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MANCHESTER (PA SPORT) - Manchester United chief executive David Gill has admitted it would have been unimaginable for the Old Trafford club to sign four major stars last summer if they had remained a PLC.
Although Malcolm Glazer's controversial 790 million-pound takeover in 2005 was accompanied by protests from long-standing United supporters groups and the formation of rebel outfit FC United, the club have provided the perfect answer to their critics by posting stunning profits of 59.6 million pounds for the 12 months to June 2007 - a massive 93% rise on the previous year.
The figures form part of an impressive set of results which have seen turnover rise to 245 million pounds, once sales from Nike merchandise and MUTV are added to a group turnover of 210 million pounds - a sum which United officials feel entitles them to claim they are once again the richest club in the world.
With revenue streams increasing in every area and more to come this year once the new, vastly-improved Premier League TV deal starts to take effect, United are in far healthier shape than anyone could have predicted prior to the Glazer family's involvement.
And Gill is convinced if the takeover had never happened, Sir Alex Ferguson would not have had the funds for his summer blitz, which saw the arrivals of Nani, Anderson, Owen Hargreaves and Carlos Tevez.
"I wouldn't disagree with the view that it would have been unimaginable to sign those four players if we had still been a PLC," said Gill.
"There is a new structure in place now and decisions can be made pretty quickly. I was on the telephone in Portugal to Joel Glazer over Nani and Anderson. He said just do it.
"It wasn't a long, drawn-out affair. Tevez and Hargreaves were, but for different reasons.
"The family understand the requirement to have a successful team, playing in the Manchester United way, and they have backed the manager with funds."
Content in the knowledge the vast majority of supporters care only for what happens on the pitch, Gill has no intention of being drawn into a slanging match with the fans' groups who continue to attack every aspect of the Glazer regime, particularly the debt levels required to complete the deal.
Neither is he willing to compare the stability at United over the past two and a half years with the turmoil at Chelsea, which saw Jose Mourinho depart as manager amid a huge outcry, the wranglings over ownership at Arsenal, which led to the exit of influential director David Dein, or the fall-out between manager Rafael Benitez and co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks at Liverpool.
Instead, he is happy to let the facts speak for themselves.
"There are some people who will never be persuaded that the takeover was a good thing, not even if we won 10 Champions Leagues in a row," he said.
"Our rivals are nothing to do with me. All I can do is speak about the situation at Manchester United. The Glazers are not in this for publicity or ego but they have been true to their word.
"Clearly, Sir Alex Ferguson was the key employee. They said they would retain him and back him. They said they would keep me and other members of staff. They said they would invest in the team. They have done all that.
"They have also added value in other areas. The AIG shirt-sponsorship deal was a world record - that was down to them.
"The financial position of the club is not something that worries us. Clearly, the cash from these results will be used partially to service the debt and also to reinvest in players.
"The banks would not have leant money to the club if they did not feel there was a sensible structure in place and there has never been any brake on funds."
Although Sir Alex Ferguson has declared he has no interest in using this month's transfer window, the funds would be there if he wished to strengthen an already impressive squad.
With no plans to discuss any further expansion of Old Trafford, no plans to offer contract rebel Wes Brown any more cash, and new commercial director Richard Arnold left to work with his small team in London to bring in extra revenue, it promises to be a quiet month around Old Trafford as the build-up continues towards the 50th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster on February 6.
One piece of business likely to be done next summer is turning Tevez's present two-year loan deal into a permanent move.
Unlike Benitez, who has so far been frustrated in his attempts to secure Javier Mascherano on a long-term contract, Gill does not envisage any problems over Tevez, whose protracted move from West Ham caused such a stir but has ultimately proved to be time and money well spent.
"It is something we will look at in the summer," said Gill.
"Carlos has clearly done extremely well for us. We are very pleased with him and the crowd clearly like him.
"He is a young, world-class player and we will see what happens."
