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E-mail: barry@www.red11.org Updated
Daily
Compiled by 
Barry
J. Leeming Digest Prgram
by 
William
McArthur Canada
Theatre Of Dreams Banner's by
Sam Hayward Download the digest program here!
The
Devil's Advocate "REDitorial"
commentary by Alex Paylor "RED
sky at night UNITED delight!"
www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Fri Oct 08 08:33:04 GMT+00:00 1999
Mail: barry@www.red11.org
This Issue:
1. Spurs reject £15m United bid for Sol
2. Webmaster on MUTV last night! + Jimmy Nielsen facts
3. GIGGS ON HAMSTRING TORMENT
4. Kenyon is a natural as the new king of Old Trafford
5. Forward: from "English Sports Association for People with Learning Disability"
6. The butcher's boy sharpens his knife
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
MANCHESTER UNITED DAILY NEWS Friday 8th Oct 1999:
Barry Comment:
Yours truly, phoned up MUTV live last night.
See & hear the result at http://www.red11.org/sound
Luke Chadwick will play for England u21 v Denmark today Friday
highlights on Sky Sports UK.
REDS may be interested in the young Danish goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen?
ECL Group D ** Manchester United **
Olympique de Marseille * NK Croatia Zagreb * SK Sturm Graz
Manchester United FC Champions League Squad List
1 Mark John Bosnich 2 Gary Alexander Neville 3 Dennis Joseph Irwin
4 David May 6 Jakob Stam 7 David Robert J Beckham
8 Nicholas Butt 9 Andrew Alex. Cole 10 Edward Sheringham
11 Ryan Joseph Giggs 12 Philip Neville 14 Johan Jordi Cruyff
15 Lars Jesper Blomqvist 16 Roy Keane 17 Raimond RJH Van der Gouw
18 Paul Scholes 19 Dwight Yorke 20 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
21 Henning Berg 23 Michael Jamie Clegg 25 José Quinton Fortune
26 Massimo Taibi 31 Nicholas James Culkin 33 Mark Antony Wilson
34 Jonathan Greening
Real Audio - Last weeks Daily News Sound Archive:
Click on INDEX at http://www.red11.org/sound
************************
99/2000 fixtures/match reports are at
http://www.red11.org/mufc/992000.htm
Mark Bosnich's Personal Details
http://www.red11.org/mufc/bosnich.htm
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
MANCHESTER UNITED STATS v ALL teams on the Web
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats.htm
Previous News:
BSKYB Takeover news/pics at http://www.red11.org/mufc/bskyb.htm
Brian Kidd Press conference, pic, real audio
http://www.iol.ie/~redcafe/kidd.htm
Peter Schmeichel's last Season at United!
http://www.red11.org/mufc/news/schmeichel.htm
*** RESULTS AND ATTENDANCES ON 03/10/99 ***
Chelsea 5-0 Manchester United 34,909
Newcastle United 2-1 Middlesbrough 36,412
Tottenham Hotspur 2-3 Leicester City 35,591
Watford 1-2 Leeds United 19,677
West Ham United 2-1 Arsenal 26,009
*** RESULTS AND ATTENDANCES ON 04/10/99 ***
Southampton 3-3 Derby County 14,208
*** CONDENSED LEAGUE TABLE AS AT 04/10/99 ***
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
---------------------------------------------------------
1 Leeds United 10 7 1 2 19 12 7 22
2 Manchester United 10 6 3 1 23 15 8 21
3 Sunderland 10 6 2 2 18 8 10 20
4 Chelsea 8 6 1 1 15 3 12 19
5 Arsenal 10 6 1 3 13 9 4 19
6 Everton 10 5 2 3 16 10 6 17
7 Leicester City 10 5 2 3 17 13 4 17
