Manchester United

1991–92 season
TheStretford End, March 1992
Chairman	Martin Edwards
Manager	Alex Ferguson
First Division	2nd
FA Cup	Fourth round
League Cup	Winners
Cup Winners' Cup	Second round
European Super Cup	Winners
Top goalscorer	League: Brian McClair (18) All: Brian McClair (25)
Highest home attendance	47,576 vsNottingham Forest (20 April 1992)
Lowest home attendance	22,110 vsRed Star Belgrade (19 November 1991)
Average home league attendance	44,985
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 1990–91 1992–93 →

The 1991–92 season wasManchester United's 90th season in theFootball League, and their 17th consecutive season in the top division ofEnglish football.^[1]

The season saw United lift theLeague Cup for the first time in their history with a 1–0 win overNottingham Forest atWembley Stadium. They also added theEuropean Super Cup to the trophy cabinet with victory overRed Star Belgrade atOld Trafford. However, they then endured the disappointment of being beaten to the league title byrivalsLeeds United, having led the league for much of the season.

New signings for the season includedDanish goalkeeperPeter Schmeichel andEngland right-backPaul Parker.Ryan Giggs, who had played twice for United in 1990–91, broke into the first team and was one of the most exciting players in the country as he won thePFA Young Player of the Year award.

Soviet international wingerAndrei Kanchelskis, who had joined United in the later stages of the 1990–91 season, was also putting in star performances to give managerAlex Ferguson a more attacking alternative to the ageingMike Phelan on the right hand side of midfield.

It was the final season atOld Trafford for strikerMark Robins, a key player from the FA Cup winning team two seasons earlier. His first team opportunities were limited due to the form ofMark Hughes andBrian McClair, and he was unfit when injuries opened up an opportunity for regular action in attack near the season's end. He was then put on the transfer list and by the start of the following season, he had been sold toNorwich City.Lee Martin had regained fitness following his back injury the previous season, but was unable to win a place in the team.Danny Wallace, who was by now rarely selected for the first team, was put on the transfer list before Christmas, but was still atOld Trafford when the season ended, despite talk of a return toSouthampton.Russell Beardsmore, now a rare sight in the first team, had a brief loan spell atBlackburn Rovers.

Media reports for most of the season linked United with a move forSouthampton strikerAlan Shearer, but the player opted to remain at the South Coast club until the end of the season before making a decision on a future.

United would be among the founder members of theFA Premier League for the1992–93 season, as the top 22 clubs broke away from theFootball League.

Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		Rumbelows Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	Peter Schmeichel	40	0	3	0	6	0	3	0	1	0	53	0
GK	Gary Walsh	2	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	4	0
GK	Ian Wilkinson	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
DF	Clayton Blackmore	19(14)	3	1	0	4(1)	1	1	0	1	0	26(15)	4
DF	Steve Bruce	37	5	1	0	7	1	4	0	1	0	50	6
DF	Mal Donaghy	16(4)	0	2	0	3(1)	0	0	0	0	0	21(5)	0
DF	Denis Irwin	37(1)	4	3	0	7	0	2	0	1	0	50(1)	4
DF	Lee Martin	0(1)	0	0	0	1	0	1(2)	0	1	0	3(3)	0
DF	Gary Pallister	37(3)	1	3	0	8	0	3(1)	0	1	0	52(4)	1
DF	Paul Parker	24(2)	0	3	0	6	0	2	0	0	0	35(2)	0
MF	Russell Beardsmore	0	0	0	0	0	0	1(2)	0	0	0	1(2)	0
MF	Darren Ferguson	2(2)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2(2)	0
MF	Ryan Giggs	32(6)	4	2(1)	0	6(2)	3	1	0	0(1)	0	41(10)	7
MF	Paul Ince	31(2)	3	3	0	6(1)	0	3	0	1	0	44(3)	3
MF	Andrei Kanchelskis	28(6)	5	2	1	4	2	1	0	1	0	36(6)	8
MF	Mike Phelan	14(4)	0	0	0	2(1)	0	4	0	0	0	20(5)	0
MF	Bryan Robson	26(1)	4	2	0	5(1)	1	3	0	0	0	36(2)	5
MF	Lee Sharpe	8(6)	1	0(1)	0	1(3)	1	0	0	0	0	9(10)	2
MF	Neil Webb	29(2)	3	3	0	6	0	3	0	1	0	42(2)	3
FW	Mark Hughes	38(1)	11	2(1)	1	6	0	4	2	1	0	51(2)	14
FW	Brian McClair	41(1)	18	3	1	8	4	4	1	1	1	57(1)	25
FW	Mark Robins	1(1)	0	0	0	0(3)	2	2(1)	0	0	0	3(5)	2
FW	Danny Wallace	0	0	0	0	0	0	1(1)	0	0	0	1(1)	0

