Who would you choose to own Manchester United?

King Eric 7

Full Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2014
Messages
5,486
Liverpool have done alright with shitty owners who aren't very much liked by the fans. I'd rather stick with our shitty owners than swap them for some of the other options.
 

Green_Red

New Member
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
10,296
Sure you would. I bet if you saw a nice sizeable dividend you would throw those ideals straight out of the window. I know I would.
Probably not tbh. If I put in £2k Id be happy just to have the shares and voting rights.
 

Reynoldo

Full Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2006
Messages
4,923
Location
Dublin
Hah yeah they would agree also :D

What are your thoughts on the Saudi’s as a potential owner?

Do you agree it would be the best suitor in terms of ambition and allowing us to operate to our full potential?

A club of our size should not be in a financial stranglehold by our owners.
I fear a lot of the businessmen people have listed will treat it as an investment for their own benefit.

We don’t need a cash injection like a lot of clubs who get taken over, we just need to be able to spend our existing money and operate to our maximum potential.
In short no sorry I don’t, while you have an interesting point of view and there may well be merit in them being forced to improve their ways if they owned as public an entity as Utd I just don’t think morally you can wash away the sins of the past (and very recent present) to allow them to take over, it just doesn’t sit right with me.
 

croadyman

Full Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
34,327
Would be amazing for the fans to have stakes in the club like we see at Bayern,unfortunately don't think we will ever see that kind of ownership here
 

Sky1981

Fending off the urge
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
30,002
Location
Under the bright neon lights of sincity
I believe in terms of football and success the Saudi’s are the best possible owners.

They have Endless Money.

They will have the Desire to be the absolute best.

They Will want to out perform the other Mega rich club owners.

They will pump huge money into Old Trafford and the training facilities.

They will no doubt gut the entire management hierarchy including Ed.

You can’t over estimate the endless money point above, any businessman will want a return on investment. City have been fast tracked because their owners simply are not interested in profit returns.

We have money, that’s not the issue, the benefit would be owners that would spend that entire budget without looking to suck dividends and loan payments out of it.

It’s not ridiculous to demand an owner that lets us operate to our absolute limit, see Madrid, Barca, PSG, City.
We are one of the biggest clubs in football, we absolutely must be able to operate in same way as our rivals or any success will be short lived.

I’ve argued in other threads about the moral conflict of accepting the Saudi’s as owners.
In my opinion the more ties they have to westernised brands/businesses the better, if you think about it, the more we are connected to them the more the spotlight will be on them.
Any benefit of ‘soft-power’ that people argue they want to gain would be hampered by negative press after more atrocities.
United sell papers and make headlines and the new owners would be well aware of that.
You do know we outspend them do you?
 

VanHaal'sRedArmy

Full Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2015
Messages
2,623
If it has to be a current sports team owner then Micky Arison. (owns the Miami Heat)

Sir Richard Branson would have the brand cachet though.
 

Devil77

Full Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2006
Messages
1,483
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
I do find it funny how people don't have the same view with the Saudi as they do with the ruler of Abu Dhabi.
Prince Mohammed bin Zayed is the man running the show in the UAE, he is the real person behind the City ownership and he is the main person in creating a humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and for backing the Saudi prince whose agents killed the dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi. A good article on him can be found on the NY Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/02/world/middleeast/crown-prince-mohammed-bin-zayed.html

This man is running the show in the Arab world.

I would take any owner who will invest in the club, will want to make the club as successful as possible. That is what I care about. If people start talking about Saudi they should look at the UAE first and everything they are doing. Plus if Saudi do take control of us they could force the Qatar owned PSG to hand us Mbappe :drool::drool:
I think your post is proof that we don’t need _another_ ME crook owning a major football club.
 

RUCK4444

New Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2015
Messages
9,553
Location
$¥$¥$¥$¥$
You do know we outspend them do you?
I said operate to our full potential, currently we do not.

Could you see United currently paying what PSG paid for Neymar or Mbappe? No, and that’s my point, a club of our size should be able to mix it with these new money clubs.

I just want an owner that will unlock our full potential.

The common denominator with the teams mentioned is their owners do not seek a financial return, that is how the truly big clubs should be run if you want to compete and eventually get it right.

Unlike the other teams mentioned everything we’ve won under the Glazers has been in spite of them rather than because of them.
 

Grande

Full Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2007
Messages
6,205
Location
The Land of Do-What-You-Will
Replace the bolded with Tony B.liar, George Bush, Donald Trump.