8 Aston Villa 10 5 2 3 11 9 2 17
9 West Ham United 8 5 1 2 11 6 5 16
10 Tottenham Hotspur 9 4 2 3 16 14 2 14
11 Middlesbrough 10 4 0 6 11 15 -4 12
12 Liverpool 9 3 2 4 10 10 0 11
13 Southampton 9 3 2 4 16 19 -3 11
14 Coventry City 10 2 3 5 12 14 -2 9
15 Watford 10 3 0 7 6 11 -5 9
16 Derby County 10 2 3 5 10 18 -8 9
17 Wimbledon 10 1 5 4 14 23 -9 8
18 Bradford City 9 2 2 5 4 13 -9 8
19 Newcastle United 10 2 1 7 20 23 -3 7
20 Sheffield Wednesday 10 1 1 8 8 25 -17 4
---------------------------------------------------------------
NEXT MATCHES
---------------------------------------------------------------
11-OCT-1999 Sir Alex Ferguson's testimonial OT [Schmeichel + Cantona]
13-OCT-1999 [19:45] Manchester Utd. vs Aston Villa (Worthington (League) Cup, AWAY)
16-OCT-1999 [15:00] Manchester Utd. vs Watford (FA Premier League, HOME)
19-OCT-1999 [19:45] Manchester Utd. vs Marseille (UEFA Champions League, AWAY)
24-OCT-1999 [15:00] Manchester Utd. vs Spurs (FA Premier League, AWAY)
27-OCT-1999 [19:45] Manchester Utd. vs NK Croatia (UEFA Champions League, AWAY)
The line-up for the testimonial game is:
Eric Cantona Peter Schmeichel
Zinedine Zidane Gabriel Batistuta
Paul Gascoigne Juninho
George Weah Alessandro Costacurta
Christian Ziege Lillian Thuram
Roberto Mancini John Collins
*** TEAM RESULTS - MANCHESTER UNITED -
UNITED Stats v All teams:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats/
ALL FIXTURES at: http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix992000.htm
First Team Fixtures 1999/2000
All dates/times subject to change
Dates of possible cup ties also shown
Date Opposition Score Pos. Attend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
15/07/99 Melbourne Australia pre-season W 2-0 - 60,000
18/07/99 Sydney Australia pre-season W 1-0 - 78,000
21/07/99 Shanghai Shenhua pre-season W 2-0 - 80,000
24/07/99 Hong Kong South China pre-season W 2-0 - 40,000
1/08/99 Arsenal Wembley Charity Shield L 1-2 - 70,185
3/08/99 Omagh Town Omagh Bomb Fund W 9-0 - 7,000
4/08/99 Wigan Athletic friendly W 2-0 - 15,000
08/08/99 Everton Away PL D 1-1 10 39,141
11/08/99 Sheffield Wednesday Home PL W 4-0 3 54,941
14/08/99 Leeds United Home PL W 2-0 1 55,187
22/08/99 Arsenal Away PL W 2-1 1 38,147
25/08/99 Coventry City Away PL W 2-1 1 22,024
27/08/99 Monaco - Lazio ESC L 0-1 - 15,223
30/08/99 Newcastle United Home W 5-1 1 55,190
11/09/99 Liverpool Away W 3-2 1 44,929
14/09/99 Croatia Zagreb Home EC D 0-0 - 53,250
18/09/99 Wimbledon Home D 1-1 1 55,189
22/09/99 Sturm Graz Away EC W 3-0 - 16,480
25/09/99 Southampton Home D 3-3 1 55,249
29/09/99 Marseille Home EC W 2-1 - 54,276
3/10/99 Chelsea Away PL L 0-5 2 34,909
*11/10/99 Sir Alex Ferguson's testimonial OT [Schmeichel + Cantona]
13/10/99 Aston Villa Away WC 3 19.45
16/10/99 Watford Home PL 15.00
19/10/99 Marseille Away EC 19.45
24/10/99 Tottenham Hotspur Away PL 15.00 - moved from 23/10
27/10/99 Croatia Zagreb Away EC 19.45
30/10/99 Aston Villa home PL 15.00
2/11/99 Sturm Graz Home EC 19.45
6/11/99 Leicester City Home PL 15.00
20/11/99 Derby County Away PL 15.00
24/11/99 ? EC
27/11/99 Sheffield Wednesday Away PL 15.00
30/11/99 Tokyo Palmeiras WCC 20.00
1/12/99 ? WC 4
4/12/99 Everton Home PL 15.00
8/12/99 ? EC
11/12/99 FAC 3 Will not enter ...
