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Following an eighth-place finish in the 1969–70 season and a poor start to the 1970–71 season, Busby was persuaded to temporarily resume managerial duties, and McGuinness returned to his position as reserve team coach. In June 1971, Frank O'Farrell was appointed as manager, but lasted just 18 months before being replaced by Tommy Docherty in December 1972.〔Murphy (2006), p. 134〕 Docherty saved Manchester United from relegation that season, only to see them relegated in 1974; by that time the trio of Best, Law, and Charlton had left the club.〔Barnes et al. (2001), pp. 18–19〕 The team won promotion at the first attempt and reached the FA Cup final in 1976, but were beaten by Southampton. They reached the final again in 1977, beating Liverpool 2–1. Docherty was dismissed shortly afterwards, following the revelation of his affair with the club physiotherapist's wife.〔Barnes et al. (2001), p. 19〕 Dave Sexton replaced Docherty as manager in the summer of 1977. Despite major signings, including Joe Jordan, Gordon McQueen, Gary Bailey, and Ray Wilkins, the team failed to achieve any significant results; they finished in the top two in 1979–80 and lost to Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup Final. Sexton was dismissed in 1981, even though the team won the last seven games under his direction.〔Barnes et al. (2001), p. 20〕 He was replaced by Ron Atkinson, who immediately broke the British record transfer fee to sign Bryan Robson from West Bromwich Albion. Under Atkinson, Manchester United won the FA Cup twice in three years – in 1983 and 1985. In 1985–86, after 13 wins and two draws in its first 15 matches, the club was favourite to win the league, but finished in fourth place. The following season, with the club in danger of relegation by November, Atkinson was dismissed.〔Barnes et al. (2001), pp. 20–21〕 ==Post-Busby years== Wilf McGuinness, the reserve team coach, was promoted to take Matt Busby's place as manager. He had been associated with the club since joining them as a player in the mid 1950s but he quickly faltered in the footsteps of the great man, and wasn't helped by Busby's presence in the background. United were an ageing side in need of refreshment, a circumstance McGuinness was unfortunate to come across. The club coped well enough in his first season in charge, managing an improved finish of 8th place compared to 11th place in Busby's final season. However, the cracks showed the following season, as the team floundered near the bottom of the table, and a League Cup elimination at the hands of Aston Villa, who at the time were mid-table in the Third Division, led to McGuinness being demoted back to his old reserve team position, and he left the club altogether shortly afterwards. Busby returned to the manager's seat on a temporary basis and pulled the team well clear of relegation, eventually matching the previous year's 8th-place finish. Frank O'Farrell of Leicester City became the club's new manager in the 1971 close season, after unsuccessful approaches for Jock Stein of Celtic, Don Revie of Leeds United and Dave Sexton of Chelsea. Despite starting the 1971–72 season well and raising hope that O'Farrell would be a good successor to Busby, a run of seven defeats from 1 January meant they were to finish in 8th place for the third successive year – a dismal showing for a club who had appeared capable of winning the title for at least the first half of the season. However, the season did see the signing of 22-year-old Aberdeen defender Martin Buchan, who would play a key role in later successes for United. At this time George Best was becoming a problem, continually flouting the rules and getting into various disciplinary troubles. At the end of the 1971–72 season, one day short of his 26th birthday, he announced his retirement, only to turn back on his decision and announce his intention to play again within days. While Best's erratic behaviour didn't help, United continued to struggle, opening the 1972–73 season with a disastrous nine games without a win. Following a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur on 28 October 1972, chairman Louis Edwards planned to sack O'Farrell and made an audacious move for former Manchester City manager Joe Mercer, but O'Farrell was away on a scouting mission on the day that Edwards intended to sack him, and the 58-year-old Mercer (who was to retire from football within two years) turned the offer down anyway. United's form briefly improved after this, allowing O'Farrell a stay of execution, but a 5-0 thumping by relegation rivals Crystal Palace just before Christmas proved too much, and led to the manager's dismissal on 19 December. In a way it was the end of an era, with Bill Foulkes having retired, Bobby Charlton's testimonial having been held the previous day and George Best once again announced his retirement on the same day. Charlton, now 35, would play his last game for the club at the end of that season. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of Manchester United F.C. (1969–86)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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