If the Saudi money gets offered take it - feck any moral high ground. If we're going to question morality we may as well ask Adidas how much they pay the kids sewing our shirts together?? Workers rights in the factories of our official Noodle partner or whoever Ed's signed up this year?? Catering staff in our VIP suites on zero hour contracts?? Where to we end?
Yes, this is true. If we start having morals, where do we end? If Adolf Hitler returns from his island retreat, we should welcome him to take over the club, because the alternative is that we must ask Adidas how much they pay their kids. Terrible to have to do in itself, I know, but even worse - where do we end?
 

Water Melon

Guest
Wish the shares were up for sale. The fans could certainly collect enough money to buy the club.
 

Sky1981

Fending off the urge
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
30,002
Location
Under the bright neon lights of sincity
I said operate to our full potential, currently we do not.

Could you see United currently paying what PSG paid for Neymar or Mbappe? No, and that’s my point, a club of our size should be able to mix it with these new money clubs.

I just want an owner that will unlock our full potential.

The common denominator with the teams mentioned is their owners do not seek a financial return, that is how the truly big clubs should be run if you want to compete and eventually get it right.

Unlike the other teams mentioned everything we’ve won under the Glazers has been in spite of them rather than because of them.
Our potential isn't sustainable for 200-300M transfer kitty every year.

Sure we made alot, but our real profit after tax etc is much less than the amount we spend on transfer.

You make it seems like United are able to spend 300M every year.
 

Sky1981

Fending off the urge
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
30,002
Location
Under the bright neon lights of sincity
Yes, this is true. If we start having morals, where do we end? If Adolf Hitler returns from his island retreat, we should welcome him to take over the club, because the alternative is that we must ask Adidas how much they pay their kids. Terrible to have to do in itself, I know, but even worse - where do we end?
There's one thing if they ended up as our owner. Sucks, but such is life.

But to actively courting them, begging them to come, in the hope of a few more silverware? There's more things in life than football.

Forget silverware, some of you lot wants them to come so taht we can spend 300 instead of 150 per year.
 

RUCK4444

New Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2015
Messages
9,553
Location
$¥$¥$¥$¥$
Our potential isn't sustainable for 200-300M transfer kitty every year.

Sure we made alot, but our real profit after tax etc is much less than the amount we spend on transfer.

You make it seems like United are able to spend 300M every year.
I haven’t mentioned amounts, what I’m saying is that United as a club should be able to maximise what we spend every window if that’s what is required.

Have a look at our net spend this summer in comparison.

I believe it’s £75million net spend, that’s a paltry amount when you consider we are a huge club right in the feckin’ middle of a huge rebuild, probably the biggest rebuild since Fergie first took over.

Look what Madrid did in the summer for their rebuild. There is no comparison, it’s night and day how they go about maintaining their status as one of the elite compared to us.

Sure we have spent big previously and it hasn’t worked but I’m sure as hell that we need to spend a lot more on this team of weak teenagers.

The big teams spend huge almost every summer, you need the right type of owner to facilitate that, like I say they all have owners that are not seeking any real financial returns. We have leaches, I don’t remotely want that from our next owners.
 

Bestietom

Full Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2013
Messages
8,021
Location
Ireland
There's a lot of disagreement on the caf lately. But we can all agree that the Glazers are an oily gang of cnuts. Let's just say for argument's sake that something happened — I'll leave it up to your imagination — and they’re not our owners anymore. Time to choose a new one. Who they gonna be?

Some leading candidates based on wealth, power, and potential interest.

1. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia



Once heavily rumored last year and still debated by fans worldwide to this day. They denied all the rumors in public, but they can't deny how enticing the opportunity is. And at the humble price of $4B, they could easily swoop it up. We'd be able to afford any player to fulfill even the wildest muppet fantasies, but at the cost of selling our soul. But hey, what would a Red Devil be if we didn't sell our soul? And it would be hard to hear the cries of the tortured souls in KSA when we're celebrating our next Treble.


2. Jim Ratcliffe



I've never heard of this guy until two minutes ago but I'm going to write like I'm an expert on him anyway. He's done it all. Finance. Cuisine. Entrepreneurship. The Arts. But what challenge lies ahead for a bored billionaire? The only answer is football. Jim is a huge United fan, and is reported to be worth between £12–21B. Going by the lowest number, £12B - £4B is still a whopping £8B. If my calculations are correct, he'd still be a billionaire. Hardly a risky investment for him. And with him being a fan, it's certain he'll want to see us winning again in no time. He's already bought Nice and that could be the grounds for a farmers team.


3. Kim Jong Un



It was revealed a couple of years ago that he's a huge United fan so this could be promising. Now I know some people say he killed a few people in his country, but who's keeping count these days? At least he never said a curse word on live television or flashed a nipple. How many of us have been crying out for a hard man who will whip our social media-obsessed team of overgrown kids into shape? Well you can't get harder than a literal hard man (politically, not physically). If he wants a deal done, he'll get it done. If he wants a manager to perform, he'll demand it. If he wants a player to give 110%, he'll ensure it. Failure to do any of the above will result in an immediate sacking and subsequently thrown over a bridge.


