IMUSA's Mark Longden:
Joel Glazer's interview on MUTV raised more questions than it answered - and we still don't know how his family intends to pay back the debts they have taken out to buy our club.
"He said nothing would really change at the club, so just how do the Glazers propose to make their investment work? United announced half-yearly profits of £12m - and that is not enough to service the debt.
"Therefore something drastic has to be introduced and the conclusion of most financial analysts we've spoken to is that the Glazers will try to implement a sale-and-leaseback of the stadium.
"Glazer said that isn't part of their plan. If so, then we would like his family to sign a legally binding document to that effect.
"He may feel he has eased the worries of most fans with his interview, but we would have had more respect for him if he had answered questions to the general media - because then he would have been asked valid questions.
"The campaign for United goes on - in fact we are ramping it up even further.
"We are asking fans to boycott the Champions League qualifier and other Cup games this season to show there is still widespread opposition to the takeover. But, ironically, it could be the Glazers themselves who help the campaign. As soon as they start selling off 127 years of Manchester United history to satisfy their creditors, those fans who are currently happy to wait and see what is going to happen will certainly join the campaign."
The Indie:
Having been 3-0 down in the public relations game, the Glazer family are fighting back, without quite having managed an equaliser. Freed from restrictions imposed on them by the City (the square mile, not the Manchester variety), the new owners of England's most famous football club last week belatedly let their voice be heard, and made a largely favourable impression on those whose ears were prepared to hear.
As was always going to be the case, Malcolm Glazer, the paterfamilias, stayed not just in the background, but out of the country, leaving his son Joel to do the tour of Football Association, Premier League, Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Old Trafford and, finally, no less an institution than MUTV: "This is another wonderful thing about Man-chester United, their own channel and you guys do a fabulous job," Joel said.
Steve Bower, the quiz inquisitor, is not a man to demand 14 times: "Are you putting the club into debt and gambling with its assets?" He asked once and received a response as calm and smooth as all of Glazer Jnr's others, the core of which was: "Our family personally has invested over £270 million. A lot of businesses have debt. Debt can mean different things to different people, but I can assure everybody that the structure that was put in place is a structure we're extremely comfortable with.
"People should not worry about some of the crazy stuff that's been portrayed in the papers or in the media. People can throw things out that can sound scary, but when you understand it and deal with the reality you can understand that there are certain benefits to the current ownership structure that we have."
A different article from saturday's Indie:
If Joel had stretched the credulity with remarks about the "goosebumps" he felt walking round United's museum - not to mention the power of the club to bring "tears" to people's eyes - then it was his attitude towards the fans' protests that seemed most unlikely. "That's what part of the attraction is, the passion, how much people care about. While it's frustrating to see and it's difficult to see - and I encourage my wife not to read the newspapers - it's what comes along with it.
"We are traditionalists, we like to carry on traditions and we will continue to do that. We don't like what's happened over the last several months and we are embarrassed that we have caused a lot of this to happen and we apologise for that and apologise that we haven't been able to communicate directly. But within time people will realise that our interests are the same as their interests."
Apart from the ambushing of the Glazer visit by United fans, their introduction into the life of the club has been tightly controlled, right down to the official release of a picture of the brothers with Ferguson on Thursday night. Joel even went as far as to suggest that supporters would be "forgiving" of the new regime once they recognised that they were delivering a successful team.
Joel was clear that the £272m of their own money the Glazers have sunk into United on top of their original share-buying showed their commitment to the club they bought with £540m of debt. "A lot of businesses have debt," he said. "I can assure everybody that the [debt] structure that was put in place is a structure we're extremely comfortable with."
Joel Glazer's answers to some questions:
On reported plan to sell and lease back Old Trafford: "Absolutely ridiculous."
On suggestion that the club’s logo would be changed: "That’s another absolutely ridiculous thing."
On reports that Sir Bobby Charlton will no longer be a club ambassador: "It’s amazing what people write."
On ticket price rises revealed by The Times: "Unfortunately ticket prices continue to rise in sport, but we’re not looking to price out the supporters."
On rumoured plan to break away from collective FA Premier League television deal: "We don’t think that’s in the best interests of the Premier League."
On the huge debts incurred by the club as a result of the takeover: "Debt can mean different things to different people. The structure in place is one we’re happy with."
SU's Nick Towle:
"The Glazer charm offensive has begun. Warm words flow and verbal assurances are given about the family's intentions.
"The Premier League, the FA, the Sports Minister, the directors and employees at Old Trafford, the manager, the players, Sir Bobby Charlton - all appear to have accepted at face value the brothers' protestations that they will not change anything; that they will work with everyone at the club to achieve success; that there will be money for new players with no caps or tied hands; that the collective TV deal is safe in their hands and that they fully respect the history and traditions of the club.
"These words are intended to allay the fears of the fans. But United fans are right to look behind the soft words. Verbal assurances from the Glazers must be treated with caution," said Towle.
"United fans have seen their club go almost overnight from being a debt-free, profitable well-run club to one which has been taken over using £650m of debt. We are entitled to ask the questions which no-one so far appears to have asked the Glazers."