As United continued to lurk around the bottom of the table during the
winter of 1989, it became perceived wisdom that if they lost their FA
Cup third-round tie to Nottingham Forest then Alex Ferguson’s three-
year reign as manager would be ended.
“Ferguson’s transfer policy has been a disaster, his team selection
has often made little sense and results, given the greatness of the
club, have been abysmal. Today his job literally hangs in the balance,”
wrote Brian Glanville in The Sunday Times.
On 7 January 1990, United, who were missing several important
players through injury, went into the game at the City Ground as firm
underdogs against cup specialists Forest. “Everyone was smelling
defeat for us,” Ferguson later said.
However, a resilient United managed to eke out a 1-0 win thanks
to a headed goal from their young striker Mark Robins after important
build-up work from Lee Martin and Mark Hughes.
“I think we did it that day with defiance from the supporters, and
the players responded to their promptings,” Ferguson has said. “Right
from the word go they were on song our support. They were not going
to lose that game.”
ImagesGetty ImagesAbove Ian Rush
celebrates
scoring past
Peter
Schmeichel on
the day United
lost the title
race at Anfield
in April 1992Mark Hughes, who had endured an
unhappy two seasons at Barcelona, was
determined to show his former club what
they were missing and put United in front
from close range in the first half. He would
double United’s lead in the second half with
a powerful shot from what at first looked to
be an impossibly tight angle.
After Ronald Koeman had pulled a goal
back for Barça, United were indebted to
Clayton Blackmore for blocking a Michael
Laudrup shot on the line to keep United in
front and deliver them Ferguson’s second
trophy at Old Trafford.
After these two trophies in two years, and
the astute signings of Peter Schmeichel, Paul
Parker and Andrei Kanchelskis during the
summer, Ferguson felt confident enough to
state United were ready to finally win the
First Division again.
“Flushed with success in Europe, I stuck
my neck right out,” Ferguson has recalled.
“Some no doubt considered I was foolish to
be so bold, but I honestly thought we were
ripe for a serious assault on the league
championship. It was a declaration of
intention for the supporters of United.”
These bold words were backed by deeds
for the first half of the season, as United,
playing with great flair, raced to the top of the table after winning
eight of their first ten league games. They also won the club’s first
European Super Cup thanks to a 1-0 win over the European
champions Red Star Belgrade.
The new year of 1992 should have seen United claim their first
league title for 25 years, but instead, on its very first day, United fell to
an unexpected 4-1 defeat to QPR at Old Trafford that first revealed
the fragile confidence that would ultimately undermine them.
United would go on to win their first-ever League Cup with a 1-0
victory over Nottingham Forest in the final at Wembley, but with so
much still at stake in the league it felt like a warm-up act.
United’s run to this final had seen their fixtures pile up, and after it
they faced the daunting prospect of playing five league games in ten
days to decide the title race. They started with a 1-0 win over
Southampton but then drew with Luton and lost consecutive games
to Forest and West Ham to allow Leeds United to overtake them.
When United took to the pitch for their penultimate game of the
season against Liverpool at Anfield they knew anything less than a
win would see Leeds handed the title. But United’s exhausted players
would run out of steam at the worst time, and at the worst venue
imaginable, to lose 2-0 to Liverpool, whose fans relished every
moment and unfurled a gloating banner that read, “Have you ever
seen United win the league?”
“Missing out on the title hurt,” the side’s captain Bryan Robson has
said. “I’d been close to the title a few times, but this was the worst
feeling because there is no doubt we should have won it... We lost
three of our last four games as we were simply dead on our feet.”FERGUSOn ’S TURn ING POIn T
A crucial FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest saved Ferguson’s
job and helped him win his first trophy as United managerTHE MAn
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