“Sing when you’re winning, you only sing when you’re winning………” How pertinent that little ditty is today, and especially when aimed at a certain number of Manchester United fans. Here we are, as I write this, top of the Premiership by six points, into the knock out stages of the European Champions League, and also into the Fifth Round of the F.A. Cup. 75,000 fans plus, inside the stadium for each home game – life couldn’t be rosier, or the future more brighter - or so it would seem.
Talk to a lot of United fans these days and they are only interested in what is going on out on the pitch. The good name of the Club, its history, the way it conducts itself, the albatross of debt that hangs around its neck does not seem to bother them too much. “We can’t live in the past and worry about things like that. It’s today that matters!” The Glazers? “Nothing to worry about there mate, they’ve done nothing wrong so far”. The debt? “What debt? It’s not impacted the Club as yet, so what’s there to worry about? They’re managing the interest payments quite comfortably, it’s not our concern really” I’m sure we could all tell tales of similar conversations that we have had with friends, colleagues, and other fans throughout this season? Frustrating? You bet your sweet Fanny Adams it is.
My own take on the situation is that the terrific success that Manchester United experienced during the 1990’s, and on into the early years of this century, has helped breed a new type of fan. Today, we have a whole generation that have never known anything other than success. Even though the Premiership title has not been won since the 2002/2003 season, United have been moderately successful, challenging almost each year since, and in the domestic Cup competitions have also seen some success, winning two Finals, and losing another. There is now a kind of “blind allegiance” or to put it more simply, “blind loyalty,” especially with the younger fans, to everything that is Manchester United. So they sing whilst they are winning.
“Blind Allegiance” or “blind loyalty”, is, in my honest opinion, a very dangerous road down which to travel. For United fans, it provides a fixative to the current regime, and also to their “lackey” based at Old Trafford, who does their bidding for them. It saddens me so much to have to admit to this, but the Glazer family have achieved part of one of their objectives already, and that is “to divide and conquer” the fan base. For me, this was done all too easily, as it set Red against Red, which is something that I honestly thought that I would never ever see during my lifetime. Divided it, they most certainly have – conquered it – that has yet to be seen.
Certainly, this “allegiance/loyalty” has been fuelled by misinformation and spin that we have seen since May 12th 2005. Everything that has spun out of Florida, and Old Trafford, has been treated as “the gospel”. Unfortunately in this day and age, a large number of United fans tend not to look at things in any depth, and don’t think enough to scratch below the surface layer, before forming a measured, structured, opinion . “They must be doing something right – the stadium is full every week, the team is top of the League – what more do you want? We just want to go to the game, support the team, and to hell with the politics in the Club?” How often do we hear this? Too regular for my liking. And so they sing whilst they’re winning.
But can any of them honestly, with their hand on heart, please tell me, or show to me, one single, tangible, good thing, that the Glazer’s have done for Manchester United since their arrival in May of 2005? Because if they can, then I have missed something somewhere along the line, and I must need to go and consult with my optician. I have honestly searched around to see if there is anything that the Glazer’s can be credited with during their tenure which that has been done for the good of Manchester United – I still can’t find a single thing! Still, I suppose I could sing whilst they’re winning?
But have these people who share this “blind allegiance/loyalty” really given any deep thought as to what happens when the winning ceases? The majority of us know that success is not for ever. It’s so sweet when it arrives, and yes, it’s there to be enjoyed. When you have a long period of prolonged success, it tastes even sweeter, especially after years of comparative famine. But it can become an albatross around the neck in that we see a new breed, a different kind of fan emerging - fans who are only concerned with “success” and “winning”, and that is all that matters, to them and to hell with everything else.
They are not even interested in the changes that are going on in the game at present, and that have gone on during the past, especially since the advent of the Premiership. They share a common selfishness. In my honest opinion, the game in England is heading fast towards a huge abyss in the years to come, and if things are not addressed in the near future, it may well be that football as we have known and loved it throughout its history, will be lost and gone forever. In this past week or so, we hear of another 900 million pounds being pumped into the Premiership from t.v. contracts – not a peep from anybody about the obscenity of it, and the impact that it will have on grass roots football. The elite get to dine at the top table every year, and the rest can like it or lump it and dine off the scraps, and look on helplessly as the gap grows even wider between the Premiership and lower divisions. Will that extra revenue flow unabatedly back into the game? Will it heck as like! Players salaries will be increased, agent’s fees will increase, transfer fees will get even more inflated, ticket prices will keep on increasing, and of course, the “suits,” with their rich pickings from their fat contracts, will be made into even bigger millionaires – and of course at United, the vast majority of it will go to servicing the debt. For a large number of United fans, it won’t matter one iota what happens to that extra revenue increase. We have seen during the past 19 months that there is little revenue for investment in top quality players. Gill said just recently that there are no further plans at this time to invest in the stadium and facilities. The spin will still come spiraling out of both Florida and Old Trafford, and we’ll be told that all is well again, and that United couldn’t be in better shape. And all the time, the fans will still sing whilst we’re winning – and the money comes rolling in – and out just as fast!
Fans are blinded by success, there’s no doubt about that. This season United have as realistic a chance as they have had for the last three years to lift the Premiership title again, and maybe even the European Champions Cup, and maybe, just maybe, even the F.A. Cup – a second, unique treble. I don’t think that there is one single United fan who would not like to see this happen. Winning the Premiership again would suffice for most, winning two trophies would be wonderful, and to do the treble again – well, it’s just another dream. Nobody who supports United, irrespective of the turmoil that the takeover has caused, especially within the fans bodies; bodes the team any ill will. We all want to see them win, and the simple reason for that is because we are all Reds. It’s this emotional attachment that we all, as fans, feel for our beloved Club, that not only the Glazer’s, but the F.A. and Premiership moguls also, are so readily, and easily, able to exploit – which is what they shamelessly do! And all the time, the fans sing along whilst we are winning!
