Salford, Lim’s other team

North-west of Manchester, about 10 kilometers from the center, there’s the home of Salford City, the other club owned by Peter Lim. Anchored in a residential neighborhood and away from the bustle of the big city, the charming Peninsula Stadium appears. Purists know him as Moore Lane, the denomination that the field always received before being devoured by a commercial name. In the Salford stadium, with capacity for 5,000 spectators, there is a football atmosphere. And that the team plays in League Two, the fourth category of English football. But since Peter Lim and the ‘Class of 92’ took over the club the progression of the team is interesting. Four categories have been promoted almost at once and happiness reigns in a devoted and humble hobby. The club, despite being in the hands of Lim and several former Manchester players, maintains the essence of always. “You don’t just support the team. You belong to them”, is the motto that decorates the entrance to the Salford stadium.

In 2014, Peter Lim and several former United players decided to buy ‘The Ammies’, as a club born in 1940 is affectionately known. Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Giggs, Scholes and Butt, the well-known Class of ’92, stepped forward to acquire some of the shareholding. Shortly after, Lim, who that same year bought Valencia, sand he took 40% of the Salford shares and David Beckham bought another 10%. In Moore Lane, everyone respects the former United and Lim’s work, although several fans say that he has never appeared in the stadium. Beckham has done it a couple of times, while Scholes and Neville, former Valencia coach, are almost fixed in home games. In one of the preferences they have their reserved seat, right in front of a charming private box with a cafeteria and all kinds of amenities.

The Salford fans find Peter Lim’s management interesting, unlike what happens in Mestalla. In Valencia, criticism of the Singaporean is constant and the pressure to sell the club is increasing. The fact that Lim has put ex-players already football people at the head of the management keep the fans excited of the lions, the feline that is present in every corner of the stadium, from the shield to the spotlights. The pet is also a lion.

“I don’t think it’s bad that Lim is the owner. He’s doing quite well. We’ve never seen him before, but he sure has an eye on the club. In addition, he always has someone from the ‘Class of 92’ watching what happens. Here we note that the management is more professional since Lim is here. This man will have a thousand businesses, including Valencia and I understand that he delegates to people he trusts. I think that at Salford the fans are more connected to Lim than at Valencia and here people respect him “, says a Salford fan, who attends AS from the Peninsula Stadium itself and proudly points to the seat where he has been sitting for years, very close to Scholes and company.

The difference between Valencia and Salford is abysmal, in repercussion, history and facilities. The English club, owned by Lim, has 1,800 members. About 3,000 watch Salford’s games at home. About thirty journalists cover the clashes at Peninsula Stadium. For a fourth category club, it is a considerable number. But the fact that the Class of ’92 is behind it generates excitement. Just spend a few hours at the Salford to check the affection and respect that there is towards the owner, towards Lim. Here, Salford and Valencia are also in the antipodes.

A sloping pitch

A perfect lawn, cared for with care and grateful for the rain, it attracts attention as soon as you enter the Peninsula Stadium. It is not uncommon to see such a well-kept pitch in the UK. However, Moore Lane is different. His field is tilted. It is observed with the naked eye. It is not flat and one of the bands is steeper than the other. Club employees ensure that the players do not notice it. The stadium bleachers are not asymmetrical either and they are in line with the slope of the pitch. The changing room tunnel traces the history of Salford, a club that Lim and several former Manchester players acquired to bring it to the elite. At the moment, he is struggling to get out of the fourth category of English football.