BT Sport presenter Jake Humphrey believes the situation Manchester United fans are in right now is ‘similar’ to how Newcastle supporters felt before the takeover.
It’s been a rotten start to the season for the Red Devils, losing to Brighton and Brentford. The loss at the weekend was particularly embarrassing, with Thomas Frank’s side winning 4-0.
Erik ten Hag has had anything but an immediate impact, while the situation surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo continues to cause problems.
All the while, Man United fans are furious with the ownership. This is the latest chapter in what has been a shocking few years for the club. They continue to make mistake after mistake off the pitch, and they are paying for it on it.
And Humphrey thinks Newcastle fans can resonate with what is going on at Old Trafford.
What Humphrey has said about Newcastle and Manchester United
The 43-year-old has taken to Twitter to discuss Manchester United frustrations, where he expressed sympathy for their supporters.
“Feel for and sympathise with Manchester United fans,” he wrote.
“So similar to what Newcastle supporters suffered with for years (often being ignored or ridiculed).
“It’s a reminder why I will always back my club being owned by local supporters regardless of the league we are in.”
No sympathy when it was Newcastle’s problem
It is easy to see the comparison between the two. And it’s also easy to understand why a lot of Toon fans don’t agree.
Mike Ashley didn’t invest in Newcastle. The club was asset stripped, and are still paying for his damage despite the change of ownership. We went down twice because of his unwillingness to spend, and endured crushing blow after crushing blow.
In contrast, spending isn’t the issue at Old Trafford. They have spent a lot of money. The problem is they have spent it horrendously. Very bad decisions have been made that have cost them.
But the bigger problem at Manchester United is how much cash the owners are taking out of the club. Their fans are much better placed to discuss the problems created by the Glazers.
The issue a lot of Newcastle fans will have is how the two clubs were and are being covered in their time of need. While Humphrey always stuck up for the Magpies and spoke about the need for change, his colleagues weren’t as thoughtful.
Rio Ferdinand told Newcastle fans to buy the club themselves if they’re so unhappy. He said we should be thanking Ashley for what he did.
Now Manchester United are having issues and suddenly Ferdinand’s views are different. He believes the Glazers should front up and communicate with supporters. Apparently Man United fans shouldn’t be thankful, nor should they pool their money to buy the club off the Glazers.
The comparisons between Newcastle and Manchester United can be made until the cows come home, but there will be no sympathy from us for the likes of Rio Ferdinand and co.
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