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Manchester United's chief executive backs Glazer
England - 16 August, 2006
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English Manchester United chief executive David Gill defended ownership of the club by the Glazer family.
The family faced vehement opposition when they took over the club last summer, with fans fearful about a potential hands-on approach and tight purse-strings.
Gill believes the clubs is better off with private ownership than on the Stock Market.
"One year on, the scare stories have proved unfounded and the club is in good shape to face the various challenges both in the Premier League and Europe," Gill said. "There was a lot of comment about the takeover but the Glazer family have let us get on with running the club.
"People understand they are here for the long-term. They are investing for the long-term and we are looking to produce results, on and off the pitch, to justify that investment."
Malcolm Glazer recently restructured debts, but the actual sum owed by the club has grown to GBP 660million. Businessmen, however, have helped to secure a lucrative shirt sponsorship deal and an improved TV contract. Old Trafford's capacity has also been expanded to 76,000 to bring in some additional revenue.
Funds were provided for Michael Carrick's GBP 18.6 million transfer from Tottenham, but Gill is not looking for Manchester United to compete with Chelsea in the transfer market.
"Chelsea do what they do and what they can afford," Gill told BBC Radio Manchester." We have to do what Manchester United does best. Increasing the capacity of the stadium produces a lot of revenue for us. We will also continue to bring young players through the academy and we will compete in the transfer market as we see fit."
Gill believes the club will challenge for the Premier League title this season.
"If you look at the players in our squad, the likes of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, we have a lot of players many teams would envy," he said. "We are not saying we cannot compete because we feel we can. We have the team to compete, the squad to compete and we are looking forward to the new season."
The family faced vehement opposition when they took over the club last summer, with fans fearful about a potential hands-on approach and tight purse-strings.
Gill believes the clubs is better off with private ownership than on the Stock Market.
"One year on, the scare stories have proved unfounded and the club is in good shape to face the various challenges both in the Premier League and Europe," Gill said. "There was a lot of comment about the takeover but the Glazer family have let us get on with running the club.
"People understand they are here for the long-term. They are investing for the long-term and we are looking to produce results, on and off the pitch, to justify that investment."
Malcolm Glazer recently restructured debts, but the actual sum owed by the club has grown to GBP 660million. Businessmen, however, have helped to secure a lucrative shirt sponsorship deal and an improved TV contract. Old Trafford's capacity has also been expanded to 76,000 to bring in some additional revenue.
Funds were provided for Michael Carrick's GBP 18.6 million transfer from Tottenham, but Gill is not looking for Manchester United to compete with Chelsea in the transfer market.
"Chelsea do what they do and what they can afford," Gill told BBC Radio Manchester." We have to do what Manchester United does best. Increasing the capacity of the stadium produces a lot of revenue for us. We will also continue to bring young players through the academy and we will compete in the transfer market as we see fit."
Gill believes the club will challenge for the Premier League title this season.
"If you look at the players in our squad, the likes of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, we have a lot of players many teams would envy," he said. "We are not saying we cannot compete because we feel we can. We have the team to compete, the squad to compete and we are looking forward to the new season."
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