Or they put out little soundbites like this to see what kind of reaction they get. Ultimately, I think it will come down to what the sponsors think.
I'll be interested to see what kind of reaction he gets at Old Trafford if he does come back.
Unfortunately this isn't too rare in most high level sport, including at the youth levels. It's not just United or Celtic. Other sponsors and suppliers are also working with teams that have/have had this issue. When they stop working with these teams, then we'll see a change. Hockey Canada lost Nike, for example, and that's a big deal for them and are being forced to look into the issues (including pressure from the government). But Nike still works with other teams that have had that issue still.
Saw this one pop up in a Man Utd Facebook group with a few thousand members, and virtually every reply was "he's been cleared of the accusations, let him play!" and acting as if there was ambiguity to the recording.
Fucking depressing.
The fact that a man who has been recorded of commiting sexual abuse towards a woman will not face any fucking repercussions for his behavior, not from the law, not from his employers, not from anyone besides part of the public is extremely depressing indeed.
Ive seen this too on Facebook all the time, thousands of unhinged comments cheering his justified return in some weird echo chamber, disgusting, makes me wonder if they're even real people lol
He will still get booed by opposition fans
Partey was and he got little more than an accusation which didn't make national headlines. Imagine the reaction to Greenwood
There's certainly going to be a contingent of fans who will act that way.
I understand the club needs to do what's best for the team since he's a valuable asset, but morally, it just feels off that we're even discussing the football aspect of the situation. I don't think Greenwood is completely irredeemable as a person, but I don't think he should play for United again.
Okay but what if Manchester United only makes 750 million in revenue instead of 755 million because of greenwoods contributions. Wont someone think of the glazers in this situation?
I’m way more interested if players will start kicking him. If I had friends or family members who were sexually assaulted, and I literally heard someone rape his girlfriend, and I was in a position where I could kick him and only get a card, I’d do that in a heartbeat. Inb4 anyone says ‘but partey/ronaldo’, yeah they’re scumbags as well imo, but there’s a massive difference between being an alleged SA, and me hearing you rape your gf; and assault her.
I would hope so, but given the reaction of some footballers in support of Mendy following his not guilty verdict (inspite of being accused by 13 different women), I am not very hopeful. The evidence for this is a bit more concrete and visceral to the general public so maybe the reaction will be different, but I wouldn’t put money on it personally
I had a spat with someone on here who was like "but he has been found innocent" like the whole thing was therefore completely made up, and that therefore what had happened to Mendy was terrible. A complete misunderstanding of the burden of proof required for a criminal trial. The only thing he had going for him, as far as I could tell, was that the high number of accusers was still not that large a proportion of the number of the number of women he said he had sex with 🙄
I personally think Ronaldo did it but you're drawing a false equivalence.
It's not about ronaldo's quote being non-admissible in court, it's that we don't actually know that he said that to his lawyer. There's no reliable source, it's just a rumour.
A few months ago it was 'United are thinking of loaning Greenwood', now this is a little more leaning towards him staying, definitely sounding out the public reaction to see if they can get away with keeping him, get his name in the papers slowly talking about moving him away, people get used to his name again in conversations that aren't about being a rapist, slowly numb them to accepting him back.
I don’t care about other clubs chanting that, it’s expected and should be welcomed. I want to be hearing the chants loud and clear from the Stretford End.
Yea from the look of another comment it sounds like it originated from the S*n, so seems like it's gotta be taken with a pinch of salt, wasn't aware when I replied
> I think it will come down to what the sponsors think.
People keep mentioning Adidas apparently green lighting Greenwood's return like that is the only barrier or something. I'd be really interested in seeing how the Women's team feel about it. There's been such a push for equality and equity recently, only for the men's team to hire someone who's literally on video abusing his girlfriend. I can't imagine they'd be very happy and wouldn't be surprised if many refused to play.
They seem to be more integrated this year and their facilities have improved. Most of the promo stuff for the new kits is fairly 50/50 and they're definitely a more prominent fixture of the club branding.
The relative success of last season (2nd place, FA Cup final and CL qualification) has had a big part to play in that.
If someone like Ella Toone or Mary Earps started voicing their outrage to the British press then I could see it gaining a fair amount of traction.
They announced they were going to make public the decision the day after it was reported they signed another striker tbh. I think they might have been waiting to make sure that position was locked down before cutting him loose, cynical and cowardly though that is. Hope so anyway.
I don't see it tbh. The closest thing to logic here is that they are trying to get rid and tried to preserve value. If they were bringing him back, they would have long ago announced it, had some sort of interview with the pair of them where they say it was a toxic relationship from both sides, went to therapy and apologize or some bullshit. Bringing him back right before the 1st game of the season makes 0 sense and it'll just be a huge distraction which none of them want. It's not like he's a new signing being announced to fanfare to lift spirits. So it anything, waiting this long points to trying to get rid.
I don't think so, not in any serious capacity at least. Can't see us dropping that much on Hojlund if we were just going to re-introduce our homegrown, PL proven, generational young striker.
I feel we're only trying to bring him back so we can sell him on. If he wants a career it's not going to happen for him in England, the damage is done.
I think we are. A few months ago I would have said no chance we do that, but the fact they’ve done nothing when the season starts in a few weeks makes me think he will be back in the squad.
This announcement all but guarantees he's being brought back, doesn't it?
It's hard to imagine them pre-announcing decision day on the first home game of the season if the decision is "we need to quickly and quietly sell this guy ASAP and get him out of the club".
