WHEN I first read that a group of disenchanted Manchester United fans were planning their own breakaway football club, I burst out laughing. As crackpot ideas go, I remember thinking that this was a beauty.
Now I'm not so sure. I'm starting to think of that old saying - from small acorns do mighty oak trees grow.
Because something tells me that, very soon, we are going to witness the birth of a brand new football club right here in Manchester. And the more I hear about their aims and ideals, the more I like the sound of it.
The name of the new club is truly awful. Whoever thought up Football Club United of Manchester wants locking up. Probably the same person who came up with The City of Manchester Stadium. How's that for originality?
From now on in this column, the breakaway club will be referred to as FC United. And this is one club that deserves to survive and flourish.
The group of fans behind FC United insist that the formation of the breakaway club is not a knee-jerk reaction to the Glazer takeover at Old Trafford.
Those fans say that the America buy-out was merely the catalyst which prompted their action.
Marginalised
With each passing year, they have felt more and more marginalised by the club they supported.
They felt their views and wishes counted for less and less as the Old Trafford empire grew bigger and bigger.
They felt United, in effect, was no longer their club.
FC United will be the fans' club. Owned by the fans on a one member, one vote basis. The football on offer will be played when football was meant to be played - at 3pm on Saturdays.
Fans can stand with friend or family to watch, just as they once did at Old Trafford in the days when supporters meant more than profits.
Lofty, laudable ideals, you are probably thinking. That they have got as much chance of getting the club up and running as I have of becoming Prime Minister.
Don't be too sure about that. As of Monday of this week, 2,600 United fans had pledged their support for the new club. By now that figure will almost certainly have risen to more than 3,000.
Those pledges have been backed up by hard cash. Some fans have donated '50. Others have donated half the cost of the season-ticket at Old Trafford that they don't intend to renew.
By my reckoning the new club could eventually have a working capital in excess of '50,000 - and that's a figure not to be sniffed at.
What do you get for '50,000? It will get FC United the full-time manager they want to see them through their first season if their application to join the North West Counties League is successful.
Whopping
It will enable the club, with a 3,000 fan base, to attract the part-time footballers of sufficient quality to achieve Conference status in a relatively short period.
Altrincham have already achieved that. Via the play-off system they clinched a place in the Conference League last May. And the average gate at Moss Lane last season? A whopping 650.
Where there's a will there's a way. And some 3,000 disenchanted United fans have proved beyond question that there is a will to make their breakaway club succeed.
I wish them luck, because any club that puts its fans first and foremost deserves success.
What effect will the formation of FC United have on Manchester United? None whatsoever. A juggernaut like that isn't going to grind to a halt because of a pin-prick in one of its tyres.
But perhaps the irritation of having two Uniteds in one city might just make some high-ranking official at Old Trafford pause for a while and wonder what his club have done to drive away 3,000 supporters.
Probably not. After all, there's plenty more where they came from.
But that's exactly why United have lost those fans in the first place.
Do you agree? Have your say.
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
IF someone starts up a new venture in business or whatever we wish them well,and then they should stop moaning about our club and get on with running their own.Goodbye!
fans breakaway club deserves dead!
Yeah, it'll be all good until the local muppets & hoodies from Salford, Hyde, Bramhall or where ever they base the home ground, turn up and start fluffing up their feathers and fighting with the honest longserving supports of 'established northern clubs' in The Counties League. ...And, when Glazier goes bust, sells up or whatever, all those 'Proper FC United Fans' will no-doubt drop the club like a stone and go on the glory hunt again with MUFC. FC United, United for how long? I'm just not sure.
Doubtless this article will precipitate the predictable torrent of abuse from the passionless sheep who are now in Glazers pen waiting for the shearing to begin. The same sheep that did not march, did not buy shares and who now make emotional postings on this website to bluster and carp in a failed attempt to cover up their embarassment at their failure to act. Well you do not pull your wool over our eyes! Arguments about when the club sold its soul are fine, but clearly this Glazer thing is one betrayal too far and you sheep should respect the commitment of those who are prepared to sacrifice O.T. and watching United in order to do something, being a whole lot better than sitting on your fleecy backside! As for loyalty, do you think that these highly motivated people are so fickle as to overnight stop supporting the O.T. United? Stop bleating and give them some credit, you Glazer P.R. pawns!
