Ferguson's unique status ensures his words are always heard. His skill as a politician, both in the political sense and as a football man, ensured he would get to the heart of the problem.
"Some of our fans are clearly unhappy with the financial position, but we mustn't allow the situation to become divisive," he wrote in his programme notes ahead of the game with Burnley.
"The danger, as I see it, is that we could be presented as being split, which would be harmful and inaccurate because I believe the vast majority of United fans are behind us and appreciate the importance of standing together in support of the team."
It was a call for unity. A plea from the most successful British manager of all time not to let fears about United's finances spill over into attacks that undermined his players.
At Old Trafford since, Villa Park on Wednesday, Milan next Tuesday and Wembley at the end of the month, Ferguson's wish has been granted.
Noisy, determined, optimistic. United fans are getting behind their team. They are - united. They are also wearing green and gold.
"The consensus is the atmosphere, certainly at Old Trafford for what we would regard as middlin' games, has been better than anyone can remember," said Duncan Drasdo, chairman of the Manchester United Supporters Trust.
"No-one is being pushed into it. And, above all, anyone joining wants to remain positive in their support of Sir Alex and the players. But it is making a difference. More and more people are starting to ask questions about what is going on."
Green and gold
Wherever pictures of United matches are screened, so the green and gold protest will be portrayed.
Fans wanting a quick history lesson could soon discover green and gold were the colours of Newton Heath, the club created by a group of workers in the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1878.
On 9 January, 1902, Newton Heath was the subject of a compulsory winding up order. Although, the club was saved, a name change was suggested to complete the renewal process. The name proposed was Manchester United.
Fast forward 108 years. Now it is Portsmouth who are the subject of a winding up order, and United amongst a group of others whose finances are causing concern.
The Glazer family continue to insist there are no problems. They may well be right. Others think differently and a group called the 'Red Knights' are preparing to reveal themselves as potential buyers.
"I don't know when they are going to come forward," continued Drasdo.
"A couple of weeks has been talked about but ultimately it is out of our hands. We are just trying to influence the one area we can, which is growing our supporter base."
Although it was not a MUST idea, the green and gold campaign as quickly gathered momentum.
It is estimated 50,000 fans will have become members of MUST by the time United visit Everton next Saturday, all twirling their scarves, all concerned about debt; anywhere between £700million and £360million depending upon whether you listen to United chief executive David Gill - whose background as an accountant makes him an expert - and those at the opposite end of the spectrum, most, but not all, of whom do not have anything like the same knowledge but are alarmed at what might happen to one of Britain's finest institutions.
Selling Old Trafford and the Carrington training ground were amongst the most alarming points in the bond prospectus.
At Fratton Park, the Deva Stadium and all points in between, they look on, knowing the warning may come too late for them but at least believing if the biggest club of all can start shouting, someone in authority might start listening.
"The people running football have not done their jobs," said Drasdo.
"The Premier League have their 'Fit and Proper Person's test'. Has anyone ever failed it?
"But in a way, it is not their fault. The Premier League just does whatever a block of 14 decide.
"We can see it, everyone can see it. It is starting to look as though the politicians see it as well.
"Not so long ago I felt it would be very difficult to get some kind of central involvement to stop clubs - and not just United - being used the way they are. But after what happened to the banking industry, now I think it is possible."
What do you think? Have your say.
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My old mans a dustman., Tick..............................Tock (12/02/2010 at 14:41)
For those United fans who don't know where Newton Heath is it's on the other side of the River Medlock from Clayton. We used to have battles with them on the Tip where they used to dump the cinders from Bradford pit.
Middy Red, Manchester (12/02/2010 at 14:50)
The green and gold revolution is here!!!
danny, WILMSLOW (12/02/2010 at 15:03)
I just hope if we do get taken over there is a big cleearing out of the old greedy wood.
