Manchester United: Call off the dogs!

Manchester United: Call off the dogs!

I would never want to own a football club. It's the only business - and I hesitate to call it that - that the fans (customers) can drive away the franchise owner. And it's shameful that grown men should try to undermine and use fan pressure to drive out the Glazers.

"Initially the Red Knight Group has effectively set a challenge to Manchester United supporters to demonstrate they wish to see an alternative ownership proposal developed," Duncan Drasdo, chief executive of the Manchester United supporters club Must, said.

"In the first instance supporters are being asked to do this simply by joining the free online membership of the Supporters Trust and swelling its ranks to an initial target of at least 100,000 [members]."

Just who are these "Red Knight(s)" that are using the supporters group to oust the current management? 

Jim O'Neill, chief economist at Goldman Sachs, and Keith Harris, a football deal broker and the chairman of investment banker Seymour Pierce are just two of a group of high net worth individuals.

O'Neil - one of the best economists of his generation - went on Bloomberg Television to say "there's too much leverage at Manchester United ... it's not a good thing." Really, but Goldman Sachs helped nations hide their debt problems - that's OK! And I read that Goldman also helped sell some of Manchester United's debt! Glass houses and all that. 

Soccer regulator FIFA should ask itself is Keith Harris "fit and proper" to be "a football deal broker". Harris has been involved in four English Premier League take overs.

There is no harm in people meeting behind closed doors to discuss takeovers and mergers. Once they have a proposal they should go straight to the owners. That is the fair way to conduct business. If that proposal is rebuffed and the company is traded on the stock market you can turn directly to shareholders - go hostile! 

This is not the way to conduct business! Even if the media found out - they can refuse to comment. 

If Britain's Takeover Panel has any power they should insist that the group put up or shut up and calls off the dogs! 

The way the Glazers have financed the business through debt is well documented. I'm not a fan. 

If the Glazer family say they do not wish to sell. That should be the end of that. I can't believe for a moment that the Glazers who have owned and managed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American Football team since 1995 would work to damage their franchises!

It would appear that anything goes in sports and people are forgiven for letting their emotions run ahead of common sense.