Manchester United fans protest American Malcom Glazer

[wilheim]

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Thousands of Manchester United fans staged an anti-Malcolm Glazer demonstration before Wednesday's Champions League loss to AC Milan, angry the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is trying to take over the 15-time English league champion.
Holding red flares and waving banners, fans marched about a quarter-mile in freezing temperatures from the nearby Old Trafford cricket ground to the soccer stadium of the same name.

Fans chanted "Die, Glazer, die" and "We're not for sale" as they congregated in front of a statue of former Manchester United manager Matt Busby.

Twice rebuffed by the United board, Glazer has proposed a $1.53 billion bid to buy a controlling share of the club. He owns about 29% of the club's shares and used his power to oust three United directors at last November's annual general meeting.

Glazer made a new bid to take over the team earlier this month and the board said it would not recommend the offer to shareholders. The final decision is up to shareholders, and fans fear that they might be tempted to take Glazer's money.

<HR width="100%" color=black noShade SIZE=1> The Associated Press

 

[BigBenGodsend]

Manchester United fans should've been more worried about having to face a good AC Milan team. Losing 1-0 in the home leg is certainly not a recipe to advance at this stage of the Champions League

 

[wilheim]

Some say Man U. is the most valuable franchise in all of sports having a Yank own it may rub the their fans the wrong way.



wil.

 

[fookineejit]

I don't think the opposition is based on the fact that he is a yank wilheim. Rather it is that they see him as a pure business man with no interest in soccer or interest in Man.Utd.

Glazer is perceived as simply interested in how much money he can make out of Man.Utd. the business and not really interested in building the success of ManUtd the team.

The situation is not helped by the presence of Roman Abrahamovic at Chelsea who has literally poured hundreds of millions of his Russian oil money into the club with little apparent regard for a financial return only to make the team successful. I think the Man.Utd fans are expecting the principal shareholder to have some similar "fan" motivations.

Glazer has put in a large bid though so the current shareholders may not be able to see past the $$ signs.

 

[BossTown]

well put

I don't think the opposition is based on the fact that he is a yank wilheim. Rather it is that they see him as a pure business man with no interest in soccer or interest in Man.Utd.

Glazer is perceived as simply interested in how much money he can make out of Man.Utd. the business and not really interested in building the success of ManUtd the team.

The situation is not helped by the presence of Roman Abrahamovic at Chelsea who has literally poured hundreds of millions of his Russian oil money into the club with little apparent regard for a financial return only to make the team successful. I think the Man.Utd fans are expecting the principal shareholder to have some similar "fan" motivations.

Glazer has put in a large bid though so the current shareholders may not be able to see past the $$ signs.

Glazer is a wild card and will probably bring hard times to Old Trafford.

Right now ManU has it running on all cylinders both financial and from a fotball operations persepective - why screw with success. Glazer would be bad for ManU - and as an Arsenal backer I hope he succeeds!!