It isn't the money, it is getting the right people in to run the club efficiently, right management, right coaches, right scouting. Everything. We have had money, but the wrong people dealing with what happens with the money. It is not transfers that would be an issue, it is the club infrastructure being allowed to deteriorate while the management handed out stupid contracts to players not worth keeping, then signing past it players on extortionate wages that has been the problem. Whilst siphoning money to line their own pockets and running up massive debts.
The Glazers have spent a lot of money. The problem is the lack of thought behind a lot of it. E.g: The money that was spent on fees and wages for Di Maria, Sanchez, Lukaku etc could have obviously been far better spent elsewhere.
Going back to 2005, transfers and investment never really came into the equation when talking to those protesting. We'll always have money. The biggest argument was that Manchester United should not be owned by someone with zero connection/relationship to our culture as a club and even the sport as a whole. Sure the debt was mentioned and the whole leveraged buyout element was a massive, massive problem but it was that which people focused on at the start.
The same reason why fans protested Murdoch with the same passion seven years earlier. Even though that would have given insane riches (relative to the time anyway) and probably seen us dominate the Premier League).
On a wider point, a matchgoing red asked me an interesting question before. If you had the choice between two fairly extreme options.
1. State ownership. Win Premier League and Champions League regularly. Team of world class stars and hugely successful. A Chelsea/PSG style turnover of managers and high ticket prices. Successful youth team like but the youngsters don't have a meaningful impact at senior level.
2. Hybrid fan owned/local business owned model. A team built around young academy players and others from around Europe. Finish regularly between 4th and 7th. Still win at least one trophy every other season but its usually the FA Cup, League Cup or Europa League. Can often lose star players to Madrid/Barca but new CEO/President Edwin Van Der Sar has drastically improved scouting network so we are attracting the very best young talent.Ticket prices are also lowered and fans now create one of the best atmospheres in this country and beyond.
