‘The Pride of All Europe’ is one of the most popular Manchester United terrace anthems. Part of the lyrics include the line “We often score six but we seldom score ten.”
It’s true, United have hit teams for six 64 times in the club’s history including several times in recent memory.
But ten? United have scored ten just twice, once as Newton Heath against Wolves in 1892 once in the club’s first ever European Cup home game against Belgian champions Anderlecht in 1956.
We’ve often heard from a United perspective about that night, but never the Belgian one, so I tracked down one of the Anderlecht players.
Hypolite Vandenbosch is now 84 and lives in Brussels, but he remembers that humiliating night clearly.
“We knew very little about our opponents from Manchester,” he explained. “Scouting didn’t exist and we had never seen any images of United before the first game in Brussels.
"ircumstances in those days just didn’t allow it.
Strong
“We were the best team in Belgium, a really great side,” he added.
“But Manchester United were on another level. They remain the best English team I’ve ever seen. Bobby Charlton wasn’t even in the starting eleven that day, just to give you an idea from how strong this team really was.”
Saturday’s seven against Blackburn was a record score against the Ewood Park side. United have scored seven on 21 occasions - about once every seven years.
In 1950, United beat Aston Villa 7-0 at Old Trafford in front of just 22,149, half the average crowd of that season. My Uncle Charlie scored four, three of them penalties.
When I used to visit him and my great grandmother at a modest three bed-semi on Seymour Grove in Old Trafford in the 80s and early 90s, it was one of Charlie’s favourite stories.
Charlie had an organ in his front room and a croquet lawn in the back garden. In Old Trafford!
The back room was where he told his stories - about football, greyhounds and the war.
For the Villa game, he stepped up, placed the ball on the spot and took four steps back, never taking his eyes off the keeper.
“Left,” he said, before whacking the ball which bounced out of the goal from the left-hand corner stanchion. He did exactly the same for the second penalty. A hush descended on Old Trafford when United were awarded a third. Charlie stepped up.
Before he could do his usual routine, Villa’s goalkeeper came forward a couple of paces in an attempt to unsettle him. “I suppose you’re going to tell me that this is going in the same place Charlie?” he asked.
“Same place,” confirmed Charlie. His team-mates Stan Pearson and Allenby Chilton were aghast, but Charlie moved forward - and converted his third penalty in exactly the same spot. He got a fourth with a rare header.
Charlie scored 61 goals in 161 matches for United, 18 of them penalties, a record until it was surpassed by Eric Cantona. He was adamant that a player shouldn’t miss a penalty.
“No one should miss from 12 yards out,” he’d repeat. And he always told the goalkeeper where he was going to place it, even telling Jack Crompton in training. That’s one reason why they called him ‘Cheeky’.
I went to see him just before he died, aged 80, in 2002 at a nursing home in Styal near the airport. “I’m the boss here,” he said with a wink. The nurses laughed and let him get on with it.
“Makes a change from him telling us how to take penalties,” she added. Not that United needed any such advice this Saturday, all seven goals coming from open play.
What do you think? Have your say.
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Great article Mr Mitten, thank you for sharing such precious memories with us!
I am sure if Fergie had invested in the midfield Ronaldo Rooney and Berbatov would have all scored 10
I remember my dad telling me how Charlie Mitten and Jack Rowley were two of the best strikers of the ball he'd ever seen, and with the old fashioned leather ball that would get heavier the wetter it got.
Great article Andy I love reading about our old players.
Brilliant
Priceless memories those. Thanks for sharing. GGMU!
The Busby Babes was destined to rule world football and would of dominated English and European football if not for that disasterous day that will forever live long in the heart of United and all the supporters and robbed a generaton of some of the finest players to ever step foot on a football pitch and they will never be forgotten.
We are the Pride of Manchester.
We are the Pride of English football.
The worlds biggest most famous football club.
The best locally supported club and best supported club throughout the world.
Our proud history goes back 132years, there is not a club that haves history like Manchester United, the history and tradition of our club is what makes us so special.
Sir Matt Busby built an empire like no other and he nor the players will never be forgotten for what they did for our club and now Sir Alex Ferguson continued that and built his own empire that even surpassed the great Busby himself, like Bubsy, Fergie will never be forgotten for what he has done for Manchester United.
