Club Sale | It’s done!

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Rojofiam

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There was a suggestion last week that Arnold voted against it.
Don't the Glazer siblings have a ninety-something percentage of voting power on board level too? Arnold can vote what he wants, won't make a difference.
 

Laurencio

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It was said that Arnold and Ratcliffe didn't really get on at all
Not surprised, Arnold hasn't shown himself to be particularly decisive and has been far too concerned with his own image when handling issues with the club. I assume Ratcliffe had many questions he couldn't answer.
 

Castia

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I think the situation is basically:

Jim is a minority investor. 25% ownership. In return he’s going to take the heat off the Glazers by being the face of the club and being in charge of running the footballing side of things. In the outside he will have complete control but behind closed doors Joel and Avram will provide checks and balance and sign off on major decisions.

What Jim gets in return for that is basically everything he wants. He’s for all intents and purposes going to be the front man for the club and his INEOS brand is going to be heavily involved. So he pays 25% and gets what he wants and the Glazers get to cash out a bit and still keep their Pie so they can cash out at an ever high premium in years to come.

Yep. They were on their knees and ready to sell before this muppet came along and gave them a lifeline.

I wouldn’t even mind if he was a football expert that gave us the best chance of success his Nice side as been a complete failure for 4 years and his Swiss side was relegated. And before I get told Nice are top of the league let’s wait and see where they finish in May not after 10 games.
 

KD6-3.7

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Everyone involved with our transfer business needs to be out of the door, take away all control Ten Hag has over choosing targets, we simply cannot afford mistakes like Antony or Mount again.
 

Someone

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I think the situation is basically:

Jim is a minority investor. 25% ownership. In return he’s going to take the heat off the Glazers by being the face of the club and being in charge of running the footballing side of things. In the outside he will have complete control but behind closed doors Joel and Avram will provide checks and balance and sign off on major decisions.

What Jim gets in return for that is basically everything he wants. He’s for all intents and purposes going to be the front man for the club and his INEOS brand is going to be heavily involved. So he pays 25% and gets what he wants and the Glazers get to cash out a bit and still keep their Pie so they can cash out at an ever high premium in years to come.
The question is, if the Glazers decide to cash in on their remaining shares in the future and sell to someone else, will Ratcliffe have any guarantees that he remains in control? Feels like a short term arrangement that could change drastically in the future.
 

Laurencio

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Yep. They were on their knees and ready to sell before this muppet came along and gave them a lifeline.

I wouldn’t even mind if he was a football expert that gave us the best chance of success his Nice side had been a complete failure for 4 years and his Swiss side was relegated. And before I get told Nice are top of the league let’s wait and see where they finish in May not after 10 games.
This narrative needs to stop. They weren't selling to Qatar either way, because the Qataris didn't want to pay what they wanted. They were exploring selling future media rights and image rights to US companies in return for a minority investment that could keep them in control until after 2026.
 
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MDFC Manager

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I think the situation is basically:

Jim is a minority investor. 25% ownership. In return he’s going to take the heat off the Glazers by being the face of the club and being in charge of running the footballing side of things. In the outside he will have complete control but behind closed doors Joel and Avram will provide checks and balance and sign off on major decisions.

What Jim gets in return for that is basically everything he wants. He’s for all intents and purposes going to be the front man for the club and his INEOS brand is going to be heavily involved. So he pays 25% and gets what he wants and the Glazers get to cash out a bit and still keep their Pie so they can cash out at an ever high premium in years to come.
That's right i think. Though it'll be interesting to see who would cop the blame if/when things go sour on the pitch :wenger:
 

Someone

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I'll be interested to see if there is a bit of an instant uplift in atmosphere and mood behind the scenes once this is completed, like Newcastle. From what I've heard things are very fractious and borderline toxic behind the scenes. The Muppetiers suggested the other day that a disgruntled Richard Arnold has allegedly been leaking things to the media and there is not a lot of communication going on between key people behind the scenes. You have to think that has a massive effect on the general mood of the club and hopefully, once there is a resolution we can see this disappear.
Key here imo is proper early communication with the fans. Something that we've been missing for a long time. A lot of people are not sure what are we getting with this deal, so it'd be great if Ratcliffe makes his plans clear.
 

Pickle85

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Not sure how many times this needs to be explained. Ratcliffe's implied valuation of the club's equity with this offer is reportedly $6.5B. This means you have to add some $600M odd for the net debt to put it in comparable terms to Jassim's bid. That means Ratcliffe's present valuation is about $1B higher than Jassim's, not to mention, one would think any potential future "phases" to this transaction would logically have to value the club equal to or greater than its current valuation.
It's pointless, certain people have points of view that just won't be changed and won't even try to engage with anything that may challenge those views.
 

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That is a reasonable answer, but it was presumed that competent people ran the football operation under the Glazers. Never say never I suppose, but as long as the Glazers are in charge of the whole operation it's hard to see what difference new faces in the football department will make. It's the Glazers who took control of the club, enjoyed the success that Ferguson had already established and once Ferguson left they allowed the football operation to rot to what it is today. Remaining at the top of the corporate pyramid gives me no confidence that much of anything underneath them will change.
Arnold and Murtaugh may have had a certain level of competence, but their resumes didnt indicate they were the best in class.

