The takeover of Manchester United by the Glazer family was a tumultuous time for the club, with fans of the Premier League club going far enough in their anger to inspire the FBI to monitor threats against Malcolm Glazerโs safety.
Now a former communications manager and PR man for the Glazers during that time, Tehsin Nayani, has lifted the lid on the private familyโs dealings with a new book entitled, โThe Glazer Gate Keeperโ.
[ย JPW: Talking USMNT, FA Cup with Danny Williams ]
Nayani was in charge of communicating with the press and investors in regards to Manchester Unitedโs financials, which was a great source of consternation for supporters who didnโt foresee the Glazersโ shoring up Unitedโs debt any time soon (Theyโve since nearly halved the debt to nearly a billion dollars to about $565 million, which is still an incredible amount of money).
This BBC report includes a hilarious anecdote that shows the ego and humor of Sir Alex Ferguson, who sat on top of the crate that holds the UEFA Champions League trophy to eat breakfast at a hotel in 2008.
But it also shows an ownership group that kept its cool in the face of plenty of hatred. Naive at times, it seems the Glazers were confident in their direction of the club, going so far as to see Vodafoneโs pulling out of United shirt sponsorship as the opportunity to bring a larger money deal into the club.
A better story involves seeing the big picture, after former United and then AC Milan player David Beckham donned the green and gold scarf of the Supporters Trust after a UCL tie at Old Trafford. He received a standing ovatio.
With that one gesture, the worldโs most recognisable footballer gave visual support to the colours adopted by the anti-Glazer movement.
โI immediately grabbed my Blackberry, scrolled through my address book to JG and pressed the green icon,โ recounts Nayani, who had left the stadium for his Manchester hotel long before the final whistle.
โJoel, are you watching what I am watching?โ
Far from being alarmed or worried at the development, Glazer was calm and measured in his response, first stating โis it so bad?โ, then realising Nayani was still frantic at the protestors getting such a world-famous โposter boyโ, reasoning: โFootball is a passionate business. Wonโt it blow over? It has always blown over in the past.
โSure some fans are angry and protesting inside Old Trafford but from where I am sitting there are many millions of fans happy that the team are through to the next round.โ
It will be interesting to measure whether time is kind, or even increasingly kind, to the Glazer regime. Manchester United remains one of the richest clubs in the world. Glazer detractors claim this is in spite of the ownership. Will this be disproven in the next decade?
Family patriarch Malcolm Glazer passed away in May at the age of 85, and faced plenty of vitriol from groups like the Manchester United Supporters Trust over the duration of his tenure in charge. Still, the Glazers made more of the club public following Malcolmโs passing.
The BBC story is well worth the read. For United supporters, surely the book could be a must-grab, open-minded or not, and for pain or pleasure. I donโt pretend to be well-acquainted with the inner-workings of the family nor United, but theirs is an interesting relationship.
