Man United fans tell Ed Woodward and the Glazers how it is - but is anyone actually listening?
Let’s speak in terms which Ed Woodward and Manchester United owners the Glazers understand.
Take it away Mr Rio Ferdinand :
“There are young kids in the schools around the country - they are not going to be wearing Man United shirts.
“They are not going to be wanting to come here and support United based on what we saw out there. It is not going to happen.”
If that doesn’t work, how about the empty seats inside Old Trafford for this wretched 2-0 defeat to Burnley?
Or the empty seats for last week’s FA Cup third round replay against Wolves.
How about the fact United couldn’t even sell out for a derby against Manchester City earlier this month?
If that doesn’t set alarm bells ringing all the way over in Florida, nothing will.
And just in case the message isn’t getting through – the Stretford End pressed home the point with anti-Glazer and Woodward chants as the Theatre of Dreams turned toxic.
Woodward missed Wednesday’s match because he was away on club business.
One can only hope that ‘business’ relates to the January transfer window and not another noodle partnership.
But this is the man who proudly asserted: “Playing performance doesn’t really have a meaningful impact on what we can do on the commercial side of the business.”
That was the executive vice chairman’s ill-judged statement during a call to investors back in 2018.
Ill-judged because that sentence served to confirm United supporters’ worst fears.
That success in football terms just wasn’t that important anymore.
That dividends would be paid regardless of titles – that brand endorsements would be secured with or without silverware.
Since then the message has changed.
The Old Trafford mantra these days is that off-field success is crucial to the club’s fortunes on the pitch.
Increasingly it feels like the opposite is true – just as Ferdinand warned when speaking on BT Sport after this new low.
Maybe shirt sales are not about to fall through the floor, but even the glamour and appeal of United - taken for granted for so long - is not immune to the type of decline that has been ushered in over the last six and half years.
The sight of fans voting with their feet is becoming a pattern.
You can blame it on midweek fixtures or football fatigue after the hectic Christmas schedule. But what about the product being served up by United these days?
Gary Neville says it is the club’s duty to have best in class in all departments.
Right now, they have anything but.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been left with no option but to send out a sub-standard team that has now lost three of four Premier League games in 2020 – their only win coming against bottom of the table Norwich.
They are all but out of the Carabao Cup after being so embarrassed by City that Sir Alex Ferguson and Woodward were left ‘crushed’ by half time of that 3-1 defeat.
And they suffered the humiliation of watching their most hated rivals Liverpool effectively celebrate winning the title after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Anfield.
January always had the potential of being a make-or-break month, yet United’s hierarchy have watched on as Solskjaer’s side have gone into free fall.
Negotiations over Bruno Fernandes have been allowed to drag on, despite Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay being ruled out with long-term injuries. Marcus Rashford’s double stress fracture to his back has seen United pay the price for their failure to replace Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez last summer.
United are adamant the money is there to buy this month, yet they have allowed themselves to be plunged into crisis without spending a penny.
So is the money really available – or is there another reason why are so reticent to do what seems so blindingly obvious?
It is inexcusable that signings weren’t lined up for January 1, given the well-publicised short-comings of Solskjaer’s squad.
It is unforgivable that they are still to bring anyone in with little over a week remaining in the window.
The fear is that it is already too late.
That even if deals for Fernandes and a striker are secured, United have already allowed their season to unravel beyond recovery.
This is a month when fourth-placed Chelsea have managed just one win in the league – and third-placed Leicester have been beaten twice.
This was a month when United could have eaten up ground on their Champions League rivals, yet turned up at Liverpool with their three best players all ruled out with injury - and no replacements brought in.
Defeat to Burnley means they are six points worse off than David Moyes at the same stage of his one season in charge at Old Trafford. And even he was given £37m to sign Juan Mata in that January window.
Solskjaer is desperate for a similar lifeline, while supporters are desperate for action.
They made that clear in no uncertain terms with chants of “We want our United back” and “Stand up if you hate the Glazers.”
Large sections of the crowd did just that - but is anyone actually listening?
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