Agent Glazer must be bricking it

Supporters stay loyal to Glazer's United By Ashling O'Connor ONLY 120 season ticket-holders have deserted Manchester United as a direct result of the Malcolm Glazer takeover, according to the latest sales figures for next season. The surprisingly low number dispels the notion that Old Trafford would be blighted by rows of empty seats as a show of protest against the new owner.

On the day that the American billionaire took control of the club in a £790 million deal, pictures of United fans burning their season ticket renewal forms outside the ground were shown around the world. Many disillusioned supporters, concerned about the level of debt involved in the takeover, said that they would never set foot in the stadium so long as the Glazer family was in charge.

Record season ticket sales for the 2005-06 season reveal these people to be a hardcore minority. About 320 supporters are thought to have chosen not to renew their season tickets this year compared with the average lapse in the off-season of 200. This would put the "Glazer effect", on the day his 300p-a-share offer to United shareholders formally closes, at about 120 lost fans.

With more than 2,000 applications yet to process, United have already exceeded last year's sales figure of 40,072. Club officials expect to have sold all the 42,500 tickets available by the time they make the final count. This record sale comes despite a 10 per cent average price increase over the summer. The most expensive season ticket is now £674, or £34 a game.

The rise, signed off before the takeover, is the biggest year-on-year increase in recent seasons and was justified as being to help to fund the expansion of Old Trafford from 67,800 seats to 75,600. An extra 2,500 season tickets were made available. The expansion is due to be completed by the 2006-07 season and will make Old Trafford the biggest sports stadium in the country after the new Wembley.

"This shows that a United season ticket remains the gold standard in football," a club spokesman said. "Even when the stadium expansion is complete, over half the 76,000 crowd will be season ticket-holders."

Evidence of the price-inelasticity of United season tickets will only encourage Glazer in his quest to increase revenues at the club by further increasing prices and ramping up commercial activity inside and outside the stadium. Under a five-year business plan seen by The Times, the average ticket price rise is forecast to be 54 per cent by 2010. Relative to the rest of the Barclays Premiership, the prices are still good value. Match-day members this season will still be able to watch top-clbutt football for £21 a game.

The success of Glazer's takeover, funded by heavy borrowing, depends on supporters' loyalty. The rate of season ticket buying will hearten his bankers that impbuttioned talk of boycotts is little more than that. United estimate that they turn away about 12,500 supporters every game and Glazer will know that there is enough demand to play with despite the vocal protests of a disenfranchised few.

Some supporters have set up an alternative club, FC United, which they hope will play in the North West Counties League next season. Even if they are successful, their unhappy reality is that most fans would prefer to follow the real thing no matter whose name is over the door.

At 3pm today the offer to shareholders closes and the Glazers are expected to reach an ownership level that will force out minority shareholders. They will then be free from stock market restrictions to comment on their plans for the club. Whatever they say will not appease the minority, but it is the majority they are concerned about.