“United has said it is opposed, but it’s hard to imagine that, if the (Super) league did get the go-ahead, the biggest club would not take part”.
I assume the author is referring to Manchester City or Liverpool.
Still the biggest club in England by miles. 10 years of being absolute rubbish, but the best supported club in the country week in week out for the entirety of that period – and for most of the 50 years before that.
The stadium doesn’t fill itself. No other team in the form United have been in would fill a 73,000 stadium for every single home game.
Tyler Durden
4 months ago
Talking of love it’s simply that the structure of the club has not been modernised in the last 10 years, let alone the physical assets (no European final hosted in the stadium for yonks). The people running the business simply do not care enough about sporting standards and historical legacy, meaning there’s a strong air of disgrace as well as laxity behind the club causing it to fall a decade (or two) behind Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal now.
in that they have no recognisable system of playing,a manager who doesn’t know his best 11 and a defence that leaks goals at an alarming rate combined with an attack that can’t locate the opposition goal-currently 8th in the PL with a goal difference of minus 5-30 less than Liverpool.
You must be watching a different team to me !
Why is this fading star, so long eclipsed by the Blue Moon, still of interest to commentators?
Must be the smell of money. The prawn sandwich munchers were at the forefront of the game’s change from working man’s passion to global money machine. Looks like they’re aiming at the next ratchet.
Because their grandads told them about the good old days …and how they continue to be the “gift that keeps on giving” but not in a way their current fans can enjoy.
United have won 18 league titles in the last 100 years, however every single one has been under Busby or Ferguson. What we’re seeing now is a return to the their usual spot outside of those world class managers
Milton Gibbon
4 months ago
The first two paragraphs try to paint the main focus of ire being the Glazers not doing enough to connect with the fans. It then goes on to ignore the facts stated in the third paragraph about the oprobrium heaped upon the new owners both before and after the purchase and the physical threats and attacks made against them after the family attended their first match. Hard to think how a connection could be made when you are fearing for you and your family’s safety.
While this is often underplayed by the media and at least this article engages with it (though only on the level of acknowledgement) it underplays two factors which deserve at least a mention. Firstly, it was the biggest club in the country being bought by an American “sports brand” at a time of rising anti-American sentiment (the same time period as the anti-war marches, post 9/11 high tide of American Cold War afterglow). This was an undercurrent which was fed by feelings of identity and locality in the face of a global, hegemonic sports “empire”. No owner is ever really “of” the fans – Simon Jordan has spoken about that very well – but there was a heightened animus towards the Glazers which went beyond this. Are there any other examples of this sort of long-standing bitterness towards the owners of any other club? Maybe it is just Man U’s prominence that has put it in the headlines year after year but it does seem exceptional. The second point is all of the above but take into account the jewish background of the family – an inspiring rags to riches story but a difficult hurdle to get over for some. Again, it may be just coincidence that the longest-running and bitterest ownership saga involves jewish owners (lots of other clubs have had them without hassle) but for me it is hard to look past.
Are there any other examples of this sort of long-standing bitterness towards the owners of any other club?
Mike Ashley, Owen Oyston, Peter Swales? There are loads.
The Glazers are hated because their sole interest in Manchester United is personal financial gain, whether that is at the expense of football or not. They have absolutely destroyed the club, the vile, soulless, greedy bastards.
Every United fan I speak to agrees that the club is in a worse state than they can ever remember, certainly in the last 50 years.
It isn’t a question of owners being dislikes by fans – as a Spurs fan I am always astonished how the owners are criticised by fans when we have the best stadium in Europe (and presumably the world) and have punched above our weight for
the last decade with fantastic players. Owen Oyston built Blackpool a new stadium and oversaw their promotion to the PL, not a nice man but not the worst thing to happen to the club. Mike Ashley was only in charge for less than 15 years and always seemed to be exactly the owner that Newcastle deserved – almost an avatar for the club. He was always there taking the jeers as well which I thought was big of him and the best middle finger to give to the ungrateful punters whose entertainment you are providing. I don’t know so much about Swales (a bit before my time).
