Prince Abdullah now needs to show leadership and ambition after court ruling: Martin Smith column

It ended up as a battle for a Premier League club, a battle won by HRH Prince Abdullah bin Musa'ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

When the ownership dispute between the Prince and Kevin McCabe started United were fighting to punch their weight against Bury and Chesterfield.

Now they are squaring up to Premier League teams, and despite a couple of disappointments, doing very well thank you.

The team is in the richest league in the world with a global audience measured in billions.

Now it’s time to concentrate on keeping them there and building for a bigger, better future.

Hard-bitten Blades used to the boardroom plots and financial chicanery of years gone would roll their eyes at mysterious movements off the pitch and disappointment on it.

But it’s different this time.

What happens now the ownership issue has been settled will define United for a decade.

Kevin McCabe will be devastated but Prince Abdullah has won the battle.

Now he needs to show real leadership and ambition.

EXPECTATIONS QUICKLY MADE CLEAR

New boss Garry Monk couldn’t have had a better start to life at Wednesday than a 2-0 win in a Yorkshire derby backed by fanatical away support.

If he didn’t know when he started about the expectation and emotion that comes with Wednesday, he does now and it will be even more clear when he takes charge of his first home game against Fulham on Saturday.

A LEGACY TAINTED

Comfort for Australian batsman David Warner?

Sandpaper man himself has had a pretty bleak summer.

His side have retained the Ashes so it’s not been a disaster but for him personally it’s been tough.

Poor form, constant abuse from crowds all over England and the knowledge that the only thing he will be remembered for in this country is ball-tampering.

Fair enough, you might say and you’d have a point.

Warner grew up in a tough and often violent neighbourhood in Sydney.

How tough?

One morning there was the body of a murder victim outside his house – that tough.

He battled all his life to get somewhere and he did.

Playing for Australia is as good as it gets for an Aussie.

To have all that broken by an act of foolishness and dishonesty will have crushed him,

The other man involved was man-of-the series Steve Smith, who seems to have handled the ordeal slightly better…