His hostile dispute with majority shareholders JP McManus and John Magnier over the racehorse Rock of Gibraltar eventually led to McManus and Magnier selling their 28.

In the draw with Aston Villa on February 10, Gill - who once promised to be 'behind the barricades' should the Glazer takeover succeed - could read his hypocrisy in black and white. A Wembley League Cup final, with 28,000 United fans in attendance and joint-broadcast by the BBC, was ripe for worldwide exposure. In January 2010, Wayne Rooney poached all four in the 4-0 thrashing of Hull City at Old Trafford and it was soundtracked to the same chant: 'We want Glazers out'. Beckham's best man Neville was asked afterwards about the evocative green and gold protest in the mixed zone: "I'm not getting involved in that.Swagmen outside Old Trafford struggled to cope with demand for suddenly popular green-and-yellow scarves, while the club's security clamped down on any staff brandishing the colours. It was one of those crowdpleasing cameos Beckham specialised in in the twilight of his career; pinpoint passes with the tempo relaxed and an audacious attempt that Edwin van der Sar parried.

In August 2008, a United supporter was applauded during MUTV's Live at the Red Cafe weekly show for imploring fellow followers to 'love United, don't hate Glazer'. As a recovering player, he became a patron of the Shareholders United group and opposed the 2005 takeover by the Americans. It was in response to a query about the mutinous chants focused on the United owners, the Glazer family, and the club's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.The match was not televised live in the UK but the protests had gained attention and green and gold scarves started to sell like hotcakes.