15/12/99 ? WC 5
18/12/99 West Ham United Away PL 15.00
26/12/99 Bradford City Home PL 15.00
28/12/99 Sunderland Away PL 20.00 "live on sky"
3/01/2000 Middlesborough Home PL 20.00
***** 5-14 /01/2000 Brazil WTC ***** [3-4 games]
* 8/01/2000 FAC 4 Will not enter ...
12/01/2000 ? WC sf i
15/01/2000 Leeds United Away PL 15.00
22/01/2000 Arsenal Home PL 15.00
26/01/2000 ? WC sf ii
* 29/01/2000 FAC 5 Will not enter ...
5/02/2000 Coventry City Home PL 15.00
12/02/2000 Newcastle United Away PL 15.00
* 19/02/2000 FAC 6 Will not enter ...
26/02/2000 Wimbledon Away PL 15.00
27/02/2000 ? Wembley WC f
1/03/2000 ? EC
4/03/2000 Liverpool Home PL 15.00
8/03/2000 ? EC
11/03/2000 Derby County Home PL 15.00
15/03/2000 ? EC
18/03/2000 Leicester City Away PL 15.00
22/03/2000 ? EC
25/03/2000 Bradford City Away PL 15.00
1/04/2000 West Ham United Home PL 15.00
5/04/2000 ? EC qf i
8/04/2000 Middlesborough Away PL 15.00
* 9/04/2000 FAC sf Will not enter ...
15/04/2000 Sunderland Home PL 15.00
19/04/2000 ? EC qf ii
22/04/2000 Southampton Away PL 15.00
24/04/2000 Chelsea Home PL 15.00
29/04/2000 West Ham United Away PL 15.00
3/05/2000 ? EC sf i
6/05/2000 Tottenham Hotspur Home PL 15.00
10/05/2000 ? EC sf ii
14/05/2000 Aston Villa Away PL 15.00
* 20/05/2000 Wembley FAC f Will not enter ...
24/05/2000 ? EC f
http://www.red11.org/mufc/match.htm
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Spurs reject £15m United bid for Sol
By Adrian Curtis
Tottenham have rejected a £15 million cash bid from Manchester United for
Sol Campbell.
Soccernet can reveal that United made the world record offer for a defender
just prior to the Champions League transfer deadline and at a time when
Campbell was sidelined with his long term calf injury.
The bid came from a senior United director to the Spurs board but it was
instantly rejected.
Spurs chairman Alan Sugar is determined to hang on to his skipper and has
still not given up hope of persuading him to sign a new long'term contract.
He also knows Spurs fans would be furious if the player, regarded by them
as the symbol of the club, was sold.
Campbell, currently earning around £12,000 a week, has been offered £25,000
a week to sign a new deal, the club's biggest ever pay offer which matches
the contract signed by David Ginola last season.
Campbell's contract has 18 months left to run and a meeting between Spurs
manager George Graham, director of football David Pleat, and Campbell and
his agent, is planned within the next few weeks.
Graham is desperate to hang on to his England centre'half, who has been at
Spurs since his early teens, as he bids to lift the club into the
Premiership's elite.
United's bid is the first concrete offer from another club for Campbell's
services. He has also been linked with Juventus, Internazionale and Lazio
but none of them have followed up their interest with a firm bid.
Spurs deny that they made a bid for Ole Gunnar Solksjaer or that United
wanted Campbell as part of a cash'plus'player transfer.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is known to be a huge admirer of the Spurs
player and needs to stengthen his defence which has been hit by a host of
injuries.
Campbell played his first game since the opening day of the season in a 3'1
defeat for the reserves at Derby last night.
But despite coming through the match unscathed, Campbell could offer no
hope of a quick return to the first team. He said: 'It is still not 100 per
cent.
'This was my first game for nine weeks and although I came through, I still
need to get more match practice and to keep on improving my fitness.
'I have only played 25 minutes before this and I can't say when I will be
back at the moment.'
