In a week when Manchester United begins another Champions League campaign, we should remember one of the most blinkered decisions ever taken in the history of English football. When Chelsea won their first ever League title in 1955 they were forced to withdraw from the inaugural European Cup competition by the then Football League secretary Alan Hardaker who feared that the new competition would create too much fixture congestion. That shameful decision was not surprising because the British had a history of being suspicious of international football as shown by the fact that none of the home teams entered the World Cup until 20 years after its inception.

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The ownership of Manchester United has become a highly divisive issue for supporters of this great club. The aim of “Truly Reds, Manchester United fans blog” has always been to try and be a uniting force between the large cross section of fans spread across the globe. While many care little about who the owners are as long as the trophies keep coming into Old Trafford, thousands more feel that the club to which they have devoted most of their lives has lost its way.

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The ownership of Manchester United has become a highly divisive issue for supporters of this great club. The aim of “Truly Reds, Manchester United fans blog” has always been to try and be a uniting force between the large cross section of fans spread across the globe. While many care little about who the owners are as long as the trophies keep coming into Old Trafford, thousands more feel that the club to which they have devoted most of their lives has lost its way.

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The Munich air crash in 1958 en route home from a European Cup quarter final success in Belgrade became a defining feature of  United’s identity. The Champions League finale 41 years later against Bayern Munich in Barcelona embellished the legend the late, two goal flourish consistent with the thrill demand lay down by Sir Matt Busby’s Babes.

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