From the start of the 2005-6 season there was a distinct disquiet around the stadium which I detected on my first matchday trip to Old Trafford for a Group Champions League fixture against Benfica in September 2005. United were 2nd in the league but the anger towards the owners was venomous. It was like being at a wedding where everything was perfect from the food and venue to the entertainment but the vibes between the bride and groom were awkward; we have all been there! The team won that night but fingers were being pointed at Sir Alex for being such a cheerful bedfellow of this weird family of American geeks who were rarely present and publicly mute whilst heaping debt onto a highly profitable club and earning themselves fat dividends.
Winning football matches and winning domestic trophies gave a fresh nuance briefly to the perception of the narrative, and the Glazers enjoyed some reflected glory for not interfering with Sir Alex on the football side. Winning three consecutive Premier League titles from 2007 to 2009 and a Champions League victory in 2008, albeit in fortuitous circumstances thanks to a John Terry penalty miss in Moscow. Wayne Rooney was not fooled though, and made his frustrations known aloud about the lack of a World Class mindset at Old Trafford following the departures of game-changing players Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez in 2009 and 2011 respectively; it was thinly veiled attack on the motives of the Glazers. His words were not heeded seriously and despite winning the Premier League in 2010-11, it is reported that the United dressing were unimpressed by the tone of how his comments reflected on them as individuals. For his stance, he was given a lucrative contract instead of being sold like Jaap Stam (who dared to question the manager in his autobiography, a decision Ferguson admiotted to me later as a mistake. But, despite being kept at the club, Rooney was marginalised and new signing Robin Van Persie fired the United team to the Premier League title in manager Alex Ferguson's final season at the club. More significantly Chief Executive David Gill also left his role at the same time.
The reality of the business model was laid bare when Ed Woodward, a man with very little knowledge of high stakes football administration, new manager David Moyes, inexperienced in the clinical process of lifting trophies, defending a Premier League title and managing and maintaining the mindset of a playing staff of habitual winners that needed refreshing and...the Glazers as exposed owners who continued to be absent and disinterested. The rot set in very quickly and with every passing year the unmistakable DNA of the Red Devils has vanished into the sunset.
Those yellow and green scarves, created by die-hard fans who have vocalised and displayed their displeasure in fanzines, podcasts and youtube channels, not to mention the hordes that flood radio phone-ins regularly has been gaining traction in the last 10 years and, having seen the light, it seemed that the Glazers were ready to sell and walk. But alas, they have stalled because despite the opportunity to net a significant sum in the billions they have been greedy!
I referenced Mike Ashley earlier, a man who is an astute businessman that did enough to keep Newcastle in the Premier League despite the vitriol and hatred to create a platform for the club to aspire to the dizzy exciting adventure the Magpies now enjoy. Like a suffering Casino punter, he struck gold when Amanda Staveley rang his mobile to give him £305 million and he kept his shirt in the process. Why did the Glazers not take £5 billion and canter into the sunset? Surely, for another billion you cannot tell me they want to keep flying back to Manchester to experience that abuse just to feel the North Western precipitation on their faces and a taste a few more plates of Lancashire Hot Pot in Manchester Picadilly and Deansgate or has Bez and Shaun promised them a night on the beer in Salford Quays. Guys, just sell and let Jim take the heat before this unpredictable world crteates yet another disaster and your winnings disappear in clouds of smoke! Just ask Tom Hicks and George Gillett who left Liverpool with nothing; timing is EVERYTHING!
The tussle between Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been intriguing to observe based on the tiny morcels of information that we are fed about the perceived negotiations. One thing that is becoming abundantly clear to me is that the Glazers are actually a dysfunctional family unit and probably have always been thus. I am sensing that at the time of the acquisition of Manchester United, father Malcolm was the General and since his passing in 2014, the chain of command is not as resolute as it might be. Rumours are emerging that the Glazers regularly frustrated the Qataris by repeatedly moving the goalposts during negotiations to the point that they have now walked away altogether. It appears that Mr Ratcliffe, on the other hand has decided that the best tactic is the long game and opted for 25%...for the time being. Better to be within the set-up and observe the temperature and then ease out the family gradually.
But, the biggest currency in reality, involves the results on the pitch. If United can progress significantly in the Champions League and remain in contention for both domestic cups, deal-making becomes an easier process for all concerned because the perceived consequences will lessen, in the short term.. The most important person in the conundrum right now, is Erik ten Hag, his success, or failure, will be pivotal to the outcome of the ownership chess-game. It took Sir Alex Ferguson 3 years to win the FA Cup, 6 hard years to conquer the league, after which he remained in contention consistently and finally 13 years to finally win that first European Cup in 1999. But it was in clinching that first hard fought league title in 1992 that really ignited everything regarding the dominant Red Devils global brand as we know it today.
With so many proverbial potholes in the current United story, plus the recent sad passing of Sir Bobby Charlton, the in-tray of nostalgia, emotion and immediate uncomfortable operational dilemnas with the playing staff that I will not list here, the reality is a hugely delicate junction in the status, identity, value and most importantly the history of this great club.
