18 December 2023 , 23:05
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The owners of Manchester United were very impressed after watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers secure their third consecutive win.
Bryan, Joel and Avram Glazer, who also own the NFL team, were at Lambeau Field on Sunday to watch the 2021 Super Bowl winners beat the Green Bay Packers 34-20. When the team’s players, coach, front office and support staff members made their way into the dressing room after the game, the trio congratulated each of them individually.
There were plenty of smiles all around as the Buccaneers took their winning record to 50% this season and moved top of the NFL South. The Glazers' attitude towards the Bucs may anger the supporters of Manchester United, where they have been known to keep their distance and faced growing calls to sell the club for a number of years.
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Under their ownership, Old Trafford has not seen any Premier League success since 2013 - Sir Alex Ferguson ’s last season in charge. They have failed to win the Champions League since 2008 and recently finished bottom of their group for just the second time in their history, after collecting just four points from six games.
To exacerbate matters, that is their lowest-ever points tally in the Champions League and they conceded 15 goals in the process - the most by a Premier League side in any group stage of the competition. Another issue the supporters have with the Glazers is how much debt they have plunged the club into. Since their controversial buyout in 2005, United has racked up over £1 billion of debt.
Furthermore, the American family has been lacking in investments towards improving stadium and training facilities, something Cristiano Ronaldo alluded to during his controversial 2022 interview with Piers Morgan. They have been accused of failing to consistently communicate with fans and those working within the club and their lack of presence in the directors' box leaves a sour taste in the mouths of those affiliated with the 20-time league winners.
The Glazers have owned Manchester United since 2005 and they are not popular with most of the club's fanbase (Phil Duncan/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)Avram Glazer attended the United men's Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals and the women's FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium last season, while Joel Glazer hasn't attended a match at Old Trafford since United lost 1-0 to Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League quarter-finals. They are seen at Buccaneers games more often, and while the Florida-based team was beating the Packers, United held on for a point against Liverpool at Anfield.
Despite the Reds registering just 34 shots compared to eight from ‘The Red Devils,’ they were unable to find the back of the net and were poor in the final third. Following a humiliating 3-0 loss at home to Bournemouth last week, a draw against their biggest rivals could be a much-needed morale boost for the red half of Manchester.
Erik Ten Hag's men are the first side to take any points off Liverpool at home this season and after Arsenal's 2-0 win against Brighton, the Gunners have gone back to the top of the Premier League.