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The Fergie Years (1986-2013) "I've never played for a draw in my life." Introduction Manchester United is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England which competes in the Premier League, the pinnacle of English football. Also known as the “Red Devils”, they were founded in 1978 and moved to its current home ground, Old Trafford in 1910. The most successful club in England, they have won 20 league titles, 12 FA Cups, 5 League Cups and 21 Community Shields. In terms of continental achievements, they won 3 Champions Leagues, 1 Cup Winners’ Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup. In 1986, Alexander Chapman Ferguson joined United from Aberdeen upon Ron Atkinson’s dismissal as manager, later guiding them to an 11th-place finish. For the next 27 years, the Scot would leave his mark on the club as its’ best manager and arguably the best of all time. Throughout his days at United, there were 3 great sides he built, bringing much glory and honour to the club. These sides are known as “Fergie’s Fledglings” (1992-1995), “Treble Winners/Class of ’92” (1995-1999) and “New Era” (2006-2009). Overview Fergie's Fledglings Known as the OG “Fergie Fledglings”, they were the double winners of the league and FA Cup in 1994, representing an early peak in Ferguson’s managerial career. Though having European and domestic success before 1994, this side will go down in history as the 1st of his great sides. This was also a time he blooded youngsters like Ryan Giggs and Roy Keane in the first eleven. Key signing: Eric "The King" Cantona Starting XI: Peter Schmeichel, Denis Irwin, Paul Parker, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Roy Keane, Paul Ince, Ryan Giggs, Andrei Kanchelskis, Brian McClair & Eric Cantona Other key players: Mark Hughes, Lee Sharpe, Bryan Robson Best season: 93/94 Treble Winners/Class of ’92 (note that Keane & Scholes were suspended for the 1999 Champions League final) Like his predecessor Matt Busby, Fergie had the goal to rule Europe. In 1999, in a thrilling final where United beat Bayern to win the Champions League after 2 late goals by substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær "The Baby-faced Assassin". Moreover, a treble was completed by winning the FA Cup and Premier League. They were the first club in the history of English football to win the treble. (By winning the UEFA Europa League in 2016–17, they became one of five clubs to have won all three main UEFA club competitions, and the only English club to have won every ongoing top-flight honour available to them.) I would say this IS United's greatest side of all time, care to find out why? Key signing: Dwight Yorke Starting XI: Peter Schmeichel, Denis Irwin, Gary Neville, Jaap Stam, Ronny Johnsen, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Dwight Yorke & Andy Cole Other key players: Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Teddy Sheringham, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Best season: 98/99 (obv) New Era 10 years ago - the 2007–08 season was Manchester United's 16th season in the Premier League, and their 33rd consecutive season in the top division of English football. The season was regarded as a success; despite the team's slow start in the league, they won their 10th Premier League title (their 17th top division title overall, just one behind Liverpool's record of 18 but no premier league titles) and beat Chelsea on penalties in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final to claim the European Double. Key signing: Cristiano Ronaldo Starting XI: Edwin van der Sar, Patrice Evra, Wes Brown, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez Other key players: John O'Shea, Darren Fletcher, Owen Hargreaves, Nani Best season: 07/08 Conclusion There is a perception amongst some journalists that Ferguson is not a great tactician, but the more time that passes, the less this seems true. Away in Europe over the past couple of years, United have been devastating, and the way United set out against Arsenal at the Emirates by beating them 8-2 in 2011 shows that Ferguson is able to adapt to changing times and adopt new tactical formulas for success. He has utilised formations like 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-5-1, 4-1-2-1-2 and much more during his long tenure as United boss from 1986 to 2013. However, one principle idea has not changed in the evolution of his tactics - the thirst and desire for attacking and entertaining football. Thank you so much... please follow my account if you like more of this content!

