People always believe what they want to believe.
And people have the right to change their opinions as and when things happen.
So the IPO breakdown is out. It appears that the Glazers will now split the profits from this floatation…rather than plough it back into the club. This fact is hardly surprising. We understand their motives. It’s painfully obvious. However, there is one curveball in all this that I didn’t see coming:
Page 113 of the prospectus states: ‘to be awarded to select employees, consultants and non-employee directors’
Hmm. This line on its own is open to interpretation. However, if you have ever operated in a commercial business before the sentiment is fairly straight forward. Those that help the owners run the business…will profit. Simple. The participants in this award…well we will probably never know for sure…for we are only the fans! What right do we have to know??!! In business terms…none.
So who are these ‘select employees’ ?
Well, David Gill will be one. For sure. He is the ultimate Glazer puppet. He is also a very easy target, for those who bang the LUHG drum. Those who sit around a boardroom table are often demonized. They hold the purse strings. It’s easy to think of them as financial devils when sometimes they are not! But what about Fergie? Is he a ‘select employee’?? I would say any manager of any football club would be considered as having such a standing in the business..especially the greatest coach of all time, who likes his fingers in all the pies.
Now this could very easily turn into an Alex Ferguson witch-hunt, so its important to step away from the rifle…so it is not within arms reach. The financial stripping of our club is more emotive than any non-signing. Any bit of transfer tat. Some fans amazingly don’t understand this. I’ve always tried to shy away from the political element of Manchester United. Why? Cos frankly it is boring compared to watching the lads play! But I do understand that somethings can’t be brushed under the carpet. And there is a question now that must be addressed:
Will Alex Ferguson’s wallet directly benefit from this cash extraction by the Glazers under the cloak of this IPO?
Now as I said this is no witch-hunt. But the outcome could very well destroy the 25 year legacy of the man who rescued our club from failure. How? Because if he is a willing participant in the siphoning of wealth from the Man Utd coffers…the wealth that allows us to compete…the wealth that will safeguard the future of our club…then he will be as guilty as Malcolm Glazer and his horrid little family.
I understand that is a strong statement, so let me explain.
I love Fergie. He is the legend of all legends. I don’t need to pontificate about his achievements or his standing amongst us match going Reds..whom he claps and waves to every match, and who we sing about…like we are a scratched record. I’ve always proclaimed that with the Glazers in charge id rather have Fergie around. Id rather have the Godfather of this club on hand, when we have such septic owners. He can offer us the balance. The mediation. He can keep us successful when we no longer play on a level footing with the likes of City.
BUT…
IF…and it is an ‘if’…the great man himself takes a cut of the cash being extracted from our club…what does this do to our relationship with him?
For me, it destroys it.
Could I sing his name if it comes to pass he joined in the robbery?
No.
You see, my thoughts always were that if Sir Alex witnessed a huge scale cash extraction from the club, as this IPO will facilitate, that he would make a stand…not be compliant and actually join in. Once again it is pertinent to say we do not know for sure if he will be part of this…but with the wording of the prospectus…its highly likely.
The man who has always rang the Manchester United bell, the vocal socialist who talks of togetherness and solidarity…will be trashing everything he appeared to ever worked for. There are so many lies in football now, it’s very hard to breathe. It feels like drowning. But you look for constants. Fergie was that for me. And now…we have this. Id rather see Sir Alex resign, than see him comply with this part of the Glazer’s ideology. In fact…that is what I thought he would do…if he ever witnessed this horrendous act of theft. This is the clubs money, being taken under the guise of: “Oh it’s just how business is done these days isn’t it”….utter garbage.
In a related issue, I have been called a Glazer sympathizer because of my words I have written. I always said that outside of the financial mess that them Americans have made for our club, that we should judge them on trophies. In a non-political, non-financial sense…I stand by that. But as the years have rolled on things have disintegrated off the pitch. Its getting worse. The signings are not forthcoming, though the Glazers are still purchasing. We hear a million tons of spin to shut us up and many fans drink it. That we are Manchester United! That we are invincible! That we shall OVERCOME!…there isnt an ounce of realism in any of it. It is pure comic book.
I refuse to think like this. I judge and evaluate on every individual aspect. Not what is popular, or sounds the best to the Top Reds that pollute Twitter.
So now it is a waiting game…and in my opinion…an itchy and uncomfortable one. We should be thinking about the new season. Instead we are thinking about the possible act of treachery by the father of our club. That I think, is something worth worrying about! Many United fans disagree, and in true naivety believe it will all just be alright in the end…that we will win a few games, and it will all be forgotten.
But I tell you this from the heart:
Our achievements over the past generation will be utterly bastardised…if the one man we thought we could always trust…stabs us straight in the heart. If this comes to pass, I think my lifelong support of United would be declared terminally ill…ready for the grave against its own will. In fact, I think that would be it for football and I. The thousands of pounds I have spent…the thousands of hours travelling…it will all have been for nothing. I’m not a holy man…but I pray Sir Alex makes a stand and protects our love for him…and doesnt throw it straight back in our faces, for one final pre-retirement pay day.
Today, im not quite sure which way this will go.
Alright m8, good article, however aren’t the PIK loans in the Glazers own name, the £200 odd million that has to be paid before 2017 or the banks get a piece of the club, so it would make sense if they took the money themselves to pay off their own debt. And yes I know its all their own doing but if this was paid off it would only leave (sic) £200+ million debt actually on the club. I detest what the Glazers have done to my beloved Manchester United but paying off their PIK loans with the flotation money would reduce our interest payments further still. The only issue would then be the shareholders dividend and whether we would ever get back in the black. Or am I looking at this through rose tinted spectacles??