Suspicious C, Manchester (12/02/2010 at 15:05)
Green and Gold MOFO!, manchester (12/02/2010 at 15:12)
Hope the support remains the same as well cos OT has been buzzing last few games and its not as though we've been playing anyone big, Burnley ,Hull, Citeh and portsmouth No big games there
HEE HEE
LUHG
United:The team supported by the majority of mancunians (12/02/2010 at 15:13)
Mrs Fullaway's lodger, LUHG (12/02/2010 at 15:14)
12/02/2010 at 14:41
At least your old man worked for a living then . . .play to the clock
Nicholas GN (12/02/2010 at 15:23)
whitebird, Republik Mancunia (12/02/2010 at 15:41)
Chris-20legend, Dublin, Ireland (12/02/2010 at 15:44)
Middy Red,
thats cause all the bitters do is look at the united section of this website because THERE IN OUR SHADOW! 34 Years in two weeks? tick tock tick tock
hector grengros, luhg (12/02/2010 at 15:53)
anyone else heard this???
United 18, Huddersfield Town 3, City 2 (League Titles), Wilmslow (12/02/2010 at 15:59)
12/02/2010 at 14:41
You got your Wembley tickets for the final on 28th Feb ? Oh thats right you got KNOCKED OUT by the mighty red's !! hahahaa
Just booked my return train ticket for the final £64 and £55 for my match ticket, it aint cheap but making history is priceless.
Drago 34 (12/02/2010 at 16:02)
The first gimp to post on ANOTHER UNITED STORY i see! i've come to the conclusion that you ARE A UNITED FAN.Welcome sweet cheeks!
John Smithers (12/02/2010 at 16:14)
The beauty of it is every supporter of the club whatever their capacity to protest can get involved by just wearing the colours.
In 2005 the protests against fell apart when boycotts were called for and that action became divisive as it turned red against red. The ones that choose to boycott against the ones that didn't and various mixtures of supporters taking different degrees of action. All of the groups and factions had a equally strong love for the club but disagreed on the way to deal with the problem of the Glazer takeover.
FC United was formed into a magnificent club and run in the way any supporter would want their club to be run. One member one vote. However it also showed that the vast majority of United supporters wanted to continue at Old Trafford, they did not want to boycott and to leave Manchester United for FC United. If they did they would have left the Glazer owned United and gone to FC United, but the truth is they decided not too. It takes nothing away from the total sacrifice that supporters who left to form and support FC United made. But everyone had a right to choose what they wished to do and they made their choices.
It's good to see that MUST and IMUSA have learned the lessons from the past and have so far led an impecable inclusive campaign. They have learned that you can't tell any supporter what to do, each supporter on an individual basis has to understand what is happening in regards to all the issues and make the right decisions themselves. If opinions are forced on them they will react against them.
It's good that all of the media can see the power of what is happening and the Glazers immediate worry and fear is if the Green & Gold continues to spread across the whole supporter base around the world. The signs are that it is and Green and Gold campaign is creating a revolution of hearts and minds. It's educating supporters to see the injustice in the way they are being treated and it's making them more likely to take the steps and actions required to remove the Glazers from Old Trafford.
Supporters of Manchester United just have to continue to let the Green and Gold work it's magic. If they push too hard for boycotts and make demands that other supporters are not able to go along with (at this time), then they risk losing everything they have gained in this welcome change of landscape at Old Trafford.
Keith Harris made the point that supporters might have to withdraw their financial support to remove the Glazers. But in reality, however you dress it up, if Manchester United supporters are forced to do then it's not going to happen. Before any supporter would consider any type of boycott, Keith Harris has to realise the bid first has to be on the table and the money lodged. You really can't say to a supporter who in the past has already rejected the notion of boycotting that if you boycott your season ticket a bid from Keith will follow. If he get's the money together and makes the bid great. If he doesn't first raise the money, then no one is going to buy into it.
A large number of reds do not want to damage the club. To ask people to boycott without a bid on the table would bring the same result as 2005. I'm glad Drasdo and MUST in particular have a grasp of this situation. The best features of Green and Gold is that nearly every supporter can be comfortable with it. You can support the team loud and passionately and also be totally against what the Glazers have done and are doing to the club. Although it seems very peaceful it does have huge teeth and the Glazers have already felt these teeth snapping away at their asses, big style. They are totally rattled and it shows in their reactions esp within the stadium.
