The Big Discussion: The Fight for the Soul of Manchester United

The recent news that the Glazer family are selling Manchester United has created a lot of rehashed discussion, enhancing a lot of debates created back when the American family first bought the club. 

Twitter user @Heathen1878 explores this and the current state of affairs regarding Manchester United.

Warning and disclaimer - The views here are of the writer, not us. He's more than happy to discuss points made on his Twitter. 

It was around September 2021 when I arrived back in Manchester for the first time since March 2020. I landed on the morning of Man United's Premier League game against Newcastle. It was also Cristiano Ronaldo's return to the club. I stopped going to Old Trafford in 2005 and have only been back once. I stopped going due to the Glazer takeover and general sadness with the way modern football is going. 

It was at this point that I really realised how much United's support had changed over recent times and also wondered what this might mean for the future.

Now, let's rewind to 1995.

An incident involving a racist Crystal Palace fan and Eric Cantona created a siege mentality amongst United's support that my dad had not seen since the mid-'70s. It also came at a time when a group of United were starting to become negative about the general direction of the club off the pitch.

1995 also saw the creation of IMUSA and an increased organisation within United's hard-core support. As said above, United fans who had watched the club in the second division only twenty years earlier were being sidelined. The Stretford End, once a sign of United's passion, had become a playground for sponsors and executives. Kids who grew up behind the ground could no longer afford to go. Reds were watching the best team since the late 1960s but this success had come at a price. Some weren't prepared to let the soul of the club without a fight. Stand up for the Champions. 

Taken from the IMUSA website: IMUSA - Independent Manchester United Supporters Association

"The Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association was launched in April 1995 at an impromptu meeting in the Gorse Hill Hotel. The meeting was held in direct response to a tannoy announcement during the home game against Arsenal, informing fans in K-Stand that they must remain seated throughout the match or face ejection. Despite success on the field, many devoted Reds had become increasingly disillusioned with the Board of Directors' attitude towards match-going fans, sensing they were remote to the ideas and feelings of United's genuine supporters. IMUSA has been campaigning ever since and is now one of the oldest independent supporters' organisations in the country."

There was to be a lot more fighting and protesting amongst the supporters. A few years later, a dark cloud was lingering just before our greatest ever night.

Late in May in 1999.

Very few people remember what happened at the start of the 1998/1999 season. Two heavy defeats against Arsenal and a struggle to gain a point against Leicester City had people concerned. The biggest issue for some though was that Rupert Murdoch wanted to buy the club. This was the statement reported by several media outlets at the time: "Angry shareholders have demanded the resignation of Manchester United's chairman and chief executive at the annual general meeting.

"However, the meeting wound up with the bosses saying although they had listened to protests, management supports the proposed takeover by Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB. There were calls for club chairman Martin Edwards and company chairman Sir Roland Smith to step down following a confrontation outside the Old Trafford meeting between police and about 1,500 shareholder fans opposing the bid.

"His proposed £623m acquisition of the club on September 9 has sparked fury and anger among many fans."

Eventually, after protests and campaigning, the takeover was stopped. To the surprise of many, the Labour Government of the time blocked the takeover of Manchester United by Murdoch and British Sky Broadcasting. The Monopolies and Mergers Commission said it was anti-competitive and argued it would hurt the wider football industry. They were correct and United fans were happy. This was finally announced in 1999, and Reds would go on to have the period of their lives as we clinched The Treble. I was in the Nou Camp as Ole scored in Fergie time. What a feeling, what a night. 

I signed not for sale, and I meant just that.

The next two years saw two fairly routine title wins, but lack of additional success in Europe saw United make changes as the club moved to a more continental approach on the pitch. January 2002 saw another of United's greatest-ever nights. It might be hard to explain now why an FA Cup third round against Villa caused so much excitement. 

United lost the title in 2002 but regained the trophy in 2003 thanks to the form of Ruud Van Nistelrooy. We lost it again in 2004, but minds were starting to turn away from the football again.

In 2004, Irish shareholders Magnier and McManus infamously submitted their ’99 questions’ to the Manchester United board and Sir Alex Ferguson demanding answers. That led to more worries about the club being victim to another takeover bid. Fans started to take action with many backing the manager. An American man by the name of Malcolm Glazer was watching closely. This would cause more problems. 

Following a hugely controversial season, the Glazer family would complete their hostile takeover. United fans had been defeated. I'd been on marches, flashmobs and more. A call for a boycott of a match against West Brom failed. 64,000 people had sung not for sale a few weeks before but how many meant it? 

You can never change your football team.

In a gut-wrenching summer for thousands of United fans, many did the unthinkable and announced they would never return to Old Trafford whilst the Glazers were owning the club. I was one of those.

It turned out that there was going to be an alternative. A phoenix club called Football Club United of Manchester was first discussed during the Murdoch takeover bid. It would essentially be a breakaway team owned by Manchester United fans. 

This would organised by well-known fans from the fanzines (Red Issue and United We Stand) and prominent figures from the takeover fights. After a busy few weeks, the team was formed and would enter the North West Counties. Despite many issues, the club has thrived and retains over 2,000 members. Three promotions, our own ground and relegation would follow. A fantastic story and something very unique to English football. The finest night with FC United came in 2010. A First Round FA Cup draw saw FC travel to Rochdale. 4000 Reds packed the away end and created scenes reminiscent of the good old days. Just check out the video below. It made my heart swell with pride.

That Rochdale match came only a few months after the brief Green and Gold campaign that was, for a short period, able to bring attention to the Glazer family again. See that picture at the top of the story. 

 A final straw - fast forward to 2021

Who remembers the European Super League? I won't go into that again, but after 16 years of fairly mundane protests, United fans were active again. The protests before an end-of-season Premier League game would go down in history as the first time such a thing had got a game abandoned. Josh, a Man United fan from Chorlton, said: "People power won for once."

Manchester doesn't thank or want you.

We move forward now to the present day. The Glazer family reportedly announced the club was up for sale. That would be a cause for celebration but has led to concerns about what comes next. Those who fought against Murdoch have been sidelined by people who want victory at all costs. 

United fans who tweet #FullSaleOnly started to post Qatar flags on Twitter. There was once dignity in Manchester United's core support. Sadly, I think we are moving away from it. The Glazer takeover was the final nail in the coffin for many. For some, a Qatari takeover would represent that coffin being picked up and left at sea. Before, anyone starts, I don't want INEOS and Jim Ratcliffe either. What a mess.