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Fee
6 August 1991	DF	Paul Parker	Queens Park Rangers	£1.7m
6 August 1991	GK	Peter Schmeichel	Brøndby	£625k

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Fee
5 August 1991	FW	Deiniol Graham	Barnsley	£50k
6 February 1992	GK	Jim Leighton	Dundee	£200k
19 March 1992	DF	Jason Lydiate	Bolton Wanderers	Undisclosed
30 June 1992	MF	Mark Gordon	Released	Free
30 June 1992	MF	Paul Gough	Released	Free
30 June 1992	FW	Andy Noone	Released	Free
30 June 1992	MF	Paul Sixsmith	Preston North End	Undisclosed
30 June 1992	MF	Peter Smyth	Released	Free
30 June 1992	DF	Leonard Taylor	Released	Free
30 June 1992	MF	Paul Wratten	Hartlepool United	Undisclosed

Date from	Date to	Position	Name	From
1 March 1992	1 May 1992	MF	Andy Arnott	Gillingham

Date from	Date to	Position	Name	To
12 September 1991	12 December 1991	DF	Derek Brazil	Swansea City
29 November 1991	29 February 1992	GK	Jim Leighton	Reading
19 December 1991	19 January 1992	MF	Russell Beardsmore	Blackburn Rovers
24 December 1991	10 April 1992	DF	Brian Carey	Wrexham
16 January 1992	21 February 1992	DF	Neil Whitworth	Preston North End
21 February 1992	10 April 1992	DF	Neil Whitworth	Barnsley

Five years after becoming manager of Manchester United,Alex Ferguson finally enjoyed much-awaited success at the club. In 1990, he ended his fourth season in charge withFA Cup glory that ended the club's five-year trophy drought, and followed it up a year later with theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup title. He now prepared his squad for an assault on the league title that had not been United's since 1967, whenMatt Busby had been manager and the likes ofBobby Charlton,Denis Law andGeorge Best were in the team.

Ferguson made two major signings in the close season. He boosted his defence with a £1.75 million move forQueens Park Rangers andEngland right-backPaul Parker, with the previous season's first choice right-backDenis Irwin being switched to left-back – the position thatClayton Blackmore andLee Martin had spent the last couple of seasons competing for.

WithLes Sealey andMark Bosnich gone,Jim Leighton almost a forgotten man after just one appearance the previous season, andGary Walsh seemingly not good enough to be first choice goalkeeper, Ferguson paid £500,000 forBrøndby andDenmark goalkeeperPeter Schmeichel. He now had a squad that few if any clubs in theFirst Division could match. As well as having established stars likeSteve Bruce,Gary Pallister,Bryan Robson andMark Hughes at his disposal, there was plenty of young talent on the way up atOld Trafford. 20-year-old wingerLee Sharpe's impressive displays in 1990–91 had earned him thePFA Young Player of the Year award, and there was much hype surrounding 17-year-old wingerRyan Giggs, who had made his debut the previous season and scored in only his second senior game. When Giggs turned professional the previous November, he was billed as the next George Best, though it still seemed that it would be a while before he would become a first team regular.

On 11 August, Sir Matt Busby, 82-year-old club president and former team manager, earned around £250,000 in gate receipts from his testimonial in which Manchester United drew 1–1 with aRepublic of Ireland XI atOld Trafford.

Six days later, Manchester United began their league campaign with a 2–0 home win over newly promoted Notts County in the First Division. By 7 September, they had opened up a four-point lead over Leeds United at the top of the First Division by winning 3–0 against Norwich City at Old Trafford.

Later that month, they began their defence of the Cup Winners' Cup with a 0–0 draw withAthinaikos inGreece in the first round first leg. There were ugly scenes on the night of the game, leading to five Manchester United supporters receiving £1,500 fines and seven-month prison sentences for their involvement in a Greek bar brawl.

Before the end of September, they began their quest forFootball League Cup glory with a 3–0 home win over Cambridge United in the second round first leg.

The following week, they progressed to the next stage of the Cup Winners' Cup with a 2–0 win over Athinaikos in the first round second leg at Old Trafford, four days before a goalless draw with Liverpool at Old Trafford, in which United's Mark Hughes and Liverpool'sGary Ablett were both sent off.

On 23 October, Manchester United's hopes of retaining the Cup Winners' Cup received a massive blow when they lost 3–0 to Spanish clubAtlético Madrid in the second round first leg.

Before the month had ended, they ensured that their League Cup quest remained alive by beating Portsmouth 3–1 in the third round at Old Trafford.Mark Robins, the striker whose first team chances were becoming increasingly limited due to the strength of the Hughes–McClair partnership, scored twice in the game. By this stage of the season, however, the United player attracting the most attention was Ryan Giggs, still not quite 18 but now United's first choice left winger and the youngestWales international to date.