Hello, FM fans! I've been using my self-isolation productively and have re-created the Busby Babes. They replace 2020's Man Utd in-game and it's a fairly accurate recreation of the side at the end of 1956-57, the team's last full season before the Munich disaster. I'm really excited to share this because United's history is a big part of the myth around the club and creating this side makes me feel like I'm bringing them back to life in some small way. I've had to take some liberties along the way, but here's an idea of what I was going for... The club has a full compliment of staff, directors and players from the first team down to the U18's. There's no "W-M" in football now, so I've gone for a default 5-4-1 which sacrifices an AMC for the sake of an extra DC, but feel free to use whatever tactic you want. Some player positions don't really translate into the modern game, so for some I've opted to give them either more defensive or a more attacking set of attributes, and for others I've allowed them to have more positions on the pitch and versatility. Included some players/staff at the club who weren't strictly there on 1st July 1957 such as Harry Gregg and Jack Crompton, but it makes sense to add them in from the start for the sake of gameplay. Some staff roles are combined as clubs seemed to have been run by about 10 people back in the day, unlike now. Edited histories of competitions such as the English Premier League, Champions League, etc, in order to give the side more historical context. Players and staff have full histories as far as I know them from my research. Attributes etc are my own opinion. I'm a United fan, so I've probably romanticised a little, but when Bobby Charlton is telling you Duncan Edwards is the only player who made him feel inferior, then he's just got to be a God-tier player. Club records, affiliates, rivals and legends have been edited, although some of them don't register in the game. I'm not sure why, must be a quirk of the editor, but I'm afraid you'll have to suspend your disbelief for some of them. Download here! The Busby Babes.fmf If you don't know, put this file in your "editor data" folder located at "Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2020\editor data" Potential issues: The owner of the club tends to retire in the 1st season and it's a bit of pot luck as to who takes over. If you leave the AI to run United, Busby sometimes spends like a maniac. I've reduced United's budget to combat this as well as messing with his tendencies, but just so you know! Man Utd, I mean the real one. At first, I released all of the players/staff on frees, but it didn't have the right feel. Instead, they're a fake team with no division called "Man Red" with a 90 year transfer embargo. It wasn't perfect, but it works. I've defaulted "staff responsibilities" to roughly what they would've been back then, so you will likely want to alter these if you take over, depending on how you like to play FM. This database is best paired with 2 custom "edt" files that will allow the addition of real-life youth players to come through the club's youth intakes in the following 5-6 years, as well as a more realistic board takeover (although for the takeover, it's hit and miss as to whether it works). be_a_newgen.edt future_chairmen.edt Place these files into "Steam\steamapps\common\Football Manager 2020\data\database\db\2040\edt\permanent". If it asks you to over-write the existing files there, say yes. (you might want to back them up first) Enjoy! If you have any feedback, good or bad, please let me know below. Edit 31-Mar: Added 4 players; Ivan Beswick, Bobby Allen, Bryce Fulton and Peter Jones, and amended Jackie Hennessy's position following a chat with Tony Parks, also amended Albert Scanlon in line with a comment in this thread. 1-Apr: Updated Duncan Edwards's leadership attribute, slightly altered his position and improved Jackie Blanchflower's ability as an AMR

A second game I have going is with Utd. As with my other thread I'm looking for opinions where I could upgrade on positions, who I could buy etc. 1. I have De Light coming in for next season 2. Left back as I plan to sell Rojo, Young and Darmian so would be short but I do have Grimaldo coming but could still do with another option. 3. Planning on selling Valencia so again I would be short 4. Am considering selling Matic and Mata, not sure who I can get to replace these 2. 5. Not sure about selling Sanchez, I feel he played well but he is 30 and his value isn't going to increase is it, if I do sell who could I get to replace him, would like to go for youth. Just finished the 2018/2019 season.

Hi I cannot start a new game in England, that is i can only choose from teams in league two and below. It doesn't matter if I start in quick setup or advanced setup, i simply get the error "Man Utd cannot be selected. Please select another team.". I also don't have an option to apply for the Man Utd job when start unemployed. Nor can i select any Premier league team in the unemployed option when i try the add manager option. I've chosen England, Italy, Spain, German, Portugal, Argentina and Brazil as playable. I have tried to uninstall/reinstall from Steam and Control Panel, both didn't resolve the issue of not being able to select Man Utd. I have also ensured "all" has been selected under manageable teams. Any thing else i should be looking at? Thanks Lyzerge (aka Jide)

Has anyone been able to create a tactic yet that mimics how Utd are now playing under Solskjaer, there has been a bit more of a sample size in terms of games so interested to see what wiser minds from this forum's take on it. Also would be interested if anyone has come up with what you might call a "tradition Man Utd" tactic. Solskjaer coming back into the club has led to a lot of comments about Utd being back playing in their traditional manner with Gary Neville saying "No one should ever be allowed to enter Manchester United Football Club ever again and adopt a different philosophy to the one the club has." I would class Utd's tradition as quick/fast attacking play with wingers and width played by younger players with flair and no fear. Perhaps the classic Utd tactic and the Solskjaer tactic are one in the same but I would always associate Classic Utd with a 442, flying wingers and attacking full backs. It would have a striker that drops off the front ala Cantona/Yorke/Sheringham. Where's Ole's tactic is a 433 with Lingard roaming on the right, Matrial cutting inside on the left, width being provided by the full backs and Pogba given a lot of licence to get forward from centre midfield. Anyway enough of me rambling on, has anyone been able to create anything such as the above? If so, could you share or direct me to where i can see it? (I'm sure that if anyone has created something similar, then they will want to create/or will have already create a thread of their own)

