Friday 11 June 2010

My advice – don’t renew



There are just two full days until the season ticket renewal deadline.  Judging by articles in the media and my own sources in the ticket office, tens of thousands of season ticket holders have not yet renewed and there is panic at the club.

For what it's worth, this is my advice for those considering what to do. It is my personal view only:

Any reduction in income will increase the chances of the Glazers selling our club.  They can only take out dividends if certain profit targets are met.  This makes them vulnerable to lower income.

The most effective action supporters can take to shorten the Glazers' ownership of our club is to not renew their season tickets for 2010/11.

I understand that giving up going to Old Trafford is an incredibly hard thing for fans to do, not renewing my own ticket has been very difficult. It was difficult too for the many fans who stopped going in 2005. Sacrifices are sometimes needed to achieve important change.

Many supporters will want to continue to go on an occasional basis and switching to "match-by-match" and reducing the money you pay the Glazers in this way is also helpful to the cause, although obviously has less impact.

I really believe that supporter action can accelerate the process of changing the ownership of our football club. It is not just tokenism. Ridding our club of the Glazers requires both an offer for the club and a willingness on the family's part to sell at a reasonable price. Non-renewal introduces risk to their business model and increases the chance of them selling.

Finally of course, all supporters should reach their own decisions and remain United in respecting the choices of others.

LUHG