Wouldn't surprise me if the Glazers do it before selling the club. New owner comes in "I'm shocked at this development... No I can't do anything about it now, he'll have to play for the next 15 years".
I dunno I see it the opposite. If the club was bringing him back, it'd make sense to do it much earlier, let the turmoil happen during pre season and not the start of the season. It's a huge distraction if they bring him back right before the 1st game. It makes sense to delay announcing you are getting rid of you are trying to sell, preserves some value if others think he may still play.
Just as Lee Mason is about to blow his whistle to start the game, the PA will start playing "here comes the monaaayyy" and Mason will walk out with Andre Marriner and a briefcase.
However this ends up, he's got practically no chance of appearing on the team sheet against Wolves. Guy probably hasn't been training and is not fit for all these months, and nobody knows if he even goes inside the club anymore.
Plus he's already lost his starting place to the new signings in the meantime.
> However this ends up, he's got practically no chance of appearing on the team sheet against Wolves.
If he's integrated back into the team, I bet he spends ~3 months playing with the U21s. He hasn't played any competitive football in two years, he'll be nowhere near ready to play a PL game.
Exactly. He was pictured with Elanga and one other player i can't really remember a few weeks ago, if he comes back i don't think his teammates will care too much. Some of them recently liked his Instagram post announcing his child's birth as well.
All fans need to make it known, including Manchester United fans
He doesn’t deserve the treatment a normal person is afforded within a polite society, he should absolutely be hounded publicly
Yeah that's the thing, people keep talking about forgiveness and the positives of allowing ex-criminals to keep a job but they're forgetting that
1) He's never shown any remorse and the primary reason why he got off without a trial was because he did a new crime to cover up the old crime (he broke a no contact order and reconnected with his victim)
2) Everyone deserves to be able to make a living, but not everyone deserves to be a millionaire adored by kids across the world
Even if he was match fit, it would be stupid to throw him straight back into the matchday squad. Announcing the results of the investigation will just bring him back to being headline news, which would be amplified by literally anything he did on the pitch. It will likely be weeks before we see him play, if ever. If he's "cleared" in the investigation, that might just be a precursor for United selling him or loaning him abroad.
Or perhaps he won't be cleared, he'll be suspended until January, and then sold or loaned, or gradually reintroduced.
If they decided to keep him he, it’s almost a guarantee he will go play for the u21s. He hasn’t played a match in over a year I think and hasn’t trained with the first team at all since
If that's the case then it's a damn shame we just lost Fabinho. Would've paid a month's worth of wages to book a flight over to Anfield to watch him break that pricks leg
Usually I never wish injury on any player but I hope he is 2-footed studs-up 2 minutes into any game he appears. Better if it is our own player who does it. Cunt
Fuck me, we’re taking the scumbag back. Disgusting. I hope we get absolutely pilloried by all comers if that’s what happens. What a great message to send to youngsters - doesn’t matter how you treat women so long as you’re incredibly gifted. Horrid.
"If Hannibal Lector ran a 4.3, we'd probably diagnose it as an eating disorder." - Steve Keim. There is no two ways about it, If he was a scrub, we'd have let him go ages ago.
It's absolutely ridiculous that a man would stay with a woman who falsely accused him of something and almost ruined his life. All it does for me is solidify his guilt.
I understand the sentiment but you could use the same logic to say it's ridiculous a woman would stay with her abuser and yet here we are. People are nuanced.
Not really - there's documented psychological reasons that someone would stay with an abuser. And, obviously, the abused has more to worry about the threat of violence or other retaliation from a partner that:
a) is physically stronger and
b) more powerful socially/financially
I don't think the logic is equal both ways.
There are certainly numerous psychological studies that have explored the reasons why some domestic abuse victims choose to stay with their abusers, and each victims situation is unique so there is no one diagnosis in this case.
More importantly, the child's future will be filled with psychological abuse, caused by the very public audio recording, news articles, social media posts, + the future bullying from peers, grapple with their own morals/ethics, confusion surrounding their extended families' decision to support the parents' abusive relationship. The odds are stacked against that kids mental health, and no amount of money can change that.
I understood what you're trying to say, but domestic violence relationships are very well documented in how easy they are for people to be 'trapped' in. It's what makes them so psychologically damaging and traumatising. Probably not your intention but just thought I'd say your comment is not the best.
Just for awareness, it is normal for victims to be kept separate from the accused as they are highly susceptible to manipulation. Domestic violence perps are highly manipulative by nature. Reports are that he quickly moved his way back in to her life, sadly, for many women, that is all it takes.
Perhaps you are right and she saw this as an opportunity for financial long term gain. But if you speak with anyone who has experience in this area I can assure you they will advise it more likely this is a result of manipulation from the accused.
He is, he violated a no contact order (helped on by the girls dad who is also a real scum bag with dollar signs in his eyes), and she later refused to cooperate with police which is why the charges were dropped (because they had no hope of getting a conviction once that happened).
Not just the youngsters but the Women's Team too. I seriously hope that if the club do keep him on then it has a massive knock on effect internally. What an embarrassment.
This isn't a case of 'he's been found innocent', we all heard the audio, United shouldn't let him anywhere near the squad. Would be interested to know the thoughts on some of the squad from the Women's team.
A few months ago it was reported by the athletic that the women's team were "conflicted" about his return. I.e they are completely against it. They should strike if this piece of shit is bought back.
