As I sat in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, the raw emotion and magic of Old Trafford was all around me. It was a stark reminder that the fans and the place they flock to really are Man United's greatest gift, writes IAN HERBERT

The sound came rolling down in waves, crashing down around us as I sat in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, in the moments after Manchester United had conceded a most dreadful first goal. It was low and sonorous and quite extraordinary, really. When a club go nine games without winning and fall behind again, you expect an air of sullen resignation - not that ‘UNITED’ which took hold and grew in a collective, magical act of defiance. Much more would follow in a significant escalation of protest against the Glazers and their minority partner Sir Jim Ratcliffe .