Michael Knighton
Encyclopedia
Michael Knighton is an English
businessman who is best known for his involvement in Manchester United
and Carlisle United
football clubs.
and was a talented footballer in his youth, and took on an apprenticeship with Everton
in 1965. He failed to make his mark there, however, and moved to Coventry City
. His dreams of playing football, however, were shattered when he ruptured a muscle in his thigh
. After achieving a degree in physical education
at Bede College Durham University
, he briefly became a teacher
, also receiving a 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.
. Knighton promised to invest £10 million in the team's stadium, Old Trafford
, as well as re-establish the club as England's top side.
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 "keepie ups". However, as Knighton's financial backers gradually pulled out, the deal eventually fell through. 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 £680 million was accepted in 1999 (though eventually blocked by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission); they were later sold for £790 million in 2005 to Malcolm Glazer
.
, 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 Premiership (Carlisle had previously played at that level in the 1974-75 season
).
Initial success saw Carlisle win 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 Division Two
in 1997. In 1997 they also reached a second Football League Trophy final, beating Colchester United
on penalties.
In 1996 Knighton was publicly mocked over his claims to have seen a UFO. He claimed that he and his wife Rosemary had seen a UFO in 1976. The local newspaper, the "Evening News and Star", broke the story with the headline 'Knighton: Aliens Spoke To Me'.
After a poor start to the 1997-98 season
, Knighton dismissed popular manager Mervyn Day
and took over the management and coaching of the team himself. 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.
Knighton became increasingly unpopular with fans, who formed the 'United Trust' organisation 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
, Courtenay purchased the club from Knighton in July 2002 and reinstated Collins.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
businessman who is best known for his involvement in Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
football clubs.
Early life
Knighton grew up in DerbyshireDerbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and was a talented footballer in his youth, and took on an apprenticeship with Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in 1965. He failed to make his mark there, however, and moved to Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
. His dreams of playing football, however, were shattered when he ruptured a muscle in his thigh
Thigh
In humans the thigh is the area between the pelvis and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.The single bone in the thigh is called the femur...
. After achieving a degree in physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
at Bede College Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
, he briefly became a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, also receiving a FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
coaching badge. He then moved into property trading, buying a number of properties in the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
and the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, basing himself in the latter.
Manchester United takeover
In 1989, Knighton made a takeover bid of £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 EdwardsMartin Edwards
Charles Martin Edwards was the chairman of Manchester United from 1980 until 2002. He now holds the position of honorary life president at the club.- Education :...
. Knighton promised to invest £10 million in the team's stadium, Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, as well as re-establish the club as England's top side.
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 "keepie ups". However, as Knighton's financial backers gradually pulled out, the deal eventually fell through. 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
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
's BSkyB for £680 million was accepted in 1999 (though eventually blocked by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission); they were later sold for £790 million in 2005 to Malcolm Glazer
Malcolm Glazer
Malcolm Irving Glazer is an American businessman and sports team owner. He is the president and chief executive officer of First Allied Corporation, a holding company for his varied business interests, most notably in the food processing industry...
.
Carlisle United
After the Manchester United deal, Knighton went on to buy Carlisle UnitedCarlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, based in the Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
n City of Carlisle
City of Carlisle
The City of Carlisle is a local government district of Cumbria, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Carlisle, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Brampton and Longtown, as well as outlying villages...
in 1992. At the time, they were in the bottom division of the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
and Knighton set about building up the club who he claimed he could return to the top league of English football, the Premiership (Carlisle had previously played at that level in the 1974-75 season
1974-75 in English football
The 1974–75 season was the 95th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Dave Mackay guided Derby County to their second league title in four years having overcome strong competition from Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Everton, Stoke City, Manchester City, Sheffield United and...
).
Initial success saw Carlisle win Division Three and achieve promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
in 1995, as well as reaching the final of the Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
; they were relegated the following season but promoted back again to Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
in 1997. In 1997 they also reached a second Football League Trophy final, beating Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
on penalties.
In 1996 Knighton was publicly mocked over his claims to have seen a UFO. He claimed that he and his wife Rosemary had seen a UFO in 1976. The local newspaper, the "Evening News and Star", broke the story with the headline 'Knighton: Aliens Spoke To Me'.
After a poor start to the 1997-98 season
1997-98 in English football
The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
, Knighton dismissed popular manager Mervyn Day
Mervyn Day
Mervyn Day is a former professional footballer who played in the Football League as a goalkeeper for West Ham United, Leyton Orient, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Luton Town, Sheffield United and Carlisle United. He later managed Carlisle United...
and took over the management and coaching of the team himself. 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
Nigel Pearson
Nigel Graham Pearson is an English football manager and former professional player. He is currently in his second spell as manager of Leicester City, having previously managed Hull City, Southampton and Carlisle United, and been assistant manager for England Under-21s and Newcastle United...
. 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
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
with a last-minute goal by goalkeeper Jimmy Glass
Jimmy Glass
James "Jimmy" Glass is a former football goalkeeper. Glass is remembered for scoring the last-minute goal which kept Carlisle United in the Football League in 1999...
, in what is one of football's most famous comebacks.
Knighton became increasingly unpopular with fans, who formed the 'United Trust' organisation to protest against his control. Knighton attempted to sell the club in 2001 to Brooks Mileson
Brooks Mileson
Brooks John Joseph Mileson was an English businessman and the former owner of Scottish football club Gretna as well as being a philanthropist to 70 non-league clubs.-Early life:...
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
Roddy Collins
Roderick 'Roddy' Collins , is a Irish former professional football player and current manager of Monaghan United. He has also worked as a television pundit, and is the brother of acclaimed former boxer, Steve Collins....
for his comments over the deal. Eventually, after Carlisle were put into voluntary administration
Administration (insolvency)
As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – an alternative to liquidation – is often known as going...
, Courtenay purchased the club from Knighton in July 2002 and reinstated Collins.
Managerial statistics
| Team | Country | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Carlisle United Carlisle United F.C. Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.... |
 |
11 September 1997 | 17 December 1998 |
||||||
| Total |
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