Ed Woodward is responsible for a lot that is currently wrong at Manchester United, that's not in question.
However, no-one deserves to feel unsafe in their own house or fear for the personal safety of themselves or their family.
Was it an act of pure intimidation? Or, far worse, did they actually want blood on their hands?
Bearing in mind, this is the response to a suit simply not being very good at part of his job.
Thankfully, Woodward, nor his wife or young children were home at the time. It was terrifying enough to see video footage of thugs besieging the property, so it doesn’t bear thinking about what that would have been like had someone actually been inside.
Woodward has been the subject of growing criticism in recent weeks as a result of the club’s ongoing failings - particularly in the transfer market. The former banker is the man who made the Glazer takeover possible 15 years ago and is now the public face of the owners.
Woodward has been a huge success at Old Trafford in a commercial sense, which is perhaps why is he is highly valued by his American bosses. But there are valid arguments for his removal from a role overseeing football operations after greenlighting hundreds of millions of pounds worth of investment to build what remains a poor squad still in need of a major overhaul.
There are people on here actually defending throwing flares at someone’s house because their team haven’t been quite as successful on the football pitch lately. As well as the usual nonsensical conspiracy theories that it was some sort of PR stunt. Beggars belief.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 29, 2020
Fans have every right to be unhappy, upset and angry over his part in the running of their football club. But intimidation and the threat of violence goes so far past the line of what is acceptable it is difficult to understand the absurd and twisted mentality behind it.
Chanting at games for Woodward to die is bad enough. The latest sorry development is a massive step beyond that, all over something so trivial as the relative performance of a football team.
Almost as bad as those directly involved are those who have since condoned or supported the attack on social media, making comments like ‘he had it coming’, or ‘he brought this on himself’.
If you have said something like that, or even thought it, take a long and hard look in the mirror.
There are some proper low lives out there. Protest all you want, boycott games, but don’t sing about a person dying and definitely don’t attack his house! That’s not just crossing the line, it’s downright appalling and criminal. What kind of football ‘fan’ thinks that’s ok? #MUFC
— Jamie Spencer (@jamiespencer155) January 29, 2020
Does poor performance at work, in any job, merit death threats, intimidation and the threat of physical violence?
Every single time without fail, the answer is categorically no. Very obviously.
Then there is the ridiculous and tedious conspiracy theory that the attack was orchestrated by Woodward himself, with the help of new PR adviser Neil Ashton, in the hope of a sympathetic response...
It is little secret that United are on the PR offensive at the moment – the bizarre over the top public defence of Woodward by Sun journalist Neil Custis last week is proof of that – but to plan an attack on your own home for the sake of sympathy? Come on.
Bury fans don’t have a club to support, Bolton are gonna suffer back to back relegations cos of piss poor ownership and Coventry don’t have a ground, you’re 5th in the Premier League, get a grip. https://t.co/opa3Dx1OSc
— Zac (@zaclad88) January 24, 2020
The problem with
Take a step back and chill the f**k out.
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Source : 90min