19/11/2010
Latest MUST email 2010-11-19
In this email:
1. Glazers fear Green & Gold fans' backlash
2. DO BUY THIS! The MUST G&G Sharp Shirt - photos out now
3. DON'T BUY THIS! ..... YET - wait until Monday
4. MUST pre-match marquee - Wigan(H) - £2 a pint - Real Ale Reds
5. FC United Community Share Scheme
6. Match screening of United v Wigan - near Old Trafford
7. Epson buy United!
1. Glazers fear Green & Gold fans' backlash
The news this week that the Glazers' have given notice that the PIK debts will be paid off and, at least initially, the money will not come from Manchester United has rightly been reported as a victory for supporters and the Green & Gold campaign. Independent reports from respected Financial News Wire Bloomberg http://bit.ly/glazersfearbacklash recently confirmed information MUST received from other named sources (including figures at the most senior level within the club) that the Glazers are so concerned about fuelling the Green & Gold campaign that they were afraid to "take the Ronaldo money" - i.e. taking an additional 100m out of the club to use to pay their own debts and risk further angering supporters.
This comes after they were forced into a ticket price freeze this season and then more recently the apparent caving in to pressure to offer Rooney a new contract and also giving assurances that money will be made available to strengthen the squad and keep United competitive.
We recognise people are sceptical that supporters really do have this much influence but the sources for this are cast iron and we intend to reveal full details given permission from the relevant parties. In any case it is the only logical explanation for the sequence of events described.
So the message for us as supporters is clear. If you want:
1. To force the Glazers into ticket price freezes
2. To prevent the Glazers further raiding United's coffers
3. To force the Glazers to make funds available to retain our best players and compete in the transfer market
4. Ultimately .... to drive the Glazers out and replace them with supporter ownership
then promoting & supporting the Green & Gold campaign is essential. It has also proven tremendously effective in generating media and political interest (developments expected in next few weeks) and considering the enhanced atmosphere and results on the pitch that have coincided with its rise it is surely something that every Manchester United supporter can unite behind.
2. DO BUY THIS! The MUST G&G Sharp Shirt - photos out now
The photos of the new MUST GREEN & GOLD SHARP SHIRT have just been released and are now available to view at:
http://www.greenandgold.tv/product/?pid=53056
Here are a few suggested benefits of supporting the MUST Green & Gold shirt:
1) You are demonstrating opposition to the Glazers and visibly supporting a change of ownership
2) You own a future collector's item (every shirt has a unique number)
3) The shirts are less than half the price of the official shirt - £19.99 (£16.99 kids)
4) You will be contributing £5 to THE PROSTATE CANCER CHARITY
5) A unique gift for any United supporter delivered in time for Christmas
6) The option to add a donation to MUST if you wish to
The shirt will be available to view on the MUST stall (8 Sir Matt Busby Way) this weekend (there is only one shirt in existence at the moment as the shirts are currently being manufactured).
Shipping by courier is a flat rate charge so if you club together with a few mates you can make big savings - especially for overseas orders.
There will be limited stock available with guaranteed delivery - anywhere in the world - in time for Christmas.
http://www.greenandgold.tv/product/?pid=53056
3. DON'T BUY THIS! ..... YET - wait until Monday
OK - this is the debut single from a Manc duo - one a big red and the other a massive blue.
No doubt many members would be up for supporting any up and coming local Manchester talent anyway but these lads have agreed to support the Green & Gold campaign and 100% of their profits will go to MUST G&G campaign funds during the 2 week promotion period starting on Monday 22md November. The video, made by an active Green & Gold campaigner, covers Manchester scenes and prominently features Green & Gold scarves as part of a decidedly Mancunian United vs City theme.
The aim is to get their debut single into the charts so that the video gets national and international airplay. It may need as few as 2,500 sales to get it into the top 40 so MUST members can have a big impact here and we are only talking about 79p per download.
CHALLENGE:
Listen to debut single (video below) just six times over the weekend and by Monday we reckon you will be asking us for the links to buy it. We'll send them out by email and post them on the @MU_ST twitter feed on Monday. Webtise (http://www.webtise.co.uk ) will also be setting up a dedicated Facebook fan page to help get it into the charts.
Here is the background info from the record label - but remember we want to boost sales next week to try to bump it into the charts so don't buy it yet.
F.O.A.K Ft KT Forrester - Welcome To My City (Debut Single)
F.O.A.K are a talented hiphop duo born and raised in Trafford. Take a style with undeniable Manchester identity and musicality. Add to that the swagger, mix it with prolific song writing and blend that with clever and cutting edge lyricism and you get a First Of A Kind.
