Alex Ferguson is probably wishing he'd kept his mouth shut. By criticising his supporters for making the atmosphere at Old Trafford like 'a funeral' against Birmingham, the Manchester United manager has opened up a can of worms.
And this particular can is one the Glazer family would have preferred left untouched. The irony over Fergie's comments are nothing short of hilarious and for an intelligent man, the United manager has scored a major own goal by effectively criticising his paymasters.
It's hardly a secret that in many ways, United stand for everything that is wrong in English football. But, they're by no means on their own.
Undoubtedly, the atmosphere at many grounds is poor and there are many reasons for this. Some avoidable, some due to the evolution of the game in this country.
Clearly, United are guilty of selling out. While their ticket prices are not as extortionate as some in the south, a bloke from Salford on an extremely modest income can no longer afford to go to Old Trafford every week.
Particularly when, outrageously, season ticket holders are now forced to pay for all their Cup games as well whether they like it or not. The Glazers, having taken out colossal loans to buy United, are looking to milk their cash cow as much as possible.
No surprise, then, but maybe the supporters of Ipswich should take note that when a man comes in with loads of cash but with no affinity to the club, such schemes are inevitable. Loyalty will be tested to the max and in the end, there will come a point when the fans will just walk away.
As Fergie pointed out, United – along with Chelsea and Arsenal – are now an attractive proposition to tourists who will pay anything to watch a Premiership game. When it comes to dishing out a bit of stick to the ref, they'll be looking at their digital cameras to make sure they got a decent pic of the kick-off.
The biggest problem, however, is the corporate bunch who come along with their clients each week with the football being the distraction rather than the highlight.
I have to confess, I was invited to a Champions League game at Chelsea last season with one of the sponsors. Nice food, nice seats, and the bloke to my left – who claimed he was a Chelsea fan – asked me if Gianfranco Zola was playing. I rest my case.
Just one sniff of trouble ahead, though, and the glory hunters will be heading down the road quicker than you can say a prawn sandwich and another bottle of rioja, please. If a club falls on difficult times, and even for a club like United they could be just one poor manager away from falling from the summit, then the sponsors could look to throw their money at someone else.
We are some way off this point yet in English football, but it could come, and even the big clubs have a duty to look after their lifelong customers – even if they don't have as much cash to flash. The same goes for clubs like Birmingham.
They've been moaning that they can't fill their ground each week – they couldn't even sell-out for the Villa match. Yet, many of the tickets for this local derby were priced at ?50. The other dynamic which has changed the atmosphere at football matches – particularly at clubs like Norwich – is that going to a game is a family occasion more than ever.
And at many grounds now – although there are a few exceptions – it's perfectly normal to see mum taking the daughter to the game, with both wearing the club shirt, while little Johnny is probably sat at home on his PSP. As a result, the atmosphere is going to suffer.
But surely we should celebrate the fact the game is safer and more accessible – even if there's not as much singing (and abuse) coming from the terraces. Go to grounds in Italy, Spain and even Germany – where the attendances are fantastic – and it is predominately male – and you don't see anywhere near as many kids or familes going along.
So, maybe we should accept the game is just changing and we have to live with it.
United fans are now arguing that they should have an area where they can stand and it's an opinion shared by many fans. Maybe Carrow Road would be a bit noisier – not that the atmosphere is that bad – if it was standing in the Barclay. People again point to clubs like Dortmund in Germany who allow it, but, like everywhere in the Bundesliga, those areas are in front of a whacking great fence.
So, would you want it?
Despite it's obvious problems, there are so many good things happening in English football but hardly surprisingly, the effort is being made by clubs outside the Premiership. Yet some clubs still don't seem to get it.
While Norwich is the perfect example of getting bums on seats and making sure supporters don't pay through the nose – for tickets or food – other teams are astonishingly slow.
I took my son to Palace on January 1 and it cost us 40 quid to get in, and the facilities – as anyone whose had the honour of going there – aren't too great. But clubs like Palace still wonder why a club like Norwich in the Championship gets 24,000 each week and they only get 16,000.
It's hardly rocket science.
Leave a Reply