Yet under a complete different name Newton Heath LYRE (Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) , which is not surprising because nearly every English football team was named differently In first place. As the club’s name suggests, the team was a factory team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways Newton Heath (urban area of Manchester) carriage works. The company saw football as a moral gulled for the workers who had to work under harsh conditions and were affected by the evils of Victorian Society, such as drinking and masturbation.
Team sports were seen as a muscular activity to therefore the LYRE established a football team. The playing conditions cannot be compared to today’s one, the surface on which the team played was for most of the years ankle deep in mud, there exist no team roster and it is not known who the coach was and how the first games against other factory teams ended however the team had already an official kit colored in green and yellow.
The oldest surviving piece of the Manumit is the fixture list of season 1882/83, this season was the first team the team reached the IANAL of the local Manchester and District Challenge Cup but lost. Following this. They outstripped their opponents the next year by winning several times the cup, not surprising therefore that they wanted to become bigger. In 1891 club official used their little financial resources to build two grandstands at North Road for approximately 2000 spectators, the construction was not without any consequences, the LYRE refused to finance further developments, the ties with the company were cut .
In 1892 the Joined the First League, by then the best league, sadly they ended p last in their first campaign, but by winning relegation they remained in the top league. After succeeding in relegation they moved to a new ground at Bank Street, next to a chemical plant. The 1893/94 campaign was no little better than the last one and Newton Heath was relegated into the Second Division. Financial problems plagued Newton Heath at the beginning of the 20th century until they were saved by John Henry Davies, a local brewery owner.
Just by coincidence Davies crossed the club’s way, by advert he looked out for a SST Bernard which he could give his daughter ND found one belonging to Harry Stafford, whom he met at a pub. In exchange for the dog, Davies had to invest Into the club and saved It this way. Even though there Is no documentary evidence to confirm the dog’s role he was long credited as the savior of the club. Davies was the reason for a fresh start at Bank Street by the club was renamed from Newton Heath to Manchester United.
With the arrival of their first team manager Ernest Mangle in September 1903 the most glorious time of the club’s history so far began. Twelve years after being relegated, United was remoter to the First League at the end of the 1905/06 campaign and in 1908 the team won their first League title, mainly caused by the signing of Billy Meredith from the local rival Manchester City, who became United first star and who was inspirational for the whole team. By lending 60 000 pounds in 1909, United moved to Old Tradeoff, United has ever remained there since, it was a milestone for Mainland.
By making this possible the club left the Victorian Times finally behind, they did not have to play any more next to a chemical plant, in mud and they finally got changing moms and could shower after a match. The following campaigns were not as successful as the previous ones and by the outbreak of the First World War; they could prevent relegation Just by one point. Sadly several players died in war, as they were recruited. In the inter-war year the evolution of Manchester United was marked by a steady decline in sports and finances. Following the four year gap in the league caused by the war United returned in September 1919 to football.
Nevertheless the team underachieved the following years ending up with relegation in 1922 by inning only 8 of 42 matches (! ) but they recovered with promotion three years later. The death of John Henry Davies in 1927 was one of the main reasons for the club’s deteriorating financial extent which nearly resulted in bankruptcy as it was in 1902 the case. The savior came in shape of James Gibson, a manufacturer of army uniforms who invested 30 000 pounds and assumed full control over the club’s businesses. An all time low came in the campaign of 1933/34, when they were at the edge of being relegated into the third division.