Back from the Brink: Manchester United Crisis, 1919-1932

The twenty-odd years that separated the First World War from the Second World War have often been referred to as the long weekend. This book follows the fortunes of Manchester United from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. It is the story of how a pre-war giant fell asleep and very nearly did not wake up again. It is the story of record highs and record lows, of protests, punch-ups and revolts, of heroes, villains, wizards and saviours, of great escapes and even greater cock-ups, of joy and pain, tragedy and despair. Amazingly, it is a story that has never properly been told before. Hopefully, it has been now. ‘Back from the Brink’ chronicles the departure of the father of Manchester United, John Henry Davies and the arrival of its saviour and inspiration James Gibson. The debt modern United fans owe these two men cannot be underestimated. Had it not been for Davies there would be no Manchester United — when Newton Heath were bankrupted in 1902 he changed the name of the club, found them a new stadium and injected the style and panache now associated with the club throughout the football world.As for Gibson, he took a floundering club playing before dwindling support and introduced such notions as corporate hospitality, the tracksuit manager and a youth system as early as 1931. Thus Gibson paved the way for Busby and Ferguson — yet this tale concentrates on an era before glory and Manchester United became inextricably linked. As United fans approach another era of uncertainty regarding their club, Back from the Brink is the first proper examination of a period during which the club won nothing but laid the groundwork for the clubs post-war success.