Terrifying scenes at Woodward’s home were sickening... and brought back bad memories of sinister attacks on me and my family

FOOTBALL is a passionate, tribal sport – and it can make a difference to people’s everyday lives.

But the scenes outside Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward’s house, with masked men firing flares over the gates, was a tipping point which repulses every fair-minded fan.

No football match is worth making a decent man and his young family live in fear.

Ask yourself this: how would you like it if a gang of hooded thugs stood outside your front door, chanting that you were going to die, and firing rockets or flares towards your windows as an act of aggression?

I feel for Woodward because, unfortunately, I have personal experience of this unacceptable behaviour.

In fairness, 95 per cent of football supporters are good people. It is no problem posing for a picture or signing an autograph for the overwhelming majority.

But a minority, like the idiots who attacked Woodward’s family home, are a menace. We hear a lot about celebrity culture in football, about multi-millionaire stars, their chauffeur-driven cars, their roped-off areas in nightclubs and exclusive dining rooms in restaurants.

None of that makes players, coaches, owners or chairmen ‘fair game’ for threats, intimidation or violence.

Sadly, what happened to Woodward struck a chord with me. I’ve had four men in balaclavas outside my house, and graffiti daubed on my fence.

And when I signed for Blackburn from Birmingham, I even had to move my family out of the house one night after we received a tip-off that we were going to be greeted by undesirable visitors.

Do you know what it’s like to go to bed at night, listening for every rustle in the bushes outside?

Or looking out for every shaft of light, in case it’s from an intruder’s torch?

Or explaining to your family why they should wear a panic alarm? Or reading vicious hatred on social media, and having to convince yourself it is just the work of cranks?

Or opening the mail to find someone has cut individual letters out of newspaper headlines and formed words to spell out death threats? That really unnerved me.

I have also been punched, spat at, had full cans of beer thrown at me outside football grounds, and had my car vandalised.

It is no fun to live your life on edge, looking over your shoulder.

It’s horrible, it affects your performance at work, and makes you question why on earth you put yourself, and your family, through it... all because I was doing my job on the pitch.

As a player, I was a pantomime villain on the pitch and, yes, I could wind up opponents.

Although I copped some fearful abuse from rival fans (above), I didn’t mind if it was laced with humour. But I didn’t deserve all that.

And anyone who says Woodward should take his medicine because his salary is reported to be £2.5million needs to take a good look in the mirror.

First and foremost, he is a human being. A family man. United’s fortunes on the pitch have waned since the 20 years of glory under Sir Alex Ferguson, but Woodward’s business expertise has brought hundreds of millions of pounds into the club. They are still a commercial giant able to sign players for monster transfer fees.

How bitterly ironic that Woodward’s house came under siege from idiots (top) when he was thought to be finalising the £68m transfer of Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon. This is not the first time it’s happened to a highprofile figure at United.

Wayne Rooney’s house was blockaded by so-called ‘fans’ when it looked as if he might leave Old Trafford 10 years ago.

I believe Woodward needs the help of a technical director to re-establish a football philosophy in United’s best traditions. And he is looking for someone of the very highest calibre to fill that role.

Whatever fans may say about the ruling Glazer family’s ownership, Manchester United would be a much poorer club without Ed Woodward’s contribution.

Peaceful protests, or harmless stunts like fly-past banners, are one thing.

But intimidating a decent man in his own home crosses a line. It’s a sinister and worrying development.

Football can send fans to work with a spring in their step on a Monday morning, when their team has won, but if we let the masked idiots win, the game is up.