Protests against the Glazer family have continued despite Sir Jim Ratcliffe becoming co-owner and Ineos taking control of football operations.
Manchester United fans will never forgive the Glazer family for over 20 years (and counting) of gross mismanagement.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe may have a hold on the club now, with Ineos chief making key decisions, but it was the Glazers’ debt-ridden takeover in 2005 that put Manchester United in such a messy financial situation.
There is a realisation that Ineos have tough decisions to make to address the many problems that exist at Old Trafford. They’ve even announced plans to build a brand new 100,000-capacity stadium.
The new stadium will cost lots of money, and Ratcliffe has been busy inflicting several cost-cutting measures across the board at the club. Some have been controversial, including the call to make a further 200 staff redundant this year.
Fans are bound to question whether Ratcliffe is making cuts in the right places during these uncertain times for the football club.
Manchester United fans arrange anti-Glazer protest with a twist
Manchester United fan group The 1958 have announced another protest against United owners the Glazer family.
This time, stepping away from Old Trafford, the protest will take place at Broadhurst Park following a meeting with FC United of Manchester.
Protests have been held around fixtures at Old Trafford in recent years, most recently a march to the stadium before United’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal earlier this month.
The latest protest plans come to light following the announcement of further price rises to season tickets.
This means The 1958 has agreed to arrange another anti-Glazer protest around FC United of Manchester’s fixture with Stockton Town.
Members of the fan group will hold a Q&A session at the ground before the game and it has been dubbed FCUM The United United Day as two sets of fans come together with one aim.
This attempt to unify United’s fractured fanbase is the first of its kind.
Man Utd fan poll shows anger at season ticket prices
Manchester United Supporters’ Trust ran a poll following news of United’s ticket price hikes. This allowed season ticket holders to give feedback that would reach the club.
The results are in and it shows anger towards the club’s recent changes as 3,300 fans responded in 48 hours.
Nearly a half of those fans say they will attend fewer games as a result.
The biggest concerns were the 5% rise, reduced senior discounts and minimum season ticket usage.
Poll results
- 53% say the changes are worse than they expected, against 20% who consider them not as bad
- Only 7% consider the changes to be positive news, against 79% who think it is bad news
- 62% of fans say the changes make them more pessimistic about the future of the Club, with only 10% saying it makes them optimistic
- 45% say the changes will make them attend fewer games
- The top three causes of concern are the reduction of the senior discount, the general 5% increase and the increase in minimum season ticket usage
- A shocking 13% of season ticket holders say they are “not at all likely” to renew their season tickets, which would result more nearly 6,000 fans walking away from their season tickets if they follow through with it
MUST has called for United to take multiple steps, including reversal or phased implementation of senior discount change to ease the impact on the club’s most loyal supporters.
- “If they will not reverse this decision then at least phase in the reduction of the senior discount. Rather than going from 50% to 25% in one leap, which results in a near-60% in season ticket prices for 7,000 senior supporters, the change should be phased in over three seasons, going to 40% in year one, 30% in year two, and reaching 25% in year three.”
- “Under the Match Categorisation model for members tickets, the Club should commit to limiting the number of Category A matches to no more than three each season, and commit that the majority of matches will be priced in Category C, which would mean they remain at the ‘base price’. The Fans Forum should be consulted on categorisation decisions.”
- “Provide further data and evidence to explain why they feel a further increase in minimum season ticket usage is justified and provide a guarantee that the ticket resale facility will remain switched on and listing a ticket for resale will be counted towards usage, whether it sells or not.”
United fans won’t be silenced and that is a fact.
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for MUST said:
“The huge response from fans we have received in just 48 hours shows how strongly fans feel on these issues.
“A near-60% increase in season ticket prices for 7,000 of our most loyal older fans is just not on. It’s not fair and it’s too much to do in one go. We recognise that the present discount level is large so we have made a pragmatic proposal to the Club to phase the change in over three seasons if they will not consider reversing it.
“The match categorisation model is also very worrying. The highest category should be reserved for only a small number of the very biggest matches, and the majority of games should be priced on the same basis as they are now. In particular there should be due consideration for those members who attend multiple matches per season and are disproportionately impacted.
“We hope that the Club will look at these reasonable and practical set of proposals in the constructive spirit in which they are intended. The fact that, based on this data, as many as 6,000 season ticket holders could be walking away should be a wake up call for everyone. We look forward to discussing all of this with them in the coming days.
“What the reaction to these recent changes should tell the club is just how important it is to conduct proper fan consultation when it comes to proposed policy changes. And nowhere is proper consultation more necessary than for those fans being confronted by compulsory relocations. We urge the club to ensure groups are kept together and offered the best choice of seats and every effort is made to compensate for their upheaval.
“These are tough times at Manchester United, both on and off the field. We will only pull out of this slump if the whole Club comes together. That means listening to the voice of the fans.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/gTxsH20