MENTION Manchester United to Malcolm Glazer and he won't think of Denis Law and Eric Cantona...dollar signs will be flashing instead.
And yet this man who has never been near to Old Trafford, who has no grasp of the depth of feeling United inspire in their supporters, could soon end up "owning" the Reds.
In some quarters he is being portrayed as a saviour, the man coming up on the rails to overtake Irish racing tycoons John Magnier and JP McManus.
And a cursory glance at Glazer's sporting background has other Reds wondering whether he might be a good thing for the club.
After all, he turned round Tampa Bay Buccaneers from an NFL joke to Superbowl winners in the space of eight years, and quadrupled their financial value.
But look a little deeper, and it gets worrying. One of the first things Glazer did after taking over the Buccaneers was to start maximising profits - and that meant the fans had to pay.
Ticket prices were hiked while parking fees at the stadium in Florida and the cost of Bucs merchandise also went up.
Manchester United are a different proposition. They do not need turning round.
Campaign
They are already the world's wealthiest club and that is why he is steadily accumulating shares in the club to the point where he is the second biggest stakeholder.
And that is why fans groups like Shareholders United and the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association are stressing that their campaign is aimed at preventing ANY takeover of United, whether it be the Coolmore Mafia, an elderly American, Sheikh Yermoney or Count de Profitz.
The war between the Irish duo and Sir Alex Ferguson has, in some ways, been a blessing to such pressure groups.
The threat to Sir Alex has focused the minds of fans who otherwise have little interest in shares and boardroom wrangles.
But the concern for SU and IMUSA has to be that, once the Rock Of Gibraltar saga is over, the majority of fans will sink back into apathy.
The prospect of Glazer taking over the club is perhaps seen as preferable to the control which Magnier and McManus can now exert, even without increasing their 29 per cent stake any further.
Yet the 75-year-old billionaire is a known merchant venturer. He has dealt in all kinds of stock in the States, from shopping malls to fish oil, from trailer parks to restaurants.
He likes to make a buck and then move on to the next challenge, so the prospect of him buying a controlling interest in a "soccer" club thousands of miles away is puzzling, unless it is another short-term investment.
The stance of the fans' groups is that United is too dear to the hearts of too many people to be used in such a way.
Whatever angle you come at it, there are worries for United fans.
Magnier and McManus are looking to tighten the United purse strings from their current position of power by forcing the club to re-examine the size of transfer fees and agent payments.
Signatures
Glazer would, no doubt, pursue the same tack, although without the overtones of humiliating Sir Alex at the same time.
United, for all their money, have struggled to compete with Real Madrid in the transfer market and losing out to Barcelona in the chase for Ronaldinho in the summer was a puzzlement for fans who constantly see the club's wealth flaunted.
That situation could be about to get worse. Magnier, McManus and Glazer have little interest in whether United can compete for the signatures of the Zinedine Zidanes or the Patrick Vieiras.
In fact, with none of them likely to be in it for the long haul, the kind of vast outlays needed to land top players is against their interests.
The people who DO care about such issues are the fans.
Under pressure from Magnier and McManus recently, Sir Alex praised the support he got from United fans.
He said: "In many ways the support owns the club" and in the past has offered his support for Shareholders United, saying their efforts to give fans a greater say can only be good for the game.
SU have increased their power in recent weeks on the back of the threat to Sir Alex's position, but are a long way short of their aim of buying enough of the club to have real influence.
Their job in the coming weeks, if a Glazer bid does materialise, is to rally the estimated 17 percent of shareholders said to hold a stake for emotional reasons rather than financial ones.
If they can do that, and United fans can show their dislike for American venturers in the same way as they have for two Irish horse traders, the soul of Manchester United could yet be saved.
What do you think of the latest bid to buy Manchester United?
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I haven't read this article or any of the reamrks, but....
Once Man U decided to float and become a public business entity this was bound to happen.
End of story.
This article is without doubt the single best piece written about the whole takeover saga to date. Well done the Manchester Evening News - I hope the rest of the national and international media follow the MEN's lead.
Anyone who reads it will surely see it as their duty as a Red to immediately join Shareholders United (you can join easily at: www.ShareholdersUnited.org).
I urge everyone to read it and to email it on to their friends, other message boards, websites, etc.
I despute he would only have a financial interest alone, anybody who would purchase United, would make sure they were a success and the fans were happy, as thats where the money comes from.
Glazier brought tampa bay from nowhere to champions.To takeover the club,he would have to expect success on the pitch,which we already have.David Gill has already held a meeting with Glazier from what was said on MUTV,and judging by the look on Mr.Gills face he looked optimistic about it all.
If Mr Glazier wishes to takeover the club,he has the funds to do so,and as much as Shareholders United can try to stop that happening,I cant see it happening.
Shareholders United , should leave it alone you were all probably protesting against the war in Iraq as well. I hope United are taken over, as that would be the best way to the top.
When taking over the club do you have to buy 100 or 51% of the stakes.
I have been a staunch United fan all my life and ten years ago moved to the States. I now live in Tampa and was recently invited by the Glazer family to a Buccaneers game where I met him and his son Brian. Malcolm is a very quiet shy man but obviously very astute. At the time he only had bought 7% and I asked him about buying MY team. He laughed and said "You have to look to the best and they are the best" Glazer has turned round a failing team here but you have to remember that sport in America is very different to sport in the UK. It is all driven by ownership, teams move fron city to city without a care in the world for the fans. A situation that could never happen at home (I hope!) He will be aware of this and will be buying United to make money and to put himself in the same league as Murdoch & Bill Gates but I sincerely believe whilst he will impact the financial infrastructure he will leave the playing affairs of the club in the hands of those who know better than him , ie Ferguson.Tampa Bay is a better place because of the Glazer family.
It still doesn't dawn on some people that the only hope for United is to resist ANY takeover. Glazer is NOT a United White knight. We don't need rescuing. We are not bankcrupt, we don't have a dwindling fanbase, both things that afflicted Tampa Bay. Don't forget, this is the man who sued fans who complained that they had been given much inferior seats, when he extended the hospitality seating at Tampa. If he manages to buy United, he will soak the fans like we have never seen before, make his millions and then sell on to someone else, who could well turn out to be Murdoch. He is already in business with him and it wouldn't stretch any imagination to see that disaster on the horizon. It is true that the club is a plc, and in the best of worlds, the fans would own the club outright, but it isn't the best of worlds and we have to work with the situation as it is. Its rather like gathering twigs. If you only have one, it can be broken easily. If you have a large bundle, however small the individual twigs, they cannot be broken, as long as they are tied together. Come on United fans, join SU, or buy shares privately, and pledge you won't sell to these sharks that are circling our club.
Well done the MEN for tellling the truth - Supporters can make a difference, there are already over 10,000 members of shareholders United, thats 1/6 of the match going attendance. Plans are going ahead to ensure that all 35,000 shareholders are aware that then can pledge their shares to the fight - join in !!!
There is no evidence whatsoever to support any of the writers assumptions over the intentions of M &M or Glazier.
Support Glazier or M & M in the take over or control of Man U and you will never see a big signing at OT ever again. The purse strings will be so tightly closed that we will have to rely on our reserves coming through like the class of 92. That was a once in a lifetime experience and unlikely to happen again. Come on fans, join shareholders United.
Time to face the inevitable,we will be taken over by one or a group of owners. Now these people will want us to be successful, will want us to be the best and will bring the best to our club.