Two of football's most iconic teams will be celebrated by the National Football Museum at a gala held at Manchester's Hilton Hotel next week.
The Hall of Fame only opened its team category last year and has wasted little time in time in welcoming two sides permanently woven into the fabric of English football.
They join United's European Cup-winners of 1968 and Liverpool's European champions of 1978 in a burgeoning list of the greatest teams this country has ever produced.
That the Busby Babes have been inducted is just further confirmation of the remarkable contribution Sir Matt Busby personally made to the sport.
Not only are United the first club to have two teams inducted into the Hall of Fame - but Busby is the first manager to have two of his own creations recognised by the Museum.
City's title-winning side of '68 - led by the managerial partnership of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison and with star names like Mike Summerbee and Colin Bell - represented the most successful period in the club's history.
They had previously won the old second division championship in 1966, before deposing United as champions two years later, in the same season that their Old Trafford rivals became the first English club to win the European Cup.
FA Cup success
The success didn't end there with Mercer and Allison winning the FA Cup in 69 and the League Cup and European Cup Winners Cup in 1970.
David Pearson, General Manager of the Football Museum, said: "It is great to reflect on City because people forget what a great team that side was.
"They were chased all the way by United to win the title and were such a stylish team who were great to watch. A lot of credit has to go to Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison for the success they achieved."
The Busby Babes touched the hearts of football fans the world over as a swashbuckling young side who were ready to challenge Real Madrid's dominance of Europe.
The likes of Duncan Edwards and Tommy Taylor epitomised a side many believe could have gone on to become the greatest of all time, if not for the Munich air crash which robbed the team of eight of its stars including Edwards and Taylor.
But even by that time they had made their mark with a largely home-grown squad winning the title in 1956 and 1957 before embarking on European domination.
Pearson said: "We are recognising teams that played wonderful football and did things that teams hadn't done before. The Busby Babes were the first English team to play in European competition.
"We've only just started the process of inducting teams. "This year feels like an appropriate celebration of two Manchester's greatest teams."
Mercer and Allison will also be inducted into the managers' Hall of Fame this year, while Teddy Sheringham and Frank Swift will also take their place.
MEN Sport is offering its readers the chance to join Sports Editor Peter Spencer at the Hall of Fame black tie dinner at the Hilton on Thursday, September 10. For your chance to win one of two pairs of tickets answer this question: What year did United win the European Cup and City win the League title? Answers to sport@men-news.co.uk
Closing date Friday September 4
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
"City's title-winning side of '68 - led by the managerial partnership of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison and with star names like Mike Summerbee and Colin Bell - represented the most successful period in the club's history". 41 years ago, dear oh dear oh dear oh dear. I can just see city fans flocking down to the museum to be reminded of how long ago it was they had a decent team. Good move although it does smack slightly of being a consolation prize for one of the biggest underachievers in North West football. I bet if city won an accolade for having the best canteen they'd probably get an open top bus parade.
City should have gone on from that successful period to maintain success but mismanagement, especially by Big Malc, much as I admire the guy, sent us into freefall. Paying too much for medicore players and instituting a mass clearout so he could take credit when his new team won things ( anyone remember Gary Owen in tears after being forced to leave?).
The corny banner at Utd about 30-odd years is particularly stupid in view of the fact that Utd once went 37 years without a trophy. O.K, the War played a part but circumstances apply in each case.
Then we hear that City aren`t a big team. By that is meant, "aren`t a successful team". With the harcore loyal fans still turning up after years of winning nothing, only arrogant people can claim City are not a big club.
I`d hoped that both City and Utd would be successful together and keep those Southerners in their place but alas, wasn`t to be.
Now I see a similar situation developing. And adding to my cheer is Burnley being back. Let`s see all the Lanky teams having success.
Adders, no we really do mean that city aren't a big team, nothing to do with success.
United are big, so are liverpool, newcastle, arsenal, chelsea and spurs.
But city aren't, they're the next tier down, alongside Everton, Sunderland, Wolves, Villa and those kind of clubs. Then after that you get your average, medium sized clubs like your stoke's, bolton's so on and so forth.
Can't believe this. Is it some kind of sick joke ? The '99 United team just happened to win a treble. The Spurs side of '60 -61 were the first team to do the double. Notts Forest and Villa both won the European Cup whilst City won the league once and the cup once. Also how come the Babes had to wait a year to be inducted ? They should have been the first in.
I see Monkey Tennis is on day release from hospital again.