4. Tim Apple Cook



It's not certain if he's a United fan, but he runs the world's only trillion dollar company, so that's gotta be worth entertaining. Apple is without a doubt the gold standard in personal computing where all products are sleek, fast, durable, well-functioned, and expensive. You wanna know what isn't that? Our squad, except for the expensive part. Get this guy and watch our profits not only soar, but so will our "flagship product" in the table. We'll get the most modern up-to-date stadium where every seat is a smart seat and our official shop will look like an Apple store complete with a genius bar of top reds who know everything about United. We'll not only get the best players, but we'll implant AI computer chips into their heads to ensure maximized footballing intelligence. Imagine Fred becoming a prime Xavi.
Every day I wish to wake up and read or hear that Manchester United has been sold. I really don't know about Saudis taking over although I did read somewhere recently, that the 4billion offer was still on the table. I would take any of the others though.
 

Tom Cato

Godt nyttår!
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
7,565
Saudia Arabia as owners? "And it would be hard to hear the cries of the tortured souls in KSA when we're celebrating our next Treble."

If we're lucky we'll get to hear Jamal Khashoggis deathscreams as part of the celebration concert.

Can we at least suggest owners that at least pretend to not be absolute monsters?
 

Sky1981

Fending off the urge
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
30,002
Location
Under the bright neon lights of sincity
I haven’t mentioned amounts, what I’m saying is that United as a club should be able to maximise what we spend every window if that’s what is required.

Have a look at our net spend this summer in comparison.

I believe it’s £75million net spend, that’s a paltry amount when you consider we are a huge club right in the feckin’ middle of a huge rebuild, probably the biggest rebuild since Fergie first took over.

Look what Madrid did in the summer for their rebuild. There is no comparison, it’s night and day how they go about maintaining their status as one of the elite compared to us.

Sure we have spent big previously and it hasn’t worked but I’m sure as hell that we need to spend a lot more on this team of weak teenagers.

The big teams spend huge almost every summer, you need the right type of owner to facilitate that, like I say they all have owners that are not seeking any real financial returns. We have leaches, I don’t remotely want that from our next owners.
We outspent anyone in the world bar city.
 

Tom Cato

Godt nyttår!
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
7,565
I haven’t mentioned amounts, what I’m saying is that United as a club should be able to maximise what we spend every window if that’s what is required.

Have a look at our net spend this summer in comparison.

I believe it’s £75million net spend, that’s a paltry amount when you consider we are a huge club right in the feckin’ middle of a huge rebuild, probably the biggest rebuild since Fergie first took over.

Look what Madrid did in the summer for their rebuild. There is no comparison, it’s night and day how they go about maintaining their status as one of the elite compared to us.

Sure we have spent big previously and it hasn’t worked but I’m sure as hell that we need to spend a lot more on this team of weak teenagers.

The big teams spend huge almost every summer, you need the right type of owner to facilitate that, like I say they all have owners that are not seeking any real financial returns. We have leaches, I don’t remotely want that from our next owners.
Comparing us to Madrid is a little bit unfair, but also not.

The premise for our transfer windows were vastly different, and we're in different position sporting wise right now.

In MUFC's defense, the club did TRY to spend more than they did. We just couldn't secure the transfers we needed. Quite frankly thats down to Matt Judge alone. It is his responsbility to get the deal done. Not Ed's, not Ole's, Matt Judge is the guy. I'm happy that we're not going for knee jerk and third best options in the transfer market. Either we get our guy, or we wait until we do, or identify someone better. Real Madrid had a manager in place, knew the business they wanted to get done, and did it well ahead of time. MUFC does one and one deal, and that makes for a very different experience.

That being said I hate that we're so vulnerable to injuries that I'd support buying a stop-gap player in the January window. We're in bad bad shape.
 

RUCK4444

New Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2015
Messages
9,553
Location
$¥$¥$¥$¥$
We outspent anyone in the world bar city.
Except we sold more than we spent, it’s like buying a Mercedes but part exchanging your new BMW, it’s easy to spend with one hand when your recouping it with the other.

My point is that, for argument sake, our max budget net-spend could be 200-300 million without breaching FFP - I believe that’s loosely correct?
Why then did we have a net spend of £75 million? During a huge rebuild.

It’s a joke, people accepting that spend during a rebuild need to know we simply will not compete with the elite in Europe, the ambition is not anywhere near what a club of United stature should be. Especially when you really consider just how poor and lacking this United squad is.

