Republik Of Mancunia

Scotty,
Have been reading your blog for many a year. I’ve never written. Let me also advance context by saying that I’m drunk. This may explain my decision to write. I just want to raise issue with your final comment. After reading your musings for so long, I find it hard to believe that you ‘can’t help but feeling that it’s a rather sad state of affairs that we don’t feel the pressure of wrapping up glory for glory’s sake, but for the financial advantages it brings with it…’. Do you really feel this? I mean, I understand the financial pressures of the club - but I can’t honestly see this filtering down to the players and the fans at Old Trafford. I don’t speak for everyone, but would hasten to say that we don’t think ‘Shit we better win this tie for the 20 million quid we’ll gain to service the Glazer debt’. I could be wrong though. I think the likes of Park, Scholes, Rooney etc. ARE doing it for pure glory, as are the majority of fans. I know the business is inherently linked with on-field performances, but on the other hand, fuck the business. I don’t cheer a win because it helps refinance a debt. How depressing is that? Now, I want to let you know that I don’t write out of disrespect for what you said - quite the opposite. I’m just probably surprised that those thoughts go through the head of the United faithful (someone like yourself). I do desire a win for the sake of glory. However, because I respect what you say I do wonder whether the financial gains are considered when thinking about a United win. Let me know.

I think maybe you misunderstood my point. I don’t think the players are playing JUST for the money, or that Fergie is here JUST for the cash. I was just pointing out that since the Glazer’s we are far more aware of the financial status of the club, we have to be. When we were a .plc, I couldn’t give a shit less about the behind the scenes stuff. However now, whenever I read a story about us making money, I breathe a sigh of relief. Before, the £16 million (or whatever it is) we get for getting past the group stages of the CL wouldn’t have even made me bat an eyelid, but now it’s something I’m grateful for.

As United fans, we don’t celebrate winning the league because of the money it brings in, course not. But at the same time, we know now that if we go any number of years without winning the league, that could be the end of our club. We need to be successful so that we stay rich so that we can pay off the debt and not go under. We now have to be very aware that we NEED our success as much as we WANT it.

Maybe I didn’t make that point clear enough. Thanks for writing though, even if you are pissed up lol.

I don’t get this. How can a club be called “richest” when its in dire straits actually. Our debt has in fact risen.It’s now up to 666M GBP from 603M GBP. Interests payments and
overdrafts itself were 42M GBP for the last 12 months - up by almost
85% compared to the previous 12. Overall Loss for 2006-2007 was around 57M GBP.

We are still highly leveraged and walking a fine line , a couple of trophy-less seasons and a decline in media/sponsorship/gate receipts revenue can quickly lead to us being in a very precarious situation.

Yeah well illustrated. I get what your saying now. Maybe it’s because I’m not pissed at this stage. I agree that the case is not why we love it, but that the cash is an absolute necessity for us to stay where we are. A shame that each game carries so much financial pressure. Maybe I should go and buy that long sleever from the megastore now…

Between the Devils and the Deep Blue Sea…

I am glad to hear that Manchester United are making money, in this era that is what all football has become. Not for the fans or the playing staff but the owners and sponsers that seem to leak in to the smallest of places. I am sure if Nike could they’d advertise their brand on shirt buttons and I am also certain that the Glazers are only in this to make themselves money.

However, I am grateful this is the case. The Glazers for all of the concern surrounding them have been in this business for a long time. I would feel totally different about the take over had Manchester United gone down the same road as Chelsea, Liverpool and more recently Man City.

Abromovich, Hicks/Gillett, Shinawatra… they are names that make me despise the clubs I hate even more but in a way feel sorry for them. Sven, Sven, Sven has just taken his club on their best ever season and Jose won back to back titles as well as plenty of domestic cups at Chelsea and Liverpool (YSB) who started the season quite well have seen an unnecessary amount of pressure built up on their manager by who? Their owners, people who know nothing about the game coming in with their money and as soon as they get bored with their new toys they are on the scrap heap waithing to be replaced by something else with a shelf life no longer than the previous victims.

I think the way the Glazers have stayed out of the way and let the club deal with certain things is respectable to a certain level but any one else would believe it’s the least they could do after buying our club and putting it is such difficult circumstances.

The positive things are the way our club is fighting on all fronts once more, the players at this club are here for the long run and we have the quality to become bigger and better as the years go on, the money being invested in new players keeps our club exciting from a fans point of view.

especially in the short run..

I concur with Tom F. While I’m not happy that we are owned by the Glazers, at least they’ve stayed out of the way and not publicly embarassed us like Hicks and Gillett have done to Loserpool.

The first thing they said after buying out the Coolmore shares was that they were looking forward to working with existing management and players, and as far as I can tell have supported Fergie and David Gill every step of the way. Compare that to how Hicks is announcing in public that he thinks their Chief Executive is incompetent.

Much as I still am sore over the Glazer takevover, their behaviour has been dignified to say the least. Whatever issues they have, they’ve kept it behind the scenes, away from the media.

However, I must say that I do belong to that group of fans who keenly feels the need for United to win for financial purposes. Yes, I want the win for the glory but now that we’re a club deep in debt, success is needed to maintain the lustre of the club to continue to attract talent. Which then in turn is needed to sustain success. United literally can’t afford to go trophyless, we don’t have the luxury Wenger has.

arsenal fans love to bang on about how much money they havent spent
rather than talk about the trophies they havent won

wenger has spent big in the past and hasnt always got it right
jeffers wright and reyes

its always a cop out for him when he doesnt flash the cash

The glaziers have done ok so far but im still worried re the debt an dthe automnatic deduction of cup games from season ticket holders accounts