City success and United troubles as Manchester turns Blue

Manchester has long been at the heart of the footballing world, with endless success over the years. Both United and City have gone through periods of difficulty and triumph but it is now that the tables have really turned in Manchester from Red to Blue. Here we cover the history of both sides, as City remain the second favourites at the NJ online casinos to land their third Premier League title in succession.

Manchester City

There is little doubt that the rise of Manchester City has been the biggest in footballing history. They have gone from bankruptcy to billions, which now sees them as the world’s most valuable football club. This putting them ahead of Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Manchester City were founded back in 1880 and entered the football league in 1889. By 1904, they had lifted their first major trophy with an FA Cup success. A quiet period followed for the club before the success in the late 1960s, as they won the league, another FA Cup and a League Cup. This was all under the management of Malcolm Allison and Joe Mercer.

However, City then went through a period of decline, that saw them relegated on numerous occasions to the third tier of English football by the end of the 1997-98 season. They gathered momentum and gained promotion back to the top flight by 2002. The stuttering period continued at City before the stunning take-over for £200m by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s Abu Dhabi United Group in September of 2008. The takeover was orchestrated by the now-former chief executive Garry Cook. This saw them become the richest club in the world overnight. Times were set to change at Manchester City.


Source: telegraph.co.uk

Considerable funding was then pumped into the club as they instantly looked for a big name, despite having not picked up a major trophy since back in 1976. City also still remaining in the shadow of neighbours Manchester United.

They were able to acquire Robinho from Real Madrid and he made a flying start scoring 12 goals in his first 19 games. City would then bring in Argentinian Carlos Tevez, as Roberto Mancini also took over the helm from Hughes following his sacking after just 18 months. The club again finished without a trophy but were able to bring in Yaya Toure and David Silva, which was the changing point. This also then led to the signing of Sergio Aguero from Atletico Madrid, with each of the three playing a huge role at the club in the coming years.

Manchester City then went on to beat Stoke 1-0 in the 2011 FA Cup final, meaning they ended a 35-year trophy drought. This then led to them picking up their first Premier League title the following season as Aguero scored arguably the Premier league’s most dramatic goal. This saw them leapfrog United to top the table as the tables began to turn in Manchester.

One of the real key changing points for the club was bringing in Pep Guardiola at the start of 2016. This saw him sign a three-year contract for the start of the 2016-17 season. He joined following a hugely successful period at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as he was now widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time.

His success was almost instant as the club won the title in 2018, and in the process become the first to attain 100 points in a single season. They also broke several records including goals scored. The following season, City won four trophies that included sweeping up the domestic treble, meaning they became the first English side to do so. This rise and success now sees them as the dominating force of English football and the most valuable club in world football. It is the culmination of a meteoric rise for the blue side of Manchester, as they now go in search of a Champions League title.

Manchester United

It has been a completely different process at Manchester United, as they have long been one of the most successful and widely supported football clubs in the world. The club was founded back in 1902 as Manchester United, who have now gone on to win more trophies than any other club in English football.

United have picked up a record 20 League titles, 12 FA Cups, 5 League Cups and 21 FA Community Shields. They have also had some incredible success in European competition with 3 UEFA Champions League titles, 1 UEFA Europa League, 1 UEFA Cup Winners; Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup. This gives an indication of just how much success there has been at Manchester United.


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1945 saw the initial big change at the club following the appointment of Matt Busby. By 1948 he had already led United to an FA Cup victory, whilst also finishing second place in the league in 1947, 1948 and 1949. Manchester United then landed the top division in 1952, which was the first league title in 41 years. United continued to move forward and in 1957 became the first English team to compete in the European Cup.

The following season then brought about the Munich air disaster, when the side were travelling back from a European Cup quarter-final victory over Red Star Belgrade. This was a very sad period at the club, as 23 lives were taken that included eight players, officials and journalists. This shocking disaster led to a period of transition at the club with Busby looking to rebuild the side through the 1960s. The next generation of young talent was also pushed through that included George Best, who helped them land the FA Cup in 1963.

Titles quickly followed at United in both 1965 and 1967, then in 1968, they became the first English club to win the European Cup, following the 4-1 victory over Benfica in the final. This team was one of their greatest in the clubs history with Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best.

The most successful period in the clubs history was under Sir Alex Ferguson, who took over in 1986 and stayed until 2013. However, he had started slowly and in 1990 following an early-season run of six defeats and two draws in eight games, there were banners asking for his dismissal. That same season, United went on to win the FA Cup final, thus resulting in an incredible rise for the club moving forward.

Ferguson went on to lead the club to 13 Premier League titles, with the last coming in 2013. In this period they also secured 5 FA Cup’s, 4 League Cups and 10 Community Shields. He also led United to numerous European honours, such as 2 Champions league titles and a Super Cup. Throughout this period, Manchester United were the dominant force across English football.

However, it had to change and in 2013 he resigned as the manager of the club. He would still remain as a director and club ambassador. This was the start of a steady decline for Manchester United with David Moyes initially taking over as manager. Moyes did not last long and was sacked due to failing to qualify for the Champions League. United also failed to qualify for the Europa League, meaning it was the first time they had not qualified for a European competition since 1990.

Louis van Gaal would then take over the club and also failed to see progression, despite them picking up the FA Cup. This being the club’s first trophy since back in 2013. He was sacked just days later and United looked to Jose Mourinho to turn things around. In his first season, he guided United to a Europa League success, meaning they also qualified for next seasons Champions League. Despite this, he really struggled to push the side into challenging for the Premier League again and was ultimately sacked at the end of 2018.

This would see former player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer take over at Manchester United as caretaker manager. It appeared the club’s fortunes were then changing as he followed this up with 14 wins in 19 matches. This included United knocking Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League following a 2-0 first-leg defeat. Due to this victory, Solskjaer was appointed on a permanent three-year deal.

Manchester United have now made their worst start to a season in 30 years as the decline continues. They sit 12th in the Premier League, having picked up just nine points from eight games. Solskjaer’s win record has now dropped to 47.5%, which is the worst of any United manager since Dave Sexton. This really does indicate the troubling times at the club and they are just two points above the relegation zone. It is clear that City have now surpassed them as the leading force in both Manchester and English football, and it appears it is going to be a long road back to the top for U