Stick with the club and please shut up! I've heard enough of you. We don't need those who betray us and those are the fans who is starting new patetic club. I truly hope you never ever establish youself because you are not worth it! For me and most of fans you are some kind of joke. Instead of backing Manchester United trough tough times you are running away like stupid cowards. Thank good that we get rid of you now you "so called" fans.
Woooooosh....right over Hinces head!!
The fans involved in FCUM are still Man Utd fans first and foremost.
The idea about FCUM was first raised when it looked like SKY might take Utd over. Now that Glazer has taken over, and the way he has taken over, it has been resurrected.
The fans pledging and going to FCUM simply refuse to pay Glazers debt off. Instead of drifting away completely FCUM will become a focal point for Utd fans. If this didn't happen then i'm afraid a large number of long standing reds will simply drift away from the Utd completely. A club run by Utd fans for Utd fans.
I Know of lads who will still go to Utd away games but will simply refuse to pay into OT.
Another point - if the application for FCUM is successful the games will kick off 3pm on Saturdays. How many Man Utd games kick off the same time these days?
As SU have said Utd fans have been supporting and investing in MUFC for generations and its about time we had a say. You only have to look at how Barcelona are run. Don't say it can't happen...never say never!
http://www.suforum.org/newforum/showthread.php?t=17990
My God, a journo that actually 'gets it'.
There is hope for the breed.
Here's to the future!
FC United will be a success - MU PLC WILL be worried about the '3,000' fans they may lose but what will worry them more is that this is only the thin end of the wedge. Many more United fans are disillusioned with what's going on with our club, but have still renewed their season tickets. Next season - it might be another 3,000 that join FC United, then another - and the whole thing could snowball. They are worried alright, and they have good reason to be.
Derrick, give us a rest from your rants, will you? Yawwwwn.
Derrick, I do respect the opinions of the FC Utd supporters, and I do understand their thinking. However, my problem is that many of those who ask for us to respect their decision to walk away from the old Manchester United, refuse to respect our decision to stick with them. If you want to go and form FC United, then fine. You support another club and that's your decision. I do not intend to make light of the decision by life long die hard United fans to walk away from the club they love and although I do not agree, I respect their choice. However, the constant attacks from certain of their supporters on this site is no different than the bitter attacks from Chelski or City fans. Live and let live. I fully respect the decisions of those who choose to follow the new club, but I simply ask that they return that respect.
Dem Bones Dem Bones Dem shown up Bones. Give it up you've had your fill of free drinks now. How's Andy err whoever, did he get the Equity card? It's done now move on.
Is this club for sale as well, please?
I cannot somehow imagine the streets of MalmC6 have their finger on the pulse of manchester. But that aside, Derrick is right, the glazites, United right or wrong merchants, will rubbish us, and risibly demand we stop contributing to a democratic forum. FC United, (and I agree about the name, I voted for another choice) is part of a wave that will grow. I am thinking of AFC Wimbledon, whose club was wrenched ahundred miles away, Brighton fans who have clung on when their old ground was sold off by a "shady" character and they were homeless for years. Even now forced to use a tiny rickety stadium in a publc park awaiting planning permission for a new stadium. By luck, design, chance, tragedy, success, you name it, Manchester United acquired a worldwide following that ultimately proved too tempting for a distant tycoon not to think he could make a killing out of. No one wants United to go bankrupt, but if we can choke off the cashflow by not buying into the 'brand' the banks who (read todays telegraph) really own the club, have to oust Glazer and look for an ownership structure that takes the fans into consideration. In no particular order of merit, I am also am a paying supporter of Lancs CCC, Salford RLFC and very occasionally belle vue aces. What therefore is so offensive to the glazerites for me to support FC United - it will be many years, if ever, that there would be a genuine competitive onfield rivallry.
I hope FC United Fails and Crumbles along with the fans that have turned their back on United
Their name should have been
Fake-Chester United
Fair comment, Phil, but it is very frustrating to be in a situation where the Glazer ownership clearly will damage our club, but where the support of people like Alias will make the club's inevitable final collapse under the debt mountain take all the longer, thus prolonging our self-imposed pricipals-driven exile. Nevertheless you and even Alias are fellow United fans and therefore deserve the respect that we expect.
