Why manchester united is the best

Since the foundation of the Premier League in it has won four of the six titles and been runner-up on the other two occasions. It has won the FA Cup twice and been runner-up once. Manchester United has also been the most successful club financially. This performance would be a good by any standard; in the football industry, where most clubs have reported a pre-tax loss, it has been dazzling.

It might seem obvious that financial success and success on the pitch go together. In fact, there is no systematic relationship between the two. This is illustrated by Table 1. In our forthcoming book Szymanski and Kuypers we have assembled a large database of financial statistics relating to football clubs over the past one hundred years by examining publicly available accounting data. Table 1 is based on the reported annual pre-tax profit of forty clubs over a twenty year period: there are cases where from one year to the next we can compare the change in profit to the change in league position.

If above-average league performance always led to higher profits we would find that about that half of the clubs whose league position rose would also show increased profits the top left-hand box in table 1 while for the other half of clubs, league position would fall and profits would fall the bottom right hand box.

The other two boxes top-right and bottom-left would be empty. What we actually find is that club results fall into each of the four boxes in roughly equal proportions. In other words, it appears just as likely that when league performance improves, profits will fall as that they will rise, while when league performance deteriorates, it is more-or-less equally likely that profits will rise or fall.

There appears to be no systematic relationship between profits and league performance. This finding is confirmed if we look at other ways of examining the data, for example comparing the change in profits in the current year with the change in league performance in the previous year. Why should this be? Profit, of course, is simply the difference between revenue and cost.

If we now consider the relationship between revenues and performance on the one hand and performance and costs on the other, a much clearer picture emerges.

In fact, we can state two general principles based on our research: l Better league performance leads to higher revenue l Increased wage expenditure leads to better league performance. These two fundamental relationships are illustrated in figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1 shows the relationship between revenue and league position. As club performance improves, revenues grow as a result of increased attendance, higher ticket prices, increased sponsorship, merchandising and TV income. The same relationship can be found when we look at the performance of clubs over time: higher revenues flow from higher league positions.

The second relationship is illustrated in figure 2. This shows how higher wage expenditure by clubs leads to higher league positions. Wage expenditure is measured by the total wage bill of the club, but most of this expenditure is dominated by player wages. These fundamental relationships hold because of the operation of markets: better players win more matches. There is a well-developed market for players that ensures that better-quality players can attract higher wages.

As a result, higher wage expenditure improves performance. Similarly, there is a market for success. At the margin, fans and sponsors are attracted by success: so better performance attracts higher income.

The reason that these two relationships are so reliable is that, in the absence of significant redistribution of income, football is a highly competitive market. While all the clubs are dependent on each other to produce matches, at the same time they compete intensively against each other to attract supporters and to obtain the best players. Unlike rival sports such as baseball, American Football or basketball, football leagues do very little to redistribute income to create a balanced competition.

As a result, bigger clubs may be valued more highly by the stock market, but successful clubs cannot in general sit back and harvest profits. Profits are always ploughed back into the team in order to preserve the competitiveness of the club. Except, of course, in the case of Manchester United.

How Manchester United. Manchester United has always been controversial. The club entered the Football League in and was almost bankrupted in It was saved primarily by a wealthy local brewer, J. He had ambitions to create a major footballing power and invested heavily, particularly in the development of the ground at Old Trafford.

One certain pick "Honestly, I would say Denis Irwin would be the one certainty to get in the team," Ferguson concluded. Premier League Solskjaer in for a real test against Guardiola.

Manchester United Scholes tears into Pogba: He will be doing the same stupid stuff at All five of the club's top all-time appearance makers were products of the youth system that Sir Matt established in , as were "Fergie's Fledglings.

Manchester United have a tradition of player loyalty. It's arguable whether this is better than Barcelona, but it is certainly the best in the Premier League. United have had a host of one-club players over the years, of which the most famous is probably Sir Bobby Charlton. Ryan Giggs has just started his 21st season with United at the age of In their entire history, they have had 65 players who have stayed for 10 years or more. This is no accident. The majority of players who come to Old Trafford have always wanted to play for the club.

Most of the others can't believe their luck. Like Wayne Rooney , when they consider leaving, they wonder if it could be any better at any other club in the world. Some, like David Beckham , regret that they ever had to leave. On 23 February , a turgid draw between Manchester United and Marseille was watched by 5. Worldwide, it is estimated to have drawn over million viewers. But United's matches can be watched in 1. The weekly audience is as big as that of a Superbowl. Since the Premier League began, Manchester United have been the highest earners from the Sky contract and the most watched team in the Premier League.

Depending on which measure you use, Barcelona or Real Madrid may be more watched for the games between themselves, but United are definitely the most watched in the EPL for the last 20 years.

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