Manchester United legend

Chapter 152 Manchester United Acquired

Ferguson decisively gave it a go. He immediately replaced Sheringham to strengthen the attack, and a pair of full-backs were also driven to the frontcourt by him to act as avant-garde.Just after Leicester City scored the second goal, Manchester United launched a crazy counterattack.

Ferguson's gamble paid off, and Manchester United's onslaught finally paid off. In the 79th minute, after Manchester United's corner kick was blocked by the opponent, Beckham got the ball 15 yards to the left of the penalty area.

1 to 2 - Manchester United pulled one back.Then Manchester United continued to attack violently. Wave after wave of offensives made Leicester City's penalty area jittery, and the defense line was precarious and crumbling.

However, the tenacious Leicesters resisted until stoppage time, and they were still not broken by Manchester United.

The last moment came. In the 3rd minute of stoppage time, Manchester United won a free kick at the top of the opponent's penalty area about 12 yards away-this is almost the last chance-only 5 minutes of stoppage time!At the critical moment, it was Beckham again, he withstood the pressure and stood in front of the ball.

Run up, swing your legs, swing your arms, and exert your strength!I saw that football is like a throwing knife, a throwing knife with an arc trajectory and a murderous look, flying directly into the goal before the opponent's goalkeeper has time to react!

2 to 2, Manchester United avoided the defeat on the first day of the game. Ferguson's madness and Manchester United's bravery were cheered by the fans.

"Manchester United attacked desperately at the last moment. Their crazy and violent offensive finally made the opponent flustered and sent back the victory."

The Manchester Evening News said in sports news, "Although this is not the best start, Manchester United ushered in the captain and Beckham's recovery, which is already a very good ending."

Yes, Beckham finally got the best evaluation in the audience-this "enemy" of England is using his excellent performance on the football field to save himself and rebuild his image among the fans.

After the World Cup, Beckham is carrying out the most difficult self-salvation.He no longer shoots commercials, no longer takes salt for the products of sponsoring companies, no longer attends those advertising conferences and various social gatherings, he no longer appears in the media, but spends almost all his time in training.

Although no longer the darling of the British Isles, Beckham is still the darling of Manchester United fans.Manchester United fans began to clearly show their support for Beckham. They played banners and wore "Beckham, we love you!" T-shirts to declare their attitude.

After playing Leicester City, Manchester United went to London to challenge West Ham United.In the end, the Red Devils were tied 0-0 by the Axe. Yorke made his debut for the team but failed to contribute to the team.

In fact, this game was full of controversy, and the referee became the protagonist of the stadium again.

Manchester United being taken care of?No, Ferguson's team got their mouths covered and necks pinched again—in the game, West Ham United had an extremely obvious handball in the penalty area. When Giggs made a cross from the left, the cunning defender knew that he would miss the ball, but in a split second he slapped the ball away with his hands.Even such a foul referee turned a blind eye!
Two consecutive draws at the beginning, this is the result of Manchester United, and the result of Manchester United, which has greatly strengthened the lineup in the summer.

Counting the 0-0 in the second round of the Champions League qualifying round, Manchester United is already unbeaten in three games!

The turbulent rumors and the chaos of the club's possible change of ownership did not affect Ferguson's strong nerves. Manchester United used a wave of two consecutive victories to prove their stability and strength.

When entering September, Manchester United suddenly broke out major news.All major newspapers on Fleet Street broke the news one after another.

Everyone focused their attention on the outside of the Manchester United stadium, which was the rumor that Manchester United's listed company was about to be acquired.

Sky Sports, controlled by media tycoon Murdoch, is willing to pay 6.25 million pounds to buy Manchester United and take it private.

Are Manchester United in disarray?Will the team be at a loss?

The city was full of wind and rain, and years of rumors began to slowly surface. In addition to the uproar of the media and Manchester United fans, Sky Sports was also ordered to admit to the society that it was indeed negotiating with the major shareholders of Manchester United.

Club chairman Martin Edwards has admitted to supporting Murdoch's acquisition of Manchester United's shares, and several other major shareholders have been caught in disputes.

On September 9, Sky Sports announced through its own TV station that it had reached an agreement with Manchester United Club to buy all the shares of Manchester United at a price of 5 million pounds (about 6.25 billion U.S. dollars) and take it under its umbrella.

The news announced in advance immediately caused an uproar.In addition to Edwards, several other major shareholders and more minority shareholders did not fully agree, and Murk's behavior exceeded their bottom line.

As a result, there was a wave of fierce opposition from Manchester United fans throughout England.Countless fans gathered at Sky Sports headquarters in the UK to protest Murkdo's greed and ignorance.

Many congressmen who are Manchester United fans also expressed their views and opposed Murdoch's acquisition.In the end, the deal was rejected by the British government, which banned Sky Sports from launching a full takeover of all shareholders.

The reason for the veto by the British Office of Fair Trading is simple and straightforward, "Sky Sports has already obtained the live broadcast rights of Premier League games, and the acquisition of Manchester United will cause possible unfairness in the competition."

In the end, Sky Sports' stake in Manchester United remained at a sensitive 9.9%.

A turmoil ended in 2003 when Sky Sports completely emptied Manchester United's shares and transferred them to two horse racing tycoons from Ireland, McManus and Magnena.

At that time, Ferguson was not willing to be acquired by Manchester United. He said, "The shareholding status of Manchester United determines a good board structure. This structure is the basis for supporting Manchester United to continue to achieve good results."

Is this the exact opposite of his later support for the Glazer takeover?Is Ferguson an inconsistent villain, a hypocrite?

Look at the management environment that Ferguson was in at different times. In 1998, the entire Manchester United club supported Ferguson. Whether it was the major shareholders or the management, it can be said that Ferguson followed suit.

And if Murdoch's Sky Sports wants to acquire Manchester United, it will inevitably reorganize Manchester United's management, which will inevitably cause inconsistencies in business and competition.

For Ferguson, who is coping with the rise and challenges of Arsenal, having a new boss who needs to deal with and regain support will undoubtedly increase the difficulty of his work.

(End of this chapter)