Former Manchester United winger Ian Storey-Moore has questioned supporters over continued protests against the Glazer family. The unpopular American owners’ 18-year-old reign looks set to continue, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe nearing a £1.4billion deal for a 25 per cent stake.
United fans have relentlessly opposed the Glazers’ rule since their controversial £790m buyout in 2005.
The Red Devils’ latest financial results showed that the club’s debt had eclipsed £1.005bn through a combination of gross debt, bank borrowings and outstanding transfer fees.
The Glazers have infuriated the fanbase by taking dividends out of United and injecting very little in, leaving Old Trafford and the club’s Carrington training ground outdated compared to Europe’s other heavyweights.
But Storey-Moore believes supporters can’t be upset about the backing the Glazers have provided Ten Hag, regardless of whether the money has come from their pockets or not.
“The Glazers don’t seem very well-liked at all, but in mitigation to them, they have put an awful lot of money into the club in terms of buying players,” Storey-Moore told Express Sport.
“And I don’t suppose it’s particularly their fault that some of the players they have been bought haven’t been up to the mark, is it really? They’ve provided the money. So it’s really interesting.
“Whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe will want to change things around a bit, we’ll have to wait and see, but he doesn’t seem to be a big fan of the figures in there now.
“From the outside, they’ve put an awful lot of money in to buy players. It’s not their fault. I don’t think they would’ve known who the players were, so you can’t blame them for how indifferent the players are.”
Storey-Moore, instead, focused on Ten Hag rather than the Glazers when pondering United’s problems.
The Dutchman has splashed over £400million in his 18 months as United boss, much of it on players Storey-Moore – who served as a chief scout under Martin O’Neill at Aston Villa – doesn’t believe are good enough.
He added: “To be fair to him [Ten Hag], he started very well last season. He had a good season. Now, it seems to have gone pear-shaped this season.
“In all honesty, I don’t think the recruitment has been particularly good. I know from my own experience being a chief scout and being involved in the recruitment of players it’s not easy.
“Every manager, coach, chief scout, and recruitment person makes mistakes. But I think he’s made far too many lately. I can’t say I’ve been overly impressed with recruitment of late.
“I think that’s the biggest problem. I think, generally, the demise has been caused by poor recruitment. Everyone makes mistakes, but I don’t think it’s been particularly good at all.”