Talk to a lot of United fans these days and they are only interested in what is going on out on the pitch. The good name of the Club, its history, the way it conducts itself, the albatross of debt that hangs around its neck does not seem to bother them too much. “We can’t live in the past and worry about things like that. It’s today that matters!” The Glazers? “Nothing to worry about there mate, they’ve done nothing wrong so far”. The debt? “What debt? It’s not impacted the Club as yet, so what’s there to worry about? They’re managing the interest payments quite comfortably, it’s not our concern really” I’m sure we could all tell tales of similar conversations that we have had with friends, colleagues, and other fans throughout this season? Frustrating? You bet your sweet Fanny Adams it is.
My own take on the situation is that the terrific success that Manchester United experienced during the 1990’s, and on into the early years of this century, has helped breed a new type of fan. Today, we have a whole generation that have never known anything other than success. Even though the Premiership title has not been won since the 2002/2003 season, United have been moderately successful, challenging almost each year since, and in the domestic Cup competitions have also seen some success, winning two Finals, and losing another. There is now a kind of “blind allegiance” or to put it more simply, “blind loyalty,” especially with the younger fans, to everything that is Manchester United. So they sing whilst they are winning.
“Blind Allegiance” or “blind loyalty”, is, in my honest opinion, a very dangerous road down which to travel. For United fans, it provides a fixative to the current regime, and also to their “lackey” based at Old Trafford, who does their bidding for them. It saddens me so much to have to admit to this, but the Glazer family have achieved part of one of their objectives already, and that is “to divide and conquer” the fan base. For me, this was done all too easily, as it set Red against Red, which is something that I honestly thought that I would never ever see during my lifetime. Divided it, they most certainly have – conquered it – that has yet to be seen.
Certainly, this “allegiance/loyalty” has been fuelled by misinformation and spin that we have seen since May 12th 2005. Everything that has spun out of Florida, and Old Trafford, has been treated as “the gospel”. Unfortunately in this day and age, a large number of United fans tend not to look at things in any depth, and don’t think enough to scratch below the surface layer, before forming a measured, structured, opinion . “They must be doing something right – the stadium is full every week, the team is top of the League – what more do you want? We just want to go to the game, support the team, and to hell with the politics in the Club?” How often do we hear this? Too regular for my liking. And so they sing whilst they’re winning.
But can any of them honestly, with their hand on heart, please tell me, or show to me, one single, tangible, good thing, that the Glazer’s have done for Manchester United since their arrival in May of 2005? Because if they can, then I have missed something somewhere along the line, and I must need to go and consult with my optician. I have honestly searched around to see if there is anything that the Glazer’s can be credited with during their tenure which that has been done for the good of Manchester United – I still can’t find a single thing! Still, I suppose I could sing whilst they’re winning?
But have these people who share this “blind allegiance/loyalty” really given any deep thought as to what happens when the winning ceases? The majority of us know that success is not for ever. It’s so sweet when it arrives, and yes, it’s there to be enjoyed. When you have a long period of prolonged success, it tastes even sweeter, especially after years of comparative famine. But it can become an albatross around the neck in that we see a new breed, a different kind of fan emerging - fans who are only concerned with “success” and “winning”, and that is all that matters, to them and to hell with everything else.
They are not even interested in the changes that are going on in the game at present, and that have gone on during the past, especially since the advent of the Premiership. They share a common selfishness. In my honest opinion, the game in England is heading fast towards a huge abyss in the years to come, and if things are not addressed in the near future, it may well be that football as we have known and loved it throughout its history, will be lost and gone forever. In this past week or so, we hear of another 900 million pounds being pumped into the Premiership from t.v. contracts – not a peep from anybody about the obscenity of it, and the impact that it will have on grass roots football. The elite get to dine at the top table every year, and the rest can like it or lump it and dine off the scraps, and look on helplessly as the gap grows even wider between the Premiership and lower divisions. Will that extra revenue flow unabatedly back into the game? Will it heck as like! Players salaries will be increased, agent’s fees will increase, transfer fees will get even more inflated, ticket prices will keep on increasing, and of course, the “suits,” with their rich pickings from their fat contracts, will be made into even bigger millionaires – and of course at United, the vast majority of it will go to servicing the debt. For a large number of United fans, it won’t matter one iota what happens to that extra revenue increase. We have seen during the past 19 months that there is little revenue for investment in top quality players. Gill said just recently that there are no further plans at this time to invest in the stadium and facilities. The spin will still come spiraling out of both Florida and Old Trafford, and we’ll be told that all is well again, and that United couldn’t be in better shape. And all the time, the fans will still sing whilst we’re winning – and the money comes rolling in – and out just as fast!
Fans are blinded by success, there’s no doubt about that. This season United have as realistic a chance as they have had for the last three years to lift the Premiership title again, and maybe even the European Champions Cup, and maybe, just maybe, even the F.A. Cup – a second, unique treble. I don’t think that there is one single United fan who would not like to see this happen. Winning the Premiership again would suffice for most, winning two trophies would be wonderful, and to do the treble again – well, it’s just another dream. Nobody who supports United, irrespective of the turmoil that the takeover has caused, especially within the fans bodies; bodes the team any ill will. We all want to see them win, and the simple reason for that is because we are all Reds. It’s this emotional attachment that we all, as fans, feel for our beloved Club, that not only the Glazer’s, but the F.A. and Premiership moguls also, are so readily, and easily, able to exploit – which is what they shamelessly do! And all the time, the fans sing along whilst we are winning!
