Filed under: The Guardian / Observer
Source: The Guardian
Vital role of fans in success and culture of Catalan club sets example for giants and minnows of English game
David Conn
Wednesday May 17, 2006
The Guardian
In the summer of 1999, after Manchester United fans had beaten off the attempt by Rupert Murdoch’s BSkyB to take over their club, London’s Birkbeck College hosted a conference on how to restore heart and soul to a game becoming ravenously commercialised. In the flush of victory Andy Walsh, a United supporters’ group leader, talked fervently about “rolling back the plc” at Old Trafford. Brian Lomax, a Northampton Town supporter, explained how disaffected Cobblers fans had formed a pioneering supporters’ trust, bought a small stake in the club and elected a director to the board.
Filed under: The Guardian / Observer
Source: The Guardian
It's a year since the Glazers took over at Old Trafford and, as Tony Howard explains, FC United are marking the occasion with their first foreign excursion
Friday May 12, 2006
Whisper it quietly, but it's a year this Friday (May 12) since Malcolm Glazer took over at Manchester United, and, for some former Old Trafford patrons, the doom we felt 12 months ago has lifted to such an extent that the anniversary will be more a celebration than a memorial.
Source: The Guardian
FC United's season isn't yet over – next week they're playing a benefit game for a fan left in a coma following an unprovoked attack by a gang armed with metal bars
Tony Howard
Friday May 5, 2006
They may have played their final league game and be reigning champions, but FC United's season isn't quite over as they have a further two important fixtures still to play. Following a 2-1 win in the last North West Counties League Two game against Padiham on Saturday, United are now preparing to take on AFC Telford United this weekend, and the following week the club will embark on their first ever European excursion.
Source: The Guardian
It's a small start, but Tony Howard and FC United have begun one of the longest pub-crawls in football history
Thursday April 27, 2006
So the rumours proved to be correct: FC United's team did have an open-top bus-ride from Gigg Lane to the pub 200 yards away. The strictly tongue-in-cheek gesture was the highlight of a great day which saw an amazing 6,023 supporters turn up to see captain Dave Chadwick lift the North West Counties Second Division trophy in the club's final home game of the season.
From the Main Stand it was a sight to behold as hundreds of supporters were still streaming into the ground at 3pm, forcing the kick-off to be delayed. But, as manager, Karl Marginson, said, it has not always been like that. "At times it's like your 21st birthday party all over again," he enthused. "You're scared that no one will turn up!" (more…)
Source: The Guardian
Sir Alex Ferguson's knowledge of the new North West Counties Second Division champions might be limited, but Tony Howard and his fellow FC United followers don't mind one bit
Friday April 21, 2006
At last FC United have been crowned champions, sealing their first ever piece of silverware without kicking a competitive ball in anger. The reds were at Clitheroe to play a friendly, while title rivals Nelson and Flixton attempted to catch up some of their many games in hand, but as the news filtered through that both had failed to win, an impromptu party erupted in the unlikely setting.
Source: guardian.co.uk
Tony Howard explains why a fourth cancellation of their fixture with Chadderton has prompted FC United fans to harbour conspiracy theories
Source: The Guardian
A cold wet night in Accrington
Not longer after Manchester United were winning the Carling Cup, FC United went 18 points ahead in the North West Counties Division Two, writes Tony Howard
Friday March 3, 2006
Soon after Gary Neville held aloft the once-mocked Carling Cup amidst the Cardiff fireworks, FC United fans were preparing to travel to Accrington to face Great Harwood Town – a club runners-up Wigan were playing regularly 30 years ago.
Filed under: The Guardian / Observer
Whatever happened to Man Utd fans' boycott?
Iain Hollingshead
Saturday October 1, 2005
The Guardian
Britons have a curious attitude towards foreign participation in their home-grown sports. South African-born Kevin Pietersen was hailed as an English cricketing hero during the summer. Canadian-born tennis player Greg Rusedski is a firm favourite at the All England club. Sven-Goran Eriksson, on the other hand, has recently been lambasted for his lack of passion at the helm of English football.
Filed under: The Guardian / Observer
Born-again United put their Mittens on
Louise Taylor at Hilton Park
Monday July 18, 2005
The Guardian
Spying a woman curling the match programme in the palm of her hand with seemingly casual disregard, a passer-by felt compelled to intervene. "Don't do that," he advised. "It could be your pension. When FC United reach the Premiership it'll be a piece of history."
Obtaining this potential nest-egg involved a £3 outlay but the unusually pricey non-league programme reflected a unique occasion – FC United of Manchester's inaugural match.