On 6 November, United's defence of the Cup Winners' Cup ended when they could only manage a 1–1 draw at home to Atletico Madrid, meaning that they suffered a 4–1 aggregate defeat. Consolation came from the fact that they remained unbeaten at home in European competitions 35 years after first competing. This was the club's last Cup Winners' Cup match, as they never returned to the competition until it was abolished in 1999.

There was still European glory for United this season, though with a less significant trophy than before, when on 19 November they clinched theEuropean Super Cup with a 1–0 win overEuropean Cup winnersRed Star Belgrade atOld Trafford. The only goal of the game came from Brian McClair.

With Hughes and McClair both now 28 and their long-term future as a top striker partnership looking doubtful, rumours began to circulate in early December that Alex Ferguson was going to bringSouthampton's 21-year-old strikerAlan Shearer to Old Trafford.Newcastle-born Shearer had been the centre of much speculation and hope since scoring a hat-trick on hisFootball League debut nearly four years ago at the age of 17, and in 1991–92 had established himself as a regular goalscorer.

Boxing Day was a dramatic day for United, who triumphed 6–3 against local rivals and relegation battlers Oldham Athletic atBoundary Park. Denis Irwin and Brian McClair both scored twice, with the other goals coming from Ryan Giggs andAndrei Kanchelskis, helping United maintain their lead at the top of the league. Three days later, they drew 1–1 with their nearest title contenders Leeds United atElland Road. However, New Year's Day brought one of United's worst home results ever when they were crushed 4–1 at Old Trafford by Queen's Park Rangers, in a game which also brought them their first home defeat of the season.

United's FA Cup quest began on 15 January when they faced Leeds United at Elland Road, with both teams fighting it out to cancel the other out of theDouble race. The game ended in a 1–0 win for Manchester United, with Mark Hughes scoring the only goal of the game. 12 days later, United travelled to the south coast to take on Southampton in the FA Cup fourth round. The game ended in a goalless draw, and was replayed the following week at Old Trafford. The replay ended in a 2–2 draw, with Bryan Robson being denied a goal which would have won the game for United. With the scores still level at the end of extra time, the match went to penalties. Penalty misses from Ryan Giggs and Neil Webb ended their hopes of a unique domestic treble and left them with just the league title and League Cup to challenge for.

On the day of the cup exit, United were saddened to hear of the death ofAlan Davies, a member of their FA Cup winning squad from nine years earlier, who had committed suicide inSouth Wales.

The next day, out of favour goalkeeper Jim Leighton headed out of the Old Trafford exit door in a £250,000 move toDundee, 16 months after making his final United appearance.

At the end of March, by which time United had slowed down in the league and were being pushed hard by Leeds United, defender Gary Pallister was votedPFA Player of the Year, while 18-year-old winger Ryan Giggs was votedPFA Young Player of the Year.

12 April 1992 saw Manchester United win the Football League Cup for the first time in their history with a 1–0 win over Nottingham Forest in the final atWembley Stadium, in which Brian McClair scored the only goal of the game. It ensured that Peter Schmeichel, Paul Parker, Andrei Kanchelskis and Ryan Giggs gained the first major honours of their English league careers, as well as ensuring United silverware for the third season running.

Eight days later, however, the highestFootball League audience of the season saw Manchester United lose 2–1 to Nottingham Forest at home, a result which made winning the title look like an uphill task following a recent downturn in form which saw Leeds United emerge as the stronger side in what had been a two-horse title race for most of the season. However, the team from Yorkshire were a point ahead, and had played a game more. There was still a chance.

That chance came on 22 April, when United travelled toEast London to take on a West Ham United side heading for relegation. They had high hopes for the game, only to lose 1–0, a result that left them needing to beat Liverpool atAnfield four days later to stay in the title race.

On 26 April, United lost 2–0 to Liverpool and the title went to a Leeds United side who defeated Sheffield United 3–2. The key player in theWest Yorkshire club's title glory wasGordon Strachan, who had been sold to them from Manchester United just three years earlier and on his transfer had spoken of his hope that he would soon be able to get his new club promoted to the top flight when his old club were league champions.

After the season ended, Alex Ferguson began his quest to sign a striker in order to address the lack of goals which had cost United the title. One player high on his wish list was Alan Shearer, who had been linked with a move to the club from Southampton since before Christmas, but had decided to wait until the end of the season before deciding on where his future lay.

He also had plenty of strength in reserve as an exciting crop of young players won theFA Youth Cup.

The last game of the season was the last ever in front of the Stretford End terraces, it would be knocked down during the Summer and rebuilt as a modern single tiered stand by the start of the 1993–94 season, and a second tier was consequently added in 2001.

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