Michael Knighton: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 00:39, 9 September 2007

Michael Knighton is an English businessman. He was a director of Manchester United Football Club (1989-1992) and owner/chairman of Carlisle United AFC (1992-1999). His high public profile during his attempted, and finally aborted, take over bid for Manchester United- left him one of the best known football people in England in the 1980's/1990's

LEGAL ACTION The eminent London Law Firm David Price - Specialist Advocates in Media Law - in 1996 this Firm successfully won substantial libel damages for Knighton when they sued the Sunday Times Editors and Reed International Books for publishing their..."The Sunday Times Illustrated History of Football". In this publication, like so many others before them, they claimed, inter alia, that Knighton did not have the funds to Complete his £20m bid for Manchester United in August 1989. Evidence produced in the High Court in London proved to the Court that the publishers malicious and damaging claims were completely unfounded and untrue. Indeed, his lawyers demonstrated to the Court that not only did Knighton have the financial wherewithal to Complete the Takeover of Manchester United by buying all of Martin Edwards shares, further, the lawyers also proved that Knighton had sufficient financial clout to carry out the proposed development of the Stretford End of Old Trafford Stadium. (1)

REF:(1) Legal Archive: David Price Solicitors and Advocates-Specialists in Media Law. 21 Fleet St London EC4 Y1AA +44 (0)2073539999 enquires@lawyers-media.com

                              THIS FIRM ARE RETAINED BY MICHAEL KNIGHTON TO PROTECT HIS REPUTATION FROM LIBELOUS STATEMENTS PUBLISHED BY ANY MEANS INCLUDING THE INTERNET

