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A former caretaker was the subject of internal disciplinary action in the 1980s.
The employee, who died in 2009, worked at United's former training ground, The Cliff.
United are working with the Football Association's independent review into child sexual abuse in football.
Known as the Sheldon Review and led by Clive Sheldon QC, it was set up in 2016 to look into historical sexual abuse in the sport, following a series of allegations by former players.
The allegations were first reported by The Athletic, which claimed the former employee was redeployed after United's investigation.
"We have cooperated fully with the Sheldon Review in an effort to make sure we were as comprehensive on this important matter as we could be," a United spokesperson said.
I very much doubt Sir Alex would ever jeopardize his legacy from some peadoHonestly I’m surprised something like this hasn’t come out before. With how long SAF was in charge I’d expect something Paterno-like to have surfaced.
Yeah but if it’s to protect the club’s image he might have kept it quiet.I very much doubt Sir Alex would ever jeopardize his legacy from some peado
Honestly I’m surprised something like this hasn’t come out before. With how long SAF was in charge I’d expect something Paterno-like to have surfaced.
That's a hell of a comparison to make my friend.Honestly I’m surprised something like this hasn’t come out before. With how long SAF was in charge I’d expect something Paterno-like to have surfaced.
Absolute mental gymnastics.Honestly I’m surprised something like this hasn’t come out before. With how long SAF was in charge I’d expect something Paterno-like to have surfaced.
What the feckHonestly I’m surprised something like this hasn’t come out before. With how long SAF was in charge I’d expect something Paterno-like to have surfaced.
You have a very strange view of SAFYeah but if it’s to protect the club’s image he might have kept it quiet.
Went dark real quick.That's a hell of a comparison to make my friend.
Never in a million years. The damage a historical case could cause would weigh heavier upon his shoulders and conscious than the clubs image. Notice you didn't mention that Big Ron was in charge in the early 80's and that maybe HE kept it quiet for the clubs interest?Yeah but if it’s to protect the club’s image he might have kept it quiet.
I was going to say, SAF only came to us in 1986. We did have another manager. in the 80's.Never in a million years. The damage a historical case could cause would weigh heavier upon his shoulders and conscious than the clubs image. Notice you didn't mention that Big Ron was in charge in the early 80's and that maybe HE kept it quiet for the clubs interest?
Whoever hired those in charge of the youth development team at that time will have questions to answer. The club will stand tall against the wrongdoers and be completely open and honest I will assume.
Billy Watts, who died in 2009, was subject to disciplinary action in 1989 that saw him moved to a new role away from the club’s youth players1)
2) There was no need to even mention SAF in this thread as someone who may have failed to respond to allegations appropriately. Given the person being accused faced disciplinary procedures in the 1980's and the investigation is speaking to people who were at the club in the 70's and 80's, I'm not even sure we know that this person still worked at the club by the time SAF arrived?
Daniel Taylor wrote a series of articles on this for the Guardian, starting with the Barry Bennell case. He's been doing additional reports since then, as other players have come forward and other cases have been revealed.Billy Watts, who died in 2009, was subject to disciplinary action in 1989 that saw him moved to a new role away from the club’s youth players
That is what the indo is saying and they guy from the athletic is a sports writer and was previously the chief football writer for The Guardian and The Observer and spent nearly 20 years working for the two titles. and never once reported it till he was at his new job, wonder why ?
Yeah but if it’s to protect the club’s image he might have kept it quiet.
However, by then Bennell had already brought multiple groups of kids to the training ground, using United as part of his sales pitch in effect. Could the caretaker have let him in, or were there some other more direct allegations about how Watts himself had acted? At any rate, Billy Watts got moved to a job at Old Trafford perhaps because something had happened, or something had raised suspicion. Certainly, as far as we know, there was no police action, but United reacted to something by moving him away from daily contact with players, rather than firing him. Incidentally it's thought he left United soon after for a cleaning job at a police station, so we may have done an "everything except fire him" sort of move.He was so close to joining Manchester United at one point he tried to persuade some of City’s more talented youngsters to switch clubs, just as he did when he moved from Crewe to Stoke, ending a letter to one of the better prospects with the words “I love you”. Yet his visits to United’s training ground, where he claimed to be close friends with “Butch” Ray Wilkins from their days at Chelsea, stopped after Alex Ferguson took over. “Barry turned up to watch a United game,” one parent with close United links recalls. “Mr Ferguson noticed him: ‘Security, get that man off this property.’ And credit to him.”