John Rawling needs to sit down and take a deep breath:
‘There are two ways of viewing the actions of the Manchester United supporters who have taken it upon themselves to "initiate a civil war" in an effort to block the likely £780m takeover bid for the club by the American property billionaire Malcolm Glazer.
‘One is a romantic one of them keeping the world's most famous club in the hands of the fans. The other, altogether darker interpretation of the work of the self-styled Manchester Education Committee is that a potentially dangerous pressure group is moving into areas that might have more to do with urban terrorism than legitimate protest. Coming just ahead of the news of Kenneth Bigley's death in Iraq, the threats expose an extraordinary - and worrying - lack of perspective inside their minds.
‘First there was the daubing of the United director Maurice Watkins's Jaguar with red paint, a night-time attack on his property that was supposedly a punishment for his decision to sell a million of his shares in the club to Glazer. Next came the disruption of a Manchester United reserve fixture by protesters in the classic terrorist garb of black balaclavas. An American flag was burnt and a banner bearing the words "Not for Sale" was unfurled. For the demonstrators, headlines had been made and the first shots of their war fired.
‘An escalation of the demonstrations seems certain if Glazer's representatives are successful in persuading the Irish horse breeders John Magnier and JP McManus to part with their 28.9% stake in the club. My worry is that the sort of people capable of damaging a club director's personal property would be more than prepared to resort to violence if they thought it would aid their cause.
‘Presumably we are dealing with the same supporters who "targeted" Magnier and McManus when they were seemingly intent on undermining Sir Alex Ferguson's position in the club because of the Rock of Gibraltar affair, with the Irishmen increasing their stake in the club while Ferguson disputed their right to stud fees from the colt.
‘The irony now is that Glazer will not be able easily to make a takeover bid if he is unable to persuade Magnier and McManus to sell their shares - a sale that would net them a cool £70m in profit from their initial investment. Perhaps they will listen to the MEC and their like. And then again, maybe not. More likely they will remember the vitriol that was aimed in their direction and take the money and run.
‘So the Glazer bid seems sure to go ahead, despite the efforts of a rival consortium. Glazer's PR men are keen to let it be known Ferguson will remain the key figure in the event of them gaining control. "They have the highest regard for Alex and he would be offered a new long-term contract," a source said. "If the bid is successful, the fans would be guaranteed a voice in how the club would be run. Glazer and his sons are decent people with a £2bn fortune. Any offer would have elements that would make any fan realise they are concerned about the long-term future of the club."
‘Whether those assurances will be enough to appease the MEC boys in black balaclavas remains to be seen. Perhaps they might listen more closely if the words had come from either Glazer or one of his two sons, Joel and Avi, who are supposedly genuine football fans. But, for now, the high-finance game leaves fans cold and some are literally spoiling for a fight.’
Anyone else immediately struck by the image of Helen Lovejoy, with her fists shaking in distress, squealing ‘somebody please think of the children’? Comparing a peaceful pitch invasion with terrorist murder is certainly ill advised and insensitive – perhaps the ‘worrying lack of perspective’ lies in minds other than the MEC’s.