It is over 100 years since Ernest Mangnall patrolled the Old Trafford touchline but his legacy has certainly not been forgotten. With the Manchester derby fast approaching, there is no better time to reminisce on a man who served both sides of the city with such distinction.
When Ernest Mangnall arrived at the club in October 1903, he was only the third manager in the short history of Manchester United. The club had only been known under this guise since 1902 and had yet to make an impression on the English game. That was to change dramatically under the stewardship of Mangnall.
He had arrived from Burnley, where he had begun his managerial career at the turn of the century. The team were struggling at the wrong end of the First Division when Mangnall arrived and were shortly relegated to the Second Division. A first season of promise in the second tier soon diminished, they went from third to ninth place, and in 1902-03 Burnley suffered the fate of finishing bottom of the Football League. Managing to re-apply to play in the following season was one of their few successes during Mangnall’s time at the helm. So it was somewhat of a surprise when he was appointed as ‘secretary’ of the recently renamed Manchester United. The board and new owner John Henry Davies must have seen the potential in Mangnall and soon their faith in him was to be handsomely rewarded with success on the pitch.
Manchester United, the modern giant, is built upon the legacy of Sir Matt Busby and the spirit of Munich and has been carried into the 21st century by Sir Alex Ferguson, under whom the club has become not only the biggest but the best in the world. But the name, which is known the world over, was given its first moment in the limelight, its first taste of glory, under the management of Ernest Mangnall.
Under Mangnall, the club went from a side with aspirations if not realistic ambition to reach the First Division, to a team that conquered domestic football. After two narrow misses, promotion was finally achieved at the third attempt. The first season back in the big time was one of mid-table consolidation. The second saw Manchester United crowned champions of English football for the very first time.
He had built a team which could stand alongside any in the long and glorious history of the club. The team was a combination of dazzling, attacking talent and inspirational defensive leaders. The hallmarks of any great side. In Charlie Roberts, Mangnall had his inspiration and leadership on the pitch. While not the first name to come to mind when talking of United legends, Charlie can certainly lay claim to being one of the first. In a long line of fantastic captains, the list starts with him.
If Roberts was the team’s influence from the back, Billy Meredith was certainly the inspiration up front. The Welsh Wizard, signed in a remarkable coup by Mangnall from Manchester City, is considered to be football’s first ever superstar. Meredith was a magnificent dribbler of the ball and the crowds flocked to see him all over the country. Add in the goals of Sandy Turnbull and defensive solidity of Dick Duckworth and you had a team to rival any in English football.
With a team of such quality, it was no surprise that they swept the board and filled the trophy cabinet. After winning the 1907/08 league title, Mangnall’s team won the club’s first ever FA Cup. The 1-0 win over Bristol City at Crystal Palace, courtesy of Sandy Turnbull’s winning goal, was another history-making moment for Ernest Mangnall.
The league had alluded them in 1909 and despite winning the first ever Charity Shield, the following season saw them miss out once more. But in 1911, Manchester United would reclaim the crown, thanks largely to the goals of Enoch West, winning the title in the final match with a stunning 5-1 demolition of Sunderland. The second title was to be the final glorious high for this great team.
The following year saw Ernest Mangnall leave for Manchester City. It brought down the curtain on the first great period in Manchester United’s history. His influence on the club was apparent as United slowly but surely slid into the obscurity of Second Division football. His spell at City, which spanned nearly 12 years, was not filled with the same success as it was in his time at Old Trafford.
However, similarly to his time at United, Mangnall had a huge influence at City. He was considered the main instigator in the club moving to Maine Road in 1923. The same credit was applied to him as United moved to Old Trafford in 1910.
Though the passing of time has diminished the memory of his time at Old Trafford, and the club has witnessed countless moments of glory, the impact of Ernest Mangnall on Manchester United will never be forgotten. He built the club’s first great team and put the first trophies in the cabinet. And all of it was in the exciting, attacking tradition which we have been accustomed to over the Busby and Ferguson years.
