Het grote Manchester United topic deel 1

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Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is forcing himself through the pain barrier to salvage his career.

Solskjaer, 32, hopes to return to action in August - after missing the season recovering from knee surgery.

He has started jogging for the first time and knows he must push himself through the pain battier.

"I have no pain with the light jogging but I still have to force some discomfort through the knee to stimulate it," said the Norwegian.

"I could have gone 12 months without feeling anything but then when I started playing again it would have been sore. So you have to force a little bit of pain because that is the nature of this injury."

Solskjaer went to Sweden for a transplant operation that entailed extracting cells from his right knee, growing them in a laboratory for three weeks and then putting them back in the hole in his cartilage.

"The transplant is maturing and now for the next two or three months it needs stimulation forced through it gradually.

"The light jogging has been the next step, but I am not jumping or sprinting yet. The next step will be to run 100 metres. But when that happens you don't know. There is no specific timescale.

"You are governed by how it reacts each day. It is a slow process and you have to be very patient," he told the Manchester Evening News.

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Op zondag 27 maart 2005 18:33 schreef gras het volgende:
De beste man heeft vast de verkeerde pillen genomen.

Sir Alex op je rug.

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Op zondag 13 maart 2005 22:52 schreef Suijk het volgende:
[afbeelding]

Zjroentje showt nieuwe tattoo aan vrienden

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Fans rage at Glazer takeover move

Manchester United fans are furious that US tycoon Malcolm Glazer has launched a formal takeover bid for the club. Glazer has a 57% share after securing the 28.7% stake of Irish racing tycoons JP MacManus and John Magnier. Nick Towle, chairman of fans' pressure group, Shareholders United, claimed he has ripped up his season ticket.

He said: "I am very sad - I still love the club but I refuse to put a penny into the company. And I believe as many as 20,000 fans may also leave Man Utd." A protest has been hurriedly organised to take place outside Old Trafford at 1700 BST on Thursday. Fans are being urged to take with them their season-ticket renewal forms and burn them in a gesture of defiance.

Supporters are concerned about the level of debt involved in Glazer's bid and fear for the club's future. Oliver Houston, vice chairman of Shareholders United, told BBC Radio Five Live that Glazer is "no Roman Abramovich". Houston predicted an entirely different scenario at United. He said: "He's not turning up with a suitcase full of his own cash. He is, in effect, asking Manchester United fans to pay for his takeover, to pay for increased ticket prices and increased merchandising."

Shareholders United, which represents 17% of the club's stockholders, still hopes to prevent Glazer reaching the 75% level of shares he needs to make his offer unconditional - and essentially own the club. But Towle admitted: "It's looking like an uphill battle for us." Fellow member of Shareholders United, journalist Michael Crick - biographer of United manager Sir Alex Ferguson - believes Glazer's "hard-nosed business record" spells danger.

He said: "He is going to be much keener to boost profits, particularly as he's going to have to borrow so much to buy the club. "I can only see that it's the fans who are going to lose out here in a big way."

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Q&A: Malcolm Glazer and Man Utd
US billionaire Malcolm Glazer has won control of Manchester United, the world's richest football club, after buying a large stake from the club's biggest shareholders.

Is there anything that can be done to stop Malcolm Glazer now?

Opponents of his takeover of the world's richest football club really have their hands tied. He is now majority shareholder, with a near 57% holding, and has made a formal offer for the remaining shares. Roy Kaitcer, a director of Brewin Dolphin, stockbrokers for Manchester United, has said those opposed to Mr Glazer can do little to stop him. "Shareholders United (the supporters' group) have got a very small percentage of the shares and, in truth, once you've got over 50% you've got control, and when you've got to 75% and you can get things through the Extraordinary General Meetings and Annual General Meetings, then there's very little that they can do," he said.

How has this come about?

The American has just secured the 28.7% stake of Irish racing tycoons JP MacManus and John Magnier by paying £227.2m. Red Football Ltd, acting on behalf of Mr Glazer, said the Irishmen had sold their stakes for 300p a share. This makes the 76-year-old the largest shareholder in the club and he has now put forward a formal bid for the club, which values it at £790m.

Why is this such a surprise?

There had been a feeling that the Irish pair, who have always been the key to whether Mr Glazer could get hold of Manchester United, would not sell their stake. Three months ago it was reported that they felt the £3-a-share offer undervalued the club. Supporters have also been vocal in asking them not to sell their stake in Manchester United, and were confident their message had got through. The Irish duo, who held a stake through their vehicle Cubic Expression, are thought to have made a £70m profit on their original investment.

What has the club's reaction been?

The move came two weeks after the Manchester United board said it would not recommend Mr Glazer's takeover proposals to investors because his business plan appeared "aggressive".Mr Glazer had been given a 17 May deadline to submit a formal plan or withdraw his attempts to buy the team. His first two proposals were rejected by the board, which said the package relied too heavily on borrowed money. Manchester United issued a statement on Thursday noting Mr Glazer's announcement and said it was waiting for formal terms of the offer from him to be published. It said: "A further announcement will be made once the board has reviewed that announcement."

Why have the club and fans been opposed to the takeover?

Manchester United has been a well-run club, which has invested in the Old Trafford Stadium and players without getting itself into debt. Mr Glazer's bid involves borrowing large amounts of money to finance any takeover, although the levels have been cut from the amount of debt he carried in his initial approaches to the club last year. There is a fear now that he will eventually gain such a large shareholding that he can collapse his debt onto the club.

When would that happen?

If he gets 75% plus one share, Manchester United could be delisted from the stock exchange and Mr Glazer could transfer his debt onto the club. Mr Glazer is now 18% short of that 75% level of shares. If he can get 90% plus one share, he can make a compulsory purchase and scoop up the other 10% of the club's shares.

Has Mr Glazer expressed any interest in soccer before?

He is the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American football team. But the pursuit of Manchester United has reportedly been led by his two sons, Avi and Joel. American sports journalists have said they are unaware of his previous love for soccer, with one, Sean Wheelock, saying: "I think he sees this as a way to make money from football".

What was the reaction in the world of investors?

Shares leapt up to near the £3 mark on news of Mr Glazer's offer and more than a hundred million of the club's shares were traded actively in London. Analyst Sam Detta, of Inner Circle Sports, said he would be interested to see what business plan Mr Glazer had to generate more revenues at Manchester United, as the general feeling was that it was already a "very well-run club".

What happens next?
There will have to be a formal offer period set' during which shareholders will indicate whether they accept or reject the offer.

However, with the Cubic Expression stake in the bag, Mr Glazer has the majority shareholding whatever happens. Fans' group Shareholders United will be campaigning to prevent him reaching the 75% stake, or if that is not possible, at least prevent him reaching 90%. Institutional shareholders may, on the other hand, see the £3-a-share offer as attractive.

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Op donderdag 12 mei 2005 17:47 schreef Elgigante het volgende:
De kogel is door de kerk bij Manchester, Malcom Glazer heef inmiddels een meerderheidsbelang van 57% in de club en denkt aan meer.
Wat weten we van deze man behalve dat hij geld heeft?

Wordt het een tweespalt tussen Ambramovich en Glazer of kiezen beiden een ander beleid?

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If he can get 90% plus one share, he can make a compulsory purchase and scoop up the other 10% of the club's shares.