Not for Sale!: Manchester United, Murdoch and the Defeat of BSkyB Book

On 9 September, 1998, the plc board of Manchester United Football Club decided to accept BskyB's takeover bid. This book charts the campaign waged by both fans and shareholders of the club against the bid made by the Rupert Murdoch-owned broadcasting company, until its eventual rejection at the hands of the Monpolies and Mergers Commission and the DTI on 9 April, 1999. From being told "You're tilting at windmills", after seven months those behind the campaign had the last laugh. Brown and Walsh examine in detail the bid itself and the events which followed, whilst keeping the proposed deal and the campaign fought against it in a wider context than solely the club and corporation in question. The outcome is a work with focus for detail but awareness of a broader scenario. The many supporters of Manchester United, all around the world, will no doubt be interested and the story told will no doubt enlighten most of them on the real working of the club. For the rest of us, the minutiae may not be so relevant. However, the principles remain important. What if it was your club? As the implications of this particular episode take on ever greater importance, this report will for some time remain a document of importance for those involved and interested in the issue it confronts. --Trevor CroweRead More