We're still United through and through
Blame the Glazers for this mess, not the supporters.
Anyone who has followed United knows there's always been some animosity between the supporters and the owners. And even if the Glazers did get in over their heads, some think we should just get behind them and support the club. They think that continuing to talk about the takeover only makes the situation worse.
First, and most importantly, we (supporters just like yourself) didn't pay through the nose to buy the most profitable club in the world and then saddle it with hundreds of millions of pounds worth of debt, putting it on the brink of financial ruin. The Glazers did.
It's just not right to point the finger at the supporters. We're all passionate about the club, and regardless of our points of view we all want the club to be successful. But we cannot be ruled by our emotions here. For as much as we'd like the plan to work, the simple fact is that it just won't. If Glazers' bankers had believed him they wouldn't have charged him rates that would make an ordinary loan shark blush. There's no magical recipe to more than double profits. Even Gill knows it.
Second, the damage is already done. It's only a matter of time.
As we've shown, the ends don't meet, a fact for which we have the Glazers -- and only the Glazers -- to thank. The clock started ticking at £650 million and it just gets worse. To argue that supporters are to blame for the mess would be like blaming the victim for a robbery.
And that's truly what we're talking about here. The Glazers have walked and left us holding the bag. The worst part about it, however, is that the more the inevitable is delayed, the more debilitating their tenure will be for the club in the long-term. The banks and hedge funds aren't going to care about 127 years of history and tradition. They're going to want their money. And they don't much care if the Glazers can't pay, for the Club is bounty should things fall through. Asset stripping then becomes a real possibility.
This is why we are against Malcolm Glazer. He has taken unacceptable and dangerous risks with the Club. This isn't just a matter of belief, though virtually everyone believes similarly. It is a matter of fact. We do not want to join him on this runaway debt train destined for disaster. Our agenda is positive. If we can, we'd like to keep the Club from crashing, because...
Finally, if (more likely, when) the Glazers' huge gamble fails and United tumbles off the precipice, we MUST be there to pick up the pieces.
For more than a century, Manchester United Football Club has captured our hearts. We have seen more than our fair share of despair. But each time we have risen, like a phoenix from the ashes, to will the club on to glory again. If the Glazers' tenure is to be yet another dark period in our history as it is already shaping up to be, we MUST be ready to act.
So what are you going to do then? you ask. How do you propose to do this, particularly now that the club is privately held and no longer a plc?
Copyright © 2007 MUST, the independent Manchester United supporters trust. All rights reserved.
We are the official trust for Manchester United FC, but please don't confuse us with the Glazer-owned United. Click here to understand what this means.

member login