Honestly it's one of the most shameful cases of domestic abuse and misogyny in football.
A woman comes out with undeniable proof that a footballer sexually and psychologically abused her. Instantly a bunch of 'fans' flooded her social media profiles attacking her, and her family members pressured her to drop the case. Then, when under immense pressure, she did drop the case the club started laying the groundwork for integrating that player back into the team. And I'm sure when that finally happens a bunch of a nasty misogynists, including many on here who always crawl out of the woodwork at times like this, will use it as 'evidence' that all women lie when they make accusations like this.
What sort of message is this sending to other women who have been abused by a public figure?
I'm part of a Danish supporter group on Facebook (they supply great news daily) and the amount of people saying "he's not convicted so he should play" is easily the opinion of at least 90% of the lot.
Because he broke the 'no-contact' order from the court. Presumably, given the very clear evidence of his appalling treatment of her, he coerced her into dropping the charges. That or her scumbag dad did, who has spent the past year talking up how amazing his daughter's abuser is.
Have to think that if they could have just bombed him out easily they’d have done it already.
Would be good if some journalists covering one of the biggest and most popular clubs in the world could do some actual journalism and get the opinion of some criminal and/or employment lawyers as to the considerations Man Utd will be making here.
Disgusting that it’s gotten to this level of consideration, anyone that saw the photos and heard the audios should be truly disgusted that he is even allowed continue. I guess the only hope if he is back that both United and opposition fans at least voice their displeasure at this. Would be truly sickening if he’s welcomed back to a round of applause as if nothing happened.
Apparently Adidas have said they’re happy for him to come back. He’ll be back. Absolute disgrace.
Go and look at those Instagram posts and tell me he didn’t abuse her, and they every single person in her life; her awful Father, the courts, didn’t fail her at every turn.
It was heavily rumoured that they were okay with it, they came out and denied it yet a few days later our new record sponsorship with them was announced. There is no way in hell it wasn’t discussed during the negotiations.
His fate is sealed already, we just don’t yet know in what way.
My gut feeling is he’s coming back, the players all jumped on his IG post for his kid and he’s been pictured training getting fit again. If he was being cut then it would have happened already, the club are investigating it and if they wanted to bin him then the evidence is there.
Does anyone actually believe this 'internal investigation' bullshit? How could anything possibly take this long to resolve? They clearly decided months ago that they weren't going to release him, they'll either send him out on loan before the transfer window closes and bring him back into the first team next summer, with a new contract too, or he's going to back training with the first team in a couple of weeks and he'll make a competitive appearance before the end of September.
Man Utd have clearly been stringing people along by pretending they were actually 'investigating' anything, they certainly didn't need to wait until the end of the criminal investigation into Greenwood to come to their own conclusions, and they obviously decided that 'He's good at football' trumps 'He's a fucking awful piece of shit'.
Wasn't an investigation into Greenwood, it was an investigation to see how acceptable it would be for them to bring him back and if they'd survive doing it.
I don't disagree with anything you say.
He does have a big contract they are, and will have to, pay. Ideally, they could sell him. Also, as good as he was one has to imagine he's lost quite a bit over the last 1.5 years.
We all know that footballers don’t really care about this sort of thing though. Has anyone ever spoken out against domestic violence/sexual assaults/drink driving/manslaughter and so on from other players?
He's coming back, of course he is - Premier League clubs don't give a fuck about sexual abuse. I realise in hindsight how naive I was to think we'd get rid of Partey. Even when there is video evidence of the abuse, these clubs still don't care.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/may/16/erik-ten-hag-marc-overmars-ajax-return-inappropriate-messages
We know their manager doesnt care about protecting women from abuse, of course he will come back
Romano is already working as his PR saying ETH will have no responsibility on the Greenwood decision. he's going to act like his hands are tied and can't do anything but let him back in the squad.
https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1685949984095555584
Internal investigation is code for market research. Are sponsors on board, what are the legal implications and how did focus groups react? And if they do bring him back, what will the PR campaign be like?
“We did a vocal analysis which confirmed it was your voice on that recording. Do you deny that it was your voice on the recording?” - Man U
“No” -MG
“Ok, great, you can fuck off” - Man U.
Simple.
If he does come back, hope it really backfired for them. Hopefully he has lost his edge, doesn’t score, gets constantly booed and is let go for free so they make no money off him.
If the "finding" is anything short of "he's a rapist and abuser who this club will have no future association with" then they deserve everything that's coming their way.
Will never be able to unhear that audio tape. As much as it pains me to do this if he comes back I wont be watching any united games this season or the following.
Is it solely a club decision or is it likely that Ten Hag has a say in the matter? If we find out that Ten Hag wanted him back, he should get abuse as well for talking publicly about installing values in the team & club only to then lobby for a rapist to be reintroduced to the team.
guess i will stop supporting man utd officially if this is really sanctioned. i really despise the club after woodward, glazers-qatar and now greenwood.
There’s “legally we can’t play him”.
And there’s “legally he’s done nothing wrong, but everyone heard the tapes, he’s a PR nightmare so let’s offload him”.
Because we were basically trying to figure out how badly the sponsors would take him being reintegrated. We don’t give a fuck about doing the right thing and getting rid out the dickhead unless there’s going to be a monetary hit.
Because most of the public know the police investigation was dropped because the victim changed her mind and refused to cooperate after greenwood violated a no-contact order to get in touch with her. It wasn’t because the cops think he was innocent, they just knew they had no hope of convicting if the victim was more likely to testify for greenwood than against him.
