Ben Foster has criticised Manchester United supporters for protesting against the Glazers' unpopular regime at Old Trafford. The former United goalkeeper, who joined Birmingham City this week in a deal worth up to £6m, believes the fans should dedicate more time to supporting the club rather than "getting carried away with the technicalities of who's in charge".
Foster, whose comments are sure to go down badly with United supporters, also suggested the chants directed at the Glazer family during matches had been "a bit of a distraction" during a season when the club's only trophy was the Carling Cup. The 27-year-old went on to claim that the Glazers had always backed Sir Alex Ferguson in the transfer market.
His remarks came in response to a question about whether the club's decision to sell him was a reflection of their financial position. "I wouldn't have thought so, there's a lot made of it, maybe too much," Foster replied. "The fans are obviously passionate about the club but sometimes they need to focus on supporting the club a bit more than getting carried away with the technicalities of who's in charge.
"Personally I think the Glazers have always put money into Manchester United to buy players when needed. I don't think they need to buy too many players there anyway. They have a lot of very good young players coming up through the ranks who could do as good a job as anyone else they could bring in."
Foster was then asked whether he thought the supporter protests against the Glazers were one of the reasons why United failed to win more silverware last season. "Yes, it's a bit of a distraction when the fans are doing the chants at every game and things like that," he said before appearing to backtrack on his comments: "It's not something the players worry too much about, once you're out on the pitch it's blinkers on and you're concentrating on playing football. I wouldn't have thought it contributed too much to only winning the Carling Cup."
The former Stoke player missed out on the chance to go to the World Cup after dropping to third choice at United, behind Edwin van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak. Foster admitted that he "dropped a few clangers" at United earlier in the season but said he is determined to prove his critics wrong and make sure he is in the England squad for the 2012 European Championships. "I definitely have a big point to prove," Foster said. "A lot was said about me when I was in the team at Man United, I have got to prove my doubters wrong now.
"I'm going to look towards the Euros in a couple of years. That's the aim now. I want to get back in the England squad as soon as possible. But I need to concentrate on doing well and getting in the side at Birmingham and start advancing my career again. I've been in and out of the team at Manchester United and not playing regularly. It's been a topsy-turvy few years for me, not playing regularly. When I was on loan at Watford [between 2005-2007] it was something I enjoyed, being part of it, week in, week out. It's something I'm looking forward to again, being an integral part of the team."