After a lot of hard work they have released their Debut Single on their own startup independent label, Foundation Rekords, to retain control of their music and to have a platform of freedom to highlight the issues they hold dear, none more so than our green and gold fight!
'Welcome To My City' is an introduction to the Manchester based duo and an ode to the city that they hail from. Depicting the two lads love / hate relationship with their hometown and their respective Red (Green & Gold) and Blue allegiance is broken up perfectly with a passionate and catchy hook sung by frequent collaborator KT Forrester.
(Great video and track - but please don't buy this before we send the links on Monday)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuvKWAZ7uog
We'll be playing this at the MUST pre-match marquee on Saturday and F.O.A.K Ft KT Forrester will be performing it live in the marquee before the Blackburn(H) game on 27th November.
4. MUST pre-match marquee - Wigan(H) - £2 a pint - Real Ale Reds
The MUST pre-match marquee will continue to operate with special offer of £2 a pint on Stella and Boddies and Real Ale (Cheshire Cat I believe) when presenting a flyer as below for Wigan (from 12.30pm) on Saturday.
Tasting Notes for Weetwood Cheshire Cat, "A traditionally brewed blonde ale with a smooth foretaste and a fruity hoppy finish, making it an easy drinking ale of distinction"
250 bus drops off outside Trafford Park Hotel where the marquee is located. Buses run every 10 mins from Piccadilly Gardens (K stand!) and also picks up outside Old Trafford - North Stand Car Park too. So it is just 2 mins on ths bus or 15 mins walk from OT to the marquee.
The Wigan match will also be screened at a nearby pub (3pm) for those not attending OT - see below
The £2 a pint offer applies in the marquee for the Wigan match with the special flyer which can be downloaded and printed here:
http://bit.ly/marqueeflyer
For mobiles you can display this version (some details may be out of date):
http://go.wapple.net/flyer
(You are welcome to forward this flyer email on to any Reds who might be interested)
Those arriving by car - there is ample parking nearby in the adjacent car park or on the streets (£3 payable by text message to council). This location is also by far the fastest exit route away from Old Trafford - straight through Trafford Park to the M60 for all destinations.
250 bus drops off outside Trafford Park Hotel where the marquee is located. Buses run every 10 mins from Piccadilly Gardens (K stand!) and also picks up outside Old Trafford - North Stand Car Park too. So it is just 2 mins on ths bus or 15 mins walk from OT to the marquee. For those going to the match you can get a bus opposite the marquee at about 2.45pm dropping you outside North Stand at 2.47pm (check timetables though!)
MUST Marquee on the car park at the Trafford Park Hotel (note this is in Trafford Park - junction of Third Avenue and Village Way - not the Trafford HALL Hotel on Talbot Rd). This is 11 mins walk from North Stand/Trafford Park Road http://bit.ly/OTtoTPH
Marquee is located here
http://bit.ly/TPHMarquee
5. FC United Community Share Scheme
Firstly what an amazing night of drama with FC winning at Rochdale. Congratulations to the team and fantastic support which came across loud and clear on TV too for those not lucky enough to have been there.
We promoted the FC Community Share Scheme in the last email and it was a little disappointing to see one or two cynical responses suggesting we'd been forced into doing so or that it was somehow grudgingly done. That certainly isn't the case - it was a genuine gesture of goodwill recognising the great role model that FC represents in terms of supporter ownership. Just to reinforce that point and help to build unity amongst all sections of United's support here are the details again:
http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/communityshares
We know that many FCUM fans (in fact 99% of the founders) were originally members of MUST (Shareholders United) and still support Manchester United and our shared aim of supporter ownership at MUFC too.
Clearly MUST's priorities remain with the ownership of Manchester United and that will continue to be the case but we also recognise the importance of FCUM for a significant group of our own members (both past and present).
6. Match screening of United v Wigan - near Old Trafford
If you aren't going to the game but want to watch the United v Wigan match live on a big screen (it isn't on Sky/ESPN) then it is being screened at a pub 2 mins walk from the MUST pre-match marquee (see above - note the £2 a pint November offer with flyer is for the pre-match marquee only).
250 bus drops off outside Trafford Park Hotel where the marquee is located. Buses run every 10 mins from Piccadilly Gardens (K stand!) and also picks up outside Old Trafford - North Stand Car Park too. So it is just 2 mins on ths bus or 15 mins walk from OT to the marquee. For those going to the match you can get a bus opposite the marquee at about 2.45pm dropping you outside North Stand at 2.47pm (check timetables though!)
7. Epson buy United!
That was the rumour circulating earlier. Turns out they are just a new Glazer sponsor. Maybe they lent them the money for the PIK redemption?
Hewlett Packard Reds it is then?
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