A HOLLOW AND SHALLOW VICTORY FOR 17/19 RULE FOR SEASON TICKET HOLDERS
It was before my time but despite winning 8 on the bounce, falling attendances was the sword that Dave Sexton fell on.
Even after the malaise of post Ferguson never has a manager been so universally disliked nearly 50 years later by the people who watched his team.
The away end at Southampton before Big Ron got the chop was half empty apparently. Imagine that in today’s world of 12 thousand applications per game.
While many felt that Fergusons job was saved by Mark Robins in January 1990, I`m sure the bean counters at Old Trafford were just as worried about the low attendances for Wimbledon and Everton at home in May 1989, maybe the confusion around Michael Knighton and his nonsense relieved a little bit of pressure on Sir Alex until that dark December in 89.
For all of time the best form of protest is fighting with your feet and Manchester United know it. As far back to when James Gibson saved the club it was on the grounds that people returned to Old Trafford to show their support for the ailing club.
Season Ticket terms and conditions may have been a thing in 1981, even the 1930`s but they weren’t as Orwellian as 2024 and if truth be told our right to stay home has been taken away from us from the club and it is something we need to protect.
We unite to fight 17/19 to death, not accept the club and current fan representations compromise or be dazzled by their data.
During the boom of the nineties and noughties matchday revenue became an afterthought. The large TV and the sponsorship deals financed everything with the money from pies and programmes being a bonus.
The post covid world and financial fair play has put pounds signs back in clubs’ eyes clubs and despite the shit served up by Ole, Ragnick and Ten Hag since the return to grounds attendances are up and showing very little sign of going back down.
Gone are the days of schools and clubs getting free Europa league tickets or hundreds of tickets going online the night before the Derby like in 2019.
Every 1m-by-1m red seat has a value that needs to be maximised, three-pound carling, meat pie, megastore visit even a two hundred pound burger in Victoria Warehouse (yes we have plenty of dirt to dish on this), even more than the days of Edward Freeman, Martin Edwards and Jim Leighton condoms we are customers not supporters.
True to form the modern club look to maximise profits.
We want to see a full Old Trafford they cry. Don’t worry if you can’t make it sell us your ticket, forward it to a mate, or donate to our charity but forget more than twice and we will take your season ticket off you because your clearly not as loyal to the machine as you think you are”.
Manchester United
Now everyone can make their minds up about how the climb down from 17 to 15 happened in the summer but what will happen when the data is reviewed in February for renewals.
The fact is plenty who supposedly represent us kneeled and wheeled out the rhetoric. Sell back to the club, forward or donate. It was only until a certain group garnered over 17,000 survey results showing the true depth of anger and feeling that a climb down happened. This is fact no matter how some try to dress it up.
There was no way the situation could be left and those that represented us at that time could come away with nothing. No matter how shallow a victory and glossing up of the situation that was being made. It is not 2005 anymore, fans are switched on and can’t be deceived.
The club will say a minimal percentage of tickets were not forwarded and no tickets are likely to be revoked the system is working so the criteria will be increased to 16.
They won’t have data to show the increased anxiety levels caused by having your loyalty questioned, they won’t have the supporters club chairs electricity bill to show him charging 42 burner phones every home game, they won’t produce the data to show how much money they made on their twenty pound forwarding membership.
So, what can we do, urge your fan forum rep to continue to push for the removal of the condition and sanctions at every meeting, contact the club yourself and please don’t accept apathy from any form of fans group.
These people have been voted into positions to represent you, hold them accountable and insist on an explanation and if you don’t like what you’re told, send them back to ask again.
It is an increase from 14 to min 17, however it is possible to both transfer tickets to official mbrs, donate to @MU_Foundation or sell back to club. Transfer/donation ensure you don't lose ability to apply for away - sell back (incl home cup tix) means you will.
— JD Deitch (@MUSTChair) February 2, 2024
Some backtracking was done after conceding defeat before the depth of fan anger was promoted (see above thread).
The attitude from some insisting that they have spoke to the club, they have refused to budge and that is the end of it, is unacceptable.
If the outcome is insufficient stakeholders should be surveyed and asked how they would like to proceed.
Which is what this new group hope to achieve.
We need to be a collective, a great man once said football without fans is nothing sometimes it may be nice to remind the people who take our loyalty for granted of exactly that notion.
To be continued. This is not over.
The Editor
