Music & Drama teacher. Service coordinator. Head of Year 7 & 8. Student Council & Fundraising coordinator. Husband, Dad & Dog owner. BJJ enthusiast. Singer.
@Cantona_Collars A, I would have gone B+ but I met him once and he was such a nice guy and very humble about all he’d accomplished he gets boosted up to a A by me.
🗣️HEADING INTO ARSENAL PROTEST 9TH MARCH: WHY PROTESTS WORK
Owners (especially ours) will always say protests don’t bother them (what do you expect them to say 🤷♂️) We know for a fact the protests had an impact before Glazers announced the strategic review (corporate speak for putting the club up for sale). We know from a source close to them. We know from the Arnold discussion. One day (if we ever do a book 😂) we will explain fully.
It disrupts operations, harms their reputation and impacts the bottom line.
Protesting works and here are just 10 reasons why:
🔴(1) Fan Power and Revenue Dependency
• Matchday Revenue: Clubs often rely heavily on ticket sales, merchandise, and concessions. Boycotting games/stands or refusing to buy merchandise or anything from the concourse directly impacts the owner’s income. More on this soon.
• Global Image: Fans often enhance the club’s global image. Protests, especially on social media or in the media, can damage this perception, which may affect sponsorship deals and brand. We have experienced this first hand.
⚪️(2) Public Pressure and Media Attention (Damage to Reputation)
• Protests draw widespread media attention, creating bad publicity for the owners. Sponsors and other stakeholders may pressure owners to act to protect their investments.
• Fans are the heart of the club’s identity, and negative public perception can push owners to engage with supporters to resolve issues.
• It turns the lens of greed back onto the owners
• Damage to their fake manufactured image with sponsors and investors
• Worldwide media coverage, national media coverage across all media formats. We have seen this with the protests before the strategic review and marginal investment was announced.
⚫️(3) Loss of control and power
• Protests challenges the authority of owners, signalling that fans are a significant stakeholder group capable of influencing club decisions. We know this first-hand in. Owners dislike protests as it undermines their control.
🔴(4) Political and Regulatory Influence
• Large scale fan protests can lead to government or league intervention. Like we seen with the protests over the European Super League that led to political figures speaking out and Glazer retreating before they pacified fans again with false promises. Some falling hook, line and sinker for their rhetoric.
• The Glazer clause for buying clubs implemented. A slap in the face for all United fans who have been failed by politicians and ruling bodies
• The bill underway in Parliament for a football regulator
⚪️(5) Unity Among Fans
• A unified fanbase amplifies the message, making it impossible for owners to ignore collective discontent. Clubs often pride themselves on their connection with supporters (tenuous with our lot) so sustained protests challenge this image.
• It’s a cathartic bonding experience for all fans. Join a protest you will find out
⚫️(6) History Shows It Works
• Examples like the European Super League collapse United fans protests against the Glazers (which eventually led to partial concessions like the sale of shares) prove that coordinated efforts can force owners to reconsider their decisions. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
• Protests at Blackpool (against the Oystons) eventually led to the owners selling the club after fans boycotted games for years.
• Look at the examples outside football throughout the ages.
🔴(7) Impact on Club Performance
• Toxic atmospheres caused by fan unrest can negatively affect the club. Owners may act to protect the clubs competitiveness and their investment.
⚪️(8) Stakeholder and Investor Disruption
• Sponsors, players, investors and employees may become uncomfortable with prolonged unrest. This additional pressure can make owners reevaluate their stance or ownership.
⚫️(9) They can’t ignore fan sentiment forever
• Owners may be forced to make unpopular concessions such as putting the club up for sale, investment or spending more money such as knee jerk signings in an attempt to pacify fans (plenty of examples of this from our club). A collective voice will often leave owners with no choice but to act, even if it goes against their initial plans.
🔴(10) Emotional disconnect from fans
• Protests reinforce the divide between owners (often seen as outsiders), and fans, making it harder to build goodwill or any long-term relationship. This emotional disconnection can be difficult (in our case impossible) to repair
For protests to succeed, they must be sustained, well planned, well organised, and targeted at the areas that matter most to the owners, such as (but not limited to) finances, reputation, disruption, operational costs and external relationships.
Ultimately, protests disrupt the balance owners try to maintain between running a club as a business and preserving the identity as a cultural institution and community asset loved by fans. Not so much a balance at our club. Passion and persistence make protests a challenging issue for any owner to handle. Love will always beat greed.
We had to let the situation play out with the marginal investment into our club. It was the right thing to do. Let’s see how those cards fall.
However, we always said the clock is ticking, we are sure you have seen our banner. We will know fully the road we need to take on the 13th August.
Protesting and creative ways of doing them are one of the main tools we can use against the establishment. It is everyone’s democratic right to protest. They have an impact don’t let anyone tell you differently.
Foundations have been put in place for unity at a scale never seen before in our game.
There have been battles down the years but the great war to save football is about to begin.
See you all on the 9th March.
TOGETHER WE ARE EMPIRE
The 1958 🇾🇪
🚨 Let's empty Old Trafford and protest around the ground during game time. We as fans need to put our foot on the neck of these parasites. Enough of the talks, actions are now needed.
Together we would drive #GlazersOut of our club
#EmptyOldTrafford
If the stadium was empty for 10 games they would be gone.
So many united fans. If you want the glazersout are you willing to empty old trafford?
RT to share awareness and if you hate the glazers and ineos.
Empty old trafford
What hope the rape gang victims must have felt in January - front pages, parliamentary debates, a real sense that something MIGHT finally change.
Justice might finally come.
Now? Total despair. Labour got what they wanted. It faded away, AGAIN.
I am sorry. We are trying.
If you support single sex spaces for women that include bathrooms, changing rooms & sports please Rt & like. I firmly believe biological females have that right, to personal dignity & fair sport in the Uk but across the whole world. I’m prepared to stand up & be counted. Are you?