MANCHESTER (PA SPORT) - Manchester United chief executive David Gill has admitted it would have been unimaginable for the Old Trafford club to sign four major stars last summer if they had remained a PLC.
Although Malcolm Glazer's controversial 790 million-pound takeover in 2005 was accompanied by protests from long-standing United supporters groups and the formation of rebel outfit FC United, the club have provided the perfect answer to their critics by posting stunning profits of 59.6 million pounds for the 12 months to June 2007 - a massive 93% rise on the previous year.
The figures form part of an impressive set of results which have seen turnover rise to 245 million pounds, once sales from Nike merchandise and MUTV are added to a group turnover of 210 million pounds - a sum which United officials feel entitles them to claim they are once again the richest club in the world.
With revenue streams increasing in every area and more to come this year once the new, vastly-improved Premier League TV deal starts to take effect, United are in far healthier shape than anyone could have predicted prior to the Glazer family's involvement.
And Gill is convinced if the takeover had never happened, Sir Alex Ferguson would not have had the funds for his summer blitz, which saw the arrivals of Nani, Anderson, Owen Hargreaves and Carlos Tevez.
"I wouldn't disagree with the view that it would have been unimaginable to sign those four players if we had still been a PLC," said Gill.
"There is a new structure in place now and decisions can be made pretty quickly. I was on the telephone in Portugal to Joel Glazer over Nani and Anderson. He said just do it.
"It wasn't a long, drawn-out affair. Tevez and Hargreaves were, but for different reasons.
"The family understand the requirement to have a successful team, playing in the Manchester United way, and they have backed the manager with funds."
Content in the knowledge the vast majority of supporters care only for what happens on the pitch, Gill has no intention of being drawn into a slanging match with the fans' groups who continue to attack every aspect of the Glazer regime, particularly the debt levels required to complete the deal.
Neither is he willing to compare the stability at United over the past two and a half years with the turmoil at Chelsea, which saw Jose Mourinho depart as manager amid a huge outcry, the wranglings over ownership at Arsenal, which led to the exit of influential director David Dein, or the fall-out between manager Rafael Benitez and co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks at Liverpool.
Instead, he is happy to let the facts speak for themselves.
"There are some people who will never be persuaded that the takeover was a good thing, not even if we won 10 Champions Leagues in a row," he said.
"Our rivals are nothing to do with me. All I can do is speak about the situation at Manchester United. The Glazers are not in this for publicity or ego but they have been true to their word.
"Clearly, Sir Alex Ferguson was the key employee. They said they would retain him and back him. They said they would keep me and other members of staff. They said they would invest in the team. They have done all that.
"They have also added value in other areas. The AIG shirt-sponsorship deal was a world record - that was down to them.
"The financial position of the club is not something that worries us. Clearly, the cash from these results will be used partially to service the debt and also to reinvest in players.
"The banks would not have leant money to the club if they did not feel there was a sensible structure in place and there has never been any brake on funds."
Although Sir Alex Ferguson has declared he has no interest in using this month's transfer window, the funds would be there if he wished to strengthen an already impressive squad.
With no plans to discuss any further expansion of Old Trafford, no plans to offer contract rebel Wes Brown any more cash, and new commercial director Richard Arnold left to work with his small team in London to bring in extra revenue, it promises to be a quiet month around Old Trafford as the build-up continues towards the 50th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster on February 6.
One piece of business likely to be done next summer is turning Tevez's present two-year loan deal into a permanent move.
Unlike Benitez, who has so far been frustrated in his attempts to secure Javier Mascherano on a long-term contract, Gill does not envisage any problems over Tevez, whose protracted move from West Ham caused such a stir but has ultimately proved to be time and money well spent.
"It is something we will look at in the summer," said Gill.
"Carlos has clearly done extremely well for us. We are very pleased with him and the crowd clearly like him.
"He is a young, world-class player and we will see what happens."
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