FA Cup Finalists' sportswear-tycoon sugar-daddy shook hands with Martin Edwards on the deal but got cold feet after a word with the wife
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-united-dave-whelan-agreed-1881134
Dave Whelan agreed to buy Manchester United for just £11.5million – until his wife persuaded him it would be bad for business.
When Michael Knighton, playing keepy-uppy in front of the Stretford End, turned out to be a white knight with finite pockets, former United chairman Martin Edwards offered his majority stake to retail tycoon Whelan instead.
They shook hands on a deal and Whelan, whose chain of JJB Sports stores would soon be worth £1billion, even lined up Sir Bobby Charlton to be United chairman before going home to announce his latest investment to wife Pat.
“I told my wife I had just been to a meeting where I’d bought Manchester United, the biggest football club in the world, for £11.5m,” said Whelan, whose Wigan side face Manchester City in this weekend's FA Cup Final.
“But instead of telling me I’d done a great piece of business, she asked, ‘Do you think all your customers who support other clubs will still shop at JJB if you own Man United?’ and I said, ‘Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.’
“It dawned on me that Liverpool fans and others might turn their backs on my shops because of the rivalry with United.”
Whelan withdrew from the sale and it would be another five years before he bought the Latics, financing their move from dowdy Springfield Park to a new £30m stadium and presiding over a fairytale journey to the Premier League and Wembley.
Now 76, Whelan has become standard bearer for local businessmen buying their hometown clubs and sustaining them with largesse.
But 24 years on from his near-miss with a treasure chest at Old Trafford, he still has misgivings about his U-turn.
“At that time, United were still six months from winning their first trophy under Sir Alex Ferguson, so when I think back now, I can look at it two ways.
“Do I regret pulling out of the United deal financially? Yes, of course. I was stupid – I was sitting on a gold mine, but I got cold feet.
“I had great ideas for the club. I was going to build a superbowl - with an exhibition hall, shopping mall, offices, swimming pool and health club - called the Big Red Dome.
“There was going to be a huge red searchlight on top, so you could see it from all over Manchester. I had all the plans drawn up, it would have been absolutely magnificent."
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Magnificent? Sounds shite to me - sounds like we had a lucky escape!
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-united-dave-whelan-agreed-1881134
Dave Whelan agreed to buy Manchester United for just £11.5million – until his wife persuaded him it would be bad for business.
When Michael Knighton, playing keepy-uppy in front of the Stretford End, turned out to be a white knight with finite pockets, former United chairman Martin Edwards offered his majority stake to retail tycoon Whelan instead.
They shook hands on a deal and Whelan, whose chain of JJB Sports stores would soon be worth £1billion, even lined up Sir Bobby Charlton to be United chairman before going home to announce his latest investment to wife Pat.
“I told my wife I had just been to a meeting where I’d bought Manchester United, the biggest football club in the world, for £11.5m,” said Whelan, whose Wigan side face Manchester City in this weekend's FA Cup Final.
“But instead of telling me I’d done a great piece of business, she asked, ‘Do you think all your customers who support other clubs will still shop at JJB if you own Man United?’ and I said, ‘Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.’
“It dawned on me that Liverpool fans and others might turn their backs on my shops because of the rivalry with United.”
Whelan withdrew from the sale and it would be another five years before he bought the Latics, financing their move from dowdy Springfield Park to a new £30m stadium and presiding over a fairytale journey to the Premier League and Wembley.
Now 76, Whelan has become standard bearer for local businessmen buying their hometown clubs and sustaining them with largesse.
But 24 years on from his near-miss with a treasure chest at Old Trafford, he still has misgivings about his U-turn.
“At that time, United were still six months from winning their first trophy under Sir Alex Ferguson, so when I think back now, I can look at it two ways.
“Do I regret pulling out of the United deal financially? Yes, of course. I was stupid – I was sitting on a gold mine, but I got cold feet.
“I had great ideas for the club. I was going to build a superbowl - with an exhibition hall, shopping mall, offices, swimming pool and health club - called the Big Red Dome.
“There was going to be a huge red searchlight on top, so you could see it from all over Manchester. I had all the plans drawn up, it would have been absolutely magnificent."
===============================================
Magnificent? Sounds shite to me - sounds like we had a lucky escape!
From a handshake to having all the plans drawn up. He's a fast worker.