Fair enough Derrick and all the best for FC United. But, as I pointed out before, what would you and the other FCU fans do IF Glazer makes it work? I do admit it is an unlikely prospect, but what if he does? All at FCU are prepared to pack up and return to the United fold if or when it is out of Glazer's hands, but what if it doesn't happen? IF Glazer makes United debt free again, and the club is being run well, and it passes into the ownership of his sons after his death, what would you do?
Derrick, your last point is a good one and sums up how difficult this whole thing has been for United fans all over the world. Do we assume the worst and spend the next few years trying to drive Glazer out by bankrupting the club that means so much to us? (while completely ignoring the on-field exploits of the team) Do we give up on MUFC entirely and do our best to support FC United? (which is not very easy unless you live in Manchester) Or do we cling to the tiniest slim hope that either Glazer's business plan will succeed or he'll flip the club and a billionaire sheikh will be our knight in shining armour? And do we have to see anyone who doesn't agree with our decision as the enemy? It's a hell of a tough choice and while you seem to have made your mind up very quickly I for one need a little while to get my head round all of this. Whatever happens, it's important that all United fans (FC or MUFC) maintain respect for each other. Something that was distinctly lacking from your first post on this story. I'm off to be sheared now. Baaaah.
Derick, this article predictably has genrated your typical insulting, patronising, abusive, offensive and arrogant comments towards intelligent United fans. We've had to put up with attacks from ABUs for years but having to take it from ex fans is too much. Go away, just go away! If you want to destroy United and abuse United fans do it somewhere else. You lot are the judas fans not the ones who are going to be here through thick and thin till we die. I'm still waitng for one rational and constructive comment from the "protest" fans and it hasn't arrived and it is obvious it won't. You're just a bunch of boring old Luddites, so go and burn a wheel and leave us to our sorrows.
Phil, I hope that I am man enough to admit it if I were proven wrong, no matter what it clearly looks like at the moment. To be honest I am sure that all SU supporters would wish to be wrong rather than see our club bankrupted. IF Glazer were a magician and respected our culture and the fans and somehow managed the debt without ruining the team then, if he managed the trick of selling out to an appropriate set of owners whilst allowing us to buy part of the club and with no debt again, then although this is not the Barcelona model of ownership we would be no worse off than we were a year ago so I think that the new club would become a pure hobby and we would all return to O.T. For myself, living these days where I do, I do not expect to get involved with the 'lifeboat' club, but when the details of the pheonix fund are circulated then I expect to top up the small sum from my shares with a larger investment and I am not alone in this.
Frank, You let yourself down badly by using the 'J' word, never mind comparing a fellow supporter with an ABU.
Z-man, Malmo, Sweden wrote : "Thank good that we get rid of you now you "so called" fans. "
Sorry mate, but I have supported MUFC for 28 years, will continue doing so (via T.V&Radio) but I am unwilling to pay off Glazer's debts by paying more and more each week to watch my beloved reds. I will be goin to watch FC United, so I can enjoy a game of footie on the values that Sir Matt taught us, don't dare call me a "so called fan". Once we get MUFC out of Glazers hands I will go to O.T again, I will also continue to watch FC United, as MUFC rarely kick off home games at 3pm on a Sat anymore anyway. WE WILL NEVER DIE, AND WE ARE NOT RUNNING AWAY. MUFC - THE RELIGION
Grow up Derick!
Well Derrick, look at the bright side! One day sooner or later, we will be in agreement about United again. The thing is, whether Glazer succeeds and you accept you were wrong to mistrust him, or Glazer fails and I accept I was wrong to trust him, Phil Neville will still be getting paid far too much.
Some things never change...
They already have a cockney reds branch.
Up the reds
The J word?!?!? Oh how naughty of me, I do hope that the prefect doen't give me some lines. Grow up, man. Northerners are famed for their straight talking and that's exactly what I do and if somebody insults me then I'll defend myself. But Derrick you're so boring that it hardly seems worth the effort. Your sheep comments just show what kind of a person you are. I have never let myself down cos I couldn't give a flying ... what someone like you thinks!