The Edwards family founded their fortune on meat packaging in Manchester and Salford. Head of the family, Louis Edwards was a United fan from childhood and Sir Matt Busby approached him in the 1950's to invest some money in a club that had grown into the biggest in England.

From the late 1950's onward "Champagne" Louis bought up United shares and gradually got control from Alan Gibson (son of James Gibson). After the death of chairman Harold Hardman in 1965, Edwards took over as United chairman. His dream was to redevelop Old Trafford into the best stadium in the country.

A massive and highly controversial share issue increased the number of shareholders by a factor of 20 to raise over £1m. The club was on a new level financially and had the money to build the cantilever stand on the north and east sides complete with executive boxes in time for the 1966 World Cup.

In the late 1970's the Edwards butcher business was in financial trouble and he started to exploit his United investment to generate desperately needed cash. In 1980 an ITV programme made allegations of illegal share dealings but within less than a month Louis had died of a heart attack. Power was handed over to eldest son Martin at the age of 34.

Edwards always, perhaps unfairly, had to bear the brunt of his shareholders miserly mentality. Fans always blamed him and the PLC for not giving Fergie enough money to buy new players. However, Martin Edwards never shared his father's genuine love of the club. His ruthless desire to rid himself of his family heirloom for big bags of dosh and his middle-class snobbery which looked down upon United fans, always alienated him.

His ongoing feud with Fergie left him reviled by the fans: a popularity contest he could never, ever hope to win. Not to mention him taking credit for United's financial success when it was all down to Ferguson's trophy winning exploits.

In 1984 Robert Maxwell offered a reported £10m for the club but his proposal was rejected however in 1989 Martin Edwards nearly sold his controlling share for again, £10 million to Michael Knighton. The 1991 floating of Manchester United on the stock market saw him immediately offload 1.7 million shares making £6 million.

In 1998 he wanted again to sell his share to Rupert Murdoch for around £120 million. Under Edwards the club had reached the financial heaven of being the worlds richest club but by 2002 all the his shares in United had been sold at an estimated profit of at least £93 million.

The PLC structure of United was such that it was split into two section's - the old football club formed in 1878 and the newer PLC formed in 1991 when the club floated on the stock exchange. Edwards was both Chairman and PLC Chief Executive until 2001. His long-term plan was to become Chairman of the PLC when Sir Roland Smith, retired but he faced so much opposition to this plan he stepped down as CEO in place of Peter Kenyon. Edwards took on the lesser, honoury role of chairman of the Football Club, (as opposed to the PLC side).

It didn't last long however, he had to resign as chairman in the summer of 2002, days after tabloid allegations that he met a prostitute while on official club business in Switzerland. In August 2002 he was questioned by police over an alleged 'incident' in a ladies' toilet. Edwards still remains as a non-executive Director representing United at Premier League and UEFA committee meetings and recently with the Glazer takeover he became honorary life president of the club.