It was at an entrance to Old Trafford round the back of the Stretford End, away from the noise and the flares that accompanied the start of the Manchester United fans' protest at Old Trafford, that those who made it onto the pitch entered through.
Most were young lads in their 20s, coming down the hill in wave after wave. But not all.
There were women and older men too. One, probably in his late 50s or early 60s, wore a green and gold scarf and woolly hat - the colours of United's first shirts when they were formed as Newton Heath in 1878, and of the original anti-Glazer protests in 2010
- Man Utd v Liverpool off after fan protest
After he had left the stadium compound, he remained with those waiting for the United team bus that never arrived.He was not angry and spoke calmly to fans and media in the same area, wanting to know the latest about what was happening on the other side of the ground, or around the team hotel, where he had been earlier.Those fans, he felt, were more sinister than the ones at the stadium. But he didn't condemn them. He accepts they have a common goal. Emotions have been simmering for 16 years, so a bit of aggression is understandable, the theory went.Exchanges like this - and people like that - underline the reason for what happened at Old Trafford.
A large protest was expected outside the ground before the match with historic rivals Liverpool - but no-one expected fans to force their way into the stadium and on to the pitch and for the match to be postponed.It was the third major fans protest against the club and its owners in recent days following a protest at Old Trafford last Saturday and fans entering the club's training ground at Carrington the previous Thursday.
Like supporters of the other five 'big six' clubs, Manchester United's fans are angry about the European Super League proposals. They don't want it and will voice their opposition - just as fans of the other five English sides have done.
What sets United apart is that their fans are not surprised at the actions of their owners - the US-based Glazer family.
Indeed, to those fans, it merely underlines their view that the owners of their football club only care about money and that they have no affection for the world-famous 149-year-old institution they are in charge of.
If they did, the argument goes, they would never have landed the club with the enormous debt associated with their controversial £790m leveraged takeover in 2005.
Manchester United were a debt-free organisation when they were on the stock market prior to the Glazers buying the club.
The fans believe the Glazers should have used their own money.That debt currently stands at £455.5m, according to the club's latest accounts, which were released on 4 March, 2021. It is estimated that in general finance costs, interest and dividends, the Glazer takeover has cost United in excess of £1bn.There is nothing new in this. Many United fans were genuinely angry when Sir Alex Ferguson used to defend the owners.
By Simon Stone
jjkj BBC Sport
