Peter AndersonThe big EPL news of the weekend was not City winning the league unfortunately. 

We beat Crystal Palace easily enough with a superb Aguero goal getting us under way, but we needed Liverpool to beat United as well and that didn't happen. The game was postponed after an anti-Glazer protest turned violent with fans invading the stadium and attacking the police. 

It was an interesting development in the whole European Super League controversy. Clearly the United fans are more pissed off than any of the other teams' supporters given the simmering resentment of the Glazer family. The anti-Glazer campaign got off to a flying start in 2010 with the fans regularly protesting in the stadium and by wearing green and gold scarves, the colours of the original club that became Man United. But that campaign fizzled out as it had no support from the then manager and club legend Sir Alex Ferguson. And indeed the great man got United back to winning ways in 2011 by taking the league and runners up in the Champions League, denting the momentum of the anti-Glazer campaign. Now, with Sir Alex gone and United unable to seriously challenge in the EPL or CL, plus the Glazers ESL plan, the anti-Glazer campaign is back for another go.

This brings up questions of what and how things should be done if they are serious in their desire to push out the American billionaires. The Glazers will not care a jot if some Mancs wreck the place every now and again. The public, who are largely on board with the anti ESL campaign, will run out of patience if there is weekly violence against the police. The only thing that hurts a billionaire is when you affect his bottom line. An empty stadium would set off the alarm bells but a mass strike by season ticket holders is almost impossible to implement. Regulars are loath to give up their season ticket in case they don't get it back. And if the season ticket holders don't buy their ticket will other fans refuse one? Protesting against the owners in a full stadium will not hurt the Glazers as they rarely attend the games anyway. 

When I was a season ticket holder at Atletico Madrid the fans had a disagreement with the owners and tried to organise a 'stay out', the fans would leave the stadium empty for the first 15 minutes of the game. Most of the stadium didn't go along with it and only the paddock reserved for the Ultras was empty. Most fans stated that we always have to support our team and so the protest failed. 

And failure is what I expect to happen to the Man U fans' protest, just like the Toon Army protest against Mike Ashley. It would take a mammoth offer to buy Man United: one that almost nobody could afford.  Or the team to be playing in an empty stadium for a long run of games: one that is for all intents and purposes impossible to organise, in order to oust the Glazers from Man U. 

The best that they can hope for is that the government intervenes to legislate against the ESL and the new CEO does a better job than Woodward of listening and communicating with the grass roots. Whatever happens I think it is important that all the owners of "the big 6" are aware of the resentment that we have of their plans for our football.

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports.

Old Trafford Trouble

Peter AndersonThe big EPL news of the weekend was not City winning the league unfortunately. 

We beat Crystal Palace easily enough with a superb Aguero goal getting us under way, but we needed Liverpool to beat United as well and that didn't happen. The game was postponed after an anti-Glazer protest turned violent with fans invading the stadium and attacking the police. 

It was an interesting development in the whole European Super League controversy. Clearly the United fans are more pissed off than any of the other teams' supporters given the simmering resentment of the Glazer family. The anti-Glazer campaign got off to a flying start in 2010 with the fans regularly protesting in the stadium and by wearing green and gold scarves, the colours of the original club that became Man United. But that campaign fizzled out as it had no support from the then manager and club legend Sir Alex Ferguson. And indeed the great man got United back to winning ways in 2011 by taking the league and runners up in the Champions League, denting the momentum of the anti-Glazer campaign. Now, with Sir Alex gone and United unable to seriously challenge in the EPL or CL, plus the Glazers ESL plan, the anti-Glazer campaign is back for another go.

This brings up questions of what and how things should be done if they are serious in their desire to push out the American billionaires. The Glazers will not care a jot if some Mancs wreck the place every now and again. The public, who are largely on board with the anti ESL campaign, will run out of patience if there is weekly violence against the police. The only thing that hurts a billionaire is when you affect his bottom line. An empty stadium would set off the alarm bells but a mass strike by season ticket holders is almost impossible to implement. Regulars are loath to give up their season ticket in case they don't get it back. And if the season ticket holders don't buy their ticket will other fans refuse one? Protesting against the owners in a full stadium will not hurt the Glazers as they rarely attend the games anyway. 

