The Glazers are not 'ogres' despite fan opinion, according to Nayani

Nayani believes the Red Knights consortium were never serious suitors

Sir Alex Ferguson used to invite the owners into the home dressing room

A rare insight into Manchester United's unpopular owners has lifted the lid on how they run the club.

The man who spent six years as spokesman for the Glazer family has written an enlightening account of his time with the Manchester United chiefs.

Tehsin Nayani's book, 'The Glazer Gatekeeper: six years speaking for Manchester United's silent owners', challenges popular perception about the US bosses who succeeded in a debt-burdening £800m takeover in 2005.

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Former spokesman for the Glazer family, Tehsin Nayani (left), has written the 'The Glazer Gatekeeper'

Sir Bobby Charlton talks with Bryan Glazer, Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer (L-R) at Old Trafford in 2005

The Glazers' takeover of Manchester United was met with huge protests by supporters in 2004

In it, he claims:

• Malcolm Glazer had little to do with the takeover, leaving it to his sons

• The family were always in it for the long haul and wanted United to overtake Chelsea

• Son Joel Glazer refused to believe United fans could 'hate' them

• The 'Red Knights' who supposedly launched a buyout were never serious suitors

• Trusted manager Sir Alex Ferguson regularly invited the family into his dressing room

• The Glazers are 'not ogres'

Nayani, who worked in finance PR in London, was brought on board by the Glazers before the takeover and served as the notoriously private family's spokesman until current executive vice chairman Ed Woodward sent him on his way in 2010.

But across 323 pages he lifts the lid on the Florida-based owners who caused a ferocious storm when they seized control of the club and plunged it into debt, revealing a previously unseen human side.

Nayani, who uses an anti-Glazer protest sticker as the logo for his book, states that the family were 'completely unruffled' by the mass protests that greeted their arrival and that the move was led by Malcolm Glazer's sons.

'Hundreds of angry protestors (surrounded by a heavy police presence) were filmed chanting 'Die Glazer, die!' he says, as the brothers made a hasty exit.

But they were back to speak to staff the following day.

Sir Alex Ferguson shares a joke with Avram Glazer, Joel Glazer and Bryan Glazer (L-R) in June, 2005

A young United fan watches on as supporters protest ahead of the 2005 FA Cup final against Arsenal

'They seemed completely unruffled by the preceding night's events,' Nayani adds.

Nayani reveals that the Glazers were huge fans of Ferguson and never considered sacking him, speaking of a close relationship between the Scot and the Americans and revealing that Ferguson ritually invited them into the dressing room.

'The Glazer brothers also spent twenty minutes or so with Sir Alex and the players in their dressing room,' he reflects. 'A post-match ritual they would fulfil each time they attended a game.'

Following his own first meeting with the owners, in their plush Palm Beach office suites, Nayani states: 'The Glazers were not ogres – on the contrary they were an unusually down to earth, close-knit family.

He adds: 'It was 'abundantly clear they were in it for the long-term and were committed to seeing the club regain its pre-eminence.'

In 2010, with anti-Glazer sentiment arguably at its loudest following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80m, Nayani recalls how he made a panicked call to Joel Glazer when he saw United legend David Beckham pick up a green and yellow scarf and wave it to the Stretford End following United's Champions League win over AC Milan, for whom he was playing at the time.

The scarves, in the colours of United's original founders Newton Heath, were a symbol of protest worn by thousands but Glazer, who was watching on TV in Florida, appeared unconcerned.

'My adrenaline pumping, I immediately grabbed my BlackBerry, scrolled through my address book to 'JG' and pressed the green icon,' Nayani writes, adding that he was petrified Beckham would become the poster boy of the protestors.

'We don't know Beckham's motives for putting on the scarf,' he says Glazer told him. 'Also I'm not sure the publicity is necessarily bad.

'Football is a passionate business. Won't it blow over?

