Credit crunching tackles are putting season plans at risk

LONG-TIME loyal regulars over there (top o’ the morning, Messrs ‘Boggers’, ‘Digger’ and ‘Major’) probably don’t need reminding that I write this on a Monday night.

Thus if United have played on Tuesday, I would normally open by asking you, dear reader, how we performed. (‘A rhetorical device,’ it says here)

Today, though, I might as well admit that I don’t care. The League Cup’s continuing devaluation has made it worth less than a US bank share and whatever happened last night is of no real interest, save for any unfortunate broken limbs and/or all-in brawls.

I am, however, quite curious to see how many paid to turn up, in light of recent global events. The Glazers slithered out of their nest on Tuesday last, post-AIG fiasco, to assert: ‘United is financially strong. We have not been adversely affected by the credit crunch.’

Really? So how come we haven’t sold out our season tickets or executive boxes? Gates like last night’s ought to be the first to feel the pinch, along with less-than-thrilling European opposition (hello Alborg!) and the FA Cup.

Various Old Trafford ‘swagmen’ have already noted a distinct drop in purchasing volumes by the match-going punters: at a time when mortgage payments are rising, credit card bills are rocketing and jobs are being lost, that €10 T-shirt frippery is bound to be amongst the first luxuries to go. Along with the overpriced pie ‘n’ pint you were thinking of indulging in at the stadium and, ultimately, that pay-per-view subscription or inessential match ticket.

All this matters not only in terms of the enduring Glazer debt issue and our corporate future but in the here-and-now, on the pitch. For as the News Of The World’s back page illustrated on Sunday – and as I have twice written here this year – United are showing every sign of being currently unable to afford to commit to a permanent Tevez deal, with Fergie now announcing that the issue has been postponed again until June.

Only four months ago, CEO David Gill was promising imminent resolution. But having overpaid for Berbatov, and with the Glazers demanding a minimum of €80m from us this year, we won’t know until season’s end whether there’s going to be enough to fund such a massive ongoing fee-plus-wages commitment.

The NOTW’s take, sadly well-founded, is that Tevez’s agent now has an obvious convenient alternative for his player: Manchester City. Thereby hangs the further sad tale – unlike during past recessions such as in 1991 or 1980, we don’t have the consolation of knowing that the bad times hit ALL clubs and that therefore we wouldn’t be suffering any competitive disadvantage.

For Chelsea and City are recession-proof, and Sunday’s completion of the latter’s takeover – with its attendant six-gun goal salute – looms noisily over all else this week.

Still, we can surely find time to salute those who did the business at The Bridge. A Sven-like Groundhog Day it may have been (‘first half good, second half not so good’) in that it exactly mirrored Moscow — even down to the last second cock-up saving our bacon, with the ref’s Zico/Clive Thomas impression substituting for slippery John Terry. But after the largely disheartening start to the season – and given the horror with which many of us greeted the team sheet Sunday – at least we can recognise that we showed commitment, organisation and concentration, all of which had been sorely lacking.

The knives had already been threatening to come out for Mike Phelan, but they’ll have to stay sheathed just for now.

So, forks out instead: Bolton promise relatively easy meat on Saturday. Let’s eat: and please do tuck in, Ronnie and Roo. It’d be about time, and you must be starving.

* Richard Kurt’s Red Army Years is only available via [e-mail]