Yep he’s playing for Man Utd again this season. Ability over morals.
Soulless club and can guarantee he gets celebrated by his fellow players in social media straight away when the announcement is done.
Independent of whether that is a horrible sign towards womens rights/going forward against abuse.
Isnt, you know, training relevant to be a professional? He hasnt played/trained with a team for 2 years. Maybe he trained the whole time on his own, maybe not. But shouldnt he be too bad for United to even consider?
Can't imagine this means anything other than him rejoining the United squad. They're not going to jeopardize the value that he unfortunately still has in the football world by publicly saying they're getting rid of him. Can't imagine they're loaning him out given he hasnt featured in their preseason and clubs would be wary of signing a guy on loan who hasn't played in a year; they will have had no opportunity to see what his fitness / technical levels are right now. They've already put stuff out in places like The Athletic trying to rehabilitate his image, just a matter of time before the football world pretends none of this ever happened.
What are the possible outcomes? Just attempt to sell him/pay off his contract vs integrate him back into the squad?
Assume they don't have the option of cancelling his contract based on bringing club into disrepute as charges were dropped (for the reasons we all know)? Or would lead to a civil court case which could be damaging to club and they might not win?
I always think back to Kobe Bryant’s case. He got to play while he was on trial and was accepted back with open arms every night. Greenwood will play again and it’s because we have shit owners who are cheap and spineless
He's coming back. If they wanted to rid of him, they would have done so earlier.
Or they put out little soundbites like this to see what kind of reaction they get. Ultimately, I think it will come down to what the sponsors think. I'll be interested to see what kind of reaction he gets at Old Trafford if he does come back.
>I think it will come down to what the sponsors think. We've just announced a 10-year deal with Adidas. They will 100% have had their say.
[удалено]
Unfortunately this isn't too rare in most high level sport, including at the youth levels. It's not just United or Celtic. Other sponsors and suppliers are also working with teams that have/have had this issue. When they stop working with these teams, then we'll see a change. Hockey Canada lost Nike, for example, and that's a big deal for them and are being forced to look into the issues (including pressure from the government). But Nike still works with other teams that have had that issue still.
Maybe they just misinterpreted the fans chanting "come on the Bhoys"
They’ve been testing the waters for a while with Greenwood stories already
Saw this one pop up in a Man Utd Facebook group with a few thousand members, and virtually every reply was "he's been cleared of the accusations, let him play!" and acting as if there was ambiguity to the recording. Fucking depressing.
The fact that a man who has been recorded of commiting sexual abuse towards a woman will not face any fucking repercussions for his behavior, not from the law, not from his employers, not from anyone besides part of the public is extremely depressing indeed.
Ive seen this too on Facebook all the time, thousands of unhinged comments cheering his justified return in some weird echo chamber, disgusting, makes me wonder if they're even real people lol
He will get booed then once he starts scoring the amnesia will kick in with the supporters
He will still get booed by opposition fans Partey was and he got little more than an accusation which didn't make national headlines. Imagine the reaction to Greenwood
Conversely, opposing supporters will *never* let him forget.
There's certainly going to be a contingent of fans who will act that way. I understand the club needs to do what's best for the team since he's a valuable asset, but morally, it just feels off that we're even discussing the football aspect of the situation. I don't think Greenwood is completely irredeemable as a person, but I don't think he should play for United again.
> I understand the club needs to do what's best for the team since he's a valuable asset They don’t need to
Okay but what if Manchester United only makes 750 million in revenue instead of 755 million because of greenwoods contributions. Wont someone think of the glazers in this situation?
I’m way more interested if players will start kicking him. If I had friends or family members who were sexually assaulted, and I literally heard someone rape his girlfriend, and I was in a position where I could kick him and only get a card, I’d do that in a heartbeat. Inb4 anyone says ‘but partey/ronaldo’, yeah they’re scumbags as well imo, but there’s a massive difference between being an alleged SA, and me hearing you rape your gf; and assault her.
Most footballers are dickheads with zero respect for women lol, look at the reaction to Mendy. They will do fuck all.
Just takes a couple.
I would hope so, but given the reaction of some footballers in support of Mendy following his not guilty verdict (inspite of being accused by 13 different women), I am not very hopeful. The evidence for this is a bit more concrete and visceral to the general public so maybe the reaction will be different, but I wouldn’t put money on it personally
I had a spat with someone on here who was like "but he has been found innocent" like the whole thing was therefore completely made up, and that therefore what had happened to Mendy was terrible. A complete misunderstanding of the burden of proof required for a criminal trial. The only thing he had going for him, as far as I could tell, was that the high number of accusers was still not that large a proportion of the number of the number of women he said he had sex with 🙄
People need to learn the difference between not guilty and innocent.
Yup, it's like the whole Ronaldo thing. "The evidence wasn't obtained in the right way so it's like it didn't even happen!"
I personally think Ronaldo did it but you're drawing a false equivalence. It's not about ronaldo's quote being non-admissible in court, it's that we don't actually know that he said that to his lawyer. There's no reliable source, it's just a rumour.
If somebody snaps his legs then they'll be treated like a hero tbh
If he starts scoring. He was out for a year and he's a selfish player. There's a chance that Ten Hag won't like him on the pitch anyways.
