EPL Soccer: Glazers Still Stuck On Manchester United
|
Mar 3 2010, 4:03 AM
And apparently, supporters are stuck with them until...2017.
According to reports, the American owners of Manchester United will rebuff a proposed takeover bid by a group of wealthy United supporters calling themselves the "Red Knights." Instead, the Glazer family, who also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL, plan to hold on to the club until 2017.
The Glazers have come under intense scrutiny from fans and observers alike for plunging the club into £716 million of debt in order to finance their takeover in 2005. These critical voices have reverberated even louder in the wake of Portsmouth and Crystal Palace entering administration (bankruptcy), and many other clubs teetering on the brink of financial ruin. For some Red Devils supporters, this massive burden on the club is just too big a risk to take, and they've had enough. A "Green and Gold campaign" (named in honor of the original team colors) has been launched by several thousand supporters in an attempt to purge the foreign investors from their ranks, and return the club to its supporter owned roots.
These "Red Knights" seem to agree with the populist sentiment, and are seeking to pool their respective finances to buy out the Glazers. Will they succeed? Only time, and a whole bunch of money will tell, but getting the Supporters Trust on their side as the official PR voice seems a shrewd tactic to facilitate a two-pronged attack on the current ownership.
What do you think? Are United too big to fail?
(via The Guardian)
And apparently, supporters are stuck with them until...2017.
According to reports, the American owners of Manchester United will rebuff a proposed takeover bid by a group of wealthy United supporters calling themselves the "Red Knights." Instead, the Glazer family, who also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL, plan to hold on to the club until 2017.
The Glazers have come under intense scrutiny from fans and observers alike for plunging the club into £716 million of debt in order to finance their takeover in 2005. These critical voices have reverberated even louder in the wake of Portsmouth and Crystal Palace entering administration (bankruptcy), and many other clubs teetering on the brink of financial ruin. For some Red Devils supporters, this massive burden on the club is just too big a risk to take, and they've had enough. A "Green and Gold campaign" (named in honor of the original team colors) has been launched by several thousand supporters in an attempt to purge the foreign investors from their ranks, and return the club to its supporter owned roots.
These "Red Knights" seem to agree with the populist sentiment, and are seeking to pool their respective finances to buy out the Glazers. Will they succeed? Only time, and a whole bunch of money will tell, but getting the Supporters Trust on their side as the official PR voice seems a shrewd tactic to facilitate a two-pronged attack on the current ownership.
What do you think? Are United too big to fail?
(via The Guardian)
Comments
Sign in to comment with your TypePad, Twitter, Facebook, Google, Yahoo or OpenID.