Adders, no we really do mean that city aren't a big team, nothing to do with success.
United are big, so are liverpool, newcastle, arsenal, chelsea and spurs. But city aren't, they're the next tier down, alongside Everton, Sunderland, Wolves, Villa and those kind of clubs. Then after that you get your average, medium sized clubs like your stoke's, bolton's so on and so forth.
Monkey tennis?, yes please
You have only been a big team since your history started 1992!
2/09/2009 at 15:55
Monkey tennis: typical rag comment. Nothing to base your arrogant comment on except wind-ups. Newcastle bigger than City? Do you know anything about football or are you just on here to make mischief?
1968
adders, Co.Cavan ex Manchester
2/09/2009 at 13:35
I actually agree with most of what you say there. The problem is each persons interpretation of what a "BIG" club is. In England there is no doubt in my mind that City are a big club. In international terms, I am afraid the answer is a resounding no. However with those deep pockets and some success in the trophy department, especially European you might gain a big club status.
I am a sad robot and like you I like to keep tabs on all the Lancy clubs. In particular a Manchester region club. Any trophy is good for our home of Manchester, as long as City don't beat us doing it.
You have to earn the really BIG status and City have not done enough yet.
Wouldn't really put City in the 'iconic' bracket! More like icomic!!
4 posts, 3 are fromUtd fans. Good to see you are not obsessed with us.
Red or Dead you should get out more, I was a Blue in 68 and a blue now wonder which band wagon you will then climb on when the debt ridden outfit you support hit's the wall in the next two years
Blues fans are beyond your limited understanding and our love of the football club is not driven by counting pot's. We pity you and laugh at your cheap insults.
Going to the Town Hall in Late 1968
on show was the Championship trophy and the European Cup.
sometime way back that great divide seemed a little less great.
pity todays reds are so full of arrogance and funny accents.
What kind of terrible embarrassment is this to the City of M/C.
On one hand you have one of the most successful football team in the history of the sport, United, on the other hand a regular top league team with only a couple of cups to their name, City. The City team of '68 was a good one, but to make this comparison, to elevate City to where they don't belong, or deserve, in an injustice to the city of M/C itself.
It's like saying the Hollies or Oasis should be compared to some one hit band just because the one hit band were from M/C!!!????
Up the Reds!
City can be a small club - I don't care about size. All I care about is watching a team that I've followed since I was eight years old have 'some' success. I'm not greedy, I'm not bothered how many trophies other teams have won or how many fans we have, I'll leave that to the insecure people of this world.
Anyway, there's no point looking at the past it's the future that is more important and the future's bright...the future's BLUE!
"United are big, so are liverpool, newcastle, arsenal, chelsea and spurs. But city aren't, they're the next tier down".
erm, what?
Kryten, red dwarf: Thanks for another sensible post. You always make intelligent observed comments rather than cheap jibes. I have to agree with your definition of "big" rather than that most use. City do need to win things in Europe to be big on the international stage.
It`s good to see level-head articulate comments like yours.
'dy hell, can a man not have a joke these days!
the majority on here are either serious or tetchy.
i always thought these threads were for exchanging views and winding up the local opposition - kind of like what happens in the "real" world... but maybe there's been a sense of humour by-pass since the bank balance got considerably bigger.
Ganted, i'm no Bernard Manning but...
being a big club has more factors than just trophies such as fan-base and the players that have played for the club. it takes more than money, united have been in the worlds eye since the 50s. nobody cares about man city. why do city fans like to make people think they only follow city for the love of the club and all that bollocks and they support them whatever? the same fans who have constantly slagged of their players and managers over the years and who cant fill a stadium. why do opposition fans like to make out that the united faithful only turned up after 93? when quite clearly united have had the highest average attendances in every season since the 50s bar 3 or 4 seasons.
City can be a small club - I don't care about size. All I care about is watching a team that I've followed since I was eight years old have 'some' success. I'm not greedy, I'm not bothered how many trophies other teams have won or how many fans we have, I'll leave that to the insecure people of this world.
Anyway, there's no point looking at the past it's the future that is more important and the future's bright...the future's BLUE!
Parky MCFC, Manchester
2/09/2009 at 23:14 Offensive or Inappropriate?
The best post I have ever seen posted on this forum :D
How do you judge a Big vs Small club I wonder, City have a huge but reserved oversea's following so it can't be that hmmm It must be that RM & MU are the only huge club's "IN THE WORLD" judged by their huge DEBTS!!!
That's it, we will never be a a huge debt written club unlike ... others