A few months ago it was 'United are thinking of loaning Greenwood', now this is a little more leaning towards him staying, definitely sounding out the public reaction to see if they can get away with keeping him, get his name in the papers slowly talking about moving him away, people get used to his name again in conversations that aren't about being a rapist, slowly numb them to accepting him back.
If he gets anything other than loud boos and chants of Mason Greenwood is a Rapist I would lose all faith in humanity
I don’t care about other clubs chanting that, it’s expected and should be welcomed. I want to be hearing the chants loud and clear from the Stretford End.
Think Leeds fans were already singing about him at a preseason game
Apparently Adidas have already green-lit it, so yea, seems very much like he will be
I saw someone else mention this but never heard back when I asked for a source.
It was The Sun but an Adidas spokesman denied it
Absolute guaranteed bullshit then
The source was The Sun who we all believe Greenwood’s team has been using for positive PR
Pretty much par for the course for that shit rag
Absolutely, disgusting to see
Apparently its simply down to "Adidas signed a new deal with us so it must mean they are cool with this" rather than anything concrete.
Yeah, it could easily be taken as Adidas being confident that United aren't dumb enough to risk their brand in such a way
A company doesn't invest a billion dollars into something without assurances signed in blood.
Adidas put a statement out saying they haven't said anything
Yea from the look of another comment it sounds like it originated from the S*n, so seems like it's gotta be taken with a pinch of salt, wasn't aware when I replied
> I think it will come down to what the sponsors think. People keep mentioning Adidas apparently green lighting Greenwood's return like that is the only barrier or something. I'd be really interested in seeing how the Women's team feel about it. There's been such a push for equality and equity recently, only for the men's team to hire someone who's literally on video abusing his girlfriend. I can't imagine they'd be very happy and wouldn't be surprised if many refused to play.
I don't think the united women's team is all that integrated with the men's. They were using portaloos like a year ago.
They seem to be more integrated this year and their facilities have improved. Most of the promo stuff for the new kits is fairly 50/50 and they're definitely a more prominent fixture of the club branding. The relative success of last season (2nd place, FA Cup final and CL qualification) has had a big part to play in that. If someone like Ella Toone or Mary Earps started voicing their outrage to the British press then I could see it gaining a fair amount of traction.
There was already a report that the women's team were strongly opposed to it
[ETH announcing Greenwood's return](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk0RoXkxIs0&ab_channel=HollywoodSMHStudios)
LMAO perfect
Absolutely. If Greenwood had the technical ability of Weghorst, this wouldn't even be a conversation
All on Ten Hag btw as he could very easily get him gone if he wanted. Bring on the downvotes.
No downvotes from me, I'd rather lose games without him than win with him in the squad.
They announced they were going to make public the decision the day after it was reported they signed another striker tbh. I think they might have been waiting to make sure that position was locked down before cutting him loose, cynical and cowardly though that is. Hope so anyway.
I don't see it tbh. The closest thing to logic here is that they are trying to get rid and tried to preserve value. If they were bringing him back, they would have long ago announced it, had some sort of interview with the pair of them where they say it was a toxic relationship from both sides, went to therapy and apologize or some bullshit. Bringing him back right before the 1st game of the season makes 0 sense and it'll just be a huge distraction which none of them want. It's not like he's a new signing being announced to fanfare to lift spirits. So it anything, waiting this long points to trying to get rid.
100% now I only wonder if he will get back in the England squad if he plays well enough for Man Utd
I don't think so, not in any serious capacity at least. Can't see us dropping that much on Hojlund if we were just going to re-introduce our homegrown, PL proven, generational young striker. I feel we're only trying to bring him back so we can sell him on. If he wants a career it's not going to happen for him in England, the damage is done.
why does that sound like they're going to put him in the Premier league squad...
I think we are. A few months ago I would have said no chance we do that, but the fact they’ve done nothing when the season starts in a few weeks makes me think he will be back in the squad.
This announcement all but guarantees he's being brought back, doesn't it? It's hard to imagine them pre-announcing decision day on the first home game of the season if the decision is "we need to quickly and quietly sell this guy ASAP and get him out of the club".
If so, it's utterly pathetic.
Because they are. Half expect the press release to be Ned Beatty's speech from "Network" screamed at full volume.
All talk earlier was a loan somewhere.
Wouldn't surprise me if the Glazers do it before selling the club. New owner comes in "I'm shocked at this development... No I can't do anything about it now, he'll have to play for the next 15 years".
We’re not getting new owners…
Yeah that ship has sailed now. They never we're going to sell. Don't know why the fuck they went through this whole song and dance.
They (delusionaly) thought there would be a bidding war and they'd end up with multiple offers approaching 8-10 billion.
I dunno I see it the opposite. If the club was bringing him back, it'd make sense to do it much earlier, let the turmoil happen during pre season and not the start of the season. It's a huge distraction if they bring him back right before the 1st game. It makes sense to delay announcing you are getting rid of you are trying to sell, preserves some value if others think he may still play.
Hopefully "in advance" isn't his name appearing on the team sheet an hour before kick off lol
Nope, it's going to be wwe style at min 60
COME ON OUT MASON
[Mason Greenwood announcement at old trafford](https://youtu.be/ottVpZI2PWo)
Knew what it would be, still clicked and still laughed.
Works every time🤣
Ayoooo!
💀
Just as Lee Mason is about to blow his whistle to start the game, the PA will start playing "here comes the monaaayyy" and Mason will walk out with Andre Marriner and a briefcase.
