Devil’s Diary: Manchester United fans are calling for a boycott of the next home game against Liverpool. We’ll be cheering away, they say

The Glazersout hashtag is back and we might see a lot of empty seats at Old Trafford during the next league game against Liverpool, when the crowd outside the stadium will be chanting the aforementioned – Glazersout. What’s going on in the red part of Manchester and why now?

Many are talking about the fact that the soul has gone out of Manchester United. Many fans and experts in England alike then blame it on the Glazer family, who started taking a stake in the club back in 2003 and acquired the club in 2005, much to the dislike of the fans.

Since then the club has won several league titles and also won the Champions League. During Alex Ferguson’s era, at least on the pitch, things were going well and the protests were not so much, however, after the legendary Scot left, the results have disappeared and the pressure on the American family owning the club is increasing.

#Glazersout spring 2021

European football has a huge tradition, it is based on competition, wins and falls. In contrast, the sport in the US is often taken as a show for the spectators, entertainment. That’s why the NHL, NFL or NBA are closed competitions for elite teams, from which one cannot fall.

The American owners wanted to build the same model in Europe with the newly created Super League. But they ran into a rough patch, with fan protests being one of the main reasons for the competition’s demise.

Thus, the #Glazersout hasthag went viral on social media last May, calling on the Glazer family to step down. And ahead of Sunday’s round robin against Liverpool, Red Devils fans went even further. A few hours before the game, several fans stormed Old Trafford in an attempt to put pressure on the American owners.

#Glazersout summer 2022

A lot has changed at the club since last year, and the management has made three resolutions:: sporting success, the redevelopment of Old Trafford and improving relations with the fans.

Sportingly, however, it’s not quite there yet, but that won’t improve overnight. However, the fans don’t want to wait any longer and some better relations between them and the management are also in sight.

And it’s as if Manchester United’s match with Liverpool at Old Trafford is some kind of symbolism, which by the way it certainly is given the rivalry, even if it’s not the same now as in the past given the poor performances of United players on the pitch.

This time, fans are calling for a boycott of the next home game against the Reds, saying they will cheer outside the stadium. The reason is obvious – #Glazersout.

However, the Glazer family is not planning on leaving the club just yet and has made no comment on the whole situation. Just like they did a year ago, two years ago, etc.

Media pressure

Adding fuel to the fire then are both Michael Knighton, who managed Manchester United between 1989-92 and has said he is going to take the club back into his own hands, and former players of the club and English pundits. The situation has been summed up very well by Kaveh Solhekol.

The Glazer family is taking advantage of the big name Manchester United has achieved in the world, paying them virtually everything. The huge transfer sums for the players and their salaries are not paid by the American owners, but by the Manchester United brand. The problem, however, is that if the club continues like this, it will start to be overshadowed by other big clubs.

This retreat from glory has been going on for a few years now, and any next owner will be in a situation where Roman Abramovich was with Chelsea or Sheikh Mansour with Manchester City. Given the debts and other problems, he will have to invest huge sums if he wants to bring the club back to where it was in the Alex Ferguson era.

Fans are protesting, but the Glazer family are not too bothered. So Erik ten Hag has to build a team that starts winning again, otherwise the unrest will grow until Manchester United is left with a few bystanders who no longer care.

Source: Twitter, Sky Sports