While most attention is focused on the pitch and at best on issues in the training grounds and dressing rooms, a big chunk of what makes a club successful is increasingly to be found in the board rooms and the extended management activities at a club. These include overall governance, commercial and financial management, negotiations for
players both new and existing, scouting networks and talent spotting, marketing and fan base management, ownership and power distribution and importantly, stability.

Thus it is, when you look at Manchester United, you realize how many of these boxes United manages to tick. While so much attention and adulation is rightfully showered on Sir Alex Ferguson, the club itself does tend to resemble a well oiled machine where all the pieces are ticking over nicely. In the high churn world of football, such efficiency can be fleeting and easily disrupted, but for now United come close to being a model club. In fact it's success in the face of apparently richer competitors says something very important about the club.

Cast your eyes back to Manchester United in the 70s. Louis Edwards who ran a meat packaging business invested heavily in the club in the 60s and by 70s was not
only the chairman but also owned much of the club. In those days, selling pies to the fans on match days was seen as one of the major benefits of such ownership - a case of downstream integration, nothing more.

Supporters questionning the viability of "foreign owners" should probably remember that Louis Edwards grew his business by bribing school officials to win contracts and supplying meat that was unfit for human consumption, as shown by a Granada investigation. Man United in this period were also found guilty of bribing parents of
young players to help recruit them, in breach of FA Regulations. After Louis Edwards, his son Martin Edwards ran the club from the early 80s through to the flotation of the club on the stock market. In that time, he tried to sell the club to, among others, Robert Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch. Martin Edwards was the man who appointed Alex Ferguson as manager and Peter Kenyon as Chief Executive, but had to resign when he was embroiled in one scandal too many.


Manchester United was floated on the stock market for £ 47 million in 1991 as the Premier League was kicking off with funding from Sky. Peter Kenyon was a savvy
marketing man and was involved in making United a global brand. But it was on his watch that United's transfer record suffered the most, with Veron, Kleberson et al being signed, and also narrowly missing out on the signature of Ronaldinho. In 2004, he left for Chelsea and David Gill took over as CEO. Gill is an accountant and financial manager by training and has brought a steady hand to the running of the club.

When the Glazers came calling there was much uproar and threats of all kinds
of action from the fans. But when the dust settled and Avram and Joel Glazer were installed as co-chairman, it turns out that United is one of the better run clubs. Despite all the doomsday prophecies about high cost of financing and possible impact on the club (£ 60 million of debt servicing), United have been doing well on and off the pitch so far.

To start with, United have been decisive and focused in the transfer market. Early moves for Tosic in January mirror the quick swoops for Nani, Anderson and Hargreaves last summer. And while Berbatov and Tevez were quite protracted, both have ended up playing for United. Youth development and talent scouting has also been impressive with the Da Silva twins, Danny Wellbeck already making their mark.

The expansion of Old Trafford - with 8000 additional seats came in 95/96 when the club was just unleashing Beckham, Scholes, Giggs et al onto the world, but continued to fill its seats. The current seating capacity of 76,000 (second only to Wembley) is routinely filled almost to capacity. And plans are already being discussed of increasing this to a 95,000 seater stadium. It's the only stadium in Britain to earn the 5 star rating from UEFA. Consider this, at ticket prices ranging from £ 25 - £ 44, United netted incomes of £96 million from matchday revenues.

Then you have the shirt sponsorships - AIG have obviously pulled out of continuing their sponsorship - as they're in no position to sponsor anybody currently. But it's already been in the news that United are scouting for new sponsors with Sahara India being one of the possible names. United have 16 months to get this sorted. The AIG deal was worth £ 14 million/ year. We'll have to wait to see what the next one involves. Vodafone paid £9 million a year for the 4 years that it sponsored the United shirts.

Finally United get a share of the money coming out of TV rights - which are divvied up in the Premiership with clubs earning slightly more for each place they end in the league. And of course additional TV revenues come the clubs way when they perform better in cup competitions as each round brings bigger and bigger TV revenues.