New Man Utd CEO Richard Arnold meets disgruntled fans at a pub and rips into the club after a woeful 2021/22 season going trophy-less again.
On Saturday, a group of around 12 members of the 1958 group had planned to protest outside the 51-year-old’s house, a few years after some fans had caused controversy throwing flares and could be heard singing death chants about previous chief executive Ed Woodward.
It produced a strong statement from United, who condemned the behaviour, this time round however, Arnold has a different way of trying to reason with fans, replacing Woodward in the position in February this year, and instead met with the miffed off fans at his local, the Boot Inn pub in Willington, Cheshire.
He chose to pay the protesting fans’ drinks and gave an honest assessment of the current situation the Red Devils are in and also make a dig on Woodward’s performance.
@Gerry_Deakin wrote on social media: “To set the story straight… We met with Richard Arnold today after plans to go and protest outside his house got out and somehow got back to him (rats). So he came down to the pub where we were all meeting before going to his, which is also his local.
He gave us a heavily scripted speech which none of us fell for. He said his hands are tied because he’s not getting the investment he needs to make Man Utd great again. He was like another Neil Ashton full of PR nonsense. What he said, in not so many words, is that attacking sponsors affects the money he needs and that if it carries on the Glazers have to put their hands in their own pockets (no chance of that).
He is there to run Manchester United as a business, not football club. So the sponsors getting angry at him and affecting his job is something he was trying to put a stop to. If/when we get new owners in, he knows full well he wouldn’t be the CEO. Why the fcuk would we have a Liverpool fan CEO from a Rugby background, not football. He tried, and failed miserably, to make us feel sorry for him.
To summarise: he isn’t a good guy for getting us a few beers in (he’s a multi-millionaire). He says he’s against the dividends and doesn’t agree with them being taking. He does genuinely want the best for the club but his hands are tied and new owners/protests/sponsor bashing just makes his job harder/obsolete…
🗣 Richard Arnold: “The money is there to spend on new players this summer, that the manager & director of football want.”
Richard Arnold speaking to fans at Pub, who were allegedly planning a protest at #mufc. Ed Woodward or the Glazers never did this 👏pic.twitter.com/IdguMxBBpe
— centredevils. (@centredevils) June 18, 2022
Part of the meeting was filmed and uploaded onto Twitter. At one point in the video, Arnold explained: “We’ve f***ing burned through cash. We spent a billion pounds on players, we spent more than anyone in Europe.
“I am not thrilled with where we are, it doesn’t sit easy and we’ve got to get this sorted.
“You can’t go to our training ground and go, ‘show me where that billion pounds is here’.
“I don’t think we’ve done well with the money we’ve spent historically. We’ve blown through an enormous amount of money.
“Last year was a f***ing nightmare. I was hating every minute of it.”
Arnold also revealed that the club need outside investment in order to change Old Trafford and the AON training complex.
“This summer, the money that the manager and director of football wants is there,” he continued.
“For the future, for investing in a new stadium and that sort of stuff, for a £250m training ground, we’ve got to do something, we’ve got to get investors in.
“I need that to do what I want for the club — I’ve got to have more cash than I have now.”
One fan had asked Arnold for an update on the pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong.
Manchester United CEO Richard Arnold when he was asked by a fan if Frenkie De Jong transfer is done. pic.twitter.com/jT70VZvBrT
— Kyama ⚽ (@ElijahKyama) June 18, 2022
Only the thing Richard Arnold said regarding transfers:
“United officials are in Barcelona getting the deal done for De Jong” & “everyone is working all day & all night to get it over the line, I haven’t slept in the last few days”
Wouldn’t say anything else on other players.
— Paul, Manc Bald and Bred (@MufcWonItAll) June 18, 2022
Basically Richard Arnold said officials are in Barcelona sorting the de Jong deal as we speak.
— Paul, Manc Bald and Bred (@MufcWonItAll) June 18, 2022
Fans: “Stop blagging us and just be honest”
Arnold: “Look we’re doing everything we can to get De Jong and I’m telling you the money is there for him.”
— Paul, Manc Bald and Bred (@MufcWonItAll) June 18, 2022
Arnold aimed went in on his predecessor, Woodward, saying, “Do you want me buying the players? Doesn’t that ring a bell?”
He was asked about leaks from the dressing room, which led to him reminding fans that Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard had both left following their contracts expiring.
According to one of the fans at the pub, Pogba was also called a “twat” by Arnold.
The face-to-face meeting was the first of it’s kind if you like that fans had with an official from the club in 17 years and was a historic, watershed moment that needed to happen.
Twitter users gave their thoughts as new Man Utd CEO Richard Arnold meets disgruntled fans at a pub and rips into the club…
@BreezyUTD: I can’t lie. Richard Arnold in his short time has done way more for Manchester United than Ed Woodward. Didn’t hide behind the police and spoke to disgruntled fans face to face. Have to respect it
@usareddevils: Preach!!! This is exactly the point. He is meeting with you because he is feeling the heat from the protests!!! We need to keep up the pressure and fight for our club back #glazersout
@sammy4_9: This is huge boost for us
@Conor_S22: Fair play to you guys that went, it sums up the state of the club from what he was saying.
@sibobs1: I think every protest has to be focused on every uk based CEO of United. If they fall the glazers have nobody doing their bidding in Manchester. Make that job untenable and they’ll be under much more pressure. Good job Gerry
@GlazersFuck: Brilliant Gerry #GlazersOut no end to the pressure infact it needs intensified
@taffmu: Thank for keeping us reds in the loop , another of crap season to look forward too 🔴⚪️⚫️
@WManUtdW: Fair enough but maybe what he’s said is not all PR. I’ve seen the video and he seems genuine. Obviously not out there to defend him or the Glazers but he definitely deserves some time before being criticised to such an extent.
@chriswg1975: Protesting at a man’s house is wrong in my view, save the protests for the stadium
@AaronSwallow2: Atleast he had the balls to come and face you face to face. But protesting in front of someone’s private home is unsettling, especially for his family who have nothing to do with the club will be effected. But it’s great to see the protests are working and getting through
@Kedrik7: Lad i know you must be pissed and all but going to protest at someone house where he has family and childrens is crossing the line. His house aint his office go protest there all day and all night or let’s boycott old trafford attendance but not his home his family safe space.
@Jamesstretford: Richard Arnold genuinely seems like he cares and wants to change things at United going forward instead of Ed Woodward. Shame he’s got the Glazers infront of him and they’ll block most things if it means they have to reach into their own pockets.
@alan_bince: I’ll be honest here. Not many will agree with me. Richard Arnold showed the balls to talk with a group of #mufc fans. But it was embarrassing from their end to leak videos of the discussion. Always ask for permission before recording or posting something online. Basic ethics 🤌
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