Maybe the Last Time - FA Cup winners 1955

Build Up

The journey to Wembley was all the more remarkable because it took place against a background of internal strife within the club.

Dugald Livingstone had been appointed manager at the turn of the year after coaching abroad. His modern coaching techniques were not well accepted by the senior players. The younger players were much more receptive, but this just served to create internal tensions.

Frank Brennan had lost his place in the side and although the club stated it was for footballing reasons it was a commonly held view that the real reason was that The Rock had opened his own sports business and United director Seymour - who had a long established sports business of his own - didn't want one of his players affecting his profit margins.

The fans were not best impressed either and 2,000 of them turned up at the City hall for a meeting called by the Shareholders Association. A vote of no-confidence in the directors was suggested and only three of those in power at St James'.

Fifty years before Ranieri, Livingstone also believed in tinkering with the formation and personnel; especially the forwards; so that from game to game the players were unsure who would be picked. This kept the team on their toes and helped prevent the slide in League form that was a feature of 1951 and 1952 but it also aggravated the players.

Hannah actually put in a transfer request when he was dropped for the 5th round tie at Nottingham and before the Final the players got so fed-up waiting to find out who was to be selected for Wembley that they "requested" Livingstone to meet with the directors and reveal the side.

Livingstone had wanted to field a forward line of Davies, Hannah, White, Keeble and Mitchell. Milburn, who was admittedly carrying an injury was not to play. The directors (who believed they should have a say in the team selection for such a major match) consigned the Scotsman's team sheet to the dustbin and Milburn replaced White in the line-up.

It was Milburn's belief that the frequent team changes meant that the "'family spirit' so prominent in past United teams just did not exist in quite the same way". Prior to the Final they stayed at The Royal Albion Hotel in Brighton as they had in 1951 and 1952. But as Milburn later stated, "the contentment which in the past had made us such a powerful side was lacking. The atmosphere was tense as everybody trained extra hard. No one seemed able to relax. All the time one felt even at this late hour there might be a change in the side".