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Michael Knighton''' is an [[English people|English]] [[businessman]] who is best known for his involvement in [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] and [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]] [[football club]]s.
+'''Michael Knighton''' is an English businessman. He was a director of Manchester United Football Club (1989-1992) and owner/chairman of Carlisle United AFC (1992-1999). His high public profile during his attempted, and finally aborted, take over bid for Manchester United- left him one of the best known football people in England in the 1980's/1990's
-==Early life==
-Knighton grew up in [[Derbyshire]] and was a talented [[soccer|footballer]] in his youth, and took on an apprenticeship with [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] in [[1965]]. He failed to make his mark there, however, and moved to [[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]]. His dreams of playing football, however, were shattered when he ruptured a muscle in his [[thigh]].<ref name="injury">[http://www.angelfire.com/dc/3games/halpin.html David Wilkes, Michael Knighton & John Halpin] Knighton's early career, Retrieved [[May 22]] [[2006]]</ref> After achieving a degree in [[physical education]] at [[Durham University]], he briefly became a [[teacher]], also receiving a [[The Football Association|FA]] coaching badge. He then moved into property trading, buying a number of properties in the [[Channel Islands]] and the [[Isle of Man]], basing himself in the latter.<ref>[[ibid]]</ref>
+'''LEGAL ACTION'''
-==Manchester United Takeover==
+The eminent London Law Firm David Price - Specialist Advocates in Media Law - in 1996 this Firm successfully won substantial libel damages for Knighton when they sued the Sunday Times Editors and Reed International Books for publishing their..."The Sunday Times Illustrated History of Football". In this publication, like so many others before them, they claimed, inter alia, that Knighton did not have the funds to Complete his £20m bid for Manchester United in August 1989. Evidence produced in the High Court in London proved to the Court that the publishers malicious and damaging claims were completely unfounded and untrue. Indeed, his lawyers demonstrated to the Court that not only did Knighton have the financial wherewithal to Complete the Takeover of Manchester United by buying all of Martin Edwards shares, further, the lawyers also proved that Knighton had sufficient financial clout to carry out the proposed development of the Stretford End of Old Trafford Stadium. ''(1)''
-In [[1989]] Knighton made a takeover of [[Pound Sterling|£]]20 million for Manchester United. At the time this was a record figure for a British football club and the offer was accepted by Chief Executive [[Martin Edwards]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/18/newsid_2499000/2499267.stm Man U Sold in Record Deal] BBC News, Accessed [[May 22]] [[2006]]</ref> Knighton promised to invest £10 million in [[Old Trafford (football)|Old Trafford]], the team's stadium and to help rebuild the club at which [[Alex Ferguson]] was [[Coach (sport)|coach]].
-Knighton appeared on the pitch at Old Trafford before a game dressed in a full Manchester United football kit to publicise the takeover. Famously, he showed off his football skills by completing a long series of skilful [[kick up]]s.<ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3724/is_200101/ai_n8930782 Daydream believer] [[The Spectator]], Accessed [[May 22]] [[2006]]</ref> However, the deal eventually fell through,for unknown reasons, although many speculated that Knighton's financial backers pulled out.<ref>[http://www.hinduonnet.com/tss/tss2822/stories/20050528004500600.htm United against Glazer] Sportstar, Accessed [[May 22]] [[2006]]</ref> In retrospect, the purchase could have been one of the business moves of the century; Manchester United went on to grow as part of the football boom of the 1990s and a bid from [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s [[BSkyB]] for [[Pound Sterling|£]]680 million was accepted in 1999 (though eventually blocked by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission); they were later sold for [[Pound Sterling|£]]790 million in 2005 to [[Malcolm Glazer]].
+REF:''(1)'' Legal Archive:
-==Carlisle United==
+David Price Solicitors and Advocates-Specialists in Media Law.
-Knighton, after the Manchester United deal, went on to buy Carlisle United, based in the [[Cumbria]]n city of [[Carlisle]] in [[1992]]. At the time, they were in the bottom division of [[the Football League]] and Knighton set about building up the club who he claimed he could return to the top league of English football, the [[Premier League|Premiership]] (Carlisle had previously played at that level in the [[1974-75 in English football|1974-75 season]]).<ref>[http://archive.thisislancashire.co.uk/1998/04/25/802667.html Carlisle wanted Beardo on trial] This is Lancashire, Accessed [[May 22]] [[2006]]</ref>
+Fleet St
+London
+EC4 Y1AA
++44 (0)2073539999
+enquires@lawyers-media.com
-Initial success saw Carlisle win [[Football League Division Three|Division Three]] and achieve [[promotion]] in 1995, as well as reaching the final of the [[Football League Trophy]]; they were [[relegated]] the following season but promoted back again to [[Football League Second Division|Division Two]] in 1997. In '97 they also reached a second Football League Trophy final, beating  [[Colchester United]] on penalties.
+                               THIS FIRM ARE RETAINED BY MICHAEL KNIGHTON TO PROTECT HIS REPUTATION FROM LIBELOUS STATEMENTS PUBLISHED BY ANY MEANS INCLUDING THE INTERNET
-In 1996 Knighton was publicly mocked over his claims to have seen a UFO.<ref>[http://www.ufosoveramerica.com/html/ufo_stories.html Soccer chief who saw UFO is under the moon] UFOs over America, Accessed [[May 22]] [[2006]]</ref> He claimed that he and his wife Rosemary had seen a UFO in 1976. The local newspaper, the [[Carlisle News and Star]], broke the story with the headline 'Knighton: Aliens Spoke To Me'.
-After a poor start to the [[1997-98 in English football|1997/98 season]], Knighton sacked popular manager [[Mervyn Day]] and took over the management and coaching of the team himself.<ref name="injury"/> The move proved unsuccessful, and Carlisle were relegated back to Division Three. He kept himself as head coach until December 1998, when he handed the job over to [[Nigel Pearson]]. Knighton remained chairman of the club, but no longer had the financial resources to achieve another promotion. Carlisle struggled in the bottom division, only avoiding relegation to the [[Football Conference]] with a last-minute goal by [[goalkeeper]] [[Jimmy Glass]], in what is one of football's most famous comebacks.<ref>[http://iway.cumbria.ac.uk/informer.php?issue=issue_27&section=5&subSection=0&storyNum=169 Working Glass Hero] The Informer Online, Accessed [[May 22]] [[2006]]</ref>
-Knighton became increasingly unpopular with fans, who formed the 'United Trust' organization to protest against his control. Knighton attempted to sell the club in 2001 to [[Brooks Mileson]], but he eventually backed out of the deal. The fans instead backed John Courtenay to take over, but negotiations were protracted and Knighton fired manager [[Roddy Collins]] for his comments over the deal. Eventually, after Carlisle were put into voluntary [[Administration (insolvency)|administration]], Courtenay purchased the club from Knighton in July 2002 and reinstated Collins.<ref>[http://www.united-trust.org.uk/history/index.php United Trust History] Accessed [[May 22]] [[2006]]</ref>
-==References==
-{{reflist}}
-{{Carlisle United F.C. managers}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Knighton, Michael}}
-[[Category:Manchester United F.C. directors and chairmen]]
-[[Category:Carlisle United F.C.]]
-[[Category:English football managers]]
-[[Category:Carlisle United F.C. managers]]
-[[Category:Alumni of Durham University]]