If these are the best examples then surely that shows the difference between the Glazers and the rest.
The Glazers have no interest in anything other than money. But they have made a lot of money available for player signings and insane wages paid to substandard players. They didn’t make the football decisions, others did.
I suggest you read this paragraph again:
“When the Glazers bought the club in 2005, many were concerned about their use of high-interest loans, secured against the club’s assets, to complete the £800-million purchase…. Since then, they have had every opportunity to explain themselves, to show that the deal, while clever, did not affect the playing side; that under them, United would remain top of the tree. But they didn’t, and the opprobrium stuck.”
I can understand they wouldn’t want to take to the pitch with a baying pre-match mob to explain this. But I believe there are other means of getting your message across.
Manchester has a thriving Jewish population, of which a fair proportion are likely to be United fans, so I don’t think the Glazers’ jewishness is likely to be a factor in their being so disliked.
Richard Craven
4 months ago
I stopped watching football when the stupid morons started “taking the knee” to the violent racist hate scam Black Lives Munter. I can’t imagine ever watching it again.
“The source of this conflict isn’t so much that the Glazers borrowed the money to buy the club and secured the debt against United. Nor is it that they’re foreign: there have been plenty of football bosses who were born overseas. No, it is that they rarely go to Old Trafford and sit with the Red faithful”
Uhm….. no.
You have this totally the wrong way around.
United fans don’t care if the Glazers never show up – they despise the Glazers because the Glazers are ‘milking the franchise’ while the club drowns in the debt they put on its books to fund their purchase of it.
United can no longer buy the league – and the fans hate the Glazers for it.
City fans are delighted that some mega rich Arab is buying them the league year out.
If you fail to grasp that, why are you writing about this?
“United has said it is opposed, but it’s hard to imagine that, if the (Super) league did get the go-ahead, the biggest club would not take part”.
I assume the author is referring to Manchester City or Liverpool.
Still the biggest club in England by miles. 10 years of being absolute rubbish, but the best supported club in the country week in week out for the entirety of that period – and for most of the 50 years before that.
I applaud your recall faculties, but Man United no longer the biggest club.
Might have something to do with the fact they have the biggest stadium in the league though
The stadium doesn’t fill itself. No other team in the form United have been in would fill a 73,000 stadium for every single home game.
Talking of love it’s simply that the structure of the club has not been modernised in the last 10 years, let alone the physical assets (no European final hosted in the stadium for yonks). The people running the business simply do not care enough about sporting standards and historical legacy, meaning there’s a strong air of disgrace as well as laxity behind the club causing it to fall a decade (or two) behind Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal now.
And yet for me they are still the most entertaining team in the league
in that they have no recognisable system of playing,a manager who doesn’t know his best 11 and a defence that leaks goals at an alarming rate combined with an attack that can’t locate the opposition goal-currently 8th in the PL with a goal difference of minus 5-30 less than Liverpool.
You must be watching a different team to me !
I can’t stop laughing at them, I watch as many of their matches as possible. The players are making more money than ever, but continue to get worse
hilariously so….
So were Blackpool when they were up there. Being entertaining is a rather meaningless way to measure the success of a football club
Obviously you like a laugh
Why is this fading star, so long eclipsed by the Blue Moon, still of interest to commentators?
Must be the smell of money. The prawn sandwich munchers were at the forefront of the game’s change from working man’s passion to global money machine. Looks like they’re aiming at the next ratchet.
Hologram football. Dear god!
Because their grandads told them about the good old days …and how they continue to be the “gift that keeps on giving” but not in a way their current fans can enjoy.
United have won 18 league titles in the last 100 years, however every single one has been under Busby or Ferguson. What we’re seeing now is a return to the their usual spot outside of those world class managers
The first two paragraphs try to paint the main focus of ire being the Glazers not doing enough to connect with the fans. It then goes on to ignore the facts stated in the third paragraph about the oprobrium heaped upon the new owners both before and after the purchase and the physical threats and attacks made against them after the family attended their first match. Hard to think how a connection could be made when you are fearing for you and your family’s safety.
