantona sporting the number seven shirt that had been Bryan Robson’s property for so long. Undoubtedly, Peter Schmeichel was the best goalkeeper ever seen at Old Trafford. Cantona’s eight-month absence from January 1995, following his clash with a fan at Crystal Palace, proved to be United’s undoing as they tried to defend their Double crown. They lost the title by one point to Blackburn Rovers and then lost the FA Cup final by one goal to Everton. The former champions were hampered at Wembley by an injury to Steve Bruce, the brave captain who was a defensive rock in the early 1990’s.Bruce also missed the following year's FA Cup Final, at the end of the 1995/96 season, but this time the result was rather different. Liverpool stood between United and a first-ever ‘Double Double’ and were holding out for extra-time, when Cantona struck home a sublime shot in the 86th minute. The French skipper had throughout the season been an inspiration to the talented young players in the team, including David Beckham and Gary Neville. In May 1997, Cantona helped the club to its fourth League Championship of the decade. It was to be his last, as he surprisingly retired from football later that same month. The shock waves of Eric’s decision seemed to last for a whole year, as the Reds performed below average during 1997/98 while Arsenal won the Double.
The Treble became a quadruple later in the year when Sir Alex Ferguson's men reached Tokyo to compete for the Inter-Continental Cup. United won the World Club Champions title, thanks to the goal scored by Keane. Officially, at the end of the millennium, the biggest football club in the world had also become the best in the world. United started the new decade, century and millennium in typical pioneering fashion. They entered a brand new competition – the FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil – but at the expense of their participation in the FA Cup, of which they were the holders. Goalkeepers such as Mark Bosnich did not succeed to establish themselves during the 1999/2000 season. So it was hardly surprising when World Cup and European Championship winner Fabien Barthez joined United in July 2000. The peculiar but bright French goalkeeper helped United to win their third successive title in 2000/01, a feat that had previously been achieved by only a handful of clubs in England. Liverpool had been the last team to do it, in 1982, 1983 and 1984, but this was under the supervision of two different managers - Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan.Sir Alex Ferguson had been at the helm for all three of United's back-to-back titles, and was the first manager in English football to achieve the hat-trick. Ferguson's major signing in the summer of 2002 was Rio Ferdinand, one of England's best performers at the World Cup Finals in Japan and Korea. The £30m acquisition from Leeds added the steel that had arguably been missing from United's defence since the departure of Jaap Stam to Lazio. For the United, the main aim remained Premiership glory, which was duly snared the following season as United notched a 16th league title, finishing six points clear of former incumbents Chelsea. The whole team played admirably to win the title back from Stamford Bridge; Ronaldo was well-appreciated for his excellent play. He was also declared as the PFA Player and Young Player of the Year.
We shall list a few all time scorers of this league, who have made significant contribution to the league.
Tommy Tailor has had 191 appearances and has scored 131 goals.Andy Cole has had 275 appearances and has scored 121 goals.Joe Cassidy has had 174 appearances and has scored 99 goals.Brain Mcclair has had 471 appearances and has scored 127 goals.Sandy Turnbull has had 247 appearances and has scored 101 goals.Bryan Robson has had 461 appearances and has scored 98 goals.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has had 366 appearances and has scored 128 goals.George Wall has had 319 appearances and has scored 100 goals.Lou Macari has had 400 appearances and has scored 97 goals.David Herd has had 265 appearances and has scored 145 goals.Ryan Giggs has had 734 appearances and has scored 142 goals.Paul Scholes has had 544 appearances and has scored 138 goals.Mark Hughes has had 466 appearances and has scored 164 goals.Rudd Van Nistelrooy has had 220 appearances and has scored 150 goals.Stan Pearson has had 347 appearances and has scored 148 goals.George Best has had 470 appearances and has scored 179 goals.Dennis Viollet has had 293 appearances and has scored 179goals.Joe Spence has had 510 appearances and has scored 168 goals.Sir Bobby Charlton has had 759 appearances and has scored 249 goals.Denis Law has had 404 appearances and has scored 237 goals.Jack Rowley has had 424 appearances and has scored 212 goals.
Carlos Queiros is the present coach of the team. He happens to be a Portuguese by nationality. He joined the league in 2002 and has now coached the league for about 6 years. He started his career in Portugal. He is fluent in five languages. His credentials include leading the Portuguese youth team which also includes Luis Figo to the World Youth Cup wins in 1989 and 1991, after which he has also coached the senior Portugal side for three years. As Sir Alex Ferguson quoted, “I spoke to Luis Figo and two three other Portuguese players and they absolutely raved about Carlos. Hiring him is one of the best decisions I ever made.”