The Glazer Out Blog

Daniel Harris – “On The Road A Journey Through A Season”

This isn’t simply a promotion of a book of any Manchester United fan book, or as it says on the back an ESPN blog of each Manchester United game but Old Trafford, its one fans review of Manchester United on the pitch but more importantly matters off the pitch. If your a match going fan, especially the away  games, you will relate to this. You’ll also relate to this if you have a problem with the way the club is being run. If you still go to home games or not, it spells out what is wrong with Old Trafford, what is wrong with the club and why many fans back in 2005 couldn’t give football up but instead did away games only.

Daniel Harris speaks his mind in this book. They’ll be many 10,000s of fans in Pubs around Manchester on match day who will know exactly  how he felt in 2005. There will have been many more since then and that group will be growing with each day that passes. That group will have grown during the summer just gone. If they still do away games or go watch a club in Bury, well that’s down to them but to me they all had the same feeling. To try and never step foot inside Old Trafford until the owner goes or something changes. Clearly a number of fans will go every now and then, which is acceptable but for some its more than that. Its that the Old Trafford experience changed  from being a ‘the fan’ to the ‘being a customer’ match day experience. Those little plastic seats, stewards telling you what you can and can’t do, the flat atmospheres, those expensive seats which come with a meal in the corners and the expensive prices at the bar. There is even an executive section in the middle of Stretford End. There will still be many fans who still go, sat in many areas of the ground thinking, ‘this is awful and its not getting any better.’ but they can’t give it up. Its your football club, one you might have followed for 20/30/40 or more years. What Harris says is he doesn’t cry at night after giving it up and its lesson to many others out there thinking about. Its your choice. The right choice might not have been made yet. Some fans might call this ‘Anti-United’ without thinking but I could also say the same about funding Glazer and I already know the truth & the facts.

The book its self follows Manchester United  game on game. Harris goes to the away games and comments on the home games. I haven’t counted or checked but am guessing its every game. It also goes into more depth about not just what happens on the pitch but everything off it. From the players, to the manager, to the way your treated at many away grounds by normally the ‘West Midlands Police’. Wolves, which isn’t mentioned is a prime example, Birmingham away another which is. I know, I went. Harris also follows the Anti-Glazer protests during the season from the very start to the end. Its strengths and weaknesses, to the facts and how the Glazers are damaging the club. The the fan following and the players United use are also hinted towards the Anti-Glazer argument in some areas. For me its not an argument for or against glazer. Its Harris talking the truth and sometimes the truth is a hard thing to take.

You can find and buy ‘On The Road A Journey Through A Season on Amazon for £6.48. Its not alot to pay to read our whole last season in depth, especially when no funds go towards Glazer. Like it or not, its a very good read. http://amzn.to/cSZEzF you can also follow Daniel Harris On Twitter. @OnTheRoadajtas

The book has also been given a number of independent reviews including Rob Smyth from The Guardian, Richard Kurt a United Author, a review in the fanzine Red News, Alyson Rudd from The Times, Patrick Barclay the Chief Football Correspondent also from The Times, Daniel Taylor from The Guardian and Mick Hume from Red Issue & The Times.