Nayani claims that the Glazers did not sell Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid without Ferguson's approval

Malcolm Glazer, pictured in 2003, left his sons to complete the takeover, according to Nayani

'Sure, some fans are angry and protesting inside Old Trafford. But from where I'm sitting there are many millions of fans who are just happy the team are through to the next round. They're supporters of Manchester United too. I get that some fans don't like us, but to hate us, it's such a strong word. To hate us when the club has been so successful, it's extraordinary.'

Nayani adds that Joel Glazer became obsessed with football (and never called it soccer) thanks to an English, Tottenham Hostpur-supporting room-mate he had while at college.

Aside from the family itself, the book contains a number of interesting anecdotes about the club's staff.

Nayani recalls how a furious striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who would soon leave for Real Madrid, reacted to being an unused substitute in the 2006 Carling Cup final thumping of Wigan Athletic.

'He contemptuously ripped his token winners' medal from around his neck before making an early exit from the dressing room, sweeping angrily past me as he did so,' he reveals.

Nayani exposes the lengthy celebrations after the 2008 Champions League Final victory over Chelsea in Moscow, recalling that the party went on until 7.30am back at the hotel.

'At around 5am a huge breakfast buffet was laid on with chefs cooking up delicious made-to-order omelettes for their ravenous guests,' he writes.

'While we ate, David Gill and Sir Alex Ferguson gave touching speeches, interrupted frequently by loud cheering, everyone intoxicated by the sense of historic occasion.'

Avram Glazer and Joel Glazer (L-R) watch United take on Burnley at Old Trafford earlier this season

The green and gold protests by United fans left the Glazer family 'completely unruffled', according to Nayani

Nayani adds that Ferguson cut a serene figure after the penalty shoot-out victory and found an unusual place to rest his weary legs.

'Sir Alex,' he writes, 'beaming like the Cheshire Cat, was sat alone literally on top of the padded silver crate, inside of which was the Champions League trophy.'

He adds that Ferguson even failed to give an unnamed player who had forgotten his passport the famous hairdryer treatment, saying simply: 'Oh dear, why have you gone and done that, lad?'

Nayani says that the club felt a 'palpable sense of injustice' after it emerged they would not be able to parade the trophy on a open-top bus journey through Manchester after booze-fuelled Rangers fans had rioted in the city during their Uefa Cup Final defeat earlier that season.

The author also recalls players sleeping on the floor of a plane with uncomfortable seats on a pre-season trip to Asia, where he inadvertently tripped up Ferguson with his suitcase in a Chinese airport.

'I immediately turned to look over my shoulder and saw that it was, in fact, Sir Alex Ferguson himself who had become entangled with my case,' he writes.

'Horrified, I was immediately seized with fear and remorse. I apologised to him profusely and enquired after his welfare; fortunately he was not hurt and he was immediately forgiving.'

Nayani dismisses suggestions Real Madrid went over Ferguson and Gill's heads to do the Ronaldo deal.

United fans burn a Malcolm Glazer dummy during a protest outside Old Trafford in May, 2005

He adds that when the decision was made to sell it was because the player wanted to move on and the owners 'after a long spell of soul searching by manager Sir Alex Ferguson, would accept this'.

Nayani says that in 2010, with a rumoured bid from the Red Knights (a group of well-off United-supporting businessmen) reportedly in the offing, the Glazers commissioned a stack of fresh market research to investigate supporters' attitudes towards them as well as the Red Knights and were pleased with the results.

He reiterates that there was no desire among the family to sell and says no bid was forthcoming.

Nayani reserves fierce criticism for Wayne Rooney's now-infamous 2010 interview in which he stated Gill had failed to give him the reassurances he sought about United's 'ability to attract the top players in the world'.

'It was a crudely-disguised dig at the Glazers' ownership,' he writes, before adding that Joel Glazer had spoken to Rooney by telephone reassuring him about his ambitions for the club before a new contract was offered.

Nayani, who was left out of the loop on the Rooney situation, sensed he was nearing the end of his time with the club with protests easing off and at a meeting shortly afterwards with Ed Woodward, his fate was sealed with a 'generous golden handshake'.

Tehsin Nayani's book, 'The Glazer Gatekeeper: six years speaking for Manchester United's silent owners', is available on Amazon.