Taking It In Turns to Shoot The Lights Out at Old Trafford

[kushiro]

You may have heard that Manchester United are currently on their worst run in the League for 35 years - no wins in eight. That hasn't happened since the 1989/90 season and a run that marked a turning point in United's history - and one that held a special fascination for Leicester fans.

 

We have to go back a further three years to set the context.

 

It's August 17th 1985, and the season opens with the visit of Everton to Filbert Street. It's Gary Lineker's first game for his new club. 

 

Lineker was upstaged completely that day by Mark Bright, who hit two glorious long range goals in a 3-1 win. Lineker struggled to get into the game, closely marked by Russell Osman, as home fans chanted 'What a waste of money!'

 

It looked like we'd found the man to fill the boots of our old hero, while Lineker would struggle in those early days at Goodison. At his home debut a few days later the Everton fans gave him a markedly lukewarm reception - pining for Andy Gray, the man he'd replaced.

 

But those early signs were misleading. Bright's Leicester career was downhill all the way from then on, while just a year later, after 40 goals for Everton, the Golden Boot in Mexico, and a lucrative move to Barcelona, Lineker was on top of the world. 

 

On October 9th 1986 , Bright turned out in a Leicester shirt for the last time, scoring a hat-trick for the reserves in a 4-2 win at Manchester City. Crystal Palace chairman Ron Noades had been a regular visitor to our reserve games, and Bright's form convinced him that Selhurst Park was where he could resurrect his career.  Bright was happy to get out. He'd been barracked by his own fans, the abuse often racial in nature, and he'd been ridiculed by some of his own team mates,  who gave him the nickname 'Serginho' - the hapless Brazilian centre forward who repeatedly fell over his own feet at the World Cup in 1982.

 

The same night as Bright was scoring those goals at Maine Road, Lineker was living it up, in the posh seats at a Rod Stewart concert in Barcelona.

 

Three years later, and Lineker had joined Bright in London. He was at White Hart Lane, and scoring as freely as ever. Bright was flourishing too, forming a deadly striking partnership with Ian Wright that had taken Palace to promotion.

 

And so we come to the autumn of 1989, Man U in the doldrums,  and one of the most famous banners in the history of the game.

 

United fan Pete Molyneux had seen enough. Alex Ferguson had been at the club three years, and not only had they won nothing, they were actually going backwards. Molyneux decided it was time to act.  

 

The wording of the banner was inspired by his Salford roots. "On Coronation Street, Bet Lynch would always say to Mike Baldwin 'Ta ra, cock'. It felt like we'd had three years of excuses and we were still crap. So it was 'Ta ra Fergie'.

 

 His original plan was to unfurl the banner on Ferguson’s third anniversary. "We were playing Forest, but there was a minute's silence for Remembrance Sunday so it didn't feel right and I kept it in a plastic bag by my feet. The next game was Chelsea and I didn't want to do it against one of our serious rivals".   

 

Two weeks later, on December 9th, the chance finally came. 

 

Crystal Palace were at Old Trafford, and United went in front early on. But when the visitors struck back to lead 2-1, Molyneux's banner was unfurled.

 

"I was shaking', he said. "I loved the club and I was apprehensive people would turn on me. But the reaction was amazing. It was like a domino effect around the ground as people realised what the banner said, culminating in this crescendo of cheers and applause."

 

 

 

 

Palace recorded a famous victory and boos greeted the final whistle. Here's the man who scored both Palace goals that day:

 

 

 

A week later, with the pressure growing on Ferguson, Tottenham came to Old Trafford. 

 

On the coach going up the M6, Spurs players were watching a video of the club's greatest ever goals. Gary Lineker remarked to Paul Gascoigne that he'd never scored anything that might qualify for a compilation like that, and a thought was planted in his mind.

 

I was living in Manchester at the time, and decided to head for Old Trafford to see the man I'd seen score so often at Filbert Street. I strolled up to the ground at about 2.30 and had absolutely no trouble getting in - paying cash at the turnstiles and taking a seat behind the goal at the Stretford End.

 

With twenty minutes to go, it was still 0-0. Then Lineker picked the ball up wide on the left:

 

 

 

It finished 1-0. 

 

Those games were numbers two and three in what became known as 'Black December'.  United went the whole month without a victory, and then headed to the City Ground for an FA Cup tie. Everyone believed that if they lost, it really would be curtains for Ferguson.

 

They won that game with a famous Mark Robins goal, and we know the rest. 

 

Bright and Lineker had done their best to change the course of history, but it wasn't quite enough.  

 

United have a chance to break their miserable run on Sunday, though if they beat Villa, it opens the way for Forest. Leicester fans at Bournemouth will be keeping an eye on the scores (and there might be a few banners on show too).

 

Edited 20 May 2025 by kushiro

[MPH]

Chuffin Nora. I wonder if those who wanted Ferguson out are happy with the last few managers…