Cult Heroes – Michael Knighton

admin

15th, August 2007

3 Comments

1275780.jpgWatching the Football Years last night (on some freeview channel), I reveled in the season or 89/90. That year, Liverpool won the league, Man United won the FA Cup and most importantly, the biggest charlatan in football made his appearance. Michael Knighton announced that he was going take over at Old Trafford and bring a smile back to the United faithful, promising to bring back the “glory years”.
Knighton offered (what seems like a measly) £20 million for Manchester United which was accepted by United chief executive (and alleged peeping tom) Martin Edwards. To introduce himself to the fans, the ‘shy’ Knighton appeared on the pitch at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season (a 4-1 thrashing of Arsenal), dressed in a United kit doing kick-ups and lashing the ball into the net at the Stretford End. However… there was a problem…


Having watched a load of United games for free, donned the kit and scored at the Stretford End (every United fan’s dream come true) and generally larged it in the boardroom… Knighton’s main problem was, in essence, that he had absolute no money to buy ManYoo with. What a chancer! Deservedly derided by United fans, Knighton was laughed out of town. That said, you can’t help but admire the gall of a man with no investment getting as far as he did. His cheek is certainly something to be admired.
Knighton’s farcical times didn’t end there. Setting his sights on something more realistic, the propertyman bought Carlisle United. After some initial success, Knighton looked to be the saviour of Cumbrian footy. However, his imperial period didn’t last long, and soon, the mocking laughter would be back to haunt him. In 1996 Knighton claimed to have seen a UFO, which, of course, was met with hoots of derision. He claimed that he and his wife Rosemary had seen a UFO in 1976. The local newspaper, the Carlisle News and Star, broke the story with the fantastic headline ‘Knighton: Aliens Spoke To Me’.
Salute this potty and brilliant man.
[Photo: Ben Radford/Getty Images]

Posted in Man Utd

Share this article: Email

3 Comments

  1. Baldy_blue says:

    Cult hero? there’s one letter wrong there for what Carlisle fans think about this fat joke of a man..

  2. Fact says:

    David Price now give you precisely 24 hors to remove your article or suffer the consequences
    Michael Knighton is an English businessman. He was a director of Manchester United (1989-1992) and owner/chairman of Carlisle United AFC (1992-1999). His high public profile during his attempted, and finally aborted, take over bid for Manchester United- left him one of the best known football people in England in the 1980’s/1990’s
    LEGAL ACTION
    In 1996 the eminent London Law Firm David Price – Specialist Advocates in Media Law – This Firm successfully won substantial libel damages for Knighton when they sued the Sunday Times Editors and Reed International Books for publishing in their…”the Sunday Times Illustrated History of Football”. In this publication like so many others before them they claimed, inter alia, that Knighton did not have the funds to complete his £20m bid for Manchester United in August 1989. Evidence produced in the High Court in London proved to the Court that the publishers malicious and damaging claims were completely unfounded and untrue. Indeed, his lawyers demonstrated to the Court that not only did Knighton have the financial wherewithal to Complete the Takeover of Manchester United by buying all of Martin Edwards shares, but, the lawyers also proved that Knighton had sufficient financial clout to carry out the proposed development of the Stretford End of Old Trafford Stadium
    Legal Archive David Price Solicitors and Advocated -Specialist in Media Law 21 Fleet St London EC4 Y1AA +44 (0)2073539999 enquires@lawyers-media.com
    THIS FIRM ARE RETAINED BY MICHAEL KNIGHTON TO PROTECT HIS REPUTATION FROM LIBELOUS STATEMENTS PUBLISHED BY ANY MEANS INCLUDING THE INTERNET

  3. Anonymous says:

    Michael Knighton is an English businessman. He was a director of Manchester United Football Club (1989-1992) and owner/chairman of Carlisle United AFC (1992-1999). His high public profile during his attempted, and finally aborted, take over bid for Manchester United- left him one of the best known football people in England in the 1980’s/1990’s
    LEGAL ACTION
    The eminent London Law Firm David Price – Specialist Advocates in Media Law – in 1996 this Firm successfully won substantial libel damages for Knighton when they sued the Sunday Times Editors and Reed International Books for publishing their…”The Sunday Times Illustrated History of Football”. In this publication, like so many others before them, they claimed, inter alia, that Knighton did not have the funds to Complete his £20m bid for Manchester United in August 1989. Evidence produced in the High Court in London proved to the Court that the publishers malicious and damaging claims were completely unfounded and untrue. Indeed, his lawyers demonstrated to the Court that not only did Knighton have the financial wherewithal to Complete the Takeover of Manchester United by buying all of Martin Edwards shares, further, the lawyers also proved that Knighton had sufficient financial clout to carry out the proposed development of the Stretford End of Old Trafford Stadium. (1)
    REF:(1) Legal Archive: David Price Solicitors and Advocates-Specialists in Media Law. 21 Fleet St London EC4 Y1AA +44 (0)2073539999 enquires@lawyers-media.com
    THIS FIRM ARE RETAINED BY MICHAEL KNIGHTON TO PROTECT HIS REPUTATION FROM LIBELOUS STATEMENTS PUBLISHED BY ANY MEANS INCLUDING THE INTERNET