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It’s impossible to think of a more prestigious draw than Manchester United at home. With the greatest of respect to Blackburn, playing them would have been no more than a neighbourhood squabble, another opportunity for us to settle old scores with the enemy from Ewood.
Manchester United, on the other hand, remain the biggest club in the land. True, they may have lost their crown to Arsenal, and they may have lost their aura of invincibility, but they nevertheless remain the biggest crowd puller in the English game. And a week on Tuesday, they will be playing at Turf Moor, in front of a packed house.
It is virtually impossible to overstate the importance of this game to the club. In purely financial terms, the clubs between them will make over £300,000 on gate receipts alone. With the TV money and merchandising income, the game will be worth around £300,000 to the Football Club. At a time when the club’s finances are not in the strongest state in the aftermath of the ITV digital affair, every penny is of vital importance.
But the game is important for much more than the money. Once again, it puts the club in the national spotlight. After spending many years in the shadows, these Worthington Cup ties give us the chance to prove that we’re on the way back.
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No doubt, Turf Moor will be rocking. The game is a sell-out to all intents and purposes, for both home and away fans. There have not been enough occasions recently when we have been able to say that. There have been too many disappointing crowds for big games when we have been playing well, particularly when we were up towards the top of the league last season. But hopefully, those fans who have brought tickets for both the United game and the Norwich match, will go to both games. Hopefully they will enjoy themselves, and we will be able to produce a couple of great performances. And hopefully, they will come back. If this match achieves that much, it will have done enough.