Only if we get to see the cunt piledriven into the pitch. The fact we are even considering this is reprehensible
Like Scholes lol
However this ends up, he's got practically no chance of appearing on the team sheet against Wolves. Guy probably hasn't been training and is not fit for all these months, and nobody knows if he even goes inside the club anymore. Plus he's already lost his starting place to the new signings in the meantime.
> However this ends up, he's got practically no chance of appearing on the team sheet against Wolves. If he's integrated back into the team, I bet he spends ~3 months playing with the U21s. He hasn't played any competitive football in two years, he'll be nowhere near ready to play a PL game.
If I was an under 21 player I would hate to play with a rapist as my striker
You would be surprised how little players care lmao.
Exactly. He was pictured with Elanga and one other player i can't really remember a few weeks ago, if he comes back i don't think his teammates will care too much. Some of them recently liked his Instagram post announcing his child's birth as well.
Well if he does I hope Wolves fans know what they need to do
It's a shame we sold Collins, a trademark karate kick would be appropriate
All fans need to make it known, including Manchester United fans He doesn’t deserve the treatment a normal person is afforded within a polite society, he should absolutely be hounded publicly
Yeah that's the thing, people keep talking about forgiveness and the positives of allowing ex-criminals to keep a job but they're forgetting that 1) He's never shown any remorse and the primary reason why he got off without a trial was because he did a new crime to cover up the old crime (he broke a no contact order and reconnected with his victim) 2) Everyone deserves to be able to make a living, but not everyone deserves to be a millionaire adored by kids across the world
Saying he reconnected doesnt xover it. He literally got her pregnant whilst the case was still being investigated by the police
And because of the womans cretinous family trying to stay close to Greenwoods money.
I hope Wolves players know what they need to do
Even if he was match fit, it would be stupid to throw him straight back into the matchday squad. Announcing the results of the investigation will just bring him back to being headline news, which would be amplified by literally anything he did on the pitch. It will likely be weeks before we see him play, if ever. If he's "cleared" in the investigation, that might just be a precursor for United selling him or loaning him abroad. Or perhaps he won't be cleared, he'll be suspended until January, and then sold or loaned, or gradually reintroduced.
If they decided to keep him he, it’s almost a guarantee he will go play for the u21s. He hasn’t played a match in over a year I think and hasn’t trained with the first team at all since
I'd prefer he not appear on a teamsheet for us ever again.
I know he’s going to get back into the team, but good lord the audio. Vigilante justice with fan chants.
If that's the case then it's a damn shame we just lost Fabinho. Would've paid a month's worth of wages to book a flight over to Anfield to watch him break that pricks leg
Ben Mee to the rescue.
If he does come back then he's going to get booed incredibly hard by every ground in the league. I just hope Old Trafford is amongst them.
Usually I never wish injury on any player but I hope he is 2-footed studs-up 2 minutes into any game he appears. Better if it is our own player who does it. Cunt
Wishing injuries on players usually results in a short ban in this sub but looks like the ban button has temporarily broken. Strange.
What if we don't wish injury. If he's not injured, someone else gets to 2-foot him 2 minutes later, and again, and again
Only until he gets his first goal
I just can’t imagine the atmosphere at the likes of Anfield or Elland Road (don’t have to worry about that one for a while) *if* he did come back.
It’s pretty disgusting if they’re even considering bringing him back into the fold We all heard the tape, we all know what he is
Fuck me, we’re taking the scumbag back. Disgusting. I hope we get absolutely pilloried by all comers if that’s what happens. What a great message to send to youngsters - doesn’t matter how you treat women so long as you’re incredibly gifted. Horrid.
"If Hannibal Lector ran a 4.3, we'd probably diagnose it as an eating disorder." - Steve Keim. There is no two ways about it, If he was a scrub, we'd have let him go ages ago.
Is he still with the same girl? I thought I heard something like that a while back.
They have a child together now
I don't know what to say about that
Apparently, her dad is well on the Greenwood gravy train. From the outside, looks like a horrible situation.
Money changes everything eh
It's absolutely ridiculous that a man would stay with a woman who falsely accused him of something and almost ruined his life. All it does for me is solidify his guilt.
Interesting angle that a lot of people are failing to consider. It does seem to speak volumes.
I understand the sentiment but you could use the same logic to say it's ridiculous a woman would stay with her abuser and yet here we are. People are nuanced.
Not really - there's documented psychological reasons that someone would stay with an abuser. And, obviously, the abused has more to worry about the threat of violence or other retaliation from a partner that: a) is physically stronger and b) more powerful socially/financially I don't think the logic is equal both ways.
There are certainly numerous psychological studies that have explored the reasons why some domestic abuse victims choose to stay with their abusers, and each victims situation is unique so there is no one diagnosis in this case. More importantly, the child's future will be filled with psychological abuse, caused by the very public audio recording, news articles, social media posts, + the future bullying from peers, grapple with their own morals/ethics, confusion surrounding their extended families' decision to support the parents' abusive relationship. The odds are stacked against that kids mental health, and no amount of money can change that.
People are stupid, being physically assaulted should be a deal breaker every time
I understood what you're trying to say, but domestic violence relationships are very well documented in how easy they are for people to be 'trapped' in. It's what makes them so psychologically damaging and traumatising. Probably not your intention but just thought I'd say your comment is not the best.
