1. LIFE AFTER ROONEY
The 18-year-old striker, costing £27 million, has blown United’s transfer budget for next season at a time when the team needs strengthening in midfield and defence. Glazer has promised to inject money immediately into team-building, meaning that Sir Alex Ferguson will not have to sell to buy new players.
RI: Swapping the long term financial stability of the club for short term gain in terms of player acquisitions is not something that United fans are naïve enough to accept.
2. FAREWELL TO THE IRISH
John Magnier and J. P. McManus have caused huge headaches not only for the board, but for Ferguson, whose dispute with Magnier over Rock Of Gibraltar, the racehorse, destabilised the club and pulled United directors into a controversy over corporate governance. Glazer plans to buy out the Irishmen.
RI: Simply because one set of shareholders are not deemed to have the good of the club at heart does not mean for one minute that we should simply sell up to another suitor regardless of his intentions.
3. CRACKING AMERICA
Glazer’s working knowledge of the US market should be an asset for a club that has been striving to make an impact there in the past few years. At the very least, United should get some free shelf space for replica shirts somewhere among the 6.3 million square feet of retail space in the malls that Glazer owns across the country.
RI: The gains from ‘cracking’ America are not guaranteed, and no matter how great they may be they are not enough to justify the inevitable problems that Glazer would bring to the club.
4. THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
The American football team had no prospects of success until Glazer bought the franchise, recruited a top coach and spent money on players. Within three years they had won the Super Bowl. United may already have won many trophies but if the trend of recent performances continues, their game will undoubtedly need some raising.
RI: Within three years they had also significantly increased ticket and car parking prices, sued their own supporters and forced the residents of Tampa to pay extra tax to build a stadium that Glazer had previously promised to fund. Success is important at United but it is by no means the most important thing.
5. ANGLO-AMERICAN TRADE
Britain and America may have a “special relationship” but neither understands the other’s sports. Perhaps an American owning a leading Premiership side would help to bridge the cultural and economic gap.
RI: So we are expected to sacrifice the soul of our club in order to help build bridges with American sport? Think again.
6. FAMILY INTEREST IN A FAMILY CLUB
Glazer, 76, has six children. Joel, one of his sons and vice-president of the Bucs, is said to understand the game his countrymen insist on calling soccer after sharing a room in college with a Tottenham Hotspur fan.
RI: Is this a joke?
7. LONG-TERM COMMITMENT
Glazer wants to own United so badly that he has spent more than £200 million acquiring a minority stake. He has hardly played a stealth game by buying a little bit of the shares here and there, driving up the price in the process. If would cost him about £800 million to own the club — an investment that is going to take some years to pay back.
RI: Long term debt is much more like it. The investment will indeed take years to pay back, money from the club being paid back into Glazer’s pocket.
8. FANS’ FORUMS
Although he does not yet have them onside, Glazer wants to give supporters greater involvement in the way the club is run. Fans often know best, as they will loudly tell you. Glazer is apparently willing to listen.
RI: His record in the USA is outstanding – legal action against his own fans no less. This worthless PR tale will soon evaporate if he takes control. But yes, fans do know best – and we know that Glazer is wrong for the club.
9. COMMERCIAL HUNGER
Even people against Glazer’s takeover believe that United’s commercial deals could be negotiated better. There could be more incentives for shirt sales if revenue-sharing splits with Nike were more in favour of the club.
RI: No amount of commercial revenue – even if he was able to secure it – would be, as said before, enough to justify the inevitable problems that Glazer would bring to the club.
10. CHEAP TOURS
Instead of luxury training retreats to the Middle East, United could save money by putting the players up in Glazer’s trailer parks.
RI: Couldn’t even think of a tenth reason eh? Well the other nine are utter bollocks so why change at the end? This may be a joke to you, but it is not to us.
Anyone wanting to contact Ms O’Connor in regards to this article can do so by e-mailing sportcomment@thetimes.co.uk and letting them know what you think about it.