Manchester United F.C.

Belgian Second Division. The Birmingham Film Festival takes place annually, and the Birmingham School of Acting won a Royal Television Society award for their short film 'Soul Boy'. League Two. The Electric Cinema on Station Street is the oldest working cinema in the UK, and Oscar Deutsch opened his first Odeon cinema in Perry Barr during the 1920s. League One. Birmingham is unusual in supporting two local newspapers - the Birmingham Post and the Evening Mail - as well as the Sunday Mercury, all owned by the Trinity Mirror, who also produce The Birmingham News, a weekly freesheet distributed to homes in the leafy surburbs along with Forward, the Birmingham City Council's free newspaper distributed to homes and via community centres and public buildings. League Championship. Patrick's Day parade (Europe's second largest, after the one in Dublin).

Premier League. The city's largest single-day event is its St. As of February 1, 2006. The city also hosts an annual arts festival (Artsfest) during September, where people can enjoy many of the regions' arts, free. Although the full effects of Glazer's takeover on the club's support are not yet known, the club has claimed a record number of season ticket sales, however, given the many empty seats in the ground in some European games and lack of freedom of information from the club, this is as yet unverified. Birmingham Pride takes place in the 'gay village' and attracts up to 100,000 visitors each year. The new club plays in the North West Counties League Second Division, and attracts an average attendance of almost 3000. The currently biennial Caribbean- style Birmingham International Carnival was originally the Handsworth Carnival, held in Handsworth Park from 1984, but now takes place in the August of odd- numbered years, parading through the streets of Handsworth to Perry Barr Park.

United of Manchester. The Birmingham Tattoo is a military show that has taken place in the city for several years. Many supporters were outraged, and some formed a new club called F.C. George's Day party. However, this scheme failed to prevent Malcolm Glazer from becoming the majority shareholder in the club. Birmingham is home to many national, religious and spiritual festivals including a St. Another pressure group, Shareholders United Against Murdoch (which became Shareholders United and is now the Manchester United Supporters Trust) was formed at around this time to encourage supporters to buy shares in the club, partly to enable supporters to have a greater say in the issues that concern them, such as ticket prices and allocation, and partly to reduce the risk of an unwanted party buying enough shares to take over the club. Graffiti (or "spraycan art") culture appeared in the early 1980s, and graffiti art competitions are still regularly held.

The supporters’ group IMUSA (Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association) were extremely active in opposing a proposed takeover by Rupert Murdoch in 1999. Other famous Birmingham artists include David Cox, David Bomberg, and various Afro-Caribbean artists including Pogus Caesar, Keith Piper and Donald Rodney. In the late 1990s and early part of the 2000s, an increasing source of concern for many United supporters was the possibility of the club being taken over. For a fuller list of art galleries in Birmingham, see Arts in Birmingham. The club estimates they have 675 million fans around the world, with 80 million fans in Asia alone. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts was declared 'Gallery of the Year' by the 2004 Good Britain Guide. A 2002 report, Do You Come From Manchester? indicate that Manchester City, have a higher proportion of season ticket holders living in the Manchester area, althogh they sold fewer season tickets overall. Edward Burne-Jones was born in Birmingham, spent his first twenty years in the city, and later became the president of the Birmingham Society of Artists.

This swelled United’s support and is one reason why United have had the highest league attendances in English football for almost every season since then, even as a second division side in 1974-75. Birmingham has one of the largest collections of Pre-Raphaelite art in the world at The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Following the Munich air disaster in 1958, more people from outside Manchester began to support United and, as travel became quicker and cheaper, many started to go to matches. Auden and Benjamin Zephaniah. When United won the league in 1956, they had the highest average home attendance in the league, a record that had been held by Newcastle for the previous few years. H. After the war, a stronger rivalry developed and it became more common for a supporter to choose one team to follow exclusively. Tolkien, Arthur Conan Doyle, Louis MacNeice, Washington Irving, David Lodge, W.

As United and City played home matches on alternate Saturdays, many Mancunians would watch United one week and City the next. R. Before the Second World War, few English football supporters travelled to away games because of the time and cost. R. The Glazers have promised that Sir Alex Ferguson will still be able to purchase "big-name" players. Literary figures associated with Birmingham include Samuel Johnson , J. Some United fans have expressed concern that in the fallout from the Glazer takeover, which left the club £265 million in debt, Manchester United will no longer have the money to compete in the transfer market with the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea. The Fierce Festival teams with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre annually to present an series of quirky performances from local and national companies.

