Manchester United Football Club suffered its biggest share price drop this week after rumours that the business was no longer for sale began circulating – with more than £600 million wiped off their market value.Yikes.
After a number of reports over the weekend suggested that the much-maligned Glazer family are now set to take the club off the market after months of takeover talk that now looks to have stalled, Man United‘s share price closed at $23.66 on Friday and dropped to as low as $18.83 on Tuesday.
With the final figure on 5 September closing at $19.35, this was the biggest dip the club has ever seen (18.22%) in a single day since it became a publicly traded company back in 2012, breaking the previous record of a 13.8% drop set just a few years back on March 12, 2020, during the pandemic.
Speaking to Sky Sports, football finance expert Kieran Maguire explained exactly how the share price plummeted, stating that a lot of the club’s market value prior to the drop was actually being “propped up to a degree by speculators who thought there would be a full sale”.
As Maguire goes on to detail, many of those invested in the club would have been hoping to sell off their shares Man United shares for “between $27-30” once a potential buyout was complete but since there has been little movement on the long drawn out takeover, many simply decided to offload them now.
The Price of Football podcast host also argued that the Glazers’ supposed second thoughts over selling United might have come not only from their two lead bidders — Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe — failing to meet their valuation but from seeing others like Barcelona just “selling off slices” of their club.
He also added that there is a confident assumption that TV rights deals will increase next year as they so often do and that new technologies like AI and VR could allow for “new ways to deliver content to Man United’s global fan base”.
While we’re on the subject of digital technologies, these reports come in light of the suggestion the club’s media team and hierarchy are already editing out ‘Glazers Out‘ chants and their numerous offensive lyrics.
Are Manchester United editing out the Glazer protest chants from their footage?
Various times when ‘we want Glazers out’ has mysteriously disappeared on United’s social media.
United issued a statement updating fans on the ongoing Antony situation on Wednesday 6 September, confirming that they are now looking into the matter alongside the investigation being carried out by Greater Manchester Police and Brazilian authorities, adding that they will be making “no further comments”.
Despite insisting that they are considering the impact these claims will have on “survivors of abuse”, it is now being reported that the club have so far “resisted calls from domestic abuse charities” to suspend the 23-year-old.
Tatton Park makes decision to temporarily close gate after visitor is attacked by rutting deer
Emily Sergeant
Tatton Park has made the decision to temporarily close one of its gates after a member of the public following a ‘recent change in deer activity’.
It comes after ‘a couple of injuries’ despite warnings and a large amount of signage across the park.
The decision to close the Knutsford gate had to be taken by Tatton management with input from Cheshire East Council’s health and safety manager, and its director of growth and enterprise, along with ‘expert advice’ from the leading deer vet who works across many deer parks in the UK.
The Knutsford gate will be closed to pedestrians and vehicles ‘until further notice’, but the Dog Wood entrance and the main Rostherne entrance will remain open.
Tatton Park cited a current ‘larger number’ of stags than usual found feeding on fallen acorns near the Knutsford entrance, and an overall ‘recent shift in our deer herd’s behaviour during the rutting season’ as the reason for the gate’s closure in a statement shared to social media this week.
Rutting season – which refers to the autumn deer breeding season, typically from late September to early November in the UK – is when deer herds may exhibit aggression if approached.
“If you come across wild deer whilst visiting, we strongly advise you take an alternative route,” the park said in its statement.
The park’s Operations Team added in a statement, as reported by the MEN: “Despite all warnings, a large amount of signage, staff being on hand to advise people to avoid the deer, and all efforts to try to re-route people and get them to stop approaching the deer, we have unfortunately had a couple of injuries.”
One of the ‘injuries’ referred to was an incident involving 67-year-old man named Rod Savage, who was reportedly hurled up in the air after a large stag suddenly appeared and charged at him with his antlers, puncturing his stomach.
Tatton Park temporarily closes its gate after a visitor is attacked by rutting deer / Credit: Diana Parkhouse (via Unsplash)
The terrifying ordeal happened just 300 yards inside the Knutsford entrance, contributing to the gate’s temporary closure.
Tatton Park has now issued warnings and advice to all future visitors.
People are being told to ‘never walk between the deer’ and ‘never put yourself between deer and a fence’, while always maintaining a safe distance of 50m or more when possible, and ultimately remaining vigilant and fully-aware of your surroundings at all times.
“We’ll be monitoring the situation daily and continue to provide updates,” the park concluded in its statement on social media.
“We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”
Featured Image – Diana Parkhouse (via Unsplash)
News
Shocking new study reveals that almost 100 people a day are caught drink-driving
Emily Sergeant
Nearly 100 drivers a day in Britain have had ‘drink-drive endorsements’ added to their licences in the past three years, a shocking new study has revealed.
Alarmingly, it’s people between the ages of 25 and 39 that are the most frequently penalised for drink-driving – with around 48,000 drivers in this age bracket being handed endorsements, followed closely by 40,000 drivers aged 40 to 65.
In contrast, only 15,000 drivers aged 17 to 24 were penalised, and a mere 3,000 over-65s received points on their licence between 2022 and 2024.
It’s all according to a study by road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, using data obtained from the DVLA via a Freedom of Information request.
A shocking new study has revealed that almost 100 people a day are caught drink-driving / Credit: Pexels
Drivers caught over the alcohol limit face automatic licence revocation, potential imprisonment, and unlimited fines, while the endorsement remains on a driving licence for 11 years.
Another shocking revelation from the study is that fatalities linked to drink-driving have climbed over the past decade, peaking in 2022 at the highest level in 13 years – with the RAC saying this trend ‘raises alarms’ about the effectiveness of current road safety measures.
RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis called it ‘completely unacceptable’.
“These disturbing figures show the twin evils of driving under the influence of drink and drugs are behind a frightening number of lives lost on the UK’s roads every year,” he commented.
A third of Brits want police to immediately ban drink drivers at the roadside / Credit – Vladimir Proskurovskiy (via Unsplash)
“A new approach to tackling these repugnant crimes is desperately needed. We hope this will be a key part of the Government’s forthcoming road safety strategy, [as] we’ve consistently been calling for a change in approach when it comes to reducing alcohol-related road deaths, as it’s clear the status quo isn’t working.”
The RAC has been campaigning for courts being given the powers to mandate the fitting of alcohol interlocks (‘alcolocks’) to offenders’ vehicles to prevent them driving drunk again.
It is also ‘supportive’ of the police being given the powers to immediately disqualify any driver who fails a drink or drugs test at the roadside.
Danny Jones -
6th September 2023 
