When the Glazers took over Manchester United, ‘mourning’ was probably the most appropriate word to describe the reaction of the fans. When walking around Cardiff on FA Cup final day not longer after the takeover went through, there were United fans in all black, showing the loss we all felt for our football club.
The debt was a big issue, although lots of us believed, and still do, that we’re too big to do a Leeds. That if the worst came to worst, something or someone would help us out. The most pressing concern was that these people who knew nothing about our club, who saw us as nothing other than a means for them to make more money, who didn’t understand our history, who didn’t know the way the fans worked, who couldn’t appreciate how much our club mattered to us, were now our owners.
For some fans, the idea of a Glazer-lead United was too much, which saw the birth of FC United. Whilst that club isn’t for me, the feelings which enabled FC United to be created should be deep within all of us. There are some fans didn’t turn to FC, but instead refused to line the Glazers pocket, by refusing to go to Old Trafford. Our club wasn’t really our club anymore, not in the way it used to be at least, and that was absolutely gutting.
When Liverpool FC were bought by some Yanks a few years later, the reaction was entirely different. Not only did they escape feelings of devastation, the majority of them were actually happy! Yes, they were pleased that Hicks and Gillett had bought their club.
Their situation was different to ours, which can’t be ignored. We’d enjoyed years of success without needing some foreign owners to help us get it, whilst Liverpool had to sit in our shadow and watch us win title after title. So, their desire to get money is understandable. But to get money at any cost? Aside from the debt they too have been put in, why on earth would they want the people who have made a career of owning American football teams: the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers, and ice hockey teams, and a rodeo championship, and a NASCAR racing team, as the people who could now call Liverpool FC ‘theirs’? Surely it’s fairly obvious they collect sports teams and they don’t give a fuck about them, as long as they make money, so why wasn’t that setting the alarm bells ringing? So desperate to bring back the glory years they don’t care how it is done? Is that really where football is at now?
Whilst despising Liverpool, it’s clear they are the only team like us in this country, with a rich history, whose team have dominated English football, and whose fans have been bonded by tragedy. How can any fan of a team like that put money for big transfers ahead of the foundation of their club? How can anything be worth having greedy Yank owners who make their hobby and business out of collecting ‘sports franchises’?
In order to back up my claims of fan support for the Yanks, I had a look at two popular Liverpool FC sources. Tomkins writes for the official Liverpool site on occasion and has brought out several Liverpool related books and Kop Blog is the highest ranking Liverpool FC blog on the internet.
Paul Tomkins Blog: I approached the arrival of Hicks and Gillett with an open mind, and gave them the benefit of the doubt following some impressive soundbites when taking charge, and allowing Benítez to finally sign an expensive world-class player in the summer.
Paul Tomkins open letter to Hicks and Gillett: When you took over the club there was a surprising amount of goodwill. I don’t mean surprising in that I felt at the time that you deserved anything less, but surprising in that any new owners could perhaps have expected a rougher ride. As fans it seems our patience had been worn down with almost three years without a solution to the investment issue, and a series of desperately unsuitable suitors chancing their arms. Compared with Thaksin Shinawatra, you seemed a good bet.
This is Anfield Kop Blog: All in all these two seem to be a perfect fit and have the necessary funds and experience in the right areas to really make this club a force to be reckoned with both on and off the field. This deal has brought us everything we could have hoped for.
This takeover has received a cautious welcome by Liverpool fans and there are a few who don’t seem to welcome it at all, but I have to say, I’m delighted. As far as I’m concerned, we’re a damn sight better off now, then we have been for many years. I admit that no matter who took over, I’d be saying that we’ve got to support them and give them a chance. However, I really like these guys.
They are winners and I’m excited about the future of the club in their hands. So I welcome Mr Gillett and Mr Hicks and I truly believe that with the club in their hands, the future will be bright, the future will be RED!
Things have gone tits up for Liverpool FC since then though with the really bad news on their financial situation being revealed this week. Hicks and Gillett borrowed the money to buy the club, just as the Glazers did, and now they can’t afford to pay it back. They took out a £350m loan to cover their initial takeover and by January of this year they had spent £313m of it. The club has already had to pay off the £36.5m interest on that, their holding company made losses of £42.6m last year, and the plans for building them a new stadium are postponed indefinitely.