England midfielder Darren Anderton, who is also in dispute with the club
over a new contract, has been offered the same deal as Campbell but has yet
to sign and will be available at the end of the season on a free transfer.
There are increasing signs that he is prepared to quit the club. Anderton
is still fuming at being forced to undergo an Achilles tendon operation in
London instead of at the hands of his preferred surgeon in Germany.
Meanwhile, it emerged that Spurs refused to follow up their interest in
Sheffield Wednesday's Benito Carbone after the Italian demanded a net
salary of £1m'a'year.
Spurs made an enquiry about the Italian last week but the Italian whose
contract with the Yorkshire club runs out at the end of the season, wanted
the massive wage payout as an incentive to stay in England on a long term
basis
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Webmaster on MUTV last night! + Jimmy Nielsen facts
Webmaster Barry from The Theatre Of Dreams made his first ever appearance
on MUTV tonight. It was a phone in interview with Stuart Pearson
The interview is now running at http://www.red11.org/sound
412k Oct 7th 6.21 barry_mutv.rm
Webmaster Barry "live" on MUTV phone in with Stuart Pearson!
Direct url link:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/sound/99/barry_mutv.rm [to download]
or [Streaming sound]
http://www.red11.org/mufc/sound/99/barry_mutv.ram
Pic at: http://www.red11.org/mufc/images/mutv/barry_mutv.jpg
Highlights of Denmark v England u21 on Sky Sports2 UK tonight
Luke Chadwick v Jimmy Nielsen in goal!
Here is some info and a couple of pics
More at http://www.red11.org/mufc/jimmy.htm
AALBORG FC Website is http://www.super-aab.dk/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
On the net:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/jimmy.htm
http://www.red11.org/mufc/images/99/jimmy/
51809 Oct 8 00:41 jimmi.jpg
58024 Oct 8 00:42 jimmi2.jpg
12121 Oct 8 00:41 jimmy.jpg
43925 Oct 8 00:59 jimmy3.jpg
31418 Oct 8 00:59 jimmy_nielsen_cup_final.jpg
6664 Oct 8 00:43 jimmy_nielsen_port.jpg
Here is all the details I have: Jimmy Nielsen
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Position : Goalkeeper
Country : Danish
Born : 06.08.77
Height : 1,91 m
Weight : 88 kg
Matches for Aalborg : 94
Kontrakt in aalborg runs to : 31.07.2003
Earlier Clubs : B52 [Denmark] & Millwall FC.
Short details:
Jimmy Nielsen broke into the Aalborg first team in early 1997, he has kept
his place since.
Many see Jimmy Nielsen as a future replacement for Peter Schmeichel for the
Denmark.
Haircut and size are seemingly alike! Attched pic: jimmy_nielsen_port.jpg
Jimmy has always been fast on the goal-line, he has now worked hard on
improving his play around the penalty area, he is therefore now the
complete goalkeeper.
Jimmy, only 21, has already been earmarked the best goalkeeper in the
Super- league in Denmark [Superligaen].
He is already goalkeeper for Danish U21's and in autumn 1998 was voted
"Year's goalkeeper in Superligaen.
Theatre Of Dreams
http://www.red11.org
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: GIGGS ON HAMSTRING TORMENT
Ryan Giggs has taken the realistic view that the remainder of his career
will be hampered by hamstring problems from time to time.
He said: "I'm the sort of player that it happens to. My build, the way I
play, I will always be prone to getting a hamstring injury of some sort.
Hamstring troubles are always going to be a possibility for me, it will
probably always be like that.
"It's just up to me now to be careful. The United physios work on it
constantly, and I have done a lot of work on it over the last couple of
years. I do stretches before and after games, I have massages. I don't want
to be missing football because I'm out injured, I just have to take a lot
of care with what I do. I want to be playing every week.
"I'm the kind of player who is prone to this sort of injury. And also it
hasn't helped that since the last injury we have played so many games, but
then that's part of the job at this level. We had a hard game against
Liverpool when we were down to 10 men, then we had a European match when we
were chasing the game for a long time, and then on the Saturday against
Wimbledon it was just tiredness really.
