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But the Glazer tactics worked.

paying £9m a year were replaced by paying just over £14m a year, a 45% increase.

And this at a time when United were in their fallow period, not long after a bruising takeover battle which had seen the new owners fall out with many of the fans, some of whom went off to form their own team, leave and United without a title win for three years.

Now they go into the market as triple champions - English, European and World, hence their search for sponsors worldwide extending from dear old to the Indian company who also sponsor the Indian cricket team.

Indeed I am told the United drive for their new sponsors is led by a hard-nosed marketing team working in London and targeting many of the world's leading companies.

This strategy suggests that United believe the credit crunch does not mean the game of sponsorship, which has blossomed in the last quarter of a century, is actually coming to an end, at least not for United.

However they and everybody accept that the sponsorship game has changed.

It is what marketing men are calling a flight to quality.

, who knows a thing or two about running football clubs having run and , confirms this.

He told me: "What has changed is that football shIrts can no longer be trophy assets. A club cannot just go out there and expect sponsors to fall into their laps.

"They will have to demonstrate that they are good value and they are providing a return to their sponsors. The sponsors will want to sweat the assets they have acquired.

"I agree there will be a flight to quality. Clubs that are doing well and who have had good relationships with their sponsors will still do all right.

"But the general run of clubs who just expect sponsors to queue to sign up just because they can get a football shirt are in for a shock. All this means the days of easy sell in football are over."

Or in simple terms if you are a successful team like United then you will get another sponsor and even increase the money offered but if you are not successful then you may have to adjust to life without a sponsor as have done and had to do for some months.

United are making bullish noises but not all football clubs have their track record or can be as hopeful of continuing to make a lot of money from sponsorship.