The World Wide Web of United

About the Book

The Manchester United Electronic mailing list has over 2,500 members based in about forty countries. This book is a selection of the best posts of the season 1996-97. There are about thirty articles selected from each month and they cover a huge range of subjects - general United history, specific games from the past, original match reports from last season, statistical data, trivia, stories about encounters with heroes, European travels with United to Vienna, Porto, Dortmund. You get the idea. There are over 290 articles in total by over 90 authors.

What makes this book unique may be the fact that every article was written without publication in mind. These are just average United fans. Well, maybe above average but the authors are as diverse as the subject matter. Their ages are equally diverse. So is their length of service in the Red Army. Yes, these are simply United fans 'speaking' their mind to a group of other United fans.

This book is a good yarn of how technology, and the revolution people don't yet understand, can affect them. It has affected me in a way I never could have guessed. I may still not fully understand its implications. I have never edited a book before but technology allows an ordinary supporter like me to be able to put together a project like this. I have had a huge amount of assistance from many people. It has been a truly collaborative effort. About 20 people working in 10 countries have helped it to become a reality. I have only ever met one of these people and have only spoken with three of them. Over 1,000 email messages went back and forth across the globe as it took shape... The marvels of technology!

About the Author

Contrary to popular belief, David Menashe was not born wearing a United scarf and rosette. At least that's what his mother tells him. He's not so sure! Born in Manchester in 1963, he started supporting United around 1969. By 1974, he had managed to convince his parents that it was a good idea to allow him to travel alone to Old Trafford every week to see United. Prior to that, he saw them a few times a season and always accompanied by adults. All that changed in 1974 - the year United were in the second division. That season, he missed only two home games. For the next eight years, he rarely missed a game at Old Trafford and went to a few away games to see his beloved Reds.

In 1982, he left the UK and relied on BBC World Service to keep informed. There was also a weekly phone call to family and the occasional game on TV. But when he bought his first computer in April 1996, it brought him what he had been thirsting for. After 14 years of relative drought, it brought him daily news of happenings at United. It also acquainted him with thousands of members of the United family from all over the world.

This is his first book. David had always wanted to write a book and doing one about United seemed to be the logical choice. He had no idea what he was taking on when he began this in Feb 1997. He has no idea how he completed this mammoth task but he swears he enjoyed every minute of it.