"I knew straight away, I've had this before so there was no point in
carrying on and making it worse. A few United players have had injuries
this season, and maybe it could be something to do with the hangover from
last season and the amount of games we have all played.
"People like Gary Neville have been injured for much of the season. He just
hasn't had a break for the last five or six years and you need four or five
weeks off in the summer, not just physically but mentally and Gary hasn't
had that because people play tournaments in the summer at international
level," he added.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Kenyon is a natural as the new king of Old Trafford
Brian Alexander
Friday October 8, 1999
Manchester United is one of the world's best known brands and the man who
has been beavering away in the background establishing the club as the
Coca-Cola of football is close to receiving his reward.
Brand awareness, marketing strategies and product licensing are the phrases
of men in sharp suits who spend hours in planning meetings, a far cry from
the men on the training field who discuss exploiting the channels and the
benefits of a flat back four.
But Peter Kenyon will, before the next financial year on April 5, become
the new king of Old Trafford and the club's businesses in far-flung
commercial territories such as Hong Kong, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur and Dubai.
There will be plenty of huffing and puffing at United over the next six
months about Martin Edwards' move to become chairman of the club's plc and
the appointment of the 45-year-old Kenyon as his successor as chief
executive of the football club.
Objectors can do their big bad wolf stuff for as long as they like, they
won't be able to stop the inevitable.
When Edwards hired Kenyon as his deputy chief executive in March 1997 both
men were remarkably open about their plans for the future and, once Sir
Roland Smith retires as chairman of the plc next spring, Edwards will
assume the role he has coveted for some time.
Edwards admitted back then, "Everybody looks to the future and one day I'd
like to move upstairs to the chairmanship," adding that much depended "on
whether we have the right person to succeed me".
Edwards, who has slowly but surely reduced his family's stake at Old
Trafford from 50.5% when he succeeded his father in 1980 to only 6.5% now,
has found his natural successor. But he has also found that he will never
be the fans' favourite.
It is easy to forget that the HQ of his empire is on the edge of a massive
industrial estate and near the rejuvenated Salford Quays. This is
traditional football country and those who create the market for brand
awareness - the fans - are really only interested in beating Arsenal and
Liverpool rather than reading about Edwards' growing personal wealth as a
result of selling chunks of shares to anonymous City institutions.
This is where Kenyon must play a good game. With Edwards holding the purse
strings on the plc board, will Kenyon be sufficiently independent to
convince supporters that he has their interests at heart rather than the
shareholders'?
There is no doubting Kenyon's ability and his passion for all things
United. He is a fan, a family man and his only vice appears to be running a
lot to keep fit.
He was previously chief executive of the kit supplier Umbro and moved to a
new base in South Carolina when the business was sold to an American
company. United was one of his top clients and he developed a close
friendship with Edwards when negotiating shirt deals.
At Premier League meetings he has established a reputation for being
"astute" and insiders see him as a formidable player once he assumes his
new role, particularly when the new television deal is negotiated beyond
2001. Above all he is seen as a thoroughly decent man, which is a bit of a
rarity.
It was Kenyon who tied up the deal this week for up to 20 club
merchandising shops to be established within Debenhams stores and who
talked excitedly about the opening of Red Cafes in the Far East and
virtual-reality tours of Old Trafford in shops in Asia.
It is this aggressive commercial vision which helped push United's revenue
up 26% to £111m and operating profits up 20% to £32.3m in the year to July
31.
United fans across the globe will no doubt marvel at the figures and look
forward to the expansion of the stadium. But they will wait with bated
breath to hear what they want to hear: that there's enough money to buy
extravagant players and pay Roy Keane £40,000 a week.
And they will want firm evidence that Sir Alex Ferguson, the man who
delivered the treble on which vast fortunes are to be harvested, is safe
and secure.
Kenyon warranted only one mention in Ferguson's autobiography and even then
he was dismissed as "another of our directors". My guess is that he will
get his own chapter by the time Fergie is asked to update his book.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: Forward: from "English Sports Association for People with Learning Disability"
Sent to The Theatre Of Dreams: for your information ......
