United fans revive '51 Years' trophy drought banner after City found guilty of 114 charges

Manchester United supporters will resurrect their infamous trophy-drought ‘ticker’ banner at Old Trafford this weekend, after Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 financial charges brought against them by the Premier League.

The Stretford End banner, which once counted the years since City had last won a major honour, first appeared in 2000 displaying ‘24 YEARS’. It was retired when City lifted the FA Cup in 2011, shortly after their Abu Dhabi takeover, and was last seen in 2010 — reading ‘35 YEARS’ — during a League Cup semi-final second leg between the two clubs.

Now, with City’s guilty verdict casting doubt over the legitimacy of the trophies accumulated during that period, the Red Army (TRA) supporters’ group has commissioned a new version. According to The Athletic, the group paid £114 — a pointed nod to the number of charges upheld — to produce a banner reading ‘51 YEARS’, effectively erasing the 20 major honours City have won since 2009.

The verdict carries particular weight for United, who finished as runners-up to City in two of the seasons covered by the charges: in 2011/12 under Sir Alex Ferguson, when Sergio Agüero’s stoppage-time goal against QPR snatched the title on goal difference, and in 2017/18 under José Mourinho.

Experts have suggested a points deduction is, at minimum, likely for City, though the club has consistently maintained it has done nothing wrong. Speaking to the media on Friday morning, City manager Enzo Maresca was asked whether the guilty verdict tainted the club’s trophies.

“Absolutely not,” Maresca said. “I know the effort from the players and the club, so I know what they did for that target. Absolutely not [tainted]. For me and the players, we can control the pitch side, we can focus on that. We cannot control something different.”

Michael Carrick, who was part of the United squad pipped to the title in 2011/12, was due to face questions about the charges at a press conference at Carrington on Friday afternoon.