Manchester United will rise again, they always have

In the history of Manchester United, it is another day and we’ll recover from this, there’s no question about that.

The pain, agony and humiliation inflicted by such a tragic and disastrous defeat at the hands of your arch rivals from across the city will be hard to overcome, but we at the Theatre of Dreams are never bogged down by such results. It’s a fact that we are not really habitual to results of this magnitude, but whenever Old Trafford has witnessed days like these, each and every soul remotely associated to this great club has put the past behind him and has awakened to a new dawn.

Our rivals may have found the right opportunity to mock us, demean us and humiliate us. They may go on blabbering about this day for years to come, but we will recover, we will rise from the ashes, rise like a phoenix, surge ahead and fly again. We always have. That’s why we are the greatest and the most glorious football club in the world.

Here are some of the instances since the start of the Premier League era when we were handed out similar heart-breaking defeats in the league, but we recovered and went on to achieve feats and laurels against the odds. That’s the temperament and spirit that runs in our blood, a part of us we can never part ways with.

1995/96 Season

24 December 1995, Leeds United 3 Manchester United 1, Elland Road

1 January 1996 Tottenham Hotspur 4 Manchester United 1, White Hart Lane

After a shattering defeat to fierce rivals Leeds followed by another mauling away in London, United were almost out of the title race. But the United team, devoid of some of its star players who were sold before the start of the season, came back in typical fashion, massacring every club which came in its way in the latter half of the season. Very few would have imagined that thousands of fans would be celebrating on the streets, come the end of the season.

Two United legends with the English double

United won their third league trophy in four seasons and went onto to secure the English double, lifting the FA Cup by beating arch rivals Liverpool in a historic final.

1996/97 Season

20 October 1996, Newcastle United 5 Manchester United 0, St James’ Park

26 October 1996, Southampton 6 Manchester United 3, St Mary’s Stadium

After suffering their worst ever Premier League defeat at Newcastle and conceding 6 goals in an embarrassing defeat to an unheralded Southampton, losing their 40-year unbeaten home record in Europe as well as the 2-year unbeaten record at home in the league, Sir Alex and his team had experienced a harrowing couple of weeks. Despite a series of dismal results, the manager refused to be written off and was confident about his team’s chances in all competitions. The media and critics had ruled out a successful defence of the league title and were speculating the season as one of the worst in the club’s history. The way the rest of the season panned out, they say, is history.

The league winning stars of 1996/97

United were crowned the Premier League champions at the beginning of May, they finished 7 points clear of second placed Newcastle.

1999-2000 Season

3 October 1999, Chelsea 5 Manchester United 0, Stamford Bridge

United were going great guns in all competitions until the dreaded trip to West London. They were brought down to earth as Chelsea stunned the men from Manchester (equalling their worst ever league defeat), dismissing them comprehensively and putting doubts over their credibility and ability to last the distance. But the Red Devils took the defeat in their stride and never looked back. They lost just 2 more matches in the league.

The man who made the difference that season

United went on to claim their sixth league title in 8 seasons in record breaking style. They finished the season, a whopping 18 points ahead of second placed Arsenal, and scored an astonishing 97 goals.

Season 2008/09

14 March 2009, Manchester United 1 Liverpool 4, Old Trafford

Liverpool, hoping to cut United’s lead at the top of the table to just 4 points, came to Old Trafford high on confidence. Ninety minutes later, United fans were left in misery and tears as their biggest rivals had tormented and humiliated them in a shockingly one-sided North West derby. United fans were subjected to weeks of mockery and embarrassment, and pundits hailed Liverpool’s victory as a great achievement, a win that that would bring them Premier League glory for the first time. But, United obviously had other plans.

The Champions of 2008-09

United lifted their eighteenth league title, equalling Liverpool’s long standing record. It was their third straight title, the champions’ spirit imbibed in their veins, come what may.

Season 2011/12

23 October 2011, Manchester United 1 Manchester City 6, Old Trafford

We will be back, sooner than you can imagine

I’ll leave this section blank for now, this article will be archived. See you at the end of the season. We’ll let our football do the talking till then. Someone once said, Come back when you have 18. Well, here we are, sat on you perch. We do come back every time, don’t we?