Source: Daily_Mail
Martin Samuel: Glazers may be bad for United but that is good for the game...
Bumped into Geoffrey Boycott, England legend and Manchester Unitedfan, in Johannesburg this week. 'So,' he said, with the smug smile ofone who is not used to hearing bad news about his club, 'who are webuying, then?'[LNB]It would appear Geoffrey had fallen a little out of the loop whileon tour, so he was brought up to speed on a few things. Ending on apositive note, I mentioned United were considering having a whip-roundamong famous fans and had heard he was good for a few quid. He didn'tseem too interested in that, and wandered off to resume butcheringEngland's batsmen.[LNB]And this is the contradiction at the heart of the Glazer saga.Empathy for Manchester United supporters, while quietly relishing whatis happening to their club for the change it might bring to Englishfootball.[LNB]Not because anyone has it in for United specifically but because thebalance of power in football must alter over time if the sport is notto become moribund. Evolution takes place when the alpha club mess up.Mistakes may occur on the field, or off, but the bottom line is, whensomebody gets it wrong, a rival, better managed, better prepared,becomes prominent.[LNB]Casting shadows: Joel, Avram and Bryan Glazer [LNB]If the Glazer ownership presents a genuine challenge to thesupremacy of Manchester United then what is a catastrophe at OldTrafford is, for the rest, a good thing. Here was a club set fair towin an unprecedented fourth consecutive League title in Englishfootball, and now it may not.[LNB]Yes, it would be preferable if any downfall was for football, ratherthan financial, reasons, but both elements need expert management toproduce success.[LNB]A popular theory is that Liverpool'sdomination of English football ended because the club failed toadequately replace an ageing team. Yet, just as significantly, itfailed to capitalise commercially on the boom in the English game whichlimited its spending power. Arsenal fell away in the last five yearsbecause of the limitations placed on Arsene Wenger, the manager, by thebuilding of a new stadium. Economics invariably play a role in thebalance of power, and if boardroom decisions precipitate a decline atManchester United, these will not be unique circumstances.[LNB]The Glazers' business plan is increasingly troubled, but threeconsecutive League titles and a Champions League win would suggest ithas not been without its benefits. The idea that there was some goldenera of club ownership - now expanded to include Manchester United plc -is something of a myth, too.[LNB] More from Martin Samuel... MARTIN SAMUEL: Champions keep their head when madness rages around them...19/01/10 Hand Pietersen a rise in status: Trott's spot is perfect to restore KP's powers17/01/10 MARTIN SAMUEL: Rain the only shield against warrior Smith and South Africa15/01/10 MARTIN SAMUEL: If Graham Onions is a legend, why gamble?14/01/10 MARTIN SAMUEL: Our best friends are now a better class of torturer 14/01/10 BROAD EXCLUSIVE: I don't care if I am liked, I only care about being a winner13/01/10 MARTIN SAMUEL: Calming words of 2010 World Cup chief could be fatal12/01/10 Martin Samuel on the financial 'crisis': It's bad owners who fail, stupid!12/01/10 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE It is simplistically imagined that, without the Glazers, ManchesterUnited would have those same titles, with the same income, a £91millionoperating profit and £80m from the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo, to belavished on the finest players in Europe.[LNB]Here is an alternative scenario. On December 7, 2005, ManchesterUnited lost 2-1 to Benfica to finish bottom of Champions League groupD. It is the only time they have failed to make it to the knock-outstage since the 32-team format was introduced. The Glazers had been incharge for six months.[LNB]Had United been a plc there would have been an immediate impact onthe share price followed by a statement at least, and possibly aprofits warning. Who knows what the ramifications would have been fromthere? With no shareholders to placate, the Glazers simply kept their mouths shut, flew home and in 18 months Manchester United were champions again.[LNB]Now extrapolate the fall-out from a financial hit to the plc in2005. Would it have left United open to offers on the odd player,perhaps an expendable unproven one like that Portuguese lad who manyhad marked down as a show pony? That would have plugged the ChampionsLeague shortfall straight away. Evenhad Ronaldo been around to ignite Manchester United's resurgence, theidea of three League titles and £80m from last summer is a littlefar-fetched.[LNB]A plc board does not turn down very good money for a player whowants to leave and there was £60m sitting on the table from Real Madridin 2008. So, no Ronaldo, no third straight title because take him awayand Liverpool are League champions and considerably stronger for it.Maybe they keep Xabi Alonso, too.[LNB] Pastures new: Cristiano Ronaldo scampered to Real Madrid, leaving United with £80m to spend[LNB][LNB]Nobody knows what would have happened to Manchester United plc, butto afford it every positive that has taken place under the Glazers, andnone of the negatives, is shallow.[LNB]Sir Alex Ferguson served both regimes and there must be a reason whyhe remains an advocate of private ownership. Predictably, thosefavouring strict financial regulation have seized on the crisis atManchester United to advocate reform. Yet, if anything, thisdemonstrates the contrary worth of football's free market as an agentof change. If clubs could only spend what they generated, ManchesterUnited's supremacy would be as good as cemented.[LNB]Indeed, there could be a renewed resolve to generate televisiondeals individually, rather than collectively, to maximise thisadvantage. That would spell the end of competition in the English game.The financial gain would be so great that a chimpanzee could takeUnited to the title every year.