Whilst it’s easy to get smug about this, given all the shit we’ve been on the receiving end of thanks to the Glazer takeover, something none of us wanted, I feel angry more than anything. Their fans talk about us being in their shadow (something which is harder for them to argue now that we’ve equalled their 18 titles) but is there anything so small-time as their welcoming of these Americans? I expected this kind of shit from Manchester City, who were all loved-up with their “human rights abuser of the worst kind”, but not Liverpool. I don’t mean to be too praiseworthy of our wretched neighbours, but surely they should be bigger than that? I know there were some Liverpool fans who were against the takeover, but by and large, it was party time in Merseyside when the Yanks rolled in to town. It’s a sad state of affairs. Whilst maybe it’s not Liverpool I’m sad for, or pity, there is certainly a depressing feeling about all the money problems in the game, and it is more likely that it is for football that I feel a loss.
Essentially though, Liverpool don’t deserve the sympathy or pity from anyone because of their attitude since the takeover. Have their fans learnt from their mistakes? When things started taking a turn for the worst with their American owners, as talk of Rafa’s sacking mounted, did the scousers realise the error of their ways? Did they realise that being owned by people, who don’t give a shit about your club and don’t have any understanding of the deep feelings inspired in thousands and millions of people, is a really bad idea? Did they fuck. I hope they do a Leeds and they’ve only got themselves to thank for it, as they will be bending over and taking it in the arse from anyone who offers them money and a chance of being a force in England again.
Man Utd News 24/7
can someone tell me if im right or wrong here
scott corea costas king eric giles ect
.
for what i think when manchester united where bought from the glazers
they borrowed money and put the debt onto manchester united and for the money united make each season they pay off some of the loan that the club own
liverpool on the other hand borrowed and there parent company ,kop football, is in debt so when liverpool make 9 times less money than united but still 10 million then there moneypays that companys debt and the money doesnt go near liverpool f.c. themselfs
Agreed. 100%.
I remember the slagging I got from pool fans I know when Glazer took over. All those chants of USA, USA! At a bad time for our club, I was proud that no United fan I’ve ever met was behind the takeover and it was a black day for us all. We got zero support from other clubs fans, which disappointed me a lot, only ribbing. I remember saying to many about how it wont stop at United. Its just the beginning.
I also remember when Hicks and Gillette took over at Liverpool, how different the attitude of their supporters in general was. These two men, understand the club, the are Liverpool “fans” and their takeover of the club is a good thing They said. They told themselves this so much that they started to believe it was true.I don’t blame them, they were desperate to stop United steamrolling over their history, for years to come, with no end in sight, and they would take any way out. Their history had become everything to them. And with the tales of the Dubai group the term “out of the frying pan and into the fire comes to mind”
One thing Ive learned from the whole sorry mess is that where once I genuinely cared about other clubs ownership issue. Now i don’t give a fuck about any of them. United is all that matters.
Unfortunately, as the EPL is now the dominant league in the world, watched by hundreds of millions worldwide, every billionaire wants a piece of the pie. The massive salaries and transfer fees demanded simply continues the vicious cycle because without billionaire backing top-class signings would be harder. (Needless to say, Old Trafford always has been and always will be an attractive destination for a player.)
United didn’t need foreign ownership. The Glazers weren’t undertaking some philanthropic rescue mission born from a love Man U and its history. They saw a business opportunity. Luckily for us, they have decided that the best way to run this business is to leave it alone. We haven’t had to suffer a Shevchenko signing and Fergie has never had beg for a transfer kitty.
Wasn’t there a report several months ago stating that Hicks and Gillet hadn’t actually invested any of their own money?
They are a small time club in my opinion. The fans are displaying the same kind of attitude as a supporter of a club like Southampton or Luton Town. I don’t mean any disrespect to these clubs, but they feel that investors are of paramount importance to their financial survival. But the difference is the backers tend to be true supporters of the club or ex players, like Le Tissier and his consortium looking to buy into Southampton. Liverpool should be bigger than that, as they are supposed to be a big club looking generate income through on the field performances, in order to be able to buy the top players. So for them to welcome pricks like Gillett and Hicks, and now investors from Dubai, as shown in the pic above, shows that they are desperate small time losers. United have never welcomed the Glazers and that feeling has not changed, despite the success we have had under their ownership, as much as I loathe to admit. HATE GLAZERS, LOVE UNITED!
@ GHTT
this whole thing is really unfamiliar to me. i tried to understand what all of this is about and i am still clueless. maybe it is not so important to me as long as i can do nothing about it ?
—
“So desperate to bring back the glory years they don’t care how it is done?”
it’s stupid. trophies doesn’t necesary bring you dignity. not at any cost.
i don’t fear for the lack of trophies. the most important issue for me is to keep our identity, to keep our style of football, to keep the players like Ole, Gary, Ryan, Paul in the club’s system.
