Red Devils on The Brink: United’s Dramatic Demise 1985-86
It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast
The Overlap
4.9 • 667 Ratings
🗓️ 9 September 2025
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. This week co-hosts Rob Draper and Jonathan Wilson delve into Manchester United’s 1985-86 season - a campaign filled with promise, passion, and ultimately, heartbreak.
A year that began with soaring hopes and a record-breaking unbeaten run, unravels in a whirlwind of injuries, off-field drama, and missed opportunities. We’ll explore the highs and lows of Ron Atkinson’s final full season in charge, from the electric atmosphere at Old Trafford to the heartbreak of falling short in the title race. Expect in-depth analysis of key matches, player performances, and the pivotal moments that defined the season as Rob and Jonathan relive the excitement, the agony, and the legacy of 1985-86.
00:29 – The 1985-86 Season: High Hopes and Early Promise
01:49 – Ron Atkinson’s Arrival and United’s Managerial History
04:38 – The Big Ron Era: Style, Successes, and Setbacks
08:41 – The Bryan Robson Factor: United’s Dependence
13:23 – Squad Building, Transfers, and Team Dynamics
17:13 – Cup Runs, League Frustrations, and Dressing Room Drama
24:50 – The State of English Football in the Mid-80s
25:59 – The 1985-86 Season Kicks Off
27:50 – United’s Record-Breaking Start
32:41 – The Winning Streak and Early League Dominance
39:13 – Injuries, Draws, and the Beginning of the Decline
43:34 – Mark Hughes’ Transfer Saga and Off-Field Turmoil
47:03 – The Drinking Culture and Its Impact
49:43 – The Collapse: Losing Form and the Title
54:56 – The End of the Atkinson Era
59:18 – The Arrival of Sir Alex Ferguson & Reflections
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The drinking was a serious problem, but we never realised that at time because it was pretty much the norm. |
| 0:14.1 | Well, welcome to It Was What It Was, what it was. I'm Rob Draper. I'm here with Jonathan Wilson, |
| 0:18.3 | and we're here to look at a classic Manchester United season. |
| 0:21.9 | Maybe not a classic in terms of trophies collected, but still one that is iconic and it happened 40 years ago. |
| 0:29.5 | It's a 1985-86 season. |
| 0:31.9 | I want to say this is a champagne season, but it kind of fizzles out into normal vintage champagne because it is the season |
| 0:37.9 | of Ron Atkinson, when Manchin United make a fantastic start to the title race. They look like |
| 0:44.3 | they're going to win it. They haven't won the title since 1967, but it all just fizzles out. |
| 0:49.3 | And Jonathan, you're going to take us through the season with one of the game's biggest characters and most flamboyant |
| 0:55.0 | characters Ron Atkinson. Yeah, it begins in Champagne and ends in shambles, Rob. That's that's |
| 1:00.0 | where I put it. Oh, that's very good. So, yeah, there's been this drift post Matt Busby. So |
| 1:05.6 | Matt Busby retires in 1968. We're not going to fill in any any detail the whole of history of the 70s. |
| 1:12.9 | We will do further podcasts on that. |
| 1:14.4 | We have talked about that in the past. |
| 1:16.2 | But United go through a series of managers. |
| 1:18.5 | And to be honest, a little bit like the past decade post-Ferguson, |
| 1:23.8 | none of them really seem quite able to cope with the magnitude of United. |
| 1:28.5 | Tommy Dockney perhaps comes closest, although he leads him to relegation in 1974, |
| 1:32.7 | he takes them back up. |
| 1:33.9 | They then win the epic up in 1977, but he's sacked that summer after its family's |
| 1:38.9 | being having an affair with the Physio's wife, who he subsequently marries. |
| 1:43.6 | Tommy Doherty is replaced by Dave Sexton. Tommy Dockedy was a very flamboyant, very charismatic figure, a great man for a quip. You're very, very good with the media. Would always give you a good line. Dave Sexton, who I know you have a lot of time for Rob because he has worked at QPR. Nobody doubt his qualities as a coach, |
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