What began as a light-hearted idea shared online has, in 493 days, grown into something far bigger than its creator ever anticipated.
Frank Ilett, also known as The United Strand, posted a video on 5 October 2024, where he gave himself his last haircut until Manchester United won five games in a row.
On the video, he put up a poll asking what was then a relatively small following when they thought his next haircut would be: in 2024, 2025 or 2026?
Of the 27,000 responses, 90% said 2026. After snatching a 1-1 draw at West Ham on Tuesday, the wait goes on.
Ilett now has more than 2.3 million followers on social media and hosted a YouTube livestream of Tuesday’s game, which at times had more than 100,000 people watching.
Speaking 365 days into the challenge, Ilett told BBC Sport that the ‘no win, no trim’ concept was initially filmed as harmless entertainment, designed to “share positivity” during a frustrating period for United fans.
“I just want to bring some joy to other Manchester United fans in this kind of weird time at the club,” he said.
According to Ilett, there was no grand plan – just enthusiasm and a football team in poor form.
“I thought it would be over in three or four months,” Ilett told BBC Sport. “It was meant to be a laugh, and then that would be it. But it hasn’t quite worked out like that.”
The last time United managed five consecutive wins was between January and February 2024.
Ilett says that “didn’t feel long ago, when the challenge began”, but history offers less comfort.
The club’s longest run without five straight wins lasted 902 days, ending in January 1999 – a statistic Ilett said he tries not to dwell on.
“I started this thinking it was just a dip in form, especially as United had won the FA Cup in May. I didn’t realise it could actually get worse and carry on for so long,” he said.
As the months passed, the challenge evolved. What started as a light-hearted video became a visible symbol of United’s struggles, with Ilett’s hair being shared across social media acting as a weekly reminder of how far they had fallen.
“My hair is a visual representation that Man Utd aren’t in the place they should be, so I understand why the club haven’t been in contact – but hopefully as it goes on and we get a bit more positive vibes around the club, they’ll be in contact,” he added.
Alongside the growing attention came monetisation, increased reach, and a responsibility he had not anticipated.
“It’s not really about me any more,” he says. “There are so many people following along. I can’t just stop.”
Ilett now has an agent who deals with commercial enquiries and has partnered with huge media brands as he cashes in on his growing hair. He also now has a long-established company dealing with media requests.
Asked where the dream haircut would be, Ilett told BBC Sport there was only one place he had in mind.
“I mean if they let me, it would be amazing to be on the pitch at Old Trafford being cut by one of the players or something, but we’ll have to see nearer the time,” he said.
One man and a much-anticipated trim.
But it has started to feel, for Manchester United, that Ilett’s long wait for the club to win five games in a row has become an unwanted irritation.
There was a time when it seemed as though United were prepared to play along with the gag. They did, after all, include a barbers’ room in their £50m training ground upgrade at Carrington. What better way to have a bit of fun?
Now though, in public and private, they are having nothing to do with it.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes and manager Michael Carrick were dismissive when asked about it after victory number four, against Tottenham – although Carrick’s admission he had been told of the saga by his kids hints at the wider attraction.
Ilett’s daily social media updates and the before and now pictures scattered across the digital sphere were initially quite amusing – but serve as a reminder of how bad the team’s form has been.
Ilett plans to donate his hair to the Little Princess Trust and set up a JustGiving page for the children’s cancer charity, for those who wanted to offer financial support.
His initial fundraising target of £500 for the the Little Princess Trust has been exceeded significantly and by Tuesday afternoon stood at £6,132.
As attention-grabbing initiatives go, his pledge didn’t seem especially outrageous when he made it.
United had completed five-in-a-row eight months earlier, the 11th time it had happened – including the end of the 2015-16 season and start of 2016-17 – in just under 11 years following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
The longest gap was from 25 January 2019, when United won the last of their eight successive wins following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s arrival and the end of five victories in a row under the Norwegian in April 2021.
It says a lot for United’s chronic form since Ilett made his vow that they had only won three in a row twice until Carrick arrived, changed the formation and turned his old club into winners once more.
To put that into context, United’s fellow ‘big six’ clubs have all won five times on the bounce in recent memory. Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool have done it this season – Chelsea have done it already this year.
Even Tottenham, whose form has been atrocious for 18 months now, managed it early last season, when United were one of the teams they beat.
Yet some fans have come to the conclusion they do not appreciate Ilett’s humour.
One supporter was given an indefinite ban from Old Trafford by United for attacking Ilett on a concourse at the home game with Chelsea in September 2025.
Others have taken exception to him taking part in an advert for a major gambling company and monetising what was meant to be a charitable gesture. Ilett has denied making the kinds of sums being mentioned.
However, many have defended Ilett and most responses to his appearance on the leading Stretford Paddock podcast were positive.
The vast majority though, for and against, just want to see an end to it.