On 7 June he appointed his sons Joel, Avram, and Bryan to the board with Joel becoming Exectuive Co Chairman, Avram Non Exective Co Chairman and Bryan a Non Executive Director, at the same time Sir Roy Gardner resigned the chairmanship, and two other non-executive directors resigned. The Mac and Drum arts centres also host many professional plays. On May 16, he increased his share to the 75% necessary to delist the club from the Stock Exchange, taking it private again, and announced his intention to do so within 20 days. The four largest professional theatres are the Alexandra Theatre ("the Alex"), Birmingham Repertory Theatre ("The Rep"), the Birmingham Hippodrome and the Old Rep. On May 12, 2005, the United States businessman Malcolm Glazer acquired a controlling interest in the club in a takeover valuing it at approximately £800 million ($1.47 billion). There are many theatres in Birmingham.
. Birmingham's other city-centre music venues include The National Indoor Arena (NIA), the CBSO Centre, Adrian Boult Hall at Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham Town Hall (currently closed for refurbishment).

United made a poor start to the 2005-06 season, with team captain Roy Keane leaving the club to join his boyhood heroes Celtic after publicly criticising several of his teammates, and the club failed to qualify for the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade. Albert William Ketèlbey was born in Alma Street, Aston in 1875. Off the pitch, the main story was the possibility of the club being taken over and at the end of the season, Tampa businessman Malcolm Glazer acquired a controlling interest in the club. Music was written for the festival by Mendelssohn, Gounod, Sullivan, Dvorak, Bantock and most notably Elgar, who wrote four of his most famous choral pieces for Birmingham. Cup eluded them — although they completely outplayed Arsenal in one of the most one-sided finals ever seen they were beaten on penalties. The Birmingham Triennial Music Festival took place from 1784 - 1912 and was considered the grandest of its kind throughout Britain. This time, even the "consolation prize" of the F.A. The equally world-renowned Birmingham Royal Ballet also resides in the city as does the world's oldest vocational dance school, Elmhurst School for Dance.

The 2004-05 season was characterised by a failure to score goals, mainly due to the injury of striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and United finished the season trophyless and in third place in the league. The internationally-renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's home venue is Symphony Hall, where it gives frequent performances. Cup, however, knocking out Arsenal (that season's eventual champions) on their way to the final. Digbeth, near the city centre, features some of the country`s top dance clubs, and the nearby National Exhibition Centre has played host to the biggest indoor dance events in the country. They did win the 2004 F.A. Birmingham has also been synonymous in the development of the British electronic music scene. They regained the league the following season (2002-03) and started the following season well, but their form dropped significantly when Rio Ferdinand received an eight month suspension for missing a drugs test. Party in the Park, a popular chart music event, is Birmingham's largest music festival.

Ferguson adopted more defensive tactics to make United harder to beat in Europe but it was not a success and United finished the season in third place in 2002. Jazz is popular in the city, and the annual Birmingham International Jazz Festival is the largest of its kind in the UK. United won the league by record margins in 2000 and 2001 but the press saw these seasons as failures as they failed to regain the European Cup. The Streets), R&B singer Jamelia and Editors. Ferguson was knighted for his contributions to British football as a result. Recent chart success has come from Mike Skinner (a.k.a. (See The Treble for an explanation of different types of "Treble" or Manchester United Treble for a more in-depth look at the 1998-1999 season.) The final of the Champions League, widely regarded as the one of the greatest finals ever, was especially exciting as United were trailing 1-0 with one minute to go, but two goals in stoppage time gave them a win over Bayern Munich (The only team ever to have come from behind to win a Champions League final in normal time.) The club's first choice central-midfielders, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, missed the match through suspension. The 1980s brought Duran Duran, possibly the most successful new romantic group, and Dexy's Midnight Runners, and the 1990s the Charlatans, Dodgy and Ocean Colour Scene.