[LNB]If Manchester United, like Bayern Munich, Juventus, Real Madrid,Lyon, could never mess up, how could the game evolve? Ultimately,football regulates itself. Borussia Dortmund briefly dominated Germanfootball, were overstretched financially, and are now mediocre. Formuch the same reason, the biggest transfer that has taken place inEngland during this transfer window is the £3m paid by Birmingham City for Michel of Sporting Lisbon.[LNB]The young Serbian player, Adem Ljajic, on whom Manchester United hadfirst refusal, went to Fiorentina instead for £7.1m. His club, PartizanBelgrade, claimed United did not have the money.[LNB]That is football's balance of power shifting. That is change atwork. Manchester United will not fold, but they may not be as strongfor a while. People have to be allowed to make mistakes.[LNB]For, if they were not, Arsenal, the first Bank of England club, would now be celebratingalmost a century of dominance.[LNB] City slicker: Patrick Vieira arrives at Eastlands[LNB]Lord knows why it's OK for Vieira to playPatrick Vieira could play for Manchester City against Manchester United in the Carling Cup tomorrow. [LNB]He was actually signed after the scheduled date of the semi-final first leg, which was postponed, and if this were an FA Cup tie, he would be ineligible. [LNB]This is to stop clubs calling a game off in an underhand manner, to include a future signing. [LNB]A Football League spokesman clarifed the situation. 'We don't have rules like that,' he said. Another triumph for that lord of governance, chairman Brian Mawhinney.[LNB] And while we're at itTalking with Stuart Broad this week, he made it plain that if Testcricket returns to Pakistan in the near future, he will not tour. [LNB]His reticence is understandable. His father, Chris, an ICC referee,was in the convoy that came under murderous gunfire when Sri Lankavisited Pakistan last year, since when no international cricket hasbeen played in the country. Broad's objection is not to playingPakistan he will face them in Twenty20 internationals in Dubai nextmonth but on spending a long period on tour in the country. Hisfather had strong views on the absence of security around the SriLankan team in March and Broad fears this could make him a target.[LNB]Increasingly, this will happen. As sports people lose faith in theempty words of administrators guaranteeing security, as they begin tofeel exposed and vulnerable in unstable regions, so they will drawtheir own conclusions about whether to participate. The growing numberof marquee-name athletes who are finding reasons not to compete at theCommonwealth Games in Delhi is further indication of this. Broad may bethe first to break ranks if cricket returns to Pakistan, but oneimagines he will not be alone.[LNB] There are rumours that Tiger Woods is in a clinic receivingtreatment for sex addiction. This is what happens when a celebrity getscaught. An ordinary bloke has a few birds on the go, Tiger haspsychological issues. That emotional appearance on Oprah cannot be faraway.[LNB] Age concern: Moses[LNB]The speculation over the age of Crystal Palace striker Victor Moses,whose passport says 19, but who some believe could be anything up tofour years older, will be nothing new to those who follow youthfootball. [LNB]There is increasing speculation over the given age of a greatmany teenage footballers, based around the thriving trade in falsedocuments in some parts of the world. [LNB]Moses arrived in Britain intragic circumstances, as the orphaned victim of sectarian violence inKaduna, Nigeria. He has a British passport, his age based oninformation available at the time. [LNB]Not every case elicits suchsympathy, leading to the occasional wry observation on the touchline atan under 13 fixture, 'Have you seen the size of their striker? Is thatyour Ford Transit in the car park, son?'[LNB] NFL fans licensed to chill in any weatherChannel hopping one Saturday afternoon, I came across an amusing diversion called The NFL Top 10.[LNB] I'm no fan of American football, but this list was of the greatest bad weather games of all time. It was a blast. [LNB]There was the Freezer Bowl between the Cincinnati Bengals and theSan Diego Chargers in 1982, when the wind chill factor amounted to areading of -59F. [LNB]Side judge Dave Parry said he got so close to one of the pitch sideheaters he burned his hair, clothes and eyebrows and didn't evennotice. [LNB]The next season, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins played theSnow Plough Game, which was won when Patriots coach Ron Meyer ordered aJohn Deere Model 314 tractor on to the pitch to clear a path for hisplace kicker John Smith to make the only score of the game. The NFLlater outlawed the use of ploughs during a match.[LNB]Top spot went to the 1967 Championship Game, or the Ice Bowl as itis known, between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. Not takingwind chill into account temperatures dropped as low as -25F duringplay, the whistle froze to the referee's lips and members of the bandwere taken to hospital with hypothermia. There were other games playedin blizzards, some in torrents of rain. This would have been whiskeryground to NFL fans but, to a novice, it was great fun.[LNB]And I thought of it the other day when bad weather all but wiped outEngland's domestic fixture programme. Not because American sportsmenbraved worse conditions, but because spectators did.[LNB]There were 50,861 at the Ice Bowl, 46,302 braved the Freezer Bowl,while 500 volunteer fans received 10 dollars and a free ticket to helpclear the stands for the thousands who watched the Snow Plough game.[LNB]America, as we know, has some highly litigious citizens. A cup ofcoffee served at the wrong temperature can turn into a million-dollarlaw suit. So how is it that these legendary bad weather matches andone of the NFL top 10 dated from 2001 went ahead when in England afrosty pavement within a five-mile radius of the stadium provokes atelephone call to the Premier League?[LNB]Could it be that followers of American sport accept a degree ofpersonal responsibility when going to a game? And is it not also truethat, given the opportunity and less official interference, ours would,too?[LNB] [LNB]
