Fans' group distances itself from Fergie quit calls
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A Manchester United fans' group is considering asking Sir Alex Ferguson to quit as manager of the club, in protest of the Glazer family's ownership of the reigning Premier League champions.
The Manchester United Supporters' Trust, who met to discuss the club's current situation before United's 3-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday, believe Ferguson - in charge at Old Trafford for more than 23 years - must stand down in order to make a drastic statement about the club's financial situation.
Ferguson has often defended the Glazers but was openly opposed to their takeover before it went through, with Johnny Flacks, a founding member and former chairman of the Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association, suggesting that a letter campaign directed at the United boss could convince him to resign.
"This is not intended as an Alex Ferguson rant," Flacks told the Guardian. "But he claims to be a socialist, a former shop steward and a man of the people, so he must be horrified by what is going on.
"It would work only if thousands of people sent a copy of this letter to Ferguson letting him know that our fear, if the Glazers stay in control, is that his legacy is going to be destroyed. We wouldn't want that and I don't think he would either."
Fans also discussed the possibility of asking United fans' favourite and Old Trafford legend Eric Cantona to act as their figurehead, and plans are being put in place for a protest march before the Champions League tie against Milan on 10 March.
United supporters' groups have been in fervent opposition to the Glazer family, both before the takeover in June 2005, and ever since - with anti-Glazer chanting rife during the win against Burnley. Stewards were also quick to confiscate a large banner reading: "Love United, hate Glazer", after it was briefly unfurled at the Stretford End.
The Glazers recently revealed a refinancing plan but it has been met by scepticism by most supporters, with many now believing that Ferguson, who has led United throught he most successful era in the club's history, should make the ultimate sacrifice and quit the Old Trafford hotseat.
"We are talking about a manager who has achieved so much for the club and has created the monster that is Manchester United," Flack said. But we have to look at the greater good and at the moment we have the ludicrous situation where a club that gets over 70,000 supporters is losing money.
"This would be Ferguson's chance of saying that something had to be done. He would be looking after the club in the longer term if it meant the Glazers would sell more quickly. And if he said he was going to resign, maybe that would also encourage potential buyers to hurry up."
"Moving to Carrington was his baby and he must be horrified that the Glazers could now be thinking of selling Carrington and then arranging for it to be leased back," Flacks said. "That would make Manchester United no better than a non-league club not even owning a training ground."
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Fans hope to enlist the support of Sir Alex Ferguson to help drive the Glazers out of Manchester United ownership. Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images
Manchester United supporters fighting the Glazer family's ownership of the club are contemplating asking Sir Alex Ferguson to make the ultimate sacrifice and resign in protest.
The idea was put forward at a specially convened meeting of fans' groups to determine an action plan to drive out the Glazers. The Manchester United Supporters' Trust, which arranged the meeting before Saturday's 3-0 defeat of Burnley, are also exploring the possibility of asking Eric Cantona to act as their figurehead, and plans are being put in place for a protest march before the Champions League tie against Milan on 10 March.
More than 300 fans attended the talks and Johnny Flacks, a founding member and former chairman of the Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association, proposed a letter should be written to Ferguson asking him to step down as manager as manager.
"This is not intended as an Alex Ferguson rant," Flacks said yesterday. "But he claims to be a socialist, a former shop steward and a man of the people, so he must be horrified by what is going on. It would work only if thousands of people sent a copy of this letter to Ferguson letting him know that our fear, if the Glazers stay in control, is that his legacy is going to be destroyed. We wouldn't want that and I don't think he would either."
The fans' meeting was followed by sustained anti-Glazer chanting at Old Trafford during the Burnley game and stewards confiscated a large banner that was briefly unfurled at the Stretford End and read: "Love United, hate Glazer".
Ferguson has always defended the Glazers since the Florida-based family took control of the club, but he had expressed his misgivings before they moved into power and is now operating under strict financial constraints. The Glazers have raised the prospect of selling and leasing back Old Trafford and their Carrington training ground and are looking to borrow £500m in a bond issue, as a partial replacement for the £700m debts their 2005 takeover has loaded on to the club.
The supporters' groups vehemently opposed the takeover in the first place and appealed for Ferguson's help then as well, without any success. Nonetheless, the idea of asking Ferguson to resign will inevitably provoke widespread opposition and, in some cases, shock given his importance to the club and his status as the most successful manager in the business.
"That is the ridiculous scenario," Flacks said. "We are talking about a manager who has achieved so much for the club and has created the monster that is Manchester United. But we have to look at the greater good and at the moment we have the ludicrous situation where a club that gets over 70,000 supporters is losing money.
"This would be Ferguson's chance of saying that something had to be done. He would be looking after the club in the longer term if it meant the Glazers would sell more quickly. And if he said he was going to resign, maybe that would also encourage potential buyers to hurry up."
Flacks has known Ferguson for many years and was so close to him at one point the United manager would regularly attend IMUSA meetings and invite him to the old Cliff training ground. "Moving to Carrington was his baby and he must be horrified that the Glazers could now be thinking of selling Carrington and then arranging for it to be leased back," Flacks said. "That would make Manchester United no better than a non-league club not even owning a training ground."
The Trust has pointed out that Flacks's comments do not necessarily represent those of the group as a whole.
A march before the Milan game may involve a concerted effort to leave the stadium with large expanses of empty seats at kick-off, with the protestors not entering the stadium until five or 10 minutes later. There will also be a campaign to encourage season-ticket holders not to renew if the Glazers are still in charge.
Privately, one member of Ferguson's staff has already expressed his support but the captain, Gary Neville, has made it clear he wants no part of it. "We're always very well protected and we never get involved in the financial side of things There have been talks and rumours over the years going back to when the Glazers took over, and even when Michael Knighton nearly took over in the 1980s. As players we never get involved in those things; our job is purely on the pitch and we allow people who are paid to do jobs in other areas of the club to do their job. It's nothing to do with us at all."
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The Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST) - one of the club's most prominent fan groups - has moved quickly to distance itself from reports claiming that supporters are considering asking Sir Alex Ferguson to quit as the club's manager in protest against the Glazer regime.
Johnny Flacks, former chairman of the Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association, suggested at a MUST meeting on Saturday that a letter campaign directed at the United boss could convince him to resign.
But MUST have responded to the reports by insisting that the meeting was private, and that Flacks' idea was not as widely supported as first believed.
A statement from MUST read: "Contrary to reports today regarding Manchester United supporters calling for Sir Alex Ferguson to resign, MUST (the Manchester United Supporters Trust) wishes to put it on record that we believe the organisation and the vast majority of United supporters are 100% behind Sir Alex Ferguson. The only people we want to see leave Old Trafford are the Glazer family.
"All United supporters are entitled to voice their opinion but these comments were made by one individual at a meeting where it was made clear it was private and journalists were briefed that it was totally off the record to allow supporters to speak freely.
"We believe that all those journalists who attended the meeting respected this agreement but the story came from reports on internet message boards followed by a call direct to Mr Flacks rather than from the meeting itself.
"MUST does not believe that the views expressed represented a widespread view of those present and indeed another speaker who offered the counter point of view was given a loud round of applause in response.
"We believe Johnny Flacks and indeed every Manchester United supporter is absolutely entitled to express their views but it is important to distinguish individual views from those of organisations or those present at a meeting.
"We believe Manchester United has the best manager, the best players and the best supporters. It is only the owners that let our great club down. They should go before they do any more damage."