Welcome to the FM18 Man Utd thread! 🙏 The appointment of Jose Mourinho has brought us mixed results for the 16/17 season. Though we won the Europa League, Community Shield and the League Cup, achieving 6th in the league was poor. Our squad depth is quite good, with the likes of De Gea to Bailly to Pogba to Lukaku. However, we still have room to improve the squad and bring up talented youngsters like Gomes and Gribbin. With the financial backing of a mega-money league TV deal and the pocketbook of well-known owners, the Glazer Family, Man Utd is ready for you to take control and continue to guide the club to return to its glory days. Club Details Team Name: Manchester United Nickname: The Red Devils Year Founded: 1878 President: Ed Woodward Current Manager: Jose Mourinho Club Captain: Michael Carrick Vice Captain: -nil- Country: England League: English Premier League Media Prediction: 2nd Fierce Rivals: Liverpool (Local), Manchester City (Local), Leeds United (Historic) Other Rivals: Arsenal (Competitive), Bolton (Local), Chelsea (Competitive) Legends: Bobby Charlton (Player), Sir Alex Ferguson (Manager), Eric Cantona (Player), Bryan Robson (Player), Ryan Giggs (Player), Duncan Edwards (Player), Dennis Law (Player), George Best (Player), Matt Busby (Manager) Icons: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Player), Roy Keane (Player), Paul Scholes (Player), Steve Bruce (Player), Gary Neville (Player), Ruud Van Nistelrooij (Player), Peter Schmeichel (Player), David Beckham (Player) Favoured Personnel: Cristiano Ronaldo (Player), Robin Van Persie (Player), Patrice Evra (Player), Brian McClair (Player), Nicky Butt (Player), Phil Neville (Player) Philosophies: Play attacking football, Develop players using the club's youth system Expectations: Reach QFs of European Champions Cup, Qualify for European Champions Cup (top 4 in the league) and reach Finals of the FA Cup Budget: Transfer budget of £42 million, Wage budget of £3.5 million per week 17/18 Squad Goalkeepers We have a world-class goalkeeper in the form of David De Gea. We also have Sergio Romero who is a decent backup. In terms of youth, you should look to develop talents like Theo Richardson, IIias Moutha Sebtaoui & Joel Pereira. Transfer Suggestions If Sergio Romero is out with an injury, I would suggest snapping up Ventura on a free. Left Back Hopefully, you'll be able to keep Luke Shaw fit, as he has a lot of potential. At the start of the game, he is out injured so you can use Daley Blind who can do a decent job. Others like Marcos Rojo and Matteo Darmian could do the job as well. Going back to youth, I would say that Cameron Borthwick-Jackson would be an ideal choice when he comes back from Leeds on loan. Transfer Suggestions If you're still unconvinced by these options, look out for Aaron Martin, a 21 yr old LB, from Espanyol. Central Defender If things go well, Eric Bailly & Victor Lindelof may very well be the next Ferdinand & Vidic. You'll also have the decent backup in the form of Chris Smalling & Phil Jones. According to the coaching staff, Axel Tuanzebe and Ro-Shaun also have good potential, so maybe instead of looking around for replacements in your first team, these two lads are the way forward? It's also worth noting that Ro-Shaun Willims is a local lad, so all the more reason to develop him. This is definitely a position of strength within our youth system. Transfer Suggestions -nil- Right Back For me this is a position that needs attention, not desperately, but still needs attention. We have Matteo Darmian and Antonia Valencia. I do prefer to use Valencia further forward, so for me we only really have one recognised right back in Darmian and he isn't in my opinion top class or even close to that. The more worrying thing for me personally is that we have no real cover in this area, especially if your like me and don't really want Valencia in this position if possible. Youth... Tyrell Warren & Lee O'Connor - Personally I don't think Tyrell Warren is good enough, but there's so real potential in 15 year old Lee O'Connor, so if you don't feel you have the funds to improve in the right back position, I'd definitely look at giving Lee O'Connor some game time and look to have him as a future right back. Transfer Suggestions More to come...

This is The One: Madchester's Back! Yes, another thread by me. This time I want to try something a bit different. I'm going to be managing Manchester United, but with a twist. I want to bring back the Manchester identity with the club and develop Manchester as a hub for footballing talent. I will be using the following rules: Every player in the squad must have been born within a 30 mile radium of Old Trafford - therefore the North-West - with the exclusion of Liverpool. Exception number 1: Northern Irish / Irish players with a long standing connection with the club from a young age (e.g. Jonny Evans) Exception number 2: Players born outside of the North-West but moved at a young age and have a long standing connection with the club (e.g. Angel Gomes) The first season is a transition season. As much as I'd love to sell everyone and use the rules from day 1, it will be impossible to move on the latest signings, or even sign all of my targets as they are new signings elsewhere. From the start of the 2nd season, all players must meet the criteria from 1, 2 or 3. I've gone with Becks as manager - the adopted Manc - who is ideal for this kind of challenge. I will be looking to get the class of '92 back together as backroom staff, but unfortunately Scholesy is not in the game as a coach