When I was a season ticket holder at Atletico Madrid the fans had a disagreement with the owners and tried to organise a 'stay out', the fans would leave the stadium empty for the first 15 minutes of the game. Most of the stadium didn't go along with it and only the paddock reserved for the Ultras was empty. Most fans stated that we always have to support our team and so the protest failed. 

And failure is what I expect to happen to the Man U fans' protest, just like the Toon Army protest against Mike Ashley. It would take a mammoth offer to buy Man United: one that almost nobody could afford.  Or the team to be playing in an empty stadium for a long run of games: one that is for all intents and purposes impossible to organise, in order to oust the Glazers from Man U. 

The best that they can hope for is that the government intervenes to legislate against the ESL and the new CEO does a better job than Woodward of listening and communicating with the grass roots. Whatever happens I think it is important that all the owners of "the big 6" are aware of the resentment that we have of their plans for our football.

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports.

6 comments:

  1. A measured take with a great turn of phrase to conclude with. In terms of options Peter, I think you pretty much tell it as it is. On Sunday, I had sat down to watch the game and so it was something of a disappointment when it didn't happen. But the fans are angry and I am not going to complain about them.

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  2. At least Chelsea listened to the fans and have announced that 3 advisors from seperate supporters groups are now able to attend board meetings. They can't vote but the club will donate money to charity for their attendance.

    At the very least this debacle has scared a few owners but Chelsea fans are probably a bit more forgiving about Roman than the mancs.

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  3. I want Chelsea to win the 🆑. As a Pool fan,I will die in shame # Best of a terrible lot

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  4. Peter
    Firstly the anti-Glazer campaign began in 2005, not as you suggest 2010. Secondly, in 2005 many Man Utd fans, from Manchester and surrounding counties, threw their season tickets in a skip and formed FC United, arguably the cultural soul and concience of Man Utd. Thirdly, Sundays protest incorporated all factions of the anti-Glazer campaign, FCUM until the ESL debacable, the last group standing. The campaign at Old Trafford was losing momentum granted, but at FC United was alive and kicking. Thanks to the Glazers even greater greed trying to enter United into the ESL the campaign has been restarted. Well done Avram and Joel! Man Utd fans always have been more thorough, I am not including the so-called legacy fans here, tourists, I'm talking of the hard core, more thorough in protest than any other clubs fans, perhaps closely followed by Newcastle United. Remember the seventies protests. Oh, don't bank on the rearranged fixture going ahead. Finally we are not overtly bothered about public opinion, prefer them with us but it is not a precondition.

    Caoimhin O'Muraile

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  5. Caoimhin O'Muraile

    Yes obviously opposition to the Glazers started in '05 with the takeover but the official campaign with the green and yellow scarves started on the 23rd Jan 2010 according to the Manchester Evening News

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  6. Caoimhin O'Muraile

    Peter

    The green and yellow scarves are/were the colours of Newton Heath, forerunner of Manchester United. The usually dependable Manchester Evening News are mistaken on this one, the scarves started in 2005, arguably in 2004 when the rotten senario started. FC United of Manchester were formed in 2005 and a provisional suggestion for a name was Newton Heath. This was one of many ideas which had to be close to Manchester United. We settled on FCUM almost MUFC in reverse. At the time green and gold scarves were popular, and was suggested as the colours of the new club.
    Where the Manchester Evening News get the date 23rd January 2010 is beyond me, but it is incorrect. Truth be told there was no "official campaign" as such, various dissillussioned MUFC fans, including us who went on to form FCUM, demonstrated together, and still are.

    For the record Peter, I implied above that "legacy fans" and tourists are the same. This is not the case as "legacy fans" are those who have supported Man Utd for years, home, away and abroad.

    Caoimhin O'Muraile

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