McIlroy recalls Reds’ painful fall from grace
THE idea of a United player walking down Deansgate or around the Trafford Centre while the club contemplates the unthinkable reality of relegation is almost too difficult to even comprehend now.
United have been through their battles since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, but the fear of failing to even qualify for the Europa League is as bleak as it’s got when looking at a league table.
That wasn’t the case five decades ago, when within three seasons of Sir Matt Busby retiring the incomprehensible had happened and United had been relegated to the second tier. These were very different days for footballers, who didn’t live in pristine Cheshire villages and private gated communities.
The players who had to live with the responsibility of being the ones who took United down remained in the public eye around a city wondering how it had gone from European glory to domestic infamy within six years.
Sammy McIlroy had arrived at Old Trafford from Belfast as a 16-year-old in 1969 and would turn out to be Busby’s final signing.
Soon he felt the crushing responsibility of trying to avert disaster as the 1973/74 season spiralled out of control.
“It was so difficult, a club like Manchester United, not long ago had won the European Cup, then suddenly you find yourself in the second division,” McIlroy told the M.E.N.
“It was very difficult to be a Manchester United player that season, the fans were wondering what was going on, it was difficult when you were out in Manchester, people were asking what was happening to their football club.”
Speaking about United’s relegation, you can sense the pain being relived by McIlroy down the phone line, even now nearly half a century on.
“It was such a low point in all our careers, to be relegated at a club like Manchester United, you never think a club that big with that history could get relegated,” the 65-yearold said.
“That day when we got relegated and then right throughout the summer it was very, very difficult.
“Even on holiday people would be saying what a travesty it was, people called us a disgrace.”
“I always used to say ‘listen, we’re in the second division now, let’s get out of there as quickly as possible.’”
McIlroy is one of the stars of Too Good to Go Down, the film about United’s relegation – but his introduction to the club had come from the brilliant Busby.
The Belfast-born midfielder had just turned 17 when he was handed his debut in a Manchester derby, scoring in a 3-3 draw.
It was the first of 419 appearances and 71 goals for United.
Busby had left the dugout by the time of McIlroy’s debut, but the Northern Irishman still speaks with reverence about United’s great manager and with pride about the fact he was his final signing in his 24 years at the club.
“To be his last professional signing is a great honour for me, people remember me as that to this day, he was a fantastic manager,” McIlroy said.
“I had a little bit of time with him, as a 16-year-old he got me into first team friendlies and into squads, he was a great manager and it’s great for me to be his last signing.
“You talk about the Busby babes, Matt used to say ‘if you’re good enough you’re old enough’ and that has always been the thing at Manchester United.
“It was never about age, it was about temperament and ability – if you were good enough you were in that first team.”
McIlroy signed for a club still on a high from the historic European Cup success in 1968, but he quickly realised it was a club that needed to go through a period of transition, one that perhaps didn’t happen as quickly or as smoothly as hoped for.
“When I first came to the club in 1969 it was fantastic for me, the year after they’d won the European Cup, the atmosphere around the place was fantastic, they had George Best, Dennis Law, Bobby Charlton, Paddy Crerand, Brian Kidd, it was great,” he said.
“But really when you look at it some of those players were coming to the end of their careers and things started to go wrong then coming into the early Seventies.
“They were going to have to retire, George started going off the rails, how can you replace Best, Law and Charlton in one hit? It’s very, very
It was a low point in all our careers, to be relegated at a club like Manchester United
Sammy McIlroy
difficult. The history of what Sir Matt did and winning that European Cup 10 years after the Munich disaster, winning the league titles and the FA Cup in 1963, the man to replace Sir Matt had a hell of a job on.
“Things started going wrong a bit when Sir Matt left, Frank O’Farrell had a very difficult job.”
The fall would culminate in relegation in 1974.
McIlroy played his part in United returning to the First Division at the first attempt, playing in an entertaining team under Tommy
Docherty, but the relegation still leaves scars to this day.
“The situation we were in was very, very difficult,” he said.
“We won our first couple of games but then it went pear-shaped, we were struggling to score goals and when you look back on it everything was thinking ‘Manchester United can’t go down,’
“They’re a big club, a fantastic history throughout the years, we knew it was going to be an absolute travesty if we went down.
“It was a nightmare.”