“What I can assure all of you is that we will keep match-going fans firmly in the centre of our thoughts, whether with the Premier League, Fifa or Uefa, and across our decision-making processes overall,” Manchester United’s Ed Woodward said during the Coronavirus lockdown, “because the last eight months has reminded us all of just how crucial you are to the fabric of the game. This game without fans is nothing.”
Woodward expressed these sentiments at a United fans' forum in November. He was not at the forum on Friday since he was at another meeting.
Woodward may be United’s leading suit, but he doesn’t wear the trousers. He’s an employee and reports to his boss, Joel Glazer, the man who oversees everything from Washington or Florida. United have not consulted fans about the European Super League they’ve signed up to and there was no mention of it at Friday’s forum.
Joel Glazer? He’s wise to say little publicly since the anger felt over the 2005 takeover of Manchester United is still substantial, but Glazer’s name was on a press release which went out at 12.10am UK time on Monday.
“By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world-class competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the wider football pyramid,” said the man with the most power at Manchester United.
World-class facilities? The continual major developments of United’s world-class facilities which saw Old Trafford’s capacity jump from 44,000 in 1993 to 76,000 in 2006 stopped soon after the Glazers took charge in 2005 and for a time an increasingly shabby Old Trafford didn’t even get a paint job.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could hardly come out against it – and against his employers – when asked on live TV after his side had won another game against Burnley.
Solskjaer’s doing a good job, but it all paled against the news breaking around him. He answered diplomatically by the side of an empty pitch in an empty stadium.
For all the talk of football being nothing without fans, football has been running without fans for almost a year. Of course those watching on a screen around the world would prefer a backdrop of fans, of noise and colour, but it’s not the be all and end all to them – and those who own football’s biggest clubs (at least on paper) know it.
Players may talk about missing fans, but how many really mean it? As much as United with that banner or Liverpool with their self-aggrandising “this means more” marketing slogan. More what? Money, since they have signed up for what they hope will be broadcast to billions.
Broadcast revenues are where the real money is and, as Sir Alex Ferguson said, television is king. That means compromises for the fans who actually attend matches, since they’re shifted to suit schedules rather than supporters.
United 2 Granada 0: player ratings
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MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYER RATINGS: David De Gea 7. Three attempts on his goal from his compatriots, two of them in the last five minutes. Solid saving an 85th minute strike from Diaz and then made a better reflex save from Herrera for another clean sheet. AFP -
Aaron Wan Bissaka 8. Inadvertently set up Kenedy with a poor square ball just before half time, while good defending saw him deflect a ball. Fine tackling to set up a counter attack with Greenwood and then Van de Beek after 59. EPA -
Victor Lindelof 7. Comfortable all night against a team who kept him on his toes as he played without his usual partner Harry Maguire. Reuters -
Axel Tuanzebe 7. Rare start and played well with a composed performance. Fine block from a Luiz Suarez shot. Needed that. Getty Images -
Alex Telles 7. Combined well with Pogba on the left in the first half and crossed towards Mata for the second goal as United defeated Spanish opponents at home for only the second time in 11 games. AFP -
Nemanja Matic 7. Beautiful lofted pass to Fernandes after 33 which was volleyed over from close range. More touches – 100 – than any other player on the pitch. Fine playing in games like this. Reuters -
Fred 6. Played alongside Matic in a holding midfield two. Energy as ever as United controlled the game as they had in Spain, but gave the ball away too much in the first half. EPA -
Paul Pogba 7 Eventful first half for the captain where he was everywhere, tackling and pushing forward. Clever run and reverse header to set up Cavani for the opener, then a yellow card for holding off a player, and was fortunate to not to get another yellow. Banged his knee before half time too. Was rightly brought off at half time. EPA -
Bruno Fernandes 7. Volleyed a 33rd minute pass from Matic over and skewed a shot wide after being set up by Cavani five minutes later. The pair combined again in the 56th minute, two world class players who need to stay together and play together. By that time he had moved left as Van de Beek played centrally. AP -
Mason Greenwood 6. Wild shot after 43 which went well wide. Big chance to head his side 2-0 up after 50 minutes. He’s been playing well, but two so-so games against the Spaniards. EPA -
Edinson Cavani 8. In-form and chasing his first European goal for United and his 50th goal in European competition, the Uruguayan pushed a fourth minute ball to Greenwood but it was short. Two minutes later he volleyed Pogba’s header into the far corner to put his side ahead – his 413th goal for clubs and country. Incredible movement before shouldering a 56th minute Fernandes cross wide. EPA -
