"Why are you all moaning? More money = more players! Maybe we might win the premier cup with his money?" suggests the mischievously named Ted the Cornish Red on the ABU (Anything But United) messageboard section on a Manchester United fanzine's site.
Such messageboards have been the scene of frenetic posting today in the wake of Malcolm Glazer's purchase of a controlling stake in the world's richest football club yesterday, with United fans filled with panic and anger and their rivals' fans delighting in the spectacle.
Now, Ted appears to be a satirical creation, and a far from original one. (If not, sorry, Ted.) Fans of rival clubs, of course, love to cast United's fans as ignorant glory hunters from far-flung parts of Britain and beyond. But does Ted have a point?
After all, Glazer's intentions, according to what unnamed advisers have said, include retaining Sir Alex Ferguson as United's manager and giving the club £20m a year to spend on players. Sir Alex previously expected to be able to spend nothing on transfers after blowing the last of his budget on Wayne Rooney. Glazer also has a good track record in some ways, having steered the American football team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Superbowl success. And his is a good, wholesome family business, surely.
But United fans just don't appear to trust "the Troll". The overwhelming perception among them appears to be that Glazer is wheeling a Trojan Horse into Old Trafford. They point to the fact that he pushed up ticket prices at Tampa Bay and are also worried that he will eventually saddle the club with the debts he will have incurred in the takeover and possibly strip it of its assets.
So they are taking action. There is the petition and other boycott threats, as well as the effigy and season ticket burning. Shareholders United is attempting to beat Glazer at his own game by encouraging fans to buy shares in the club. Others envisage the formation of an FC United, following the example of former supporters of Wimbledon, who formed their own club when their chairman decided he wanted to move to Milton Keynes. The mufcnotforsale.com site provides a list of what it considers to be the facts and the myths about the situation.
