United In Anger
Manchester United fans worldwide are united in anger, pun intended at the Glazer family and Ed Woodward after a silent transfer window so far. The indignation was increased further when the club released a statement to the host of Beyond The Pitch and talkSPORT, Phil Brown with regards to the club’s recruitment policy.
The following is the club’s statement:
- The club points out that it remains committed to supporting the manager in strengthening the squad over the long term
- The club also points out that this summer’s transfer window will not be ‘business as usual’ because of the huge economic impact from the pandemic both in terms of loss of revenue and uncertainty over the long-term impact of the crisis.
- United’s point of view is that these harsh economic realities mean that the club must be cautious this summer to ensure that the club preserves its strength through this difficult period
The statement is grim and reflective of what we are seeing so far. However, the fans are no fools to believe everything the club has released to be the gospel truth. It doesn’t even make any sense. I believe the fans are not so unreasonable to not understand the impact Corona Virus has made on the economy worldwide.
Behaving Like Paupers
The way United are behaving and has been behaving is like it is a club that is poor and heavily in debt. Every year, no matter how we have done on the pitch for the last 7 years, we have always been at least one of the top 3 richest clubs in the world. Yet we keep haggling to pay the transfer fee for a player every season. This leads to drawn-out transfer sagas every season.
We can only look at envy at the way our rival English Premier League clubs conduct their business. For example, Chelsea this season have already signed 5 players including one that was concluded in the winter transfer window. We are one of the richest clubs in the world why are we even struggling to get one signing across the line? Why are we giving such excuses as above? I am sure we can find a balance between making some signings and managing the post-pandemic finances.
Channelling The Anger
The main group of people that should bear the brunt of the fan’s ire should be the Glazers family because they hold the purse strings. There is no doubt that Ed Woodward and Matt Judge are incompetent and inefficient at conducting our transfer business. But the person that is hiring them to do the job is the Glazers. They are the same ones that dictate how much the club has to spend on signings. The reason why the club is behaving like paupers despite all the wealth gained is that they are riding up huge debts so whatever money earned is used to pay off the debts.
I feel instead of being upset on social media, moaning, groaning and moping away, the fans should unite in a show of defiance against the Glazers. The fans in Manchester should put up banners at Old Trafford and Carrington displaying their dismay at the present situation. If there is any other way, the fans can let our displeasure be known, we should. Pressure needs to be applied to them without getting personal because our grievance against them is only professional.
*Article 107*
