Club ownership | Senior management team talk

[Godfather]

It only ever made