1998-99 was the most successful season in the club's history as United became the first English team to win The Treble - the league, the FA Cup and the Champions League in the same season. Singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading had many hits during this decade. They started the following season (1997-98) well but their results were affected by a series of injuries and they finished the season in second place, behind the double winning champions Arsenal. The 1970s also saw the rise of reggae and ska in the city, with Steel Pulse and later on UB40, The Beat and Musical Youth. They won the league in 1997, and Eric Cantona, announced his retirement from football at the age of 30, several years earlier than most players. In the 1970s members of The Move and The Idle Race formed the Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. Ferguson then outraged the supporters by selling key players and replacing them with players from the club's youth team, but the new players, several of whom quickly became regular internationals, did surprisingly well and United won the double again in 1995-96. Robert Plant and John Bonham came from nearby towns, and played in local Brum Beat bands before forming two thirds of Led Zeppelin.

Drawing their last league match and losing to Everton in the FA Cup final left United as runners-up in both the league and FA Cup. The city is often described as the birthplace of heavy metal music, with Judas Priest and Black Sabbath coming from Birmingham. In 1994-95, Cantona received an eight month suspension for jumping into the crowd and assulting Crystal Palace supporter Matthew Simmons. In the 1960s, the "Brum Beat" era featured blues and early progressive rock bands such as The Fortunes, Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, The Move and The Moody Blues. They won the double (the league and the FA Cup) for the first time the following season, but legendary manager and club president Matt Busby died that year, on 20 January 1994. Although its music scene is not as renowned as those of Liverpool or Manchester, Birmingham has had a vibrant and varied musical history over the last half-century. The arrival of Eric Cantona in November 1992 provided the crucial spark for United, and they finished the 1992-93 season as Champions for the first time since 1967. The BBC Good Food Show takes place at The National Exhibition Centre, and is Britain's biggest food event.

Meanwhile in 1991 the club had floated on the London Stock Exchange with a valuation of £18 million, thus bringing its finances into the public eye as never before. The city boasts two Michelin starred restaurants: Simpson's and Jessica's, both in Edgbaston. United won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1990-91, beating that season's Spanish champions Barcelona in the final, but the following season was a disappointment for United as a late season slump saw them miss out on the league to rivals Leeds United. The Balti was invented in the city and has since received much gastronomic acclaim for the 'Balti Belt' of restaurants in the Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath and Ladywood areas. There was speculation that Ferguson would be sacked at the beginning of 1990 but a win in the third round of the FA Cup over Nottingham Forest kept the season alive and United went on to win the competition. This later became The Darjeeling, the first Indian restaurant in Birmingham. However, United struggled badly throughout 1989, with many of Ferguson's signings not reaching the expectations of the fans. In 1945, Abdul Aziz opened a cafe shop selling curry and rice in Steelhouse Lane.

The following season (1987-88), United finished second, with Brian McClair becoming the first United player since George Best to score twenty league goals in a season. The Wing Yip food empire first began in the city and now has its headquarters in the Chinese Quarter. Alex Ferguson replaced Atkinson and guided the club to an 11th place finish. Ladypool Road, Sparkhill contains the largest concentration of restaurants in Birmingham and possibly the UK. The poor form continued into the following season, and with United on the edge of the First Division's relegation zone, Atkinson was sacked. Alum Rock Road, Alum Rock, contains the largest concentration of take-away businesses in Birmingham. The team's form collapsed, however, and United finished the season in fourth place. Famous food brands from Birmingham include Typhoo tea, Birds custard, Blue Bird Toffee, Bournville cocoa, Cadbury chocolate, and HP Sauce.

United won the FA Cup in 1983 and 1985 and were overwhelming favourites to win the league in the 1985-86 season after winning their first ten league games, opening a ten-point gap over their rivals as early as October. The Anchor Inn (1797), is also nearby in Digbeth. Atkinson's team featured new signings such as Jesper Olsen and Gordon Strachan playing alongside the former youth-team players Norman Whiteside and Mark Hughes. The oldest inn in Birmingham is the Old Crown in Deritend (circa 1450). He was replaced by the flamboyant Ron Atkinson who immediately broke the British record transfer fee to sign Bryan Robson from West Brom. Many fine Victorian pubs and bars can still be found across the city. This style was unpopular with supporters, who were used to the attacking football preferred by Docherty and Busby, and after failing to win a trophy Sexton was sacked in 1981. Aston Manor Brewery is currently the only brewery of any significant size.

