Arsene, you're not funny...
http://sg.sports.yahoo.com/050514/1/3sj0g.html
Saturday May 14, 10:34 PM
Fan fury targets Glazer takeover of Man Utd
Manchester United fans opposed to the club takeover bid launched by US tycoon Malcolm Glazer were desperately looking for ways to block the deal.
The American businessman was poised to take full control of the footballing giants having secured a fraction short of the 75 percent stake he needs under stock market rules to take the club into private ownership.
A spokeswoman for the London stock exchange said that it was possible remaining shares in the club could be traded over the weekend.
This could allow the 76-year-old Glazer, through his Red Football investment vehicle, to reach his target although the transactions would not be reported to the market before Monday.
The Glazer family moved to defuse fan fury on Friday by issuing a statement saying that they were "long-term sports investors and avid Manchester United fans."
But grass-roots opposition to the takeover was persisting with the club's final Premiership game at Southampton on Sunday a likely sounding board for their anger.
There were angry scenes involving hundreds of fans outside the club's Old Trafford stadium on Thursday and supporters groups have pledged a campaign of disruption and boycotts of games and merchandise.
They fear that Glazer has no sentimental attachment to the highly profitable club and simply intends to cream off profits in order to repay debts incurred in the takeover bid which values the operation at 790.3 million pounds (1.16 billion euros, 1.47 billion dollars).
The move is also seen as undermining the position of veteran manager Sir Alex Ferguson and possibly leading to a sell-off of top players.
Suporters already own an estimated 18 percent of the club and have tried to secure financial backing from a Japanese bank to buy more shares and block the Glazer takeover bid.
"Glazer will soon realise, if he doesn't know it already, that we will not be going away quietly," said Nick Towle, the chairman of supporters' umbrella group Shareholders United.
"He is known as a persistent and determined man who always gets what he goes for.
"Well, he will now find out that the United fans are just as persistent and determined, and they are fighting for love not money.''
Meanwhile there was support for Ferguson's position from one of his main rivals, Jose Mourinho, the Portuguese manager of championship winning Chelsea.
"I hope to have him (Ferguson) as an opponent for some years to come," Mourinho told The Times newspaper.
"There is always one day for us to stop. The difficulty is choosing the right moment.
"But if you have achieved what Alex Ferguson has, you should choose. No one should tell you. Especially if you are speaking about a great manager, the most successful in the history of the Premiership."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger warned that it was too early to cast Glazer off as a scavenger out to strip the club of its assets.
"I don't agree that Manchester United will fall apart for the simple fact that if you invest 790 million pounds into something, do you want to destroy that capital? No. Why should he want to destroy the club?" Wenger asked.
"There is a reluctance from Manchester United supporters at the moment. The United fans have a feeling that he is not really in love with the club. There is a reluctance and the hurdle is more psychological than realistic.
"They are a public company and they have to accept that if the main shareholders sell. That's what happens.
"Don't convict the guy who has not made one decision. He could be very good for the club," said Wenger
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