James W. Gibson saved Man Utd from extinction in 1931 and it's important the Salford businessman's legacy continues.
Could you imagine if United did not exist? Well, that could have happened if not for the intervention of local hero James W. Gibson, who saved the club from the brink in 1931.
"Let's be honest, if it wasn't for John Henry Davies, the brewer, and James Gibson there would be no Manchester United now," he began. "He rebuilt the club not once but twice. People forget that Old Trafford was a bomb site after the war and it all started when he attended a dinner. "He decided to help and he did. He became the chairman and part of the £2,000 was so the players could buy the biggest Turkeys they could get their hands on for Christmas.
"James Gibson always considered supporters, who were the most important thing to him. However, he was paying transfer fees from his own pocket the whole time, so what he did with Walter Crickmer was create MUJAC, which stood for Manchester United Junior Athletic Club. United manager Duncan wrote about the academy in the Manchester Evening Chronicle at the time: “By running a team in the Manchester League, we shall be able to give all likely juniors a chance of showing their paces, and United hope to discover from their number more than average finds."
"And whilst he was busy negotiating with the government for United to get their grants and licence to rebuild, he helped nine other football clubs to get their grants to rebuild their stadiums. "He didn't go to the '48 FA Cup final because of that stroke and was presented with the cup in his home. That was incredible and he told Matt Busby that he'd made his dreams come true."
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