Manchester United fans need to grow up a bit.

I have absolutely no problem with them expressing their displeasure at the way their beloved team has been snapped up by Malcolm Glazer. I would probably do the same myself were I in their shoes.

But it absolutely not acceptable when that displeasure turns into violence as it did on Wednesday at Old Trafford.

Around 300 fans were protesting outside the ground as Glazer’s three sons made their first visit to the club they now own.

To drive home their point, the fans – many of them chanting “die, Glazer die” – blocked the exit so the Glazer boys couldn’t leave. This prompted police to intervene which, in turn, prompted the fans to start pelting them with stones and other missiles.

Totally out of order.

The Glazer family were forced to get into a police van to make their “escape” and this was also bombarded by the so-called fans. Not a clever, intelligent or even sensible way of making a point.

The simple truth is that Manchester United is now owned by Malcolm Glazer. No amount of protesting or demonstrating will change that. It’s a done deal, signed, sealed and delivered.

In circumstances like this it makes much more sense for these unhappy fans to sit back and see what the new owners have planned for the club instead of acting like demented thugs.

There is always the chance that the Glazers do genuinely have Manchester United’s best interests at heart. If that turns out to be the case then all this panic will have been for nothing. And yesterday’s assurance by the Glazers that they will be providing plenty of funds for transfers is an indication life might not be so bad under them.

On the other hand, if the Glazers start to tamper with the club for the wrong reasons and start to take questionable decisions, then that would be the time to start screaming and marching outside the ground.

But, if the United fans want the support of us neutrals, it’s imperative that the protests are peaceful and productive. Not an excuse for hooligans to get a bit of action.

Joe Grech

Now here’s a man who is getting hot under the collar over Formula 1...over to you Joe Grech...

“First of all, hats off to you for writing what is arguably the only sports column in the local press written with anything resembling wit. I’m not a big sports fan but regularly read When Saturday Comes for a healthy dose of humour and unpretentious comment.

“The only sport I follow regularly is Formula One and, following the Indianapolis disaster I couldn’t help but put pen to paper, or rather fingers to keyboard.

“I support Michael Schumacher (and have done since before he was winning championships like there was nothing to it) and was looking forward to seeing him on the top step of the podium again. But certainly in a way that makes more sense.

“This year’s USA Grand Prix was nothing but a farce and, as you correctly observed, the finger of blame should be pointed squarely at Michelin. I was very surprised in fact that all Michelin-based teams retired from the race putting the blame on the FIA when they should really have turned to Michelin and asked how in God’s name their tyres weren’t suitable for the fast bend on the Indianapolis circuit, which wasn’t, let’s face it, a heavily guarded secret.

“Also, considering the rather substantial amount of money Michelin make from the whole thing, you’d expect some level of accountability on their end. The fact that Michelin said they will reimburse the fans for the whole sorry mess in the end, only seems to confirm their guilt.

“Had the FIA agreed to adding the chicane to slow the cars down, or for that matter bending any rules to accommodate Michelin’s blunder, that would have created a precedent of stupendous proportions. On the other hand, postponing until the 14th September the decision on what the Michelin teams will get for “deserting” the race, with only three races to go, seems to me to stink more than slightly.

“What the FIA should never have done in my opinion, is mess about with the F1 rules, trying to make the sport allegedly more exciting by removing all the exciting bits from it. The new tyre rules for instance are completely ridiculous – not to mention unsafe – and had they not been introduced, this year’s USA Grand Prix would have been a normal affair, possibly a nice, healthy race with lots of action on a fast circuit with lots of overtaking opportunities.

“Plus, the old pit-stops with tyre changes were so much more exciting, gave the crew in the garage something to do and the fans something to see. The drivers could also race harder knowing that they’d be changing the tyres soon enough, and didn’t have to worry about making them last for a whole race... or end up losing a race on the last lap due to a tyre problem like Kimi Raikkonen at the Nurburgring.

“The new engine rules are equally silly I think – the teams have to sacrifice engine performance for durability while the drivers again cannot push as hard as they can, to make the engine last two races instead of one.

“And while we’re at it, I think the old qualifying method we had a few years back was far better. The teams could use very little fuel for qualifying to get a good grid position and then fill up for the race – the strategy employed wasn’t made obvious from the start, and the slower teams had a shot at starting out in front. And the fact that you could have literally all the cars at once on the track trying to take pole position just added to the excitement and unpredictability of the whole thing.

“If the FIA doesn’t do something soon, there’s a firm possibility that Formula One racing won’t be with us for much longer. There are already talks for a breakaway series with all the current F1 teams (excluding Ferrari) willing to join. Perhaps it’s just a case of ‘wait and see’.”

Contact James on: [email protected]