Dave Sexton replaced Docherty as manager in the summer of 1977, and made the team play in a more defensive formation. Birmingham based Breweries included Ansells, Davenports and Mitchells & Butlers. In spite of this success, and his popularity with the supporters, Docherty was sacked soon after the final when he was found to have had an affair with the physiotherapist's wife. Birmingham has been awarded the title National City of Sport by the Sports Council. They reached the final again in 1977, beating Liverpool and preventing their opponents from completing the first ever treble, which United would go on to win in 1999. Birmingham also has a professional Rugby Union side, Moseley RFC, and there is professional basketball, boxing, hockey, skateboarding, and greyhound racing in the city. The team won promotion at the first attempt and reached the FA Cup final in 1976, but were beaten by Southampton. The world's first professional football league was founded at a meeting in Aston on March 22, 1885 under the auspices of William McGregor, a director of Aston Villa.

Docherty, or 'the Doc', saved United from relegation that season but United were relegated in 1974. The city is home to two of the UK's oldest professional football teams: Aston Villa (1874) and Birmingham City (1875), both of whom currently play in the Premier League. United struggled to replace Busby, and the team struggled under Wilf McGuinness and Frank O'Farrell before Tommy Docherty became manager at the end of 1972. The first ever game of lawn tennis was played in Edgbaston in 1859; international tennis is still played at Edgbaston's Priory Club. Busby resigned as manager in 1969 and was replaced by the reserve-team coach and former United player Wilf McGuinness. The NIA also hosts events in many other sports, such as the World Indoor Badminton Championships. This team was notable for containing three European Footballers of the Year: Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best. The National Indoor Arena (NIA) meanwhile is a major indoor athletics stadium and in 2003 hosted the 9th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics.

The team won the FA Cup in 1963, then won the league in 1965 and 1967 and the European Cup in 1968, the first English Club to do so. International athletics meetings take place at the open-air Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, the home of Birchfield Harriers athletic club, which numbers many Olympic medallists among its past and present members. Busby rebuilt the team throughout the early 1960s, signing players such as Denis Law and Pat Crerand. A cricket club was in existence in Birmingham as early as 1745, and today the city is home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club whose ground at Edgbaston is also a venue for international test matches. They somehow reached the FA Cup final again, where they lost to Bolton. King Edward's School is perhaps the most prestigious independent school in the city. There was talk of the club folding but, with Jimmy Murphy taking over as manager while Matt Busby recovered from his injuries, the club continued playing with a makeshift side. A minority of the city's children receive private education.

The Munich air disaster of 6 February 1958 claimed the lives of eight players and another fifteen passengers. It also runs the library service, with 4 million visitors annually [6], and provides around 4000 adult education courses throughout the year [7]. Tragedy struck the following season, when the plane carrying the team home from a European Cup match crashed on take off at a refuelling stop in Munich. The city council is England's largest local education authority, directly or indirectly responsible for 25 nursery schools, 328 primary schools, 77 secondary schools [4] and 29 special schools [5]. They also became the first English team to compete in the European Cup, and reached the semi-final. The Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham School of Acting, both now part of UCE, offer higher education in the arts. The following season, they won the league again and reached the FA Cup final, losing to Aston Villa. It also has two other higher education colleges (Newman College and the Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies).

He adopted a policy of bringing in players from the youth team whenever possible, and the team won the league in 1956 with an average age of only 22. Birmingham has three universities: the University of Birmingham, Aston University and the University of Central England (UCE). He was immediately successful, with the club finishing second in the league in 1947 and winning the FA Cup in 1948. Birmingham's canals are comparatively shallow artificial channels, while those in Venice are primarily reinforced natural channels between islands of the lagoon on which the city stands. Matt Busby was appointed manager in 1945 and took a then-unheard of approach to his job, joining the players for training as well as performing administrative tasks. Although this is in some sense correct (Venice has 26 miles), Birmingham is far larger [3], and the types of waterway are very different. The team struggled between the first and second world wars, and by time the second world war began they were £70,000 in debt. The abundance of canals has led to the frequently made claim that "Birmingham has more canals than Venice".

They won the Championship for the second time in 1911. There are 35 miles (60 km) of canals in the city, most remaining navigable. Then with financial assistance from Davies, United moved from Bank Street to a new stadium at Old Trafford in 1910. Birmingham is also notable for its canal system; formerly the lifeblood of the city's industries, their use is now mainly for pleasure. With their new name, they won the league in 1908 and the FA Cup on April 26, 1909 against Bristol City at Crystal Palace. The city's main station, Birmingham New Street, is at the centre of the national rail network, whilst Birmingham International railway station serves Birmingham International Airport which has flights to cities across Europe and several Asian and North American destinations. Davies who paid off the club's debts and changed the name to Manchester United, changing the team's colours from gold and green to red and white. The number 11A and 11C outer circle bus routes are the longest urban bus routes in Europe.

