Manchester United supporters have attacked the house of the chief executive David Gill in protest over his support for the club's owner Malcolm Glazer. Anti-Glazer slogans were daubed in red paint on the outside of the property in Bowden, Cheshire, with one message reading "Judas Gill".
Gill chose not to make any response to the attack, which occurred late on Thursday evening, but he is understood to be shaken and thankful that he and his family were all out at the time. Maurice Watkins, the club's solicitor and former director, was targeted for a similar attack two years ago when it emerged that he had sold the Glazer family some of his shares in the club.
The latest incident comes after a spate of graffiti appeared in Manchester condemning Gill for his part in the club's takeover. "Kill Gill" is one of the messages that can be seen close to the Old Trafford stadium and it is clear the militant groups opposed to Glazer's regime are still going strong despite the club winning the Premier League title and going into today's match against Reading top of the table.
The responsibility falls on an unnamed group that has ties with the LUHG (Love United, Hate Glazer) campaign. Gill has been targeted because of the manner in which the chief executive initially tried to repel the Glazers' advances before changing his mind and criticising the protesters - an act of treachery, in the eyes of some supporters.
Although United fans have had plenty to cheer about over the past couple of seasons, there has been a severe strain in their relationship with the club's hierarchy, most notably because of the Glazer-led increases in ticket prices.
The Glazers have to plan every trip to Manchester like a security operation and, on their last visit, tomato ketchup was thrown at them after they were ambushed leaving a restaurant. On another occasion they were tracked down at their hotel and the police were called.
United have decided not to make any comment, the official line being that they are concentrating on their game against Reading and the five-day training camp that follows in Riyadh. United are being paid over €1 million to make the 6,000-mile trip to play a testimonial on Monday for the former Saudi Arabia international striker Sami Al-Jaber, a prospect that is unlikely to appeal to many of Alex Ferguson's players with, perhaps, the exception of Gary Neville, who hopes to step up his comeback from a 10-month injury lay-off.
One player who will not be fit enough to travel is Paul Scholes, but the 33-year-old former England midfielder has been pencilled in for United's FA Cup fourth-round tie at home to Tottenham Hotspur next weekend.