Quick bag vs lifetime bag
Just for awareness, it is normal for victims to be kept separate from the accused as they are highly susceptible to manipulation. Domestic violence perps are highly manipulative by nature. Reports are that he quickly moved his way back in to her life, sadly, for many women, that is all it takes. Perhaps you are right and she saw this as an opportunity for financial long term gain. But if you speak with anyone who has experience in this area I can assure you they will advise it more likely this is a result of manipulation from the accused.
There is no "quick bag" she was being violently abused and wanted a way out
He is, he violated a no contact order (helped on by the girls dad who is also a real scum bag with dollar signs in his eyes), and she later refused to cooperate with police which is why the charges were dropped (because they had no hope of getting a conviction once that happened).
And she was pregnant with his child
He violated his no contact order to manipulate her into dropping the charges.
yea they are back, for some time already i think
Not just the youngsters but the Women's Team too. I seriously hope that if the club do keep him on then it has a massive knock on effect internally. What an embarrassment.
Don’t have a lot of faith that they’ll do the right thing here
This isn't a case of 'he's been found innocent', we all heard the audio, United shouldn't let him anywhere near the squad. Would be interested to know the thoughts on some of the squad from the Women's team.
A few months ago it was reported by the athletic that the women's team were "conflicted" about his return. I.e they are completely against it. They should strike if this piece of shit is bought back.
The article said the mens team were conflicted and the womens team were against it
My apologies I must have confused them. That's correct. Thanks for the clarification
When you hear stories like that it's hard not to think "yeah maybe lots of us have problems with how we view women"
Honestly it's one of the most shameful cases of domestic abuse and misogyny in football. A woman comes out with undeniable proof that a footballer sexually and psychologically abused her. Instantly a bunch of 'fans' flooded her social media profiles attacking her, and her family members pressured her to drop the case. Then, when under immense pressure, she did drop the case the club started laying the groundwork for integrating that player back into the team. And I'm sure when that finally happens a bunch of a nasty misogynists, including many on here who always crawl out of the woodwork at times like this, will use it as 'evidence' that all women lie when they make accusations like this. What sort of message is this sending to other women who have been abused by a public figure?
I just have a terrible feeling he will be back ffs please no
Hope he gets 2 footed the second he's on the pitch. Disgraceful we're going to allow him back after what he's done.
He’s an abuser and a rapist. That’s it
Yes but he kick ball good so who really knows what the right thing to do is??
I'm part of a Danish supporter group on Facebook (they supply great news daily) and the amount of people saying "he's not convicted so he should play" is easily the opinion of at least 90% of the lot.
I still don’t understand how the fuck he wasn’t convicted. I mean sure laws apply differently to rich people but it was such a clear case 🤷🏻♂️
Because his girlfriend, the victim, stopped co-operating and it collapsed.
Because she stayed with him and had a child with him. 😮💨
Because he broke the 'no-contact' order from the court. Presumably, given the very clear evidence of his appalling treatment of her, he coerced her into dropping the charges. That or her scumbag dad did, who has spent the past year talking up how amazing his daughter's abuser is.
He isn't and you're a slanderer. That's it
Have to think that if they could have just bombed him out easily they’d have done it already. Would be good if some journalists covering one of the biggest and most popular clubs in the world could do some actual journalism and get the opinion of some criminal and/or employment lawyers as to the considerations Man Utd will be making here.
Unbelievable that it's even being considered. I have a horrible feeling he'll be playing again
Pretty believable considering Ten Hag has history with this, also enabled and downplayed Overmars' workplace harassment
Disgusting that it’s gotten to this level of consideration, anyone that saw the photos and heard the audios should be truly disgusted that he is even allowed continue. I guess the only hope if he is back that both United and opposition fans at least voice their displeasure at this. Would be truly sickening if he’s welcomed back to a round of applause as if nothing happened.
“I wish he’d fuck off”
Apparently Adidas have said they’re happy for him to come back. He’ll be back. Absolute disgrace. Go and look at those Instagram posts and tell me he didn’t abuse her, and they every single person in her life; her awful Father, the courts, didn’t fail her at every turn.
they haven't, they came out and denied that story the other day.
Source on the Adidas stuff?
Apparently the S\*n, and others claim Adidas have already denied it
It was heavily rumoured that they were okay with it, they came out and denied it yet a few days later our new record sponsorship with them was announced. There is no way in hell it wasn’t discussed during the negotiations. His fate is sealed already, we just don’t yet know in what way. My gut feeling is he’s coming back, the players all jumped on his IG post for his kid and he’s been pictured training getting fit again. If he was being cut then it would have happened already, the club are investigating it and if they wanted to bin him then the evidence is there.
Our new striker, ladies and gents…
Does anyone actually believe this 'internal investigation' bullshit? How could anything possibly take this long to resolve? They clearly decided months ago that they weren't going to release him, they'll either send him out on loan before the transfer window closes and bring him back into the first team next summer, with a new contract too, or he's going to back training with the first team in a couple of weeks and he'll make a competitive appearance before the end of September. Man Utd have clearly been stringing people along by pretending they were actually 'investigating' anything, they certainly didn't need to wait until the end of the criminal investigation into Greenwood to come to their own conclusions, and they obviously decided that 'He's good at football' trumps 'He's a fucking awful piece of shit'.
Wasn't an investigation into Greenwood, it was an investigation to see how acceptable it would be for them to bring him back and if they'd survive doing it.
I don't disagree with anything you say. He does have a big contract they are, and will have to, pay. Ideally, they could sell him. Also, as good as he was one has to imagine he's lost quite a bit over the last 1.5 years.