The club faced bankruptcy in 1902 and was rescued by J.H. Local public transport is by bus, local train and tram (the Midland Metro light railway system between the city centre and Wolverhampton). The earliest known film of Manchester United is the 2–0 victory at Burnley on 6 December 1902, filmed by Mitchell and Kenyon. Junction 6 of the M6 is also one of Birmingham's most famous landmarks, and probably the most famous motorway junction in the UK: Spaghetti Junction, officially called the Gravelly Hill Interchange. They were founder members of the Football Alliance in 1889 and joined the Football League in 1892 when it merged with the Football Alliance. It is served by a number of major roads, including the M5, M6, M6 Toll, M40, and M42 motorways. The name was soon shortened to Newton Heath. Due in part to its central location in England, Birmingham is a major transport hub on the motorway, rail, and canal networks.

The club were formed as Newton Heath (Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway) (Newton Heath (L&YR) for short) by a group of Manchester railway workers in 1878. For a larger list see List of famous residents of Birmingham. Manchester was founded by someone who cheats!! All they can do is cheat! Van Nistlerooy stop diving save that for swimming!. Tolkien, and Ozzy Osbourne are a few of the many famous names associated with Birmingham. . R. An attempted takeover by Rupert Murdoch had been blocked by the British Government in 1999, but in 2005 Malcolm Glazer completed a hostile takeover of the club, despite considerable protests from many of United's supporters. R.

The club had been run as a Public Limited Company since 1991, and a takeover was a real possiblility. Neville Chamberlain, J. In 1999, Manchester United became the first team to win the FA Premier League, the FA Cup and the European Cup in the same season — a record that has still not been equalled. See also Places of interest in Birmingham. The club did not see great success again until the 1990s and early 2000s, when Sir Alex Ferguson guided them to eight league championships in eleven years. Birmingham is also the seat of the Government Office for the West Midlands region. It was thought that the club might fold, but once Busby had recovered from his injuries he built another great team which went on to win the football league in 1965 and 1967, and became the first English winners of the European Cup in 1968. Birmingham's eleven constituencies are represented in the House of Commons by one Conservative, one Liberal Democrat, and 9 Labour MPs.

This success was halted by the Munich air disaster of 1958, in which eight of the club's players died. There is a Conservative/Lib-Dem coalition, with Conservative group leader Mike Whitby as Leader of the council and Lib-Dem group leader Paul Tilsley as Deputy Leader. United appointed Sir Matt Busby as manager after the Second World War, and his then-unheard-of policy of producing most of the players through the club's youth team brought great success, with the club winning the Football League in 1956 and 1957. After the election of 10 June 2004, there is no overall control, with the 120 seats being divided between the Labour, (53 councillors), Conservative (39) and Liberal Democrat ("Lib-Dem", 28) parties. Davies who changed its name to Manchester United. Birmingham City Council is the largest local authority in the UK with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 councillors representing just under one million people, in 40 wards. After nearing bankuptcy in 1902, the club was taken over by J.H. There has been a lot of new building in the city centre in recent years, including the award-winning Future Systems' Selfridges building, an irregularly-shaped structure covered in thousands of reflective discs (see picture), the Brindleyplace development and the Millennium Point science and technology centre.

The club was formed as Newton Heath (L & Y.R.) F.C. in 1878 as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath. In more recent years, Birmingham has learnt from what many see as the mistakes of the 1960s and instituted the largest tower block demolition and renovation programmes anywhere in Europe. The club has had the highest average attendance in English football for the majority of the past fifty seasons. The planning decisions of the post-war years were to have a profound effect on the image of Birmingham in subsequent decades, with the mix of ring roads, shopping malls and tower blocks often referred to as a 'concrete jungle'. The club is one of the most successful clubs in England, having won the FA Premier League/Football League fifteen times, FA Cup eleven times and the European Cup/UEFA Champions League twice. In inner-city areas too, much Victorian housing was redeveloped and existing communities were relocated to tower block estates like Castle Vale. Manchester United Football Club is an English football club, based at Old Trafford Football Ground located just outside of the city boundaries of Manchester, Lancashire. However, the destruction that took place in post-war Birmingham was also extensive: dozens of fine Victorian buildings like the intricate glass-roofed Birmingham New Street Station, and the old Central Library, were razed in the 1950s and 1960s and replaced with modernist concrete buildings.