>>>>
From: "roger turner"
Subject: Triple title signed M U Shirt
Date: Thu, 7 Oct 1999 14:29:58 +0100
>>>>
I am hoping you will be able to assist the Association I represent.(English
Sports Association for People with Learning Disability).
Manchester United have assisted our fund raising efforts on a number of
occasions and their latest donation could prove attractive to their many
fans. It is an autographed shirt signed by all the members of their triple
title team. It is framed and comes with a certificate of authenticity
supplied by the club.
I attach an article which I am hoping you will be able to circulate among
the various member supporters clubs inputting to your site: My Association
would be most grateful for any help you can give.
I would very much appreciate it if you could let me know whether you are
able to help. This would afford me the opportunity to seek alternative
means of marketing the shirt if you are unable to help
With thanks
Roger Turner
Chairman ESAPLD
<<<<
Autographed triple title Man U shirt up for grabs!
What would you give for a Man U shirt signed by all the triple title team
members. The availibility of these shirts,which are a must for all
supporters,are very limited!
Framed and accompanied by an authenicity certificate supplied by the club
it is up for auction.
The club, in keeping with it's policy of supporting charities has donated
this wonderful gift to help raise funds for the English National Football
Team which competes in International competitions for people with learning
disabilities.
the shirt
The shirt will go to the highest bid received by 31st December 1999.
To enter the drawer all you have to do is write stating what your offer is
and send it in a sealed envelope to:
ESAPLD
Unit 9
Milner Way
Ossett
West Yorkshire
WF5 9JN
It could be yours and make you're friends green with envy
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Subject: The butcher's boy sharpens his knife
By Ken Lawrence
Manchester United chief executive Martin Edwards is one final lunge away
from delivering the coup de grace in his duel of wills with Sir Alex
Ferguson and gaining revenge for the years of abuse he has taken from Old
Trafford supporters.
By selling shares in the club worth around £40million, Edwards has cleared
the final hurdle between himself and the long-coveted chairmanship of the
United plc board.
The decision to dispose of 19.5million shares at 210p cuts his stake from
13 per cent to 6.5 per cent - well under the 10 per cent maximum expected
of company chairmen. Ascending to that post would make him all-powerful in
the decision-making that will dictate United's long-term commercial
strategy and allow him strictly to enforce the spending straitjacket that
Ferguson hates.
Edwards, who already has a huge personal fortune, knows the sale will
infuriate the vast majority of United fans who have long accused him of
putting his own ambitions above those of the team. Their reaction, however,
not only does not hurt him - it might even give him a frisson of pleasure.
According to those who know him well, Edwards has neither forgiven nor
forgotten the whispers about his late father Louis, which he still believes
led to his death in 1980 following a television documentary which linked
him to allegations of questionable share deals at the club.
Following Louis' fatal heart attack, his son became a driven man who would
stop at nothing to ensure the family name would one day be honoured.
But his determination has come at a price.
Edwards has been vilified by United's working class fans as a public school
rugby lover whose lack of passion for the club has led to the financial
constraints that continue to frustrate Ferguson's attempts to bid for the
game's superstars.
The constant barrage of criticism from United supporters caused Edwards to
develop a hide of iron.
During boardroom manoeuvres like the flirtation with Michael Knighton and
the near sell-out to Rupert Murdoch's Sky, supporters decried the Old
Trafford chief executive as a carpetbagger. None of it could dent Edwards'
self-belief.
When new Sports Minister Kate Hoey accused United of betrayal for pulling
out of this year's FA Cup to compete in the World Club Championship in
Brazil, Edwards hit back so fiercely she must have wished she had kept quiet.
Quietly spoken and with an unassuming demeanour, Edwards may have come
across as a softie. In reality, he is a wolf in sheep's clothing and is now
on the verge of becoming football's most powerful club chairman, having
already overseen United's development into the world's richest sporting
franchise with a turnover of £110m and a profit last year of £32.3m.
Following the Government's rejection of BSkyB's £623m bid to buy United,
Edwards appeared to have lost the chance of an £80m windfall, having agreed
to sell his shares in exchange for a seat on the TV network's board and
retention of his position as United's chief executive.
