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Ferguson should quit over Glazers say United fans
Supporters call on Manchester United boss to stand down in protest at American owners
Manchester United fans opposed to the club's American owners the Glazer family are calling for manager Alex Ferguson to do the unthinkable and quit the club in protest.
The idea was put forward at a meeting of Manchester United supporters before the game against Burnley at the weekend. It was suggested by Johnny Flacks, a founding member and former chairman of the Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association, who is a friend of the United boss.
The Manchester United Supporters' Trust, which organised the meeting, may also ask Old Trafford legend Eric Cantona to lend his support to their campaign to oust the Glazers, and is planning a major protest at United's Champions League tie with AC Milan in March
By far the most radical suggestion was a letter-writing campaign calling on Ferguson to step down. "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," said Flacks, according to a report in the Guardian.
"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 of United are horrified by the club's financial position and the possibility, raised last week, that the owners could sell Old Trafford and the Carrington training ground. The Glazers, who bought United in 2005, are looking to raise £500m in a bond issue in an attempt to refinance the £700m debt the club was left with after the takeover.
The chances of Ferguson stepping down are slim, and senior player Gary Neville appeared to pour cold water on the suggestion. "We're always very well protected and we never get involved in the financial side of things," he said.
Supporters are planning an anti-Glazer march before the Milan game and may ask fans to wait outside Old Trafford until the game begins so that the match kicks off in front of an empty stadium. ·
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Fight the good fight lads. These Glazer boys do not deserve one cent of profit from your efforts. I have seen first-hand what the Glazers have done with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, our version of football. They have alienated fans here - they care not a whit for this area in Tampa. They have fired good people and ruined careers with their arrogance. What makes you think that a quarter of the way around the globe they care about you or your traditions? I say good riddance if you can force them out - and keep trying to regain your good name from this penny-pinching family. If you don't succeed, the Glazers will certainly ruin it for you and generations to come.