We should also never forget the other great men that helped make Manchester united the club it is today including the boys who formed Newton Heath way back in 1878, John Henry Davies who's vision lead to the building of Old Trafford to fit a club that he felt was one of the biggest clubs in the world, Ernest Mangnall who lead us to our first League title in 1908 aswell 1911 (even if he did go to Man C) and Jimmy Murphy who kept us going during those tragic days on 1958.
We are MANCHESTER UNITED and we should always remember that.
Living in the past is welcome relief from having to think about our current crop of 'superstars' coming through the ranks.
Tuesday night was just a bad dream....wasn't it?
One of the best you have written Mr Mitten. Seriously Andy a fabulous article. Thanks for sharing it. Like others I too love to hear the stories from or about our elderly and sadly departed statesmen. It is such a shame that someone has to post a comment which relates to his obsession about Sir Alex and not how good your story is which I think is disrespectful to those statesmen. Never mind you can't win em all mate.
Marvellous article Andy, thanks for that.
Poncho Pearson,Now theres a name from the past, As for 'Cheeky' Charlie,Didn't he sign for Bogata,Much to the dismay of Sir Matt ?, Mind you football was a completely different animal back then, £12 a week & cycle or bus to the home games (players,not fans) ?. Any more memories Andy ?
Fantastic article..The great days of football..When it was all about the game and the team and much less about the Individual.
I simply could not resist a posting. I was at that Anderlecht match, aged fifteen at the time. Such vivid memories of the occasion. I know I also saw Charlie Mitten play, my dad took me, but my memories of that are a wee bit "fuzzy". Need to go now, there is a lump in my throat!
United 'til I die!
Really enjoyed this article. These were real men, playing for the love of the game more than anything else. I always feel the older generation must barely be able to recognise football now. It's changed so much in the past 20 years never mind 50. I could sit and listen to stories like this all day and never get bored. I remember finding out my grandad, bless him, used to collect money from punters outside OT from bets or raffles and the money would then go towards paying the united players wages. How times have changed.
Brilliant Andy,makes me proud to be United and I know they are in your heart.
Great article...times have changed & it's not always for the better...Interesting how charlie alway's aimed for the stanchions...The great Bobby Johnstone took us for training for a short time,,,& that's exactly were he made us aim for during training when penalties were being practiced.Do not know for sure if Bobby ever missed one but he put all of them away that I saw him take(at Oldham). Thanks for sharing the memories Andy. Must be some team that they have up there in heaven...
Reading a book at the moment called Green and Gold..about the Newton Heath days up until the name change in 1902.
The Villa result was in the first year of Newton Heath's appearance in the English football league so is a little overdue to be beaten.
However, a few Reds may not know that in 1887,N-H played Ardwick,who later mutated into citeh,in a friendly..and we just shaded the game..11-1.
I'm up to 1893,a mere 15yrs after N-Heath's foundation and from a few locals watching friendly games,we've grown to 18,000 watching a game against Blackburn.
A very good book..recommended reading.
My dad used to tell me about him growing up, and he probably only knew him from newspapers and radio. Then I used absorb facts and figures about United, a lot of which I've probably forgotten. But 10-0 against Anderlecht will always stick. Thanks Andy for another excellent article.
Great acticle,Rowley,Morris,Delaney,Pearson and of Mitten howcould they fail.What a forward line.
Ah , the Busby Babes ! The heartache is still there.
Without a doubt, that great team would have won many more league titles and more European cups if it wasn't for the tragedy on 6th February, 1958. The Flowers of Manchester! My maternal Granddad was a blue but he thought that the United team that persished was the greatest team that he had seen!
Another excellent article Andy ; perhaps you could arrange to sit down with isdep ; Cleggy And Bill as I am sure their combined memories would make an equally article.
Wood,Foulkes,Byrne
Colman, Jones ,Edwards.
Berry,Whelan.Taylor Violett.Pegg.
United's first home game in Europe! I was there.
And it was pouring down with rain. It could have been 15-0 but they spent the last quarter of the match trying to set up a goal for David Pegg,the only forward not to score!
Magic!