[Archived] Glazer Set For Utd

[The Blunderer]

Glazer suggested any changes to the club yet?

How about a re-brand to Soccer Club United of Manchester (SCUM).

Of course we'd be worried if it happened to our club, but as a financial institution fronted by a sports club for some time, the activity being carried out by Glazer with MU must have been on the cards for ages.

[Roaming Rover]

Talking to my mate who's a ST at Old Trafford. He has been to all the demo's etc and was saying that the Fans are thinking of setting up a break away club like Wimbledon fans did when they relocated. Don't know if it will happen but they seem pretty P***ed off.

Anyway, I feel for the genuine fans, but whatever they do, boycott season tickets there will be someone willing to take their place.

Perhaps they will relocated to China as that's where most of the fans come from

[Shaddy]

Does this scenario sound plausible?

I would imagine that United will continue their recent trend of drumming up business in the US, by touring there in the pre-season.

But now, I would imagine Glazier will be a bit more demanding about playing all the stars all the time during the tour, in an attempt to attract the maximum no. of paying supporters in the States.

So, if the above prediction is accurate, I speculate that:

1. Ferguson will go. RFW is unlikely to fall quietly into line, likely because, as we all know, a team can over-do it in pre-season, and compromise their performance in the upcoming season. A yes man, at least to this prospect, looks likely.

2. As stated above, United's season will be compromised by over-doing it in pre-season. They won't be able to make up the difference on Chelsea and Arsenal... and may perhaps slip further back. As philipl says, perhaps they will be replaced by Liverpool. Which would cast further mockery on their assertion of a permanent Champions League place.

[stuwilky]

they have already announced a pre season tour of asia. I think its unlikely they will do both.

I think you are bob on about RFW - he will go.

[tmap]

This Glazer bloke gives me an idea - maybe we should buy Burnley.

If we all chip in a fiver we should have more than enough - there are at least 100 people on these forums.

We could sell their ground for sheep grazing, bringing in literally dozens of pounds in annual revenues. And maybe recruit Alan Ball as manager - that should do it.

[den]

A rep of shareholders united, said a few minutes ago that he expects Glazer to announce today that he's reached the 75% mark, the board to resign today and Ferguson to resign as well.

[jim mk2]

I read this week that the United board asked Dave Whelan (he of JJB Sports and Wigan Athletic) to take over the club in 1989 around the time of the Michael Knighton debacle.

Whelan was tempted but declined because he said he didn't want bricks through the windows of his JJB shops on Merseyside !

Instead, Whelan advised Martin Edwards to float the club on the stockmarket, which he did, making the Edwards family significantly richer.

And the price Whelan could have bought United for ? ... a mere 10 million pounds.

Edited May 13, 2005 by jim mk2

[thenodrog]

And the price Whelan could have bought United for ? ... a mere 10 million pounds.

Thats exactly the same price that Knighton or even you or I could have bought it for Jim.

[thenodrog]

A rep of shareholders united, said a few minutes ago that he expects Glazer to announce today that he's reached the 75% mark, the board to resign today and Ferguson to resign as well.

What! The RFW to 'resign'?!? Never.

Surely he would never forego all that lovely compensation that he is surely entitled to if he stays and is potted on Glazier's instruction?

As a sweetener to the many MU fans ('Sad@#/?s' as they should be widely renamed from today ) Glazier has said that they have 20 million to spend this summer. That would be about two thirds the amount that they have spent apiece on Rooney and Ferdinand in the past! I'd hate to be a Manc working in an office full of Chelsea fans today! Oh well 'those that live by the sword shall die by the sword' as they say. Que Sera Sera!

Edited May 13, 2005 by thenodrog

[roversmum]

This Glazer bloke gives me an idea - maybe we should buy Burnley.

If we all chip in a fiver we should have more than enough - there are at least 100 people on these forums.

We could sell their ground for sheep grazing, bringing in literally dozens of pounds in annual revenues. And maybe recruit Alan Ball as manager - that should do it.

We could relocate it to Thurso.........

[LDRover]

Is it just me or are you all finding it difficult to stifle a chuckle on this whole affair?

I just keep seeing all these protestors outside Old Trafford with their 'NOT FOR SALE' banners yet there's sod all they can do about it.

Not for sale my arse.

[bellamy11]

I think back to a very uncomfortable train journey away from Olt Trafford this season where some very annoyed Man United supported with 'Utd Not 4 Sale' on the back of his shirt kept screaming about how we were inbred and how he was 'surrounded by Blackburn paedophiles'. Clearly upset that his beloved giants had just drawn with lowly Rovers, he was out to start something and just kept going on about how "we still aren't for f*****g sale". This one's for him

[Flopsy]

Is it just me or are you all finding it difficult to stifle a chuckle on this whole affair?