The guy who came up with the Green and Gold might just have saved Manchester United and football, just in the nick of time.
tooth&claw, manchester (12/02/2010 at 16:19)
Firstly there's a lurching narrative. Then the article says ""The consensus is the atmosphere, certainly at Old Trafford for what we would regard as middlin' games, has been better than anyone can remember," said Duncan Drasdo, chairman of the Manchester United Supporters Trust." I seem to recall that Drasdo doesn't attend OT these days but as someone who does attend I wouldn't agree that the atmosphere is good. The anti-Glazer chants dominate and when they stop nobody knows what to chant, so there's silence. Even the players were trying to raise the crowd at the weekend. Evra, Evans and Fletcher were signalling to the crowd to get behind them.
The Portsmouth's winding up order is mentioned as if it was relevent and then dropped.
The author talks of a group called the Red Knights as if such a group exists. Drasdo thinks they will materialise in two weeks, although he is on record in the Telegraph as saying he doesn't know if anyone will come forward and he doesn't know who, if anyone, is involved.
Drasdo says that the only thing MUT can do is grow their supporter base. That's hardly in line with their other pronouncements that say that they are going to boot the Glazers out. It also suggests that MUT's motives may be more selfish and commercial, particularly as a new recruitment push for Drasdo's Reds in Business is under way and Drasdo's obsession with click through marketing on social network sites.
Then we are on to the estimate is 50,000 fans going to Everton in green and yellow, plus all of those who don't wear green and yellow. Add in the Everton fans and I can't see why Everton need to move to a bigger stadium. Their current one must be huge!
The author then tries to undermine the yellow and green campaign by saying Gill's the expert and MUT aren't.
Then Drasdo gets all conspiracy theorist about a secretive group of 14 running the Premier League. He doesn't say whether it's fourteen people, teams, refs, or what. He might even be referring to the G14 European group that was disbanded 2 years ago.
Then finally Drasdo opens up his campaign to all clubs after all these years (he has, it should be said, started recruiting for his commercially oriented Football Fans in Business venture, by way of coincidence).
The more I read this, the more it sounds like it was a great lunch in the pub. The article may well be proof read and edited later in the day!
Free Red, Manchester (12/02/2010 at 16:23)
I'm just like Stewie Griffin, Fictional Quahog, Rhode Island (12/02/2010 at 16:35)
12/02/2010 at 14:41
I think I'll stay in character on this one.....what the bloody hell!!!!
Johnniejohn, Tunbridge Wells (12/02/2010 at 16:37)
Whaley Bridge Cynic (12/02/2010 at 16:42)
Whaley Bridge Cynic (12/02/2010 at 16:43)
And the point is?
Drago 34 (12/02/2010 at 16:44)
LEASE ON COUNCIL HOUSE IS 250 YEAR'S, MANCHESTER (12/02/2010 at 16:49)
Tony Nuttall, Barnsley (12/02/2010 at 17:12)
You're right that many FC United fans have made that stand already. But don't think that FC fans are not United fans. Many still go to OT and all still want United to do well. FC are part of the same movement to bring football back to the fans as all those wearing greed and gold. In fact, I was at Nantwich last Saturday to watch FC and green and gold scarves were much in evidence. United fans need to get behind FC to show what can be done.
This Saturday United don't have a game and FC are at home (Gigg Lane, Bury, 3pm) to Worksop. United fans should get there to give their support to a Manchester United fan-owned football club!
TWO UNITEDS BUT THE SOUL IS ONE!
Big Jenny Tailor, In Red & White (12/02/2010 at 17:16)
The Kitten Juggler, Fleet, Hants (12/02/2010 at 17:18)
And why is that beyond a club like ours with so many fans willing to pitch in?
I don't understand why there's no 'fund' being set up to allow the 'ordinary fan' to get started on a prospective stake while me and my other Red Knight mates get our act (and money) together...?