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Michael Knighton is an English businessman who is best known for his involvement in Manchester United and Carlisle United football clubs. His eccentricties, including claims that he saw a UFO, have left him one of the best known football chairmen in England of recent years.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Manchester United Takeover 3 Carlisle United 4 References

Knighton grew up in Derbyshire 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. ^[1] After achieving a degree in physical education at Durham University, he briefly became a teacher, also receiving an 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. ^[2]

In 1989 Knighton made a takeover 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 Michael Edwards. ^[3] Knighton promised to invest £10 million in Old Trafford, the team's stadium and to help rebuild the club at which Alex Ferguson had just taken over as 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 skillful kick ups. ^[4] However, the deal eventually fell through,for unknown reasons, although many speculated that Knighton's financial backers pulled out, ^[5], In retrospect, the purchase would 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.

Knighton, after the Manchester United deal, went on to buy Carlisle United, based in the Cumbrian city of Carlisle in 1992. At the time, they were in the bottom level 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 ^[6] (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 97 they also reached a second Football League Trophy final, beating Colchester United on penalties.

In 1996 Knighton was publicaly humiliated after his claims to have seen a UFO were mocked. ^[7] 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'.

However, after a poor start to the 1997/98 season, Knighton sacked popular manager Mervyn Day and took over the management and coaching of the team himself. ^[8] 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 from a last-minute goal by goalkeeper Jimmy Glass, in what is one of football's most famous come backs. ^[9]

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, Courtenay purchased the club from Knighton in July 2002. ^[10]

1. ^ David Wilkes, Michael Knighton & John Halpin Knighton's early career, Accessed May 22, 2006
2. ^ ibid
3. ^ Man U Sold in Record Deal BBC News, Accessed May 22, 2006
4. ^ Daydream believer The Spectator, Accessed May 22, 2006
5. ^ United against Glazer Sportstar, Accessed May 22, 2006
6. ^ Carlisle wanted Beardo on trial This is Lancashire, Accessed May 22, 2006
7. ^ Soccer chief who saw UFO is under the moon UFOs over America, Accessed May 22, 2006
8. ^ See ref 1
9. ^ Working Glass Hero The Informer Online, Accessed May 22, 2006
10. ^ United Trust History Accessed May 22, 2006