“Stop exploiting loyalty” proclaimed angry Manchester United and Everton supporters in a joint protest ahead of kick-off regarding rising ticket prices,. But while that event ended up being focused upon the hosts, the phrase could also easily apply to the on-the-field fortunes of the team backed through thin and thinner by beleaguered Blues.
Like [Everton](https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/everton-fc), with their statue of Colin Harvey, Howard Kendall and Alan Ball, the Red Devils have their own ‘Holy Trinity’ in the shape of Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law and it was next to the monument of these greats from the swinging 60s that the anger about the removal of concessionary tickets at Old Trafford took place an hour before kick-off.
Without consultation with their fan groups, United owners have decided that the quota for reduced price entry at home matches this season has now been reached and from February onwards, it’s £66 per head, regardless of age. In a spirit of solidarity – with Liverpool and Manchester City supporters following suit before their clash at Anfield – travelling Evertonians stood shoulder to shoulder with aggrieved United fans to vent their concerns over increasing prices.
This correspondent was in the thick of it, to report on the event, and while I was able to spot at least one blue shirt among the United hordes, in truth it seemed to be dominated as much by the hosts as the 90 minutes that followed on the Old Trafford turf. The ire consisted of a series of biting chants directed towards the Glazers and Jim Ratcliffe, who as a local lad, is considered by many of his fellow United fans to be the biggest sell-out of them all, with remarks such as “66 quid, you’re taking the p\*\*\*; “Ratcliffe is a c\*\*\*”; and “Manchester lad, you’re having a laugh. You’re not one of us, you greedy c\*\*\*.”
United’s followers are well within their rights to speak out against such arbitrary-looking pricing policies but while many Evertonians found themselves pleasantly surprised that the figures weren’t higher when their own club announced the prices for their first season tickets at their new stadium less than 24 hours earlier, Old Trafford patrons, who saw their team win the FA Cup this year but still sacked their manager, should try walking a mile in Blues’ shoes.
When the Premier League era kicked off, Everton had won two more League Championships than Manchester United but other than a 3-0 victory here in the competition’s first week in 1992, there has only been one success at Old Trafford, thanks to Bryan Oviedo’s strike 11 years ago.
Over that long period, there have been a myriad of different kind of defeats, but this is up there with some of the worst. Everton stand on the cusp of being able to look forward to a bright new dawn when they move to their future 52,888 capacity home by the Mersey waterfront, but they’ve got to get there safely first, with their Premier League status intact, and days like this are going to get nerves jangling again.