Sue Gray’s long-awaited report into the ‘Partygate’ scandal spoke about how a culture develops within an organisation based on its leadership, or lack thereof.
In some of the first comments on the series of events, Gray commented that the “senior leadership team… must bear responsibility” for a culture that facilitated things that “should not have been allowed to happen.”
Those comments came to mind this morning, as the awaited confirmation that the Glazer family would be taking £11m in dividends from Manchester United.
Such an iccurrence was allowed first by a failure in leadership from the Premier League in 2005 when their takeover was sanctioned, despite overwhelming protests from a fanbase that split with the establishment of FC United of Manchester.
But it is also the internal culture of the club has been damaged immeasurably by a family who pay lip service to the history of Manchester United as their actions at every turn are those of self-interest.
Meanwhile, the club continue to have talented, dedicated and professional people working in all areas, many of whom are Mancunians who have grown up with the club in their blood.
These are people who are United through-and-through, and are often too professional to criticise an ownership who are, ultimately, their employers.
As a personal example, my brother - Niall - has learning disabilities and has a disabled membership at Manchester United.
During the application process, a lad in the disability services team called Billy was above-and-beyond helpful; explaining what they needed to confirm Niall’s disability, why they needed it and how to sort it quickly.
The whole application was completed in less than 24 hours, and Niall was able to go to a few games last season through the ticket ballot, as well as take a carer with him.
Billy was the kind of courteous and decent person that typifies Mancunians, and was a credit the tradition of Manchester United.
However, in an institutional failure that can only come from the top, the club sent around an email yesterday to all disabled members.
United had already debited Niall for next season’s membership, and are now giving fans seven days to resubmit documentation that they have already given to the club.
One can presume that they would have known well in advance that this would be necessary (though the reasons why are unclear) - so why put disabled fans and families at a disadvantage?
Many fans with disabled memberships didn’t know about the change because they are used to being notified at particular points in the year, and many don’t have direct access to club communications.
Even from a public relations point of view, the decision is ill thought-out: they know fans are unhappy with a lack of transfer activity after the worst season in recent memory and managerial upheaval, and they know that the dividends are paid to a hated ownership today.
What has been allowed to happen since 2005 has vindicated fans’ initial misgivings, and was masked by the brilliance of Alex Ferguson until 2013.
But the Glazers’ failure to understand even the basics of the sport has undermined the club at every turn since Ferguson’s departure.
There have been disastrous appointments, with Ed Woodward presiding over one of the most precipitous reputational drop-offs in English football history.
Woodward blew over £1bn on players - variously supporting and not supporting managers he appointed, with players he recognised as ‘names’ with little thought for how they fit into managerial visions.
He rewarded continued failure and underachievement with huge contracts under the guise of preserving ‘value’, and at once made disappointing signings ultimately unsellable.
The Glazers signed up to the Super League, which would have gutted the national sport and consigned well-run, local clubs to the dustbin of history, all the while creaming what they can from a club into which they have not put a personal penny.
They have overseen an enormous tumble in the club's share price, while the club confirmed United did not receive a penny from the sale of £71m-worth of shares by chairman Avram Glazer.
Such is the nature of football support, fans still retain faint hope that the likes of John Murtough and Erik ten Hag can at least begin to re-establish the club as a destination for talent, rather than a graveyard for it.
Leaving aside the romantic notion of what a football club should represent - and there is total merit to that argument - the failure of leadership at the club is there for all to see.
Manchester United needs more people like Billy at the top of the club.
The sooner owners like the Glazers are gone from football, the English game will be all the better for it.
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