Lets see. Ratcliffe about to put in $300mil. That is over $1.5bil more than the Glazers, given they amount of dividends and loan repayments that have left the club.
 

Pexbo

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Yep. They were on their knees and ready to sell before this muppet came along and gave them a lifeline.

I wouldn’t even mind if he was a football expert that gave us the best chance of success his Nice side as been a complete failure for 4 years and his Swiss side was relegated. And before I get told Nice are top of the league let’s wait and see where they finish in May not after 10 games.
Aye Tottenham were top of EPL after 10 games and I don’t see anyone here arguing that proves that Levy knows what he’s doing.
 

RedUnited86

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No doubt the likes of Arnold and Murtough will be handsomely rewarded for years of absolute failure.
 

goalscholes

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The most exciting aspect of the part takeover has to be bringing someone like Dave Brailsford on board.

For years I’ve thought we’ve taken an ad hoc throw at the wall approach, when Dave’s mantra was to think long term and seek 0.1% improvements everywhere, which would align us much more closely with other top clubs at the moment.

I imagine we can make 20% improvements by focussing more on the mentality of future signings. We have so few leaders in the team.
 

gaffs

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Yep. They were on their knees and ready to sell before this muppet came along and gave them a lifeline.

I wouldn’t even mind if he was a football expert that gave us the best chance of success his Nice side as been a complete failure for 4 years and his Swiss side was relegated. And before I get told Nice are top of the league let’s wait and see where they finish in May not after 10 games.
Complete failure?

You look at the French league table before and after the takeover and Nice have hovered around the same positions. I would call that plateauing, not a complete failure.
 

Pexbo

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The most exciting aspect of the part takeover has to be bringing someone like Dave Brailsford on board.

For years I’ve thought we’ve taken an ad hoc throw at the wall approach, when Dave’s mantra was to think long term and seek 0.1% improvements everywhere, which would align us much more closely with other top clubs at the moment
I think Richard Arnold’s actually modelled his plan on Brailsford but had it a bit mistaken. He was looking for a long term improvement of 0.1%.
 

gaffs

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I guess the positive is that we'll finally have some clarity.

Taking off the selfish, rose tinted glasses from a fan perspective, I'm glad we won't have middle-eastern ownership.

The sport is already heading in the wrong way in my eyes, and I fear that state ownership of an institution like Manchester United would have been the final nail in the coffin.
Agree. I don't want to win titles and for the credit to go to Qatari money.
We did it organically under Sir Matt and Sir Alex.
 

Castia

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Complete failure?

You look at the French league table before and after the takeover and Nice have hovered around the same positions. I would call that plateauing, not a complete failure.

They qualified for Europe multiple times in the years before the takeover they’ve gone backwards

He bought them in 2019 they we’re a CL club in 2017
 

PeteRae

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Yep. They were on their knees and ready to sell before this muppet came along and gave them a lifeline.

I wouldn’t even mind if he was a football expert that gave us the best chance of success his Nice side as been a complete failure for 4 years and his Swiss side was relegated. And before I get told Nice are top of the league let’s wait and see where they finish in May not after 10 games.
The banks own this club and have a major say in what happens. That’s why it isn’t straight forward. The Glazers own the EQUITY. They are selling the equity, hence why the banks are reluctant for a full sale as it will stop them making money from the interest. Ratcliffe fits the bill nicely and will keep paying off the interest. Unless Jassim paid a silly figure to appease the banks then he never stood a chance.
 

Suv666

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Why are half the posts on this thread about Qatar, like it or not its over stop moaning about it and fecking move on already
 

lex talionis

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Arnold and Murtaugh may have had a certain level of competence, but their resumes didnt indicate they were the best in class.

Lets see. Ratcliffe about to put in $300mil. That is over $1.5bil more than the Glazers, given they amount of dividends and loan repayments that have left the club.
We shall indeed see how this all plays out, but it seems to me our choice is either to be hopeful that the new money going into the pockets of the Glazers will improve performances in the pitch or keep our expectations in check. The former may result in disappointment but at least give us the sugar rush of hope, whereas the latter deprives us the sugar rush of hope. But as long as the Glazers are still at the wheel it’s hard to see United ever return to the pinnacle of British football, let alone European football.
 

Woziak

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If and it’s still a big if SIr Jim is using his own money, then he’s not the sort to throw it away and therefore the level of due diligence taken to sign new players could be beyond frustrating to start with, we may go backwards yes backwards before we go forwards.

This might be worth the pain however, because I genuinely believe the recruitment policy will change significantly.

We will see a significant change to a Anglo French policy and Ratcliffe will only sanction a huge mega fee for an absolute sure thing like Mbappe for £150m, our spending policy will be to target either up and coming young South American or Asian talent for £10-25m or Young established European players like John Clause Todibo for £35-55m and only on a very rare occasion purchasing players of £65-100m.

We will no longer buy players over 28 and give them 4-5 year contracts, this is 100% changing especially on £300-350k per week. I honestly think Whoever bought the club of a significant influence in the club believed that this was the easiest thing to fix because the wages to revenue ratio are far too bloated for such mediocrity.