Would any of our rivals go into a season with the weak strike power we have up top? Absolutely not, they would have spent whatever is required to replace Lukaku.

I’ve said previously I do not believe for a second that Ole agreed to sell Lukaku without fully expecting Ed to secure a replacement. Ed and the board tucked him right up on that and because he doesn’t kick up a stink like Mourinho people are saying it was his decision, he’s obviously just saying that in order to tow the company line to the media.

The direction needs to change under the next owners, I agree it’s not all just about spend, but the new owners must provide us with the same platform and ambition that the big European clubs have. That much should be pretty obvious really.
 

Eric7C

New Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2015
Messages
993
Saudia Arabia as owners? "And it would be hard to hear the cries of the tortured souls in KSA when we're celebrating our next Treble."

If we're lucky we'll get to hear Jamal Khashoggis deathscreams as part of the celebration concert.

Can we at least suggest owners that at least pretend to not be absolute monsters?
No, winning and chiding our rivals is all that matters, apparently.

The Glazers are no angels, but they are at least not directly involved in murders (from what I know).
 

Loon

:lol:
Joined
Aug 17, 2011
Messages
9,128
Location
No-Mark
I wish Beckham and some of his wealthy pals would take the club back. At least he knows football and loves the club.
 

red thru&thru

Full Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2004
Messages
7,657
Saudia Arabia as owners? "And it would be hard to hear the cries of the tortured souls in KSA when we're celebrating our next Treble."

If we're lucky we'll get to hear Jamal Khashoggis deathscreams as part of the celebration concert.

Can we at least suggest owners that at least pretend to not be absolute monsters?
I'm guessing not all Saudi's are murderers. There are Saudi owners over at Sheffield United, you don't seem to hear much about them?!
 

Bestietom

Full Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2013
Messages
8,021
Location
Ireland
Except we sold more than we spent, it’s like buying a Mercedes but part exchanging your new BMW, it’s easy to spend with one hand when your recouping it with the other.

My point is that, for argument sake, our max budget net-spend could be 200-300 million without breaching FFP - I believe that’s loosely correct?
Why then did we have a net spend of £75 million? During a huge rebuild.

It’s a joke, people accepting that spend during a rebuild need to know we simply will not compete with the elite in Europe, the ambition is not anywhere near what a club of United stature should be. Especially when you really consider just how poor and lacking this United squad is.

Would any of our rivals go into a season with the weak strike power we have up top? Absolutely not, they would have spent whatever is required to replace Lukaku.

I’ve said previously I do not believe for a second that Ole agreed to sell Lukaku without fully expecting Ed to secure a replacement. Ed and the board tucked him right up on that and because he doesn’t kick up a stink like Mourinho people are saying it was his decision, he’s obviously just saying that in order to tow the company line to the media.

The direction needs to change under the next owners, I agree it’s not all just about spend, but the new owners must provide us with the same platform and ambition that the big European clubs have. That much should be pretty obvious really.
I agree.
 

Sky1981

Fending off the urge
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
30,002
Location
Under the bright neon lights of sincity
Except we sold more than we spent, it’s like buying a Mercedes but part exchanging your new BMW, it’s easy to spend with one hand when your recouping it with the other.

My point is that, for argument sake, our max budget net-spend could be 200-300 million without breaching FFP - I believe that’s loosely correct?
Why then did we have a net spend of £75 million? During a huge rebuild.

It’s a joke, people accepting that spend during a rebuild need to know we simply will not compete with the elite in Europe, the ambition is not anywhere near what a club of United stature should be. Especially when you really consider just how poor and lacking this United squad is.

Would any of our rivals go into a season with the weak strike power we have up top? Absolutely not, they would have spent whatever is required to replace Lukaku.

I’ve said previously I do not believe for a second that Ole agreed to sell Lukaku without fully expecting Ed to secure a replacement. Ed and the board tucked him right up on that and because he doesn’t kick up a stink like Mourinho people are saying it was his decision, he’s obviously just saying that in order to tow the company line to the media.

The direction needs to change under the next owners, I agree it’s not all just about spend, but the new owners must provide us with the same platform and ambition that the big European clubs have. That much should be pretty obvious really.
Our netspend for the last 10 years is up there bar city.
 

Tom Cato

Godt nyttår!
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
7,565
I'm guessing not all Saudi's are murderers. There are Saudi owners over at Sheffield United, you don't seem to hear much about them?!
OP posted a picture of Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and spesifically said Kingdom of Saudia Arabia. That's what I'm commenting on.
 

TsuWave

Full Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2013
Messages
14,128
I wish Beckham and some of his wealthy pals would take the club back. At least he knows football and loves the club.
where is Beckham going to find billions to take the club back? What kind of pals does he have that have this kind of funds available?