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A "source" claims that two "mystery bidders" have offered £1bn+ for United this week but were turned down by the Glazer family. What a convincing story! How brimming with factual evidence it is.
Perhaps the more cynical among us would say this is misinformation, a lame attempt at discouraging the Red Knight campaign. Surely our impeachable owners would not stoop to such a tactic. This can be nothing more than quality news reporting at its best.
There is a disclaimer on this page that states “While these reports are filled with correspondent's insight and expertise, they are based on the correspondent's point of view and may contain speculation as well as fact.” In light of that, here is my speculative opinion: The report that the Glazer’s have recently turned down two £1bn+ bids for United from mystery people is more dubious than a £12.50 coin.

Balls(c)Andresmarx @FlickrCcoms
Why do I draw this conclusion? For the following reasons: Firstly, all we have heard this week is that the Glazers will not sell, they are in it for the long haul, etc. etc. Secondly, while this is a vague reiteration of what has been said before it is really being hammered home. Thirdly, as of this morning, MUST’s membership figures are tickling 110,000 - not bad considering the target was 100,000 by the end of the season. In conclusion, we, the fans, are getting organized and they know it.
In 1984 George Orwell wrote, “If there is hope, it lies with the proles”. As the masses, we are the ‘proles’ and this latest campaign of misinformation on their part is highly reminiscent of that novel.
This is not the time for us to either give in or become distracted by the press releases from Old Trafford. This is our club and we will get it back as long as we remain steadfast in our ambitions.
I reiterate the importance of all fans taking up the opportunity of free MUST membership, so that we can all be communicated to with one voice. I would also implore people to not renew their season tickets or purchase tickets for match days from on in. Most blokes will tell you that a kick on the pocket makes you think twice, that is where we need to aim our shoes.
If I was in a scuba suit surrounded by great white sharks , giant squid and other beasties from the deep then I might forget the ocean is rather a magnificent sight when viewed from the surface. Pitchside this week ‘magnificent’ is the only word left to describe Wayne Rooney.

Vidic and Agbonlahor practice their ice-skating routine in honour of the Winter Olympics
©Getty Images
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Having watched his header to win the League Cup Final a dozen or more times I am still aghast at how much skill it takes to do that. Equally stunning is how little time it has taken for the team to forge a successful new style of play after the departure of Ronaldo.
By turning the tactics book back a few pages United have struck up on a simple winner. Good, pacy wingers running at defenders and putting in good crosses. This has been ‘the United way’ since time immemorial and it is great to see it back. Whether we prove strong enough to pick up more trophies this season is open to debate. It was interesting that none of the players, not even the Manc raised personnel, felt the need to pick up a green and gold scarf on their way up the steps. I'll bet they were under instruction and this is exactly the point.
The one hope I have for the future is that one day, I will be watching the team again and only be concerned about what happens on the pitch. Right now, I am all too aware of what lies beneath.

Patrice Evra lifts the Carling Cup. The young Michael Jackson stands next to him looking miffed
©Getty Images
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Follow Markjpayne@twitter.com and www.thedevilinme.co.uk

Comments
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Posted by Sway Jo on 03/05/2010
Viva Manchester United, Viva Valecia & Rooney Golden Head!!!
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Posted by CroneKills on 03/05/2010
I just finished reading the email from Duncan Drasdo and was surprised to see the words "over 100,000 strong." That's really amazing to see such a drastic and immediate response. Being from the States, we are raised on American Football and Baseball, and I do have a place in me for my Dallas Cowboys, but my heart completely belongs to United. And given that the Red Knights have begun to take their necessary steps, I am really pleased to see such a thing happening to what is the biggest club in the world. I really hope change comes, albeit sooner or later. I do hope it is the former though.
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Posted by Jonno on 03/05/2010
The Glazers would like to see an auction coming up so they have shifted the price up by 50%.
Spin and counter-spin.
There are two scenarios.
1. We stop buying season tickets, match day tickets, MUFC hamburgers, MUTV subs etc etc and the club sinks under the weight of its own debts, we get relegated, Armageddon strikes.
2. Fergie keeps hauling in the trophies, the club keeps making enough money to fund new Valencias, junior Rooney mark 2 geniuses of the future and then the Glazers can flog the club off for £1.5bn or more to another mega wealthy Arab or Chinese consortium who pump in another chunk of cash to inflate the transfer market even more.
