MANCHESTER United blew a potential '10m European windfall again last night.
The 1-0 San Siro defeat and a second successive last 16 KO will hit the Old Trafford bank account and could impact on manager Sir Alex Ferguson's summer spending.
United have banked around '4m in UEFA prize money following their group stage successes, but crashing out in the first knockout phase has immediately denied them a definite '1.5m bonanza for taking part in the quarter-finals and a further '1.5m from gate receipts from an Old Trafford tie.
A '2m-plus pay cheque for making the semis has also gone, along with a near '3m if they'd reached the Istanbul final in May, and the possible extra '2m for winning the Champions League.
Another home full house '1.5m for the last four has been wiped from the potential income and the revenue from TV in UEFA's Market Pool has been thrown away.
Last season's winners Porto, who knocked the Reds out in the last 16 a year ago, picked up prize money worth around '8m in the latter stages after their success over Ferguson's side.
Blow
Because of England's TV audience pulling power, United still banked a bigger cheque at the end of the competition than Porto, but a second successive financial blow in the Champions League will be worrying the Reds hierarchy, who are on the brink of facing a takeover bid from American tycoon Malcolm Glazer.
The club do not budget on European Cup final success but chief executive David Gill has warned that if early knockouts happened year after year, then the Reds would have to reassess their plans.
Having sanctioned the purchase of Wayne Rooney last August, when Fergie was said to have blown his 2005 kitty on the England striker, clearly any plans the boss has to re-establish the Reds among Europe's elite in the summer transfer market are going to be hit.
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It may be time to look at Glazers bid we need a change of board and manager.
Financially United are in a very good position. I fully expect to see United spending in the summer
i feel no pain or sadness when MU was uncerimoniously booted out by a vintage Milan side. I guess because while i am a MU fan, i am more so a football fan and no one can deny that Milan was a clearly more than a yard better than a MU side that knows its do or die for them. Milan truly deserves to go thru. they have won the match and the fans of both sides(incl SAF).
For far sighted fans, the comprehensive defeats is a blessing in disguise. It is not just a lesson learnt(worth 10m acc to this report) but also a good reflection of the numerous flaws MU possessed. Never mind the 10m..take it as an investment cos if MU fails to absorbs the teachings of the Milan ties, the cost of this defeat will spill over the subsequent yrs and surely be much greater. If MU wants to conquer Europe, Milan is a perfect model to replicate. A departmental comparison betw the 2 sides clearly show the gulf in class and quality. In defence, while Milan has the world class Nesta, Jaap Stam, the 2 hearted Cafu and vintage Maldini, MU has brave hearted tackling but possession wasteful Heinz, Mikeal the dud and Brown the clumsy and unsteady. Only Rio passed. And if you tot its starting to look bad for MU. Look again. In midfield, MU has a walking Keane, Giggs who dribbles wo thinking and Ronaldo who cant decipher when to drible and when to pass. In contrast, Milan has a skilful yet solid Seedorf, skilful Rui costa, destroyer (tats wat i call a real destroyer) Gattuso and virtuso Pirlo. Only Scholes passed and barely.
The gaps in defence and midfield practically rendered the comparison in the striking dept academic and yet a late assembly of Kaka and Crespo still outdid the boy wonder Rooney and so called " messiah" RvN. Lets not even go into the goalkeeping..pls
MU has the quality to go thru the EPL(barely tat is) but def is way off in CL. Knowing tat Milan has outdone MU in the scoreline and play, oh how i wished Gattuso had gorged out MU's heart when he showed Ronaldo and co the art of dribling, linking up with the sublime Kaka and nearly scoring the 2nd goal of the tie. Maybe only tat way, SAF will be convinced that a mini cleanout is the way forward.
Cheers MU fans, the silver lining, albiet bittersweet, has arrived.
Sal see you come round in the end,however I admit I cant take defeat, I hate it it eats me up,especially when your side goes down without a fight.
Andrew LT's posting is the best I have red on this site for a long time. It's spot on. Only Scholes and Rio have the touch and technique to compete with the best at the continent.
Still laughing to be honest. Fergie spends 50M in last 15 months and you still cant score. 1 win in last 6 years in the knock out stages says it all really
SAL, yes we need management changes (and player changes) but not Glazer....no mate. I'm surprised by your comment on that.
This could be Uniteds saddest 7 days who in their right mind would put money on United winning at Southampton the share price as dropped by 15 pence today it may be a lot less next Monday!
Wanna raise money? Sell Scholes, Saha, Bellion, Phil Neville, Carroll. Silvestre. Buy keeper, Keane's replacement & defence partner for Rio.
No guts no passion , a 38 and a 36 year old took our brill kids and wonder man in there pocket, i refer to Maldini and Cafu against Giggs, Rooney and the biggest waste of space and money yet to grace O/T Ronaldo!!! And all this PLC want is our money there want to extend more of o/t to get not more fans in but more money SORRY TO YOU ALL OUT THERE BUT THE SOONER GLAZER IS IN THE BETTER!!!!
Shocking, just shocking! No amount of dissapointment and hurt could provoke me to look at Glazer with anything other then the utmost contempt. The plc is far from a perfect situation, everyone would rather see the clubs profits reinvested as opposed to paid out to share holders. But at least the fans have a voice this way, at least the current board are accountable.
Lifelong, more like long line of made up names Glazer manchester, the truth, muppets galore.....blah blah! Yawn.