As a united fan i am not pleased but the way i see it now is that there is no point complaining - what is done is done.
I would guess Glazer has the business nuance to reclaim his funds (hopefully not by floggin old trafford) and i dont think he would have invested 700m just to see it go down the tubes. I am also sure he is fully aware that success on the field is the only way to expand the United empire.
He did bring success to Tampa (albeit will expensive tickets) so i just hope he does the same with United.
I live in hope.
daniel
Originally posted by dan182From where United were, the only way is down. You can buy honours in football as Chelsea and Blackburn have proved, but essentially this is always backed up, or surpassed, by a massive dose of support, enthusiasm and positivity from the supporters. Blackburn for example could buy Shearer but the spin-off of this was the heightened hopes and aspirations of the crowds. This has an untold positive effect on the atmosphere of the stadium, it almost becomes rude to lose.
He did bring success to Tampa (albeit will expensive tickets) so i just hope he does the same with United.
Man U are used to winning. People, least of all football supporters don't like change and so this change won't be seen as a fresh new wind but an unwelcome invader, and there'll be something in the mood of the fans which will rub off on the team.
English football isn't like American football. The clubs we follow are part of our community, not just an opportunity to experience a spectacle. That's what the cinema is for. Football is about passion, it's about dreams and hopes, about laughing, shouting and crying together, whoever you are.
I don't know about Glazer and what he plans to do with/to United, but I simply cannot accept that he understands the true meaning of football, the nature of the football community, and of the biggest name in that community.
His comments about providing £25 million were disgracefully naive. It's like I said before, this is not exclusively about Man United. The whole thing reeks of something you tread in, and I'm not talking grapes.
I hope anti Man U fans are able to put their spite aside and realise that this is a very bad thing for football, for the football community, and for football fans.
Football may be a business, but it differs from other business in that, in football, a competitor is also a fundamental partner. So if one partner gets hurt, we all get hurt.
It's not the same as relegation. It's not the same as a 5-0 drubbing. No. All that is part of the rich tapestry of football, the nature of which can only be harmed by this takeover.
IMHO
asromacalcio
I sincerely feel for Ragnorak and the many other Manchester United fans, but the time for protest isn't now, nor a few days ago, rather the time for protest was when Manchester United decided to turn itself into a plc. The board of Manchester United - like the bulk of the fans, but for different reasons - seem also against the move. Yet they have tried harder and harder in recent years to push the Manchester United brand, to expand the business side of the club, in other words to try to do exactly what companies listed on the stock exchange usually try to do: maximise shareholder value. Someone should tell them (the board) that what's happening now is part of the risk of being a listed company; they (the board and any fans who were pro-listing) can't have it both ways.
And yes, if the protesters put as much energy into, say, charitable causes then the combined effort might well help to improve things in Manchester and elsewhere. However, Manchester United football club is probably these people's number one passion - "moronic malcontents"? Unlikely. They're behaving in a way that others probably would if they believed their number one passion was being sold down the river and would never be the same again.
Glazer isn't worth USD1.1 billion by being stupid. Unlike Roman Abramovich, profit will very likely be his number one objective. Alienating fans, spending nothing on the team, removing the club's most successful manager of all time, sapping the life-blood from the club, those aren't the ways in which he's going to make money. He'll probably have a crack at breaking the collective bargaining power of all clubs in the Premiership re: TV rights (if MU could negotiate their own TV rights revenue would rocket) and undoubtedly ticket prices will rise - demand for a seat at Old Trafford is price inelastic, especially when supply is limited to ~67,900. Those two things are symptomatic with the way football is going in general though - it's futile turning Glazer into some kind of antichrist.
The proof of the cake will be in the eating. Man Utd have all the ingredients to make a pretty decent cake.
Glazer is determind to get a return on his investment, to this he will need a successful team. I think Man Utd fans should feel optimistic about the new ownership as the fans and the Glazers share the main objectives.
And another thing, we are deluding ourselves greatly by thinking football is big business.
Manchester United have a smaller turnover than Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries!!!! Who?
It's just the nature of the game, the audience it reaches and the relatively low level of employees in a company able to command upfront payments for a unique product.
In the grand scheme of things, there's no REAL money to be made. It's just an expensive hobby.
Originally posted by T1000True, but if he has made this much money it won't have come without mistakes. I wonder how many side ventures have been abandoned along the way because there were bigger fish to fry.....
Glazer isn't worth USD1.1 billion by being stupid. Unlike Roman Abramovich, profit will very likely be his number one objective.
Dario Gradi for ENGLAND!!!!!!!!