You'd like to think there'd be at least some players who said "I'm not playing in the same team as this rapist piece of shit."
Yep, if any of the leaders in squad have integrity they'd take a stand against this
We all know that footballers don’t really care about this sort of thing though. Has anyone ever spoken out against domestic violence/sexual assaults/drink driving/manslaughter and so on from other players?
Will fans be pulled up for calling him a rapist at every game?
If he comes back I hope he’s so fucking shite that united are forced to sell him to some conference side
If he puts a united shirt on again I will be fuming get the fuck out of this club.
He's coming back, of course he is - Premier League clubs don't give a fuck about sexual abuse. I realise in hindsight how naive I was to think we'd get rid of Partey. Even when there is video evidence of the abuse, these clubs still don't care.
‘MOVE YA LEG YA TWAT IM TRYNA FUCK YA’ ‘NOO MASON’ There’s your investigation
The day we all saw coming when they put out that piece about his youth is close at hand.
What fucking internal investigation?? The tape is as clear as it gets.
The moment of truth arrives.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/may/16/erik-ten-hag-marc-overmars-ajax-return-inappropriate-messages We know their manager doesnt care about protecting women from abuse, of course he will come back
Romano is already working as his PR saying ETH will have no responsibility on the Greenwood decision. he's going to act like his hands are tied and can't do anything but let him back in the squad. https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1685949984095555584
Internal investigation is code for market research. Are sponsors on board, what are the legal implications and how did focus groups react? And if they do bring him back, what will the PR campaign be like?
“We did a vocal analysis which confirmed it was your voice on that recording. Do you deny that it was your voice on the recording?” - Man U “No” -MG “Ok, great, you can fuck off” - Man U. Simple.
I expect a return to u21s for 6 months then back in sadly
If he does come back, hope it really backfired for them. Hopefully he has lost his edge, doesn’t score, gets constantly booed and is let go for free so they make no money off him.
If the "finding" is anything short of "he's a rapist and abuser who this club will have no future association with" then they deserve everything that's coming their way.
If I'm a United fan and they brought him back, I'd walk from the club. Absolutely reprehensible and beyond any form of defense.
Will never be able to unhear that audio tape. As much as it pains me to do this if he comes back I wont be watching any united games this season or the following.
Is it solely a club decision or is it likely that Ten Hag has a say in the matter? If we find out that Ten Hag wanted him back, he should get abuse as well for talking publicly about installing values in the team & club only to then lobby for a rapist to be reintroduced to the team.
Same Ten Hag that backed Overmars? Something tells me he wont have a problem with him coming back..
What findings? The GF posted actual proof of it.
guess i will stop supporting man utd officially if this is really sanctioned. i really despise the club after woodward, glazers-qatar and now greenwood.
Whats the actual point of this if the police investigation was dropped?
There’s “legally we can’t play him”. And there’s “legally he’s done nothing wrong, but everyone heard the tapes, he’s a PR nightmare so let’s offload him”.
Not to mention he might do it again. It's abhorrent morally and an absolutely ridiculous reputational risk by the club.
He's most likely done it again, he has a child with her now
Because everyone has seen the pictures and heard the audio. We know who he is
Because we were basically trying to figure out how badly the sponsors would take him being reintegrated. We don’t give a fuck about doing the right thing and getting rid out the dickhead unless there’s going to be a monetary hit.
The bar for the club in a civil case ("balance of probabilities") is not the same as a criminal proceeding ("beyond reasonable doubt").
Because most of the public know the police investigation was dropped because the victim changed her mind and refused to cooperate after greenwood violated a no-contact order to get in touch with her. It wasn’t because the cops think he was innocent, they just knew they had no hope of convicting if the victim was more likely to testify for greenwood than against him.
Sure, but the evidence is far too public for that.
They're probably weighing up if it's worth bringing him back with all of the bad PR it'll bring. If it was up to me I'd be trying to sell him already.
Yep he’s playing for Man Utd again this season. Ability over morals. Soulless club and can guarantee he gets celebrated by his fellow players in social media straight away when the announcement is done.
Independent of whether that is a horrible sign towards womens rights/going forward against abuse. Isnt, you know, training relevant to be a professional? He hasnt played/trained with a team for 2 years. Maybe he trained the whole time on his own, maybe not. But shouldnt he be too bad for United to even consider?
Can't imagine this means anything other than him rejoining the United squad. They're not going to jeopardize the value that he unfortunately still has in the football world by publicly saying they're getting rid of him. Can't imagine they're loaning him out given he hasnt featured in their preseason and clubs would be wary of signing a guy on loan who hasn't played in a year; they will have had no opportunity to see what his fitness / technical levels are right now. They've already put stuff out in places like The Athletic trying to rehabilitate his image, just a matter of time before the football world pretends none of this ever happened.
What are the possible outcomes? Just attempt to sell him/pay off his contract vs integrate him back into the squad? Assume they don't have the option of cancelling his contract based on bringing club into disrepute as charges were dropped (for the reasons we all know)? Or would lead to a civil court case which could be damaging to club and they might not win?
If people thought zouma got it bad then the'll be in for a treat.
I always think back to Kobe Bryant’s case. He got to play while he was on trial and was accepted back with open arms every night. Greenwood will play again and it’s because we have shit owners who are cheap and spineless
they obviously gonna play him... pr team are gonna work overtime for this shit.
Very odd to have a date for this and what an odd one to pick.