Bookie king Fred Done talks to M.u.E.N. Sport Editor Peter Spencer about all that is wrong at Old Trafford - and right at the Etihad
Self-made Salford millionaire bookie Fred Done has been a United fan all his life.
He was approached by a consortium three times to buy the club, his firm are the Reds’ former betting partner and he is close friends with Sir Alex Ferguson.
In an emotional, hour-long interview with M.u.E.N. Sport editor Peter Spencer, Fred revealed how United’s slump is breaking his heart and how the Reds could do worse than taking a leaf out of City’s book.
Here, Mike Keegan picks out the explosive best bits.
PS: Are City now a bigger club than United?
FD: If I look at United I see captions claiming they are the biggest club in the world. I do not believe that for one minute. I don’t think they are in the top half dozen and if they are not careful they will slip down that ladder quickly. I hear arrogant talk about how United don’t need to play well and win to pull crowds. You watch. I sit at Old Trafford and see strangers around me where you used to see the same faces week in week out. They are not selling the tickets believe me.
City are murdering them. Sheikh Mansour has done fantastic for City as a club and for the city of Manchester. What’s different about them? Sheikh Mansour does not care about a return on his money. The Glazers want dividends. He’s put all the facilities in. They take the kids to school, pay their fees. The large majority won’t make it but what does Sheikh Mansour do? He carries on paying for schooling until they have left even if they haven’t made it. What do United do for the community? In my opinion not enough. When you talk about biggest in world United don’t measure up to Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Bayern Munich and in footballing terms they are not as good as Chelsea or City. Look at what’s happened at Liverpool. The last time they won the title was 1990. I hope it doesn’t take United 24 years to come back.
PS: It’s crunch time for David Moyes. Should they stick with him and was he the right man in the first place?
FD: He was Alex Ferguson’s choice. Hand on heart did I agree? Absolutely. His record at Everton was very good and I liked the stability. It’s much too early to talk about sackings. I think he is a decent man who has been dealt a bad hand and he has not been able to change that hand yet. This season is a complete write-off. If I was on the board would I give him more rope? Yes. But the Glazer family have to get the wallet out. I have not enjoyed one match at Old Trafford this season. We just don’t look a team.
PS: What about Mourinho?
FD: With the benefit of hindsight, and we can all be clever after the event, I wish we’d have got Jose Mourinho.
PS: What advice would you give to David Moyes?
FD: One of the things I would say is stop apologising for everything. You saw him slouched in his seat at Olympiakos. That looks like a defeated man. Sit up straight, David, and don’t do that nonsense. Stop apologising for players who are not good enough. Change them. Next season be ruthless. You have to dismantle this team. I don’t expect you to be Premier League champions next season or the year after. You need seven or eight players because they are just not good enough. Get the knife out. You don’t make omelettes without breaking eggs. Break some eggs.
PS: When did you first get interested in United?
FD: I don’t think you had much choice of supporting anyone else if you came from Ordsall! At the age of seven I went for the first time just as the Babes were emerging. I have a picture of Duncan Edwards in my gym and when I am slacking I look at it and think would Duncan give up? United are ingrained in me.
PS: What was the real story with you and the Red Knights?
FD: I was asked on three occasions would I join. If I wanted United I would want to own it for myself. I don’t want to be a Red Knight, I want to be a red footballer. Jim O’Neill (the Gatley-born ecoomist who led the group) is a shrewd guy whose love is United, unlike the Glazers. The Glazers are smart business people who pulled off a real coup for themselves. They sneaked up on United and bought it quietly and almost totally on debt. That’s very clever. Their main concern is paying debt down and taking dividends out. To the Glazers it’s purely and simply a financial instrument. It breaks my heart that they’re sat in Florida while 70,000 who love the club are paying for their debt and dividends and are not seeing a good team. We’re watching rubbish.
PS: If you had your time again and could see into the future would you have bought United?
FD: Absolutely, but I would have bought it for the wrong reasons, for love rather than as a commercial enterprise.
PS: What are you thoughts on Ed Woodward?
FD: He talks the talk but I don’t know if he can walk the walk. They talk about spending £100m. I don’t know if that’s enough.
PS: Why can you not get something moving? Why can’t you act as a catalyst for change?
FD: Because we have got lives to run as well. The £2bn that is needed wants a lot of raising. I think the Glazers have a long-term objective but when the right cheque is waved at them they will go. It will take an Arab sheikh or a Russian oligarch to do it because I don’t believe 40 people will raise that money. Would I spend £2bn? No.
PS: Have you considered switching allegiance to City?
FD: I am never going to go to City and you know that! I’m foreign when I go there. What I will say is that when you do go there is everything from the catering to what’s on the pitch is better than United at the moment.
PS: Will United qualify for the Champions League?
FD: No
PS: Who will win the Premier League?
FD: City.
PS: Should they bring Sir Alex back?
FD: No