Chuckle??

Maybe Im missing some deep meaning and a threat to Football as a whole - but I am honestly finding this whole thing teh funniest thing thats happened in Football since Birmingham claimed they were a big club

[rover6]

Very bad news indeed for the smaller clubs in the Prem as Glazer will sell TV rights independently and the sale of rights for other clubs particularly those with only local support will plummet. Rovers would be lucky to raise

?1m from a sale of its own rights - compared to

?25m under the Sky deal. Stop celebrating.

The TV rights question - IMO - is more likely to swing in the opposite direction.

As was illustrated last night, there is a frightening gap between Arsenal / Chelsea / Manchester United ... and Everton / Liverpool / the rest of us.

Collective sale of TV rights was outlawed in Italy and see the results...

A line of particular interest taken from that article:

"As an example of how outrageously unbalanced the situation has been so far, Juventus receive approximately ?65million each year from TV rights, while Siena barely clear ?5million and 14 out of 20 Serie A clubs are below the ?16million barrier. "

[doctorryan]

All hell is going to break loose down there.

Ferguson To Resign

[Flopsy]

Should be on the Glazier thread.

[doctorryan]

Whatever.

[SouthAussieRover]

Shouldn't this be merged with the Glazer thread?

[M-K]

Glazer's representative on Sky Sports News last night referred to Man Utd as 'the biggest franchise in the world'. Nice choice of words.

[Sydney Rovers]

Maybe the Mancs should of let Rupert "Evil" Murdoch buy the club a few years ago?

[cletus]

As Kevin Keegan almost said "I`m luvin`it, just luvin` it!" hahahahahha!!

.....I personally don`t think much will change down at the "Budweiser Trafford Bowl"

... & once the fans get over the shock & anger, they will all settle down & carry on supporting the "Salford Fury Soccer Team"

.....as Sir Alex Whiskey-nose once said "it`s a game of four quarters...."

[American]

Good point made by the Guardian that most people are ignoring:

"The only consolation for fans is that since Malcolm Glazer is in it for the money, he will surely have to keep spending enough of it to maintain and improve the club's performance in order to cash in on his worldwide marketing ambitions. If the club sinks down the league table, then so does United's brand value. As with football clubs everywhere, nothing succeeds like success."

Also, Glazer is a smart enough business man to not buy the team if it was going to be a money losing proposition. Sorry Philip, but I'd trust the financial acumen of a man who has made plenty of money on "bad" purchases (he spent $50 million over the odds for the Bucs, but they are probably worth double his original investment) than you.

[coffeeman]

Good point made by the Guardian that most people are ignoring:

"The only consolation for fans is that since Malcolm Glazer is in it for the money, he will surely have to keep spending enough of it to maintain and improve the club's performance in order to cash in on his worldwide marketing ambitions. If the club sinks down the league table, then so does United's brand value. As with football clubs everywhere, nothing succeeds like success."

Also, Glazer is a smart enough business man to not buy the team if it was going to be a money losing proposition. Sorry Philip, but I'd trust the financial acumen of a man who has made plenty of money on "bad" purchases (he spent $50 million over the odds for the Bucs, but they are probably worth double his original investment) than you.

That's not the whole point, American.

What the mancs are afraid of is, for Glazer to make money on this, that the tickets and everything associated with the "club" will be priced skyhigh.

Thus if he makes money on the club, it's because the supporters have had to spend more money.

He wont care if the true fans can't afford going to the matches, as there are plenty of tourists willing to spend half their travelling budget at Old Trafford.

Not to mention that they are more likely to be ripped off in the club store as well.

In other words; In the end the supporters pay the whole party for him.

Edited May 13, 2005 by coffeeman

[stuwilky]

Maybe the Mancs should of let Rupert "Evil" Murdoch buy the club a few years ago?

They would have done if the monopolies and mergers commission hadnt said it was prohibited

[M-K]

In other words; In the end the supporters pay the whole party for him.

That's true of any club.

I expect Glazer will push for a breakaway Euro league, individual TV rights and anything else that will get Man Utd a bigger slice of the cake in the long term. In the short term, though, why shouldn't Man Utd ticket prices be on a par with Chelsea and Arsenal? And if the fans don't like it, maybe someone can let them know there's a whole cluster of 'proper' football clubs within easy driving distance.