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By Keira Daley
4 August 2010
The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST), the driving force behind the Green & Gold campaign that hopes to bring about a fan-led takeover of the club, has launched a new billboard poster campaign ahead of United’s Community Shield game on Sunday against Chelsea at Wembley.
MUST want the Glazer family to sell up and argue the American owners, who have put £800m-plus of debt on the club as a result of their leveraged buyout, have spent the equivalent of five years’ ticket income on interest and fees.
A MUST press release today says: “The posters will run from now until after the start of the new season, when United open their 2010/11 Premier League campaign against newly promoted Newcastle at Old Trafford on Monday 16th August. The theme of the poster campaign is ‘New Season. Same Goal’ and is a statement of renewed intent aimed at helping to build momentum and ensure unity of purpose amongst supporters at this key point in the campaign.
“The posters will run on Primesight 48 sheet backlit panels in the centre of Manchester and follow on from similar activity last season that saw MUST posters running on 48 and 96 sheet panels bearing the slogan ‘One Love’ and another asking ‘Are You United?’
“Manchester United themselves are also unveiling an expensive poster campaign as their marketing department continues to go into overdrive in its attempts to sell the remaining 4,000 season tickets that have now gone on general sale after an unprecedented slump in demand and the apparent evaporation of the ‘waiting list’.”
Duncan Drasdo, MUST’s chief executive said of the poster campaign: “This picks up where we left off last season and demonstrates our continuing commitment to helping bring about a change of ownership at United, for the benefit of the club and its loyal supporters.
“Of course during the summer months in early season matches fewer people tend to wear scarves of any colour but the reason the Green & Gold protest exploded last season has not gone away, and so neither has the strength of feeling amongst supporters. The Glazers are taking hundreds of millions of pounds out of the club.
“The Red Knights [super rich fans’ group] have made their position clear that they won’t pay an inflated price so the ball is in the Glazers’ court and pressure is building on them. The excess demand for tickets has completely evaporated. Despite a price freeze and huge marketing campaign there are thousands of season tickets on open sale just days before the season kicks off and hospitality sales are understood to have been hit much harder. We hope they realise it is time for them to go.”
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