It was a question I’m pretty sure every United fan wanted to know the answer to and now that he is free from the scrutiny of the club, Ben Foster has answered.
Speaking after his move to Birmingham, Foster offered a players perspective of the Green & Gold movement stating,
“The fans are obviously passionate about the club but sometimes they need to focus on supporting the club a bit more than getting carried away with the technicalities of who’s in charge.”
When pushed further and asked about the impact the movement had on the team’s onfield performances and if it could have been a reason as to why we failed to pick up more trophies than we did Foster claimed,
“Yes, it’s a bit of a distraction when the fans are doing the chants at every game and things like that.”
Although Foster later backtracked and claimed as a consumate professional once you are on the pitch your mind is on the game etc it does make you think, would he have said it if he didn’t mean it? And do other players in the dressing room feel the same way?
In the midst of the Red Knights plans to take over the club some sections of the fans criticised the consortium as they felt their actions were destabilising the team and as a result the group decided to put off any move for the club until after the season ended stating,
“In the next few weeks we will continue to work on our proposal, we do not expect this to be finalised before the end of the season. This will have the advantage of minimising external distractions as the team enters the decisive period of the season.”
So the consortium too must have understood that their actions alongside MUST’s could have been having an adverse effect on the team.
Personally I think it’s a cop out for anyone especially Foster to try and blame our shortcomings this season on the off field activity. The fans protest didn’t cause the defensive injuries that damaged our squad neither were they the cause of a number of things that didn’t go our way either. Like Foster said once you are on the field your mind should be on the task at hand and that is winning the game and there are enough players in the team with the experience to do so.
The efforts of the Red Knights and MUST in both the short and long term to me seem spot on as the ever present Green & Gold showed the Glazers that we as the fans are unhappy with their mistreatment of the club so what ever happened on field is a completely different story.
As a team that can take its licks and hold its hands up and accept when we have been bested it sounds like an excuse, hopefully one not shared by any of the players or many of the fans.
What was the game of the biggest anti-Glazer protest and what was the result?
Milan (H). We won 4-0.
I can’t see Foster’s logic at all.
It’s season ticket renewal time (They’re begging us a month in advance to renew this year) and talk of a bid by the red knight is all over the news…IMO this is just the latest bllsht installment in a concerted Glazer PR Offensive.
I agree the protests could be a distraction but this is just such obviously trumped up, calculated Glazer toe sucking as were Fergie’s obsequious articles yesterday too.
It was noticable last season how the team’s performances actually lifted when the protests started and beyond and so did the camaraderie and atmosphere in the ground…I believe it could actually have been lots worse without the Bond issue and the protests myself.
Here’s one to ponder…how much have a lack of protests over the last 5 years cost us…800+ million in debt and counting…
What actually cost us was not strengthening the squad before the beginning of last season not a few symbolic protests…over reliance on Rooney and not replacing Tevez or Ronaldo….whilst all of the money was siphoned off into either Glazers back pocket or to pay debt.
I’m proud we all stood up for what we believe in and didn’t just take it up the rear from those parasites without any riposte. Expect plenty more the next time more Glazer Skulduggery is revealed…because it will be
Those articles, and maybe to an extent this one could have been written by the gimps themselves…still begging for season ticket renewal and trying desperately to stamp out any resistance to their financial strangling to death of Man Utd.
Bury your heads in the sand all you will, they’re killing the club…simples.
LUHG!!
@Munkey totally agree, even the Carling Cup final and last game of the season where there we big protests we won.
@Royston this was not written by a Glazer supporter my MUST membership # is 130442810 if you want to check!
I agree with your points and I was actually disappointed in Fergie for his comments coming from his background I would have thought that he would have been behind the moevment but then how would it look if he, the manager, started protesting against the Glazers? He would have been fired instantly!
This statement:
“Here’s one to ponder…how much have a lack of protests over the last 5 years cost us…800+ million in debt and counting…”
is as poignant as any you made.
Thanks for your comment!
@Chudi Onwuazor…I actually meant Foster’s article mate, not yours but fair cop, it reads a bit ambiguously ;o)
I wouldn’t say your article was like this or question your allegiance at all…it just seems obvious though that the Glazers seem to think we’re all too stupid to realize what they’re doing that’s all…this is a PR war = they must be a bit worried…I’m worried too, worried they’re going to kill our football club, it scares the sht out of me m8…
LUHG!!
Sorry Royston I had blonde moment!
Yes it is very scary, I don’t think people understand how desperate the situation is.
They use the club as their personal bank and don’t have to answer to anyone, Glazer gave each of his 6 children £1.66m in 2008 of the club’s money!
Absolute and utter bollox…