First thing Sir Jim will say to all the players is I’m going to interview you 1 by 1 then my new DOF will be given my notes and we will compare them in 6 weeks with the manager. Not speaking English is not going to help players like Antony and I can see Sir Jim, the new CEO and sporting Director making a List of about 10-12 players to sell in January and June.

He will be hands on and people thinking he’ll stay Way for tax reasons he can do 46 days before the three Tier Test and then he can still go to all the away games in Europe, even though that might only be one more this season?

Some of our entities overpaid players may be sold or loaned to Nice just so he can produce s cultural reset.
 

VP89

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Yep. They were on their knees and ready to sell before this muppet came along and gave them a lifeline.

I wouldn’t even mind if he was a football expert that gave us the best chance of success his Nice side as been a complete failure for 4 years and his Swiss side was relegated. And before I get told Nice are top of the league let’s wait and see where they finish in May not after 10 games.
This is such a lie :lol:
 

Mr Pigeon

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Anything besides a Glazers only ownership is welcome at this point.
This is why I always thought it was weird when people said Ratcliffe keeping the Glazers was the "worst possible outcome". Surely the worst possible outcome would be maintaining the status quo and inevitably running the club into the dirt?

I honestly think that some people who were originally on the Ratcliffe train had their heads turned by an unknown figurehead who kept saying he was going to spend billions on the club. A figurehead who appears to have the business mind of a spoon. He promised them a new Old Trafford on the moon without showing any proof that he even had a rocket, and folk thought "Yeah, this all sounds completely reasonable and he will solve all of our problems."
 

Monmouthshire Red

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Key here imo is proper early communication with the fans. Something that we've been missing for a long time. A lot of people are not sure what are we getting with this deal, so it'd be great if Ratcliffe makes his plans clear.
Totally agree. If Ratcliffe comes on board he needs to do a full press conference very early on, and not duck difficult questions. The Glazers have barely uttered a word in public in all the time they've owned the club. Neither have their CEOs unless confronted by a group of disgruntled fans.
 

MancunianAngels

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This is why I always thought it was weird when people said Ratcliffe keeping the Glazers was the "worst possible outcome". Surely the worst possible outcome would be maintaining the status quo and inevitably running the club into the dirt?

I honestly think that some people who were originally on the Ratcliffe train had their heads turned by an unknown figurehead who kept saying he was going to spend billions on the club. A figurehead who appears to have the business mind of a spoon. He promised them a new Old Trafford on the moon without showing any proof that he even had a rocket, and folk thought "Yeah, this all sounds completely reasonable and he will solve all of our problems."
Spot on
 

Gavinb33

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Yep. They were on their knees and ready to sell before this muppet came along and gave them a lifeline.

I wouldn’t even mind if he was a football expert that gave us the best chance of success his Nice side as been a complete failure for 4 years and his Swiss side was relegated. And before I get told Nice are top of the league let’s wait and see where they finish in May not after 10 games.
They were not on their knees at all, if they were they would have accepted either full bid from SJR or the Qatari's i mean they would walk away in both instances with billions of pounds so yeah they were not on their knees at all
 

bosnian_red

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Yep. They were on their knees and ready to sell before this muppet came along and gave them a lifeline.

I wouldn’t even mind if he was a football expert that gave us the best chance of success his Nice side as been a complete failure for 4 years and his Swiss side was relegated. And before I get told Nice are top of the league let’s wait and see where they finish in May not after 10 games.
Nice haven't been a failure. They've performed roughly to their spend during a short period that he's been in charge largely affected by COVID.
And I don't care if you don't want to hear it. You're spouting nonsense on it so I'll return that yes, Nice are top of the league, and have a very good group of players are a young age with a young up and coming manager.

And forget about the fake state bid and their fake promises. If they wanted the club, they could have offered more. Glazers didn't want to sell to them for their bid. Ratcliffes bid valued the club higher. It wasn't an unfair bidding situation. It was Qatar either not wanting or caring to follow through on their promises, or not knowing how to buy into a business of this size. Not to mention they have a pretty shit track record around Europe.
 

MDFC Manager

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They were not on their knees at all, if they were they would have accepted either full bid from Sir James Arthur Ratcliffe FIChemE or the Qatari's i mean they would walk away in both instances with billions of pounds so yeah they were not on their knees at all
There never was a full bid from Jim though, it was for 69% of the club.
 

Coops73

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Might be seen as completely separate , not saying I’d do it but can’t imagine it would have much impact one way or another but I’d imagine it would be Tuesday or later in the week.

Where are the people who wanted something solid from “BBC “ I guess they won’t believe it until a club statement is made.

“nothing concrete , just the same information again, I’ll wait until someone reliable says it”

If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, acts like a duck, it’s probably a duck.
If it’s reported by the sun, sounds like the sun and acts like the sun, it’s probably bullshit and therein is your problem, the same paper that said Jassim was buying us by mid November is now claiming they know Ratcliffe’s 25% “investment” is happening on Monday, I understand peoples scepticism.
 
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