Which scenario do you prefer? I would love to see the Red Knights win the day and turn us essentially into another Barca, but it will be a hell of a struggle and cost a lot of people a lot of money to do it.
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Posted by Raizzen on 03/06/2010
I think for whatever it takes the club has to be snatched back from these thieves. They don't care about the history, they don't care about our personal attachments to the club. All they care about is how to grow their bellies fatter & fatter.
Whatever it takes.
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Posted by Danny on 03/06/2010
I think David Gill's argument against large ownership groups, given this week, is quite dangerous.
He actually said that clubs work better when ran by single, powerful owners. His evidence was the the current ownership of Chels*a, C*ty, and the most abhorrent Berlusconi at Milan.
Does David Gill not know the political ramifications of invoking Berlusconi? The man's been caught in many a scandal, and not just sexual. The man is one of the most corrupt politicians on the planet today. The man is known for his manipulation and lies.
This only amplifies the image of the slumlord Glazers. Gill's invocation also unwittingly justifies centralist and authoritarian politics over democracy. He really should be more careful.
However, all of these politics still can't touch the football; this will always be of greater interest to me.
I only have so many minutes to spend on this planet and once the whistle blows, as much as I want change, none of my thoughts are political.
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Posted by Louis on 03/06/2010
I can't wait until the Red Knights buy the club and leverage it to the hilt. I am so sick of all the Anti-Glazer campaigns. All United has done since they took over is win trophy after trophy. What a bunch of whinging cunts you all are.
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Posted by QW on 03/06/2010
Quit whining already. MAN U wanted to go public and they got bought by the highest bidder which happened to be American. The owner can do what is he/she wants. If you don't like it, stop buying the product. If you loved the product so dear to your heart, then you don't make those things public in the first place. Until the current owners sell the team, you might as well enjoy the ride and actually watch football rather than whining about the sky falling.
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Posted by Dominic on 03/06/2010
totally agree with Jonno. i would also like to see our style of play change. i am a fan of possession football like barca play it and i think we'll be bettter @ it than arsenal.
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Posted by Mazen Alasnag on 03/06/2010
The Red Knights are investment bankers/lawers themselves! Don't be naive...whoever comes in it will always be about the money....Fergie hasn't complained about the Glazers...why should we??? The day Fergie feels undermined or senses a lack of support he will make it known...This nonsense of boycotting and fans owning the club through some knights in shining armour needs to stop...
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Posted by James on 03/06/2010
As a City fan, seeing United possibly brought to their knees is an exciting prospect. But not this way: mismanaged and undercut by their owners, selling the currency of a fan's love for a higher rate of return. What the Glazers aim to accomplish diminishes the game for us all.
Fight for what you hold dear. If it isn't worth fighting for, forget it. So fight ...
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Posted by William on 03/06/2010
If SAF is critical of Keith Harris then I take my cue from that. The boss loves this club and knows the workings of it better than anyone, so that's good enough for me.
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Posted by Phil on 03/06/2010
Also to be noted and stated this week in the London Times, The Glazers wont budge for less then 1.2 Billion!
So, 1.25 should do it...
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Posted by mm on 03/06/2010
Whiners -- if you don't like the product don't buy a ticket -- simple. The owners will do what they want and the manager will support the owners. Remarks about "possesion" football - snoozefest... watching barca is like watching paint dry. The La Liga and Seria are far BEHIND the EPL in money generated and in eyesball watching it. You know why? Because its exciting football -- not lets pass it 100 times (seria A and La Liga) at the halfway line then shoot --
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Posted by Curtis on 03/07/2010
I guess I'm missing the point here. I'm an American, and not being English, I guess that is what upsets you people the most...having a team owned by an American. Let's see, they are at the top of the EPL League and you guy's are upset cuz they are owned by some Yanks. Drink some more you frag'n losers. Make me sick. We should have never bailed your azz's out during WWII.
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Posted by Adam on 03/07/2010
Good thing you are going to buy back Manchester United. The only thing the club has done since the Glazer takeover is win the league and league cup twice and the Champions League. Go ahead and take a good, unbroken thing and start messing with it, all because the owners are American. The only thing that matters for a club is its trophy case, and United will continue to add to theirs with the Glazers there.
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Posted by mike on 03/07/2010
Well. Problem is that the club is too much in debt. Red Knights or not, someone got to come in and stop the debt-driven way of running the business else the club will surely be ruined in the not-so-far future.
Just look at Arsenal, arsene wenger has done a good job keeping the club competitive and yet financially sustainable.