While this is often underplayed by the media and at least this article engages with it (though only on the level of acknowledgement) it underplays two factors which deserve at least a mention. Firstly, it was the biggest club in the country being bought by an American “sports brand” at a time of rising anti-American sentiment (the same time period as the anti-war marches, post 9/11 high tide of American Cold War afterglow). This was an undercurrent which was fed by feelings of identity and locality in the face of a global, hegemonic sports “empire”. No owner is ever really “of” the fans – Simon Jordan has spoken about that very well – but there was a heightened animus towards the Glazers which went beyond this. Are there any other examples of this sort of long-standing bitterness towards the owners of any other club? Maybe it is just Man U’s prominence that has put it in the headlines year after year but it does seem exceptional. The second point is all of the above but take into account the jewish background of the family – an inspiring rags to riches story but a difficult hurdle to get over for some. Again, it may be just coincidence that the longest-running and bitterest ownership saga involves jewish owners (lots of other clubs have had them without hassle) but for me it is hard to look past.
Are there any other examples of this sort of long-standing bitterness towards the owners of any other club?
Mike Ashley, Owen Oyston, Peter Swales? There are loads.
The Glazers are hated because their sole interest in Manchester United is personal financial gain, whether that is at the expense of football or not. They have absolutely destroyed the club, the vile, soulless, greedy bastards.
Every United fan I speak to agrees that the club is in a worse state than they can ever remember, certainly in the last 50 years.
It isn’t a question of owners being dislikes by fans – as a Spurs fan I am always astonished how the owners are criticised by fans when we have the best stadium in Europe (and presumably the world) and have punched above our weight for
the last decade with fantastic players. Owen Oyston built Blackpool a new stadium and oversaw their promotion to the PL, not a nice man but not the worst thing to happen to the club. Mike Ashley was only in charge for less than 15 years and always seemed to be exactly the owner that Newcastle deserved – almost an avatar for the club. He was always there taking the jeers as well which I thought was big of him and the best middle finger to give to the ungrateful punters whose entertainment you are providing. I don’t know so much about Swales (a bit before my time).
If these are the best examples then surely that shows the difference between the Glazers and the rest.
Peter Swales was hated for his greed and massive incompetence. Could have lived with the greed if he’d had a clue.
The Glazers have no interest in anything other than money. But they have made a lot of money available for player signings and insane wages paid to substandard players. They didn’t make the football decisions, others did.
I suggest you read this paragraph again:
“When the Glazers bought the club in 2005, many were concerned about their use of high-interest loans, secured against the club’s assets, to complete the £800-million purchase…. Since then, they have had every opportunity to explain themselves, to show that the deal, while clever, did not affect the playing side; that under them, United would remain top of the tree. But they didn’t, and the opprobrium stuck.”
I can understand they wouldn’t want to take to the pitch with a baying pre-match mob to explain this. But I believe there are other means of getting your message across.
Manchester has a thriving Jewish population, of which a fair proportion are likely to be United fans, so I don’t think the Glazers’ jewishness is likely to be a factor in their being so disliked.
I stopped watching football when the stupid morons started “taking the knee” to the violent racist hate scam Black Lives Munter. I can’t imagine ever watching it again.
Racist scumbags are not welcome.
True – so why are BLM gestures still allowed ?
“The source of this conflict isn’t so much that the Glazers borrowed the money to buy the club and secured the debt against United. Nor is it that they’re foreign: there have been plenty of football bosses who were born overseas. No, it is that they rarely go to Old Trafford and sit with the Red faithful”
Uhm….. no.
You have this totally the wrong way around.
United fans don’t care if the Glazers never show up – they despise the Glazers because the Glazers are ‘milking the franchise’ while the club drowns in the debt they put on its books to fund their purchase of it.
United can no longer buy the league – and the fans hate the Glazers for it.
City fans are delighted that some mega rich Arab is buying them the league year out.
If you fail to grasp that, why are you writing about this?