As long as Glazers give us all of this and don’t mess around it’s okay.
of course for you there in Manchester the issue is more important and you know better than me what this is all about.
corea that didnt answer 1 little part of my question
but yet it explained alot to me
thank you
@ GHTT
sorry, but i think even Scott won’t answer the question whether the Glazer’s debts are really our debts.
I haven’t heard one single clear answer as long as i am surfing the internet since the takeover.
Off topic, Rooney has just scored and all the England fans are chanting his name – fucking cringeworthy bunch of cunts. I only call them that because they insult him when he’s playing for United.
There was a really could BBC report on this explaining our debt and possible repurcussions. Here is the link;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ksktg/5_live_Sport_What_Have_the_Glazers_Ever_Done_for_Man_U/
PS you need to fast forward about 8 minutes in.
liverpool are just a shower of shit club,no money,shyt stadium,fans who wanna buy every bit of silverware in sight but then slam anyone who spends near themselfs,tv pundits who delight in other teams bad fortunes but never blame liverpool players an management for failing,i hope these cunts do a leeds united and i hope alan hansen has to get a proper job or fucks off, didnt fergie once cause hansen to miss a world cup by picking half the aberdeen squad??? lmaoooo what a guy
ytf is Lampard taking peno’s for Egnland? I would rather Rooney. Isn’t this his 9th goal for England this season? IF only he played like this for United!
arsene wenger how are you
havent heard from you in a few days
i dont think they’ll do a leeds
but dont rule out them doing a newcastle
gotta hate tiny tears, in answer to your question LFC is owned by Kop Holdings and is their biggest asset. I don’t claim to fully understand it but as far as I can see the only difference between the takeover at UTD and the takeover at LFC was the publicity surrounding it. H and G obviously saw the hostility between UTD fans and the Glazers and their advisers told them to try a different approach. Call in the nearest pub to Anfield before a match for a beer and a photo call, talk to the fans and reassure them they were not like the Glazers. The key to their success at Liverpool was always going to be the new stadium and all the corporate bells and whistles that go with it, but that has stalled. I bet if the club had sold to the property developer Steve Morgan the new stadium would be well under way, particularly since the price of steel has dropped like a stone during the recent global crisis. But the club chose the quick buck and convinced the fans that the yanks were the safer option. Liverpool fans laughed at UTD for all the debt heaped on the club but they are in exactly the same position as us. The only difference is that our debt is long term at more favourable rates than LFC’s short term debt at crippling rates. Until they build a new stadium and dramatically increase revenue they will never become the cash cow that UTD is.
Incidentally they came very close to not qualifying for the CL group stages last season and that would have crucified them financially. I believe that is why Benitez applied attacking tactics in the second half of the season.I think he was more scared of having to qualify for the group stages again this season and being knocked out.
Liverpools debt is up for refinancing next month. Unless they offer RBS a maasive cash payment they are up shit creek. Why else would Alonso be up for sale? Gareth Barry joins City and if the papers are to be believed, Mascerano is unsettled. They are flat broke and that is why they are looking at Distain for £2m.
Only an opinion and may be talking through my arse, but if LFC don’t meet
their payments and RBS do not refinance the loan I believe they could be heading towards administration and a points deduction next season unless they sell big names and buy shite to replace them
The Glazers, Gillet and Hicks, Dubai groups, all them business muppets will mean the death of Premiership football… Football IS NOT a business… maybe Judas Gill should get that into his thick head, Cunt…
They are doing a liverpool
rc7 good find pal… taken a listin to that knw
@ rc7
thanks, mate. i’ve listened to the whole story but i didn’t find any answers.
anyway many things have become more clear.
Aston Villa anyone ? Gotta give Lerner a little credit.
@corea
it is very dificult to find real information on the Glazers. The debt is secured on the assets of the club i.e. Old Trafford,Carrington, future ticket sales and value of players.Basically we are ok for the moment as long as we are successful on the pitch. However in two years time we need to pay a big chunk of the capital back (this is a situation similar to the dippers). At the moment the Glazers cannot remortgage the debt because of the financial crisis. So the first test will come in a couple of years time. Maybe the Glazers have some plan in place, the problem is nobody knows, they don’t speak to anyone.
@ rc7
yes, this i was pretty much able to understand. but the main question is whether we can say fuck off to the Glazers if they won’t be able to take care of the debt in 2 years time.
yes, we have 2 years. not a lifetime but many things could change till then.