You are right. Time for fergie to leave before his reputation is tarnished. He has been sucking up to the glazers for years. Well fergie “we see no value of u being st manu”. The sooner our club is sold to the fans the better. But I’m not holding my breath!!
As someone whose known Rob for some time now, you will not find a more dedicated Manchester United supporter. He puts armchair fans like myself to shame. For Rob – who as he writes has been loathe to make sweeping declarations without due evidence – to feel moved to write this shows just how perilous a position we find our club in. Don’t just skim it, read a fairy tale about £30m signings and go and buy your tea towel shirt – if you really are a United fan you need to support the movement NOW.
When the fans are United, we will never be divided.
Everybody needs to get a grip. Like it or not football, today, is big, big business and to be successful at it the people running the business (note I didn’t call it a club) have to play HARDBALL.
Trust me when I tell you that Sir Alex plays hardball. To have survived this long he has too. Thank God we got him! And if he gets rewarded for the unbelievable success he brings good luck to him. Look at the long term team building/future planning he is working on. The rewards for this will evolve long after he has retired…….this is not the action of a selfish man. He loves Man U……again, I didn’t call it a club. It’ s a business and the business succession plan is unfolding. Be thankful the Gaffer is as gifted as he is. All United fans should be supporting him.
anti fergie fans can suck my cock…….attention seeking twats, fuck off and support chelsea!
For all the glazers supposed faults can we say that at any stage since the glazers took over our beloved united the club has fallen away in league or champions league?or have not been given money in the transfer window!for all the negativity aroused by sections of our mighty united family can we say we are even close to the bad old days before our saviour sir Alex ferguson took over!some people don’t seem to realise what business savvy the glasets have!?do you think it’s coinsidence that united have just signed a very lucerative deal with general motors a deal that I am sure we would not have aquired without our much beligned American owners!so until the day comes that there’s a sign that the glazers actually show signs that they are really dragging us down!we need to have faith in the top brass at Manchester united football club!
You are not a Glazer sympathiser, you are a Glazer apologist. As for Ferguson, good God man have you been asleep for the last 7 years? Stevie Wonder can see Fergie’s true motivation and where his loyalties lie. Fabulous manager he may have been, but as a man & Man United fan he stinks.
I agree it is bad news that the owners are looking at taking funds out of the club and although we are making more money than ever before it is mainly the fans that are paying it. The cost has more than doubled in the last 10 years and they are on the verge of out-pricing the real fans.
To say that Fergie will have stabbed us in the heart though is a step to far…..
To start with we will never know whether he gets a payoff, Manchester United have always kept their business private and out of the media, even when we were a PLC and before the Glaziers were even on the scene.
Would anyone be bothered if Fergie received a payment of the Glaziers through Manchester United as a performance bonus for his part in making Manchester United the biggest sports club in the world? I highly doubt anyone would bat an eyelid. He deserves any money he gets from Manchester United as he has earned every penny and more.
I am a lifelong Manchester United fan and Stretford End season ticket holder and I will not judge Fergie on anything other his results and work ethic which have never faltered.
The only issue is that the Glaziers who have not done anything to assist in the growth of Manchester United are to continually benefit from putting the club in more and more risky positions, buying things they can’t afford, having no money left to invest when needed.
Please don’t read this article and start jumping on a band wagon that Fergie is in somehow stealing from Manchester United. That is simply not the truth but the glaziers are underhand and sneaky and I am concerned for the future of my club at their hands.
Fingers crossed the debt ends and the investment starts to roll soon as without trophies, the future is Arsenal and none of us want that.
I like where your head’s at Rob B.
COMPLETE BULLSHIT! How the f can this person call himself a United fan when he talks such utter and complete crap about the one person who made the club into what it is today?
SAF wants money? He’s been at the club for 25 years, he’s won EVERYTHING for the club, do you think he hasn’t been handsomely rewarded for all that? Do you still think he lacks for money? Money being the driving factor behind this for SAF? The man who’s at 70 years of age, goes through psychological turmoil because of the season and all it’s mindgames/media/players and all that, he wants money? Wow, words fail me at this point.
Okay the Glazers are trying to repay their debt using United’s funding, but why does this self righteous columnist thinks he has the right to tarnish the reputation of SAF on unfounded allegations?
If i write an article saying i’m the next man united manager, it doesn’t make it true. This is such a biased aur opinionated article, doesn’t this columnist know that reporting is a job that you do with a very neutral stance? Please don’t give me the “he’s a very loyal/passionate fan so he couldn’t control his emotions” type thing, I’m guessing he isn’t even a true United fan, he’s just another hater who has written an attention seeking article.
I dnt wanna believe it too…. But hez jes said the whole entire truth…
Cheers
2 a true Manchester United fan
never read such utter rubbish.
So what if Fergie gets some of the windfall. Is that any different to any wage increase he has taken over the years? Nobody knows the full details, its pure speculation, mainly driven by those with an anti United agenda who stopped watching the club long before we even heard of the Glazers.
Fergie gets paid a wage, a very good one at that, but he gets less than many other managers. Perhaps the structure of the club has held back his wage. Any gift of shares is simply another extension of any wage that he is entitled to.
Anyone who chooses to slag off Ferguson, should stay away from Old Trafford, as quite frankly, we dont need your non-support.
Perhaps we should slag off every player who ever played for the club, as each and every one of them has taken a wage from the club.
Its a pity that some people blinkered moral stance doesnt apply to anything else in society, but then again, they dont cash in themselves by blogging about other ethical issues. Another blog site cashng in on the name of MUFC.