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Posted by john on 03/07/2010
if u think man utd. are more entertaining just lok at all the comments bout barca you idiots .... well who cares what u think anyway we HAVE ALL THE TROPHIES HOW BOUT THAT MAN. UTD. COULDNT DO IT WITH RONALDO... CROSSES ONE AFTER THE OTHER IS BORING AS CRAP ARE YOU SERIOUS.. JUST KEEP HOPING TO WIN TROPHIES
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Posted by Red Devil on 03/07/2010
From a money making machine to a debt ridden entity...that is the man UTD story in the last four years. With the laws changing in European football, you could see trophies not enough. Glory Glory to Man UTD. It is not because the glazers are Yankees, it is cause they know nothin about football. they are in it for the money. Debts are hindreing are buying power, we sold CR& for tens of millions and could not buy one star player, and don't give me that bulshit that we do not need players. It is obvious that we a need another striker and we have some issues in the mid field. Goalkeeper is leaving in a year, and perhaps we need a center back. Where would all that money come from? berba is good but very slow and too artistic for a physical game, Rooney can burn out becuase of the load, and Rio is having chronic back injuries. Vidic is not satying put (they are making him too much promises abroad) and the middle needs the likes of Hargreaves...
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Posted by history_lesson on 03/07/2010
to Mark @ the Glazer-hating-history-revisionists... history can be fun...
Q: Why did ManU become a publicly listed company ?
A: so that those with financial interests in the club at the time could make more money as share prices would increase.
Q: Did any of you "we the people" crowd own shares in the ManU when it was listed ? If so, you expected that you would receive a dividend for your investment - that is the return for your share of capital invested in the company.
... if you did own shares, then where were your complaints and "the sky is falling" cries when you were accepting the Glazers premium on the price of the shares you owned ? And did you even bother to take the time to understand how they would pay for the club, or what their business model was (leveraged buyout).
Q: (as others have pointed out) - do you really think that these new owners, who between them also have 1+billion pounds to invest will be any better ? They are doing it to make money, not to be nice.
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Posted by Marky on 03/07/2010
I fucking hate Serie A and Spain!
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Posted by JB on 03/07/2010
So what your saying John is that nobody can have a different opinion about what is beautiful football & all have to stick with the standard line "Barca play beautiful football"?
Barca do play good football, however I personally find the La Liga a bore fest, there is Barca & Madrid as title contenders & then everybody else & for the next 100 years it will remain a 2 team league.
Also I find the passing & lack of physicality quite boring. Maybe I am in the minority, but I like a good tackle, a hard nosed player & not just the circus passers.
The EPL not only provides us with 4 perennial contenders challenging for the title, but also teams like Aston Villa, Totenham, Everton & City that provide entertaining games & stiff challenges to the top 4.
All La Liga has is Valencia (who will sell everyone next year & Sevilla who have been average since Ramos left).
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Posted by Lester on 03/07/2010
I wonder why Valencia never smiles ?
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Posted by don on 03/07/2010
well now evryone seems to knw that super agent zharvi is the bidder. it seems that nothing is impossible now days so a take over at man utd is also not imposible. imagine here a man willing to give 1.2 bill + cash for club agains the owner who making money from selling key player and not putting in anythg except the debts and life threatening bonds. wont it guaranteed that if there is 1.2 bill to purchase the club wont the man have half of it to spend in the club. try to think frens. now we have to think about club safety rather than personal interest....
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Posted by Ryan on 03/07/2010
If my favourite football team was winning championships, why the hell would I care who owned it? Give me a break you Northern monkeys. You sound like a bunch of spoiled brats. Seriously, how does the nationality of the owner of a football club affect your lives? Get a clue.
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Posted by Martin on 03/07/2010
Hope the Glazers asset strip you Mancs to the hilt and you end up in League 2!
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Posted by eddie on 03/07/2010
To Curtis, I am an Everton fan, and I wish we had owners like the Glazers, I woud'nt care what nationality they were. But your comment about we shoud not have saved their Asses in WW2. Did you forget that Peal Harbour got you into that war?
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Posted by maqbool on 03/07/2010
guys who know da club n da history like S.A.F???ol those comments make me sick.we should just watch football n da day the club is in shit S.A.F will let us know.we know he never hides anythin.if he could kick out beckham,stam n keane then who r da glazers??lets stop whining coz S.A.F has put in 30 yrs in this club n he wont let it fall.so stop makin your own stories n follow S.A.F just like da players do.LONG LIVE MANCHESTER UNITED.RED DEVIL UNTIL THE END OF TIME.