I meant whether their debts are our’s.
If possible suitor comes he will be obliged to pay the Glazer’s debts ?
There is another issue. I kinda liked the idea of the people in US who regard that the ManU is a more profitable and interesting investment than in the likes of NY Yankees because it is a more global brand.
There is always a possibility for Glazer to use Tampa Bay in order to solve their problems. But i’m afraid it is much more difficult.
@Corea
no, we can’t say fuck off to them. The only thing we can do is make our discontent shown to them by demonstration and hope they will sell to somebody else. The club at the moment is valued at £1.2 billion(apparently the richest valued sports club in the world) so even rich oil sheikhs may feel this is too much.
Chris20LEGEND Said,
The Glazers, Gillet and Hicks, Dubai groups, all them business muppets will mean the death of Premiership football… Football IS NOT a business… maybe Judas Gill should get that into his thick head, Cunt
In all fairness Chris,the people and groups you quote won’t be the death of Premiership Football. Chairmen,PLC’s and TV companies were around long before them. The only difference is that through the media explosion,i.e the internet forums, radio show phone ins etc, we now have faces to put to the names. When UTD were a PLC we were still under financial constraints it was just that we didn’t know the shareholders.When I open my eyes in the morning to go to work, I know someone is gonna screw me that day financially but I just keep putting the overpriced petrol in my overpriced car, buy something overpriced for my dinner break that I don’t get paid for, finish work,go home and put my overpriced heating,watch tv after buying my overpriced tv licence,compliment the wife on paying £60 for her overpriced haircut,etc,etc,etc.
It is easy to pick on these business people as if making money out of football was a new thing but the truth is the fans have always lined the pockets of the football club owners and if we didn’t have club owners we wouldn’t have clubs, be it Chairmen, PLC’s or foreign owners.
I hate the current situation but that is the way it is. Wage caps would never work. Too much money would find it’s way into secret bank accounts.
The only way forward for me would be performance and points related contracts. That way if a player played like a twat he would be on reduced pay. That might focus the mindset of some players who play for the money without the hunger.
Point being Chris I hate the present bunch of cunts too but they have always been there in some shape or form. I am more inclined to dislike the type of player who spends £2-3 million on a celeb wedding and really rubbing my fuckin nose in it than the owners who we all think are in it for the money but are put to shame by some of the more greedy players
@ rc7
they can sell the club in order to take care of their debts ? they sell we don’t have debts ? that means the debts aren’t really ours ? yes, i simplify the issue. i hope “demonstration” is a very useful thing in that kind of situations.
@ smokebreaksteve
Player earned that money and he is entitiled to what he spends it for. life is too short. it’s so easy to judge from your side and so easy to agree with this kind of statements.
Dallas stars are hockey and Texas Rangers are baseball
Great article,
exept that I would like to signal my disagreement on how you described city owners and therefor all Arabs and Muslims as Im one ‘from Egypt..huge manutd fan’..that is simply absloutly wrong…
Look fella’s ….
Can we all just hope that the Bank don’t re-finance the dippers loan and closes the scouse cunt’s down ……
oh please if there ever was a God……
just imagine….. Liverpoo having to sell all its players ….
them other cunts over at the Eastlands outside toilet would probably offer to buy the fucking lot……
oh joy we could take the fucking piss for the rest of our lives….
A lot of their stupid banners seem to come back and bite them in the ar$e.
Im a Liverpool fan, stumbled upon this article as i google’d for some info.
Good balanced article but it is essencially flawed… You go onto say that man utd fans were totally against the takeover by the glazers, and you make the comparison that Liverpool fans welcomed the take over by hicks and gillett – THE TAKEOVER AT LIVERPOOL WAS WELCOMED WITH “OPENED ARMS” IS BECAUSE HICKS AND GILLETT PROMISED US TRANSFER MONEY AND A NEW STADIUM (((((THIS IS WHY)))))
So to conclude, you cannot make the comparison and suggest liverpool fans were thick and didnt “smell the coffee” because we were promised the stadium and transfer funds which we now havent got because they are liars… the glazers on the other hand came in and openly said they were here to make money and man utd fans were understandably angry, if hicks and gillett said this then we would have been angry too.
Kopite – the Glazers came and said they had money to spend on transfers just like Hicks and Gillett did. The point is United fans weren’t prepared to sell their soul for money to spend on transfers… whilst Liverpool fans, by and large, were, and still are! YANKS OUT DUBAI IN! Don’t give a shit who the club belongs to, as long as they give you money.