Most points in a season: 92 1993/94. Continued population growth in the interwar period, saw vast estates of semi-detached houses being built on greenfield land in outlying parts of the city such as Kingstanding and Weoley Castle, but the coming of World War II and the Blitz claimed many lives and many beautiful buildings too. Most League Goals in a season; 103 1956/57, 1958/59. Across the city, the need to house the industrial workers gave rise to miles of redbrick streets and terraces, many of back-to-back houses, some of which were later to become inner-city slums. Longest unbeaten Run : (All competitions) 45, December 24, 1998 to October 3, 1999. The characteristic materials of Victorian Birmingham are red brick and terracotta, and many fine Victorian buildings have been retained on New Street and Corporation Street in the city centre. Record Attendance Old Trafford: 76,962, Wolves v Grimsby Town, FA Cup, semi-final, 25 March 1939. Saint Chad's Cathedral, built in 1839 by Augustus Pugin, was the first Roman Catholic Cathederal to be built in the UK since the Reformation.

Record 'home' League Attendance: Maine Road 83,250 v Arsenal, Division 1, 7 January 1948. Major public buildings such as the Town Hall, the Law Courts, the Council House (see picture) and the Museum & Art Gallery were constructed, many under the auspices of Joseph Chamberlain's reforming mayoralty. Record League Attendance: Old Trafford 70,504 v Aston Villa, Division 1, 27 December 1920. The Victorian era saw extensive building across the city. Most League Appearances: 606 Bobby Charlton, 1956-73. Tolkien). Most Capped Player: Bobby Charlton, 106 England. R.

Most Goals scored in a Match: 6 George Best v Northampton Town, 1970. R. Most League Goals in a Season: 32 Dennis Viollet, Division 1, 1959-60. Among them are St Philip's Cathedral, originally built as a parish church, St Paul's Church in the largely Georgian St Paul's Square, Soho House in Handsworth, the home of Matthew Boulton, and Perrott's Folly in Ladywood (which is said to have later inspired J. Most League Goals: 199 Bobby Charlton, 1956-73. The city grew rapidly from Georgian times and a number of buildings survive from this period. Most Goals scored : 247 Bobby Charlton. A few other buildings from the medieval and Tudor periods survive, among them The Old Crown public house in Digbeth, the 15th century Saracen's Head public house and Old Grammar School in Kings Norton and Blakesley Hall in Yardley.

Most Appearances : Bobby Charlton 754. The current church (begun around 1290) was extensively re-built in the 1870s, retaining some original walls and foundations. Record Cup Defeat: 1-7 v Burnley, FA Cup, 1st Round, 13 February 1901. Traces of medieval Birmingham can be seen in the oldest churches, notably the original parish church, St Martin's in the Bullring, where a church has stood since at least the 12th century. Record League Defeat: 0-7 v Blackburn Rovers, Division 1, 10 April 1926. Consequently, relatively few buildings survive from its earlier history. Record away win: 8-1 v Nottingham Forest February 1999. Although Birmingham has existed as a settlement for over a thousand years, today's city is overwhelmingly a product of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, as the real growth of the city began with the Industrial Revolution.

Record Cup Victory: 10-0 v Anderlecht, Champions Cup, Preliminary Round, 26 September 1956. Attractions for visitors include Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Millennium Point, Bull Ring, Selfridges Building, Cadbury World, Tolkien Trail [2], Birmingham Royal Ballet, and the National Sea Life Centre. Record Premiership Victory: 9-0 Ipswich Town March 1995. Millions of people visit Birmingham every year, and in 2004 the city was named the second best place to shop in England after the West End of London [1]. Record League Victory: 10-1 v Wolves, Division 1, 15 October 1892. In recent years Birmingham's economy has diversified into service industries, retailing, tourism and conference hosting, which are now the main employers in the city. 1968, 1999. Lloyds Bank (now Lloyds TSB) began in 1765 and the Midland Bank (now part of HSBC) opened in Union Street in August 1836.

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award: 2