David Gill Exclusive Part II: United Issues
How much do you think off-field events affected the club last season? ( Alan Davies, Manchester)
”They were a factor, certainly. If you looked at our form before Rio Ferdinand was suspended, we had the best defence. I think we’d only conceded 15 goals in 23 games and we were sitting at the top of the league in very good shape. Then the wheels came off a bit, so losing Rio was a big blow. You don’t lose a £30million defender - one of the top defenders in European football and one of the best at the 2002 World Cup – without it hurting you. It would be stupid to say it didn’t.
" As for the other activities, Sir Alex’s dispute was running before Christmas when the team was still performing well so I wouldn’t say that was a distraction. We were obviously very pleased that it was settled. I think the 99 questions, the transfer review and all of that clearly doesn’t help but it goes with the territory at Manchester United that we’re hot news. People are always looking for controversies and issues. By and large, I think we’re quite good at deflecting that and being immune. But when it perpetuates, it can become more of a problem.”
Does the level of interest in the club´s activities ever surprise you? ( Kim Parker, Kent)
”Not really – our huge following is one of the reasons why we can do multi-million pound sponsorship deals with Nike and Vodafone. That’s why the top players want to come to us. That goes with the territory. Would I prefer it if some of the off-the-field issues didn´t happen? Of course, that goes without saying. But I’m sure there will be a couple of issues that come out of left-field next season that we’re not expecting. That’s the nature of our business. If it was all plain sailing, it wouldn’t be a real job. It’s up to us to have the structures, the strengths and the intellect inside the club to ensure we can deal with the issues appropriately.”
I was delighted that Sir Alex signed a new rolling one-year deal. But are there any contingency plans in place if the great man suddenly decides to retire? Do the club look at possible future managers/coaches as well as players? ( Barry Watkin, Blackpool)
”We do but it’s a difficult process. It’s not like a normal business where you can groom a number two internally because it’s not always feasible. I think Liverpool were the best example of that in the Seventies and Eighties. Since then, it’s been a bit more difficult. And then quite rightly there are rules about targeting managers who are doing jobs with other clubs. As and when Sir Alex decides to retire, I am sure there will be no shortage of applicants. We keep our eye on the managers coming through but whoever the hot star is today maybe a cold star tomorrow. We just monitor it and make sure we’re aware of developments in European football management.”
Why are League Match Ticket Book holders treated as second class punters when it comes to the allocation of tickets, particularly in terms of the latter stages of cup competitions? ( Tim MacLellan, Stretford End)
“They’re not treated as second class punters at all. I think it’s important to note that when we extended the ground in 2001 with the addition of the second tiers in the West and East Stands, we decided that 50 per cent of that new capacity would go to League Match Ticket Books, not Season Tickets. We did this for the very reason that demand always exceeds supply for away games and for cup games. League Match Ticket Book holders quite rightly have the ability to go to every home league game but they were made aware at the time when they applied for the LMTBs that the Books would give them no privileges with respect to cup tickets. So I don’t think they’re second class citizens at all. We’d love everyone to come to away games but we only get 3,000 tickets so they can’t. For Cardiff, we get only 28,000 tickets. We’ve got many, many more fans than that. We don’t regard League Match Ticket Book holders as second class citizens but there has to be a cut-off and a policy which is being consistently applied.”
Do you regret the way the Rio Ferdinand situation was handled? Some commentators say Rio would have received a shorter ban if he had admitted culpability from the start? ( Andrew Clark, London)
”I think there are lessons to be learned from it. I think Rio, the club and indeed the FA would agree with that. We clearly felt aggrieved at the way certain aspects were handled in terms of it coming out into the public domain much sooner than in any other case. Clearly if you look at some of the precedents on punishment, they were a lot less than the eight-month ban than Rio ended up with. But I think it’s important to note that the FA, both at the original hearing and at the appeal, were pushing for a twelve-month sentence. So I think it’s difficult to know what the situation would have been ( if Rio had admitted culpability).
" What’s important now is that everyone has learned lessons from it. I think the procedures that the FA are bringing in for discipline next season will be a great improvement in terms of clarity for everyone concerned. We’ve just got to learn from it and make sure we push on and put it behind us. We want a good relationship with the FA and want to move that forward. Obviously we desperately want Rio back on September 20th as the world class defender he is and to get on with our lives.”
Is winning the FA Cup enough to satisfy the board, the fans and the expectations of the club? Is the FA Cup as prestigious a trophy as it once was? ( Katie Osbourne, Manchester)
" If you look at our record, we won eight Premiership titles in eleven years, now it’s eleven in twelve. We start every season wanting to end it with a trophy. I think the disappointing thing last season was, you might not win the league every season but when we´ve lost it before, we´ve lost it towards the end of the season. We need to be up there challenging into March, April and May. Then if you don´t win it, you´ve at least made a great race of it. We´ve got to get back to that. Winning the FA Cup was a great end to the season for the team, the manager and the fans. But we need to come out all guns blazing next season, so we get up there in the league and we reach the latter stages of the European Cup."
With the club planning to increase Old Trafford´s capacity to 75,000, can you foresee a time where, if games were still selling out, the club extend the stadium further or consider moving to a new ground? ( Kev Jepson, Leicester)
" I think 75,000 is about right because what could we do next? It would mean extending the South Stand and that would have complications because of the railway line and the terraced houses beyond. As for the question of moving, I think it would be an absolute non-starter. We´re part of the community here, our heritage is here and it’s a fantastic stadium on a great site, close to the city centre. We’ve got well over £100million invested - we wouldn’t get that money back - and the cost of building a new stadium would run into hundreds of millions. If we increase to 75,000, Old Trafford will retain its mantle as one of the best stadiums in world football with a lot of atmosphere and history.”
Can you see a time in the near future where United are selling their own TV rights, operating independently of the Premier League? ( Richie Iwanoff, Glasgow)
”Actually no, I can’t. I don’t see it happening because we can’t operate on our own. The new domestic TV deal comes into force next season for a three-year deal and we very much see the collective agreement being a key strength when negotiating such deals. Okay, the redistribution of monies isn’t as great for the top clubs in England as it is for the top clubs in Spain and Italy where the top clubs get a lot, lot more than the bottom clubs. The top clubs do get a lot more than the bottom clubs in England but the gap isn’t as wide and we think that’s good for the product. That’s why the Premier League has been sold in international markets for an enhanced value on the previous deal. We don’t want to get into a Scottish-type situation where there are only ten teams in the top league. We lost to Portsmouth, Blackburn and Wolves last season – proof there can always be an upset in the Premier League."
