You’ve stormed the pitch and had maybe the biggest game in the Premier League calendar season postponed. You’ve injured numerous police officers with thrown bottles and other makeshift weapons. You’ve made your stance on those who run your club very clear. What’s next for Manchester United Fans, especially if the Glazers refuse to pack up and leave their cash cow?
Realistically why would they? Joel Glazer has a multi-billion dollar company at his disposal with a global brand raking in millions even in a year where COVID-19 meant no fans in attendance. Why is he just going to walk away?
Manchester United fans are some of the most loyal not only in football but the sports world in general. Sure it hasn’t exactly been hard to follow a mega-rich team challenging for the top honors most seasons, but if you are a certain age you remember it wasn’t all rainbows and roses. My Dad has been a fan long enough to have seen them relegated in the mid-seventies and also remember the Munich air disaster.
NOT YOUR CLUB ANYMORE
But it’s not their club anymore and hasn’t been for quite some time. It’s a business. Sure the press surrounding the protests, which started peacefully, will look bad on the Glazer family. However, if there is anything I’ve learned it’s that these business people rarely crumble under a little bad press.
The Glazers have been at United since 2005 and while there was always a minority who were vocal about their displeasure at the running of the club it’s only in recent years that it has amplified. Between 2006 and 2011 when United won four out of five Premier League titles there were little to no protests. This will now be their eighth season without a Premier League title and they also had to watch their fiercest rivals Liverpool celebrate last season. Things have changed.
Sure the short-lived Super League idea gave the fans a platform to protest but it’s not the deep-lying cause. Their cross-city rivals Manchester City were also a part of the Super League idea and while their fans protested with signs at the Carabao Cup final win over Tottenham there was no pitch invasion or attacking police. Why? Because they are winning things and happy to be where they are thanks to the billions invested by ownership.
Manchester United fans need to ask themselves what do they want and how will yesterday help them? If it’s the Glazers out the antics of some of their fans did little to help. There are no fans to reimburse tickets to, causing a loss, in this pandemic hit season and limited staff working because of it, meaning little to no out of pocket costs for the Glazers. Ultimately, the only people they are hurting are themselves and the image of their fan base because unless someone can cough up $4 billion the Glazers are going nowhere.