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Posted by mark on 03/07/2010
you americans talk shit you havent got a clue what us united fans are talking about the debts is what we are on about not what nationality u are.thick as shit.
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Posted by Tom_Johnson on 03/07/2010
@mm who said: "Remarks about "possesion" football - snoozefest... watching barca is like watching paint dry. The La Liga and Seria are far BEHIND the EPL in money generated and in eyesball watching it. You know why? Because its exciting football -- not lets pass it 100 times (seria A and La Liga) at the halfway line then shoot"
Spot on. That is probably why the two top clubs in terms of revenue come from Spain. It is also why in the 15+ yrs of the EPL existence, there is only one of its players recognized for being the best in the World (and he is not even british) while La Liga and Serie A have 17 between them (Barca has 7 alone). Not that Barcelona just won an unprecedented 6 trophies in a single season or anything like that.
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Posted by Timothy Caffrey on 03/07/2010
you are more paranoid than a meth dealer. what bunch of rubbish. the debt went down 200 million over the last year. they turned over a 40+ million profit over the last 6 months. without selling any players. at that rate they could buy pompey in 18 months! they are not going to sell. i am a bigger united fan than almost anyone, but I can't understand why you donkeys in England think that the glazers are r3tarded, or something. they were billionaires before they bought this club and won a super bowl with a small market team in the NFL. they know what they are doing.
manchester united is the largest professional sports brand in the world. bigger than real madrid, the yankees, redskins, or cowboys. they will continue to make money hand over fist, and when they do decide to sell- after they have driven the price up and the red devils have won another champions league- they will have made a hugh profit from their initial investment. i can promise you that. sounds like good business to me.
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Posted by Norman on 03/07/2010
The issues raised by Man Utd fans seem to be focused on the club's debt and that debt is mind boggling. But if my dedication as an Arsenal fan was threatened by such a debt I too would be worried But as a football fan it is at least as important to win trophies as to saty out of debt.
Fergie is prbably the greatest manager of all time andhas given the club's fans more to cheer about than Arsene Wenger, who I love. But maybe I would trade them and worry about the debt later. Or maybe Wenger could run their finances. Now that is an idea.
New owners may or may not reduce the debt. But what is they did and wone zero trophies?
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Posted by Ismail Abdullahi on 03/07/2010
From a money making machine to a debt ridden entity...that is the man UTD story in the last four years. But guys who know da club & da history like S.A.F???ol those comments make me sick.we should just watch football & da day the club is in shit S.A.F will let us know.we know he never hides anythin to US!!!!!!!!!!!!.
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Posted by Ahhhh on 03/08/2010
As long as we win trophies who cares!!!!
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Posted by Oli on 03/08/2010
If SAF has a complaint he will voice it, this whole boycott the tickets thing is absurd, the season ticket waiting list is 500k-plus, what would that do? SAF would tell us if there was a problem and clearly the only reason he hasnt been spending is because he hasnt found the right player, not financial restraint. We are winning trophies right now, so I see nothing to worry about. If the money becomes an issue where it affects the football, trophies and player signings, then you can voice your claims. But at the moment i see no reason for outcries.
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Posted by Murtaza on 03/08/2010
To be honest, I've very sketched out about the 'Red Knights', they seem to promise alot, but we don't know a whole lot about them. Do they actually have the money? We don't want United to become another Portsmouth.
I hate to break it to people, but ticket prices will continue to rise, the truth of the matter is that Old Trafford is still the main attraction in town and there are still people in line waiting for seasons tickets. Demand & Supply.
I think we have an unhealthy look at Debt, and the truth is that most sports franchises have some structure of debt. United is the biggest club in the world. Our flops cost 20 mill.
The owners have been very good to Fergie, they have given him complete control, the only question for them is who to replace him with when he retires and how will power be distributed after that. Barring that, let the Glazers be, they are fantastic.
oh, I don't think they'll sell at 1bn pounds. This is the biggest sports brand in the world mate.
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About
Mark Payne writes about football for a variety of media outlets. He reported on the 2010 World Cup for Australia’s ABC network and worked at one of the FIFA fan sites. He has been ESPN’s Manchester United correspondent for four years. His writing attracts a worldwide following and in 2011 this blog was nominated for an award. To contact Mark for football discussion e-mail him on markpayne.editor@hotmail.com at any time. He wears lucky socks on match days.
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