In January 1902, with debts of £2,670 – equivalent to £210,000 as of 2010[12] – the club was served with a winding-up order.[13] Captain Harry Stafford found four local businessmen, including John Henry Davies (who became club president), each willing to invest £500 in return for a direct interest in running the club and who subsequently changed the name.
Fire gutter kom forbi og dækkede 75% af klubbens gæld mod medbestemmelse/ejerskab og gav klubben et nyt navn.
In 1910, they moved to a new ground – Old Trafford – where they remain to this day, adding another league championship to celebrate.
Club saviour John Henry Davies died in 1927 and thus was not around to help them a few years later when more financial problems threatened to put the club out of business. This time it was businessman James Gibson who stumped up the finance to save Manchester United and take control of the club.
Man fik et kæmpe nyt stadion man ikke havde råd til, men en gut kom forbi med en pose penge fik ejerskab og så gik den alligevel.
Football became a £4 million a year industry in the 1940s. Old Trafford was rebuilt and in 1948 Manchester United was valued at £100,000. The team Busby assembled that year cost £7,750 in transfer (signing) fees. Busby was also managing the British Olympic team.
Kom ikke og sig at penge betød så forfærdeligt meget mindre for en klubs success end den gør nu. United var heldige at få penge til et kæmpe stadion der kunne generere indkomst. United var ligeledes heldige at de fik en genial manager på det helt rigtige tidspunkt. Fodbold var på vej til at blive en kæmpeforretning, samtidig med at Busby fik revolutioneret holdet.
Det gjorde at klubben økonomisk lå perfekt i svinget da lønloftet blev fjernet i ´61. De kunne uden tøven købe det bedste og dyreste spillere, og gjorde det.
When Martin Edwards could not sell the club, he recruited executives who made it the most profitable team in the U.K. It began trading on the London Stock Exchange in 1991. In 1992-93, Manchester United Football Club plc had an operating profit of £7.3 million on a turnover of £25.2 million, thanks largely to merchandising and brand extensions such as Champs Cola, which were worth £5.3 million, up from just £828,000 five years earlier. Besides soda, the club was soon branding lager, wine, even champagne.
Det var til gengæld genialt. Men der er stadig tale om at en forretningsmand var dygtig og tjente en masse penge som han puttede i klubben. Forskellen er at Roman tjente sine penge inden han puttede dem i klubben.
Ja, Romans investering i Chelsea er den absolut højst profilerede, og beløbsmæssigt største nogensinde, men det ændrer ikke på at det er noget rigtig mange klubber har været igennem en eller flere gange i løbet af deres historie.