Alex Ferguson and English Football - 23 Years (Part One)

Twenty three years ago this weekend, Alex Ferguson took charge of Manchester United, and after a slow start, became the single most dominant force in English football.

A lot has changed in the intervening years, not least the length of time managers are given to succeed. It would be unimaginable that a manager of a club with the title in mind would be given five years before he won a trophy. And yet that was how the most successful manager in British football began, all those trophies being squeezed into 18 of his 23 years.

So how has the landscape of the top flight changed since then? Well for a start, it’s shrunk, and changed its name. Back then, 22 teams competed in the Football League First Division. Charlton Athletic retained their First Division status in a play off against Second Division Leeds United, a concept probably somewhat alien to younger fans. The following season, Chelsea became the first club in 90 years to lose the play off and be relegated. After that automatic promotion and relegation replaced the play off, the system still in use today.

Fergusons second season in charge saw the league shrink to 21 teams, and 20 the season after. In 91/92, it went back up to 22, and was replaced with the Premier League the season after. The league continued to be comprised of 22 teams until 95/96, where it once more went back down to 20 and remained so to this day.

What of the teams then and now though? Nine of the teams in the top flight that season are present in this one. Five of those nine (Everton, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal and United) haven’t moved.

Of the rest, Aston Villa were relegated in that first season, coming back up at the first attempt, and Chelsea were relegated in 87/88, and also promoted the following season.

West Ham have been relegated three times, in 88/89, promoted in 90/91 lasting a single season before relegation bouncing straight back the next, concluding a yo-yo period for the club. They stayed in the top flight for 10 years, before suffering relegation once more in 02/03, becoming the first team since 93/95 to go down with more than 40 points. 04/05 brought promotion with the club staying up ever since.

The blue side of Manchester has had the most interesting tale though. Manchester City were relegated the season Ferguson arrived at United, coming back up in 88/89. In 1992, City chairman Peter Swales declared “City were the last Manchester club to win the league, and they’ll be the next” The following season saw United win the league, with City finishing in ninth.

95/96 brought even more contrasting fortunes – United completed the Double for the second time in two years, whilst City were relegated. Two seasons later, they became the first former winners of a European trophy to be relegated to the third tier.

City then saw successive promotions, achieved via the play offs in 98/99 (whilst United were busy winning the treble), and automatic promotion back to the Premiership in 99/00. They were returned to the Football League after just one season. They then appointed Kevin Keegan, who brought them back up with a record points haul. They have remained in the top flight ever since, and have subsequently been bought out by the Abu Dhabi United Group, becoming the richest club in the world.

They are still without a trophy since 1976.

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