Who are The Stone Roses? And why are they so associated with Man United?

For fans who lived through the Madchester era, the Roses might just be about memories of a golden time. Of Spike Island, or the night the Roses and Happy Mondays appeared on the same episode of Top of the Pops.

But for those of us who weren’t there to see those days, the band still deliver awe and inspiration. Their 2012-17 reunion gigs saw new generations getting into the music, and their influence and cultural power continues to percolate among music fans and Reds.

When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer returned and relit the United fuse for those glorious first few months in late 2018, early 2019, it was the Roses’ Waterfall that was adapted into the much-loved Ole’s at the Wheel chant. (Though, for the record, that chant derived from an earlier version honouring Jose Mourinho.)

To this day, the Stretford End is adorned with a banner that reads ‘One Love – Stretford End – MUFC’, which is a nod to a 1990 single by the group. “One love, we don’t need another love…”

For a long time, it sat next to another flag referencing Ian Brown’s solo tune F.E.A.R.
At the 2023 FA Cup final, United fans were given red and white bucket hats, similar to the ones made famous by the Roses’ incredible, virtuosic drummer, Reni. (He’s the band’s only blue, mind you, so perhaps that was a bit of bad ju-ju, given the result…)

There’s loads of little references and connections between these two great Mancunian cultural icons. The new link-up, with adidas in the middle, makes the relationship that bit more official, but it’s been bubbling away for decades and shows little sign of fading.

Whenever or wherever the Reds play, the Roses tunes will be there, bouncing and bursting out of the speakers, wreathed in those dazzlingly curlicued John Squire guitar lines. And somewhere in the crowd, one more kid will catch the groove, and start to feel as tall as Tier Three.

An different version of this article was originally published in February 2024.