But those who laughed at what they saw as his come-uppance after the
Independent Manchester United Supporters Association and the rebel
Shareholders United led the fight against BSkyB are now eating humble pie.
By contrast, less than a year since BSkyB's proposed takeover, the
butcher's boy not only has his cake - he is eating it.
When he took over as chairman in 1980, he owned 50 per cent of the club's
shares. His holding is now down to 6.5 per cent but in the process of his
elongated sell-off, he has pocketed more than £100m.
While the number of his shares has dramatically diminished, his power and
influence within Old Trafford, the Premiership and European football has
grown enormously.
At Edwards' urging, United have for years led the drive for a cut in
Premiership numbers and a European League. It is understood that on many
occasions, United held meetings in Manchester with like-minded club leaders
who also see the future structure of European football as being
continent-wide.
Now he is poised to take over when Sir Roland Smith steps down as plc
chairman - a move expected to take place by next spring -and his influence
will increase even more. The latest to have underestimated Edwards'
cunning, intelligence and ambition are those who were preparing to fight
against his rise to head of the plc board.
For months, rumours persisted that the board was split on Edwards' bid to
become the ultimate leader of the club, with Peter Kenyon, his deputy and
chief executive-designate, his only out-andout supporter.
Even Ferguson was reported to have been embroiled in the political
machinations within Old Trafford's corridors.
In his recently-published autobiography, the manager made it clear that the
only world he shared with Edwards was under the Old Trafford roof, and even
then the cantilevers were frequently raised by ructions between the pair
over financial matters.
It was said that Ferguson would tacitly support an attempt by the so-called
Coolmore Mafia - a collection of mainly Irish billionaire businessmen, to
buy Edwards' shares.
Ferguson almost walked out on the club last year because Edwards was
stalling on giving him the pay rise that would take his salary to more than
£1m. He has never publicly been given any encouragement by his chief
executive in his ambition to one day assume a directorial role similar to
that once occupied by the late Sir Matt Busby.
Edwards' ascension to the chairmanship may end the Scotsman's aspirations
in that direction.
The chief executive has shown himself to be more of his own man than anyone
ever suspected and even if the flak flies again over a possible place on
the board for Ferguson, Edwards will not be moved.
He does, after all, possess the financial equivalent of a nuclear weapon.
No matter how unpopular Edwards may be with fans or staff, he can always
point to the bottom line - the enormous fiscal success over which he has
presided.
It was Edwards who gave the go-ahead for the 1992 share flotation that set
the club on the road to its £630m valuation.
United now have commercial outlets from Accrington to Shanghai to
Australia, selling everything from champagne to wallpaper. They have
coaching outposts and interests in feeder clubs in Sweden, Belgium, South
Africa and Down Under.
When, eventually, the televising of soccer goes pay-per-view, their
Australasian tour of the past summer has already put down markers thinly
disguised as TV aerials.
Most importantly of all, Edwards stuck with Ferguson when the wolves were
howling at the door of Old Trafford, baying for the Scotsman's blood.
For three years after Edwards acted on Sir Bobby Charlton's recommendation
and hired Ferguson from Aberdeen in November 1986, the appointment seemed
doomed. But Edwards refused to buckle.
It was a close-run thing because even Edwards now admits that had United
not won the FA Cup in 1990, the wolves might well have had their meal.
But Lee Martin scored the winner in a Wembley replay against Crystal Palace
and Ferguson got his breathing space.
The manager has had around £100m to spend on players. They have perhaps not
always the been world's best but it has still been enough for United to
become England's team of the Nineties and champions of Europe going into
the new millennium.
Edwards' c.v. suggests that he might have received a knighthood along with
Ferguson. But instead of a visit to Buckingham Palace he will head,
laughing, to the bank once again.
Not for the first time, the butcher's boy has made mincemeat of his critics.
Click On pic - for latest interviews/pics from OT"
Pic Link today is http://www.red11.org/mufc/sound/99/
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Singalong
Calypso available here: mp3
If ever they are playing in your town
You must get to that football ground
Take a lesson come to see
Football taught by Matt Busby
Manchester, Manchester United
A bunch of bouncing Busby Babes
They deserve to be knighted
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