Long before it was announced last Friday night that Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani had launched a personal bid to buy the club, Manchester United's ownership stirred emotions.
The possible sale of Manchester United could be another missed opportunity for English football to develop a different model of ownership.
If Erik ten Hag is to succeed as Manchester United manager, he needs to negotiate and potentially overturn the system which has malfunctioned so badly for the past nine years.
The executive chairman's departure was marked by a series of articles reflecting on his time but they only underlined the key problem with Woodward's Manchester United - Woodward.
The great English clubs no longer look to Ireland for their players. Brexit has restricted options even further so where now for the gifted Irish footballer?
The appointment of Ralf Rangnick as Manchester United's interim manager should lead to an immediate improvement but those who caused the mess at Old Trafford haven't gone away.
The Premier League announced a new deal for their US rights which doubled their previous deal. For the big clubs elsewhere in Europe it may have increased their urgency about a Super League.
Manchester United are no longer a club run on sound principles, but the talk of tradition and the Manchester United Way should be seen for what it really is: a dependence on superstition.
Manchester United's sentimental attachment to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is preventing them from challenging Liverpool.
The Manchester United manager is backed by most of the club's supporters but he may become a peripheral figure.
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