SUBS: Donny Van de Beek 7. Slight surprise that he didn’t start but replaced Pogba at half time and went into the role where Fernandes had played. Shot wide after 58. Neat link ups. Encouraging – he needed that. AFP -
Daniel James 6. On for Cavani after 60. More minutes for a player who wouldn’t be in United’s strongest XI. Reuters -
Juan Mata N/A. On for Fernandes after 73 for a late – and rare – appearance. Was in position to head the second, which went in off Vallejo. Getty Images -
Amad Diallo N/A. On for Greenwood after 81. Stopped from running on goal which looked like a card. He'll be going back to Italy as Roma are the opponents in the semi final. Reuters -
GRANADA PLAYER RATINGS: Rui Silva 6 - Not much to do other than pick the ball out of the net on two occasions. EPA -
Dimitri Foulquier 7 - The full-back was powerful when running with the ball and also defended well. One of Granada’s best players displaying good technique with crossing but it was a lacklustre attacking performance all-round from the visitors. EPA -
Jesus Vallejo 5 - A lack of concentration at times allowed United to get into dangerous situations. Didn’t seem to be in sync with Granada’s defensive line and that showed when heading the ball into his own net in the 90th minute. Reuters -
German Sanchez 6 - Looked to organise the defence well but Cavani was given far too much space in the box for the United opener. Cut out a ball that looked destined for James in the 70th minute, but the game looked to be over by then. Getty Images -
Carlos Neva 6 - Positive going forward when supporting down the left flank but sometimes left space which was exploited by United on a number of occasions throughout the game. AFP -
Angel Montoro 6 - Helped transition the ball into some good areas but Granada never look like overturning the deficit. United’s defensive performance made it difficult for the Spanish side to create enough meaningful opportunities. EPA -
Maxime Gonalons 6 - The French midfielder couldn’t get into the game before being forced off with an injury just after the half-hour mark. AP -
Kenedy 5 - A rabona cross and a wild shot that nearly went out for a throw-in were the only times Kenedy stood out. Taken off at half-time. Getty Images -
Yangel Herrera 6 - Had some of Granada’s best chances of the game with some intelligent movement but was unable to convert on all three headers. Should have levelled the scoring late-on but a good save from De Gea denied the playmaker. Getty Images -
Darwin Machis 5 - Showed good pace when challenging United defenders but the end product just wasn’t there. Almost non-existent in the second half as Wan-Bissaka kept the winger quiet. AP -
Roberto Soldado 5 - The former Tottenham striker couldn’t get on the ball in any dangerous areas and was substituted at the break. EPA -
SUBS: Jorge Molina (Gonalons, 32) 6 - The 38-year-old worked hard but should have done better with Foulquier’s cross that didn’t threaten De Gea’s goal. AFP -
Antonio Puertas (Kenedy, 45) 6 - Added flair to Granada’s midfield with a number of neat touches to create space but couldn’t penetrate a compact United backline. PA -
Luis Suarez (Soldado, 45) 5 - Offered more in the box than Soldado but couldn’t get the better of the two centre-backs. AFP -
Victor Diaz (Neva, 74) N/A - A good effort nearly troubled De Gea from outside the box but finding three goals in 16 minutes was always going to be a mammoth task. Could have been sent off for a foul on Diallo who looked to be one-on-one against Silva. PA -
Neuhen Perez (Sanchez, 82) N/A - Granada substituting a defender on for their captain and centre-back looked to be the waving of the white flag by the Spanish side. EPA
But all fans are attracted to football because it’s a competition. Teams rise and fall. They’re not protected from relegation as they would be in the proposed Super League. Leeds United, European Cup finalists in 1975 and semi-finalists in 2001, but really did play third tier football last decade. Leicester City went the other way and won the Premier League.
It’s not a closed shop like the NBA, NHL, or NFL. When Manchester United won the treble, Manchester City were in the third tier – and getting huge crowds which shows it’s not all about the glory if your football team is your team.
Teams in European football are still rooted in their communities. Shifting a club to another city as can happen in the United States would be as much an affront in Europe as the word “franchise” which is used in US sport.
United were relegated to the second division in 1974 and many of their fans loved that season. It helped the team rebuild and the fans reconnect and sport is full of such stories, making it more compelling and engaging.
Real Madrid have been champions of Europe 13 times, but did not win the European Cup between 1966 and 1998. Barcelona weren’t champions until 1992 and no club from London, Europe’s biggest city, has lifted the trophy until 2012.
No team from Paris has ever won it and it seems bizarre that no teams have joined up to join Europe’s Super League from France and Germany, the EU’s two biggest countries and economies.
So who is Real Madrid’s president and the first Chairman of the Super League Florentino Perez talking to when he says: “We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world. Football is the only global sport in the world with more than four billion fans and our responsibility as big clubs is to respond to their desires.”
Whose desires? There has been a massive backlash to the plans, just as there was when Uefa introduced a second Champions League group in 1999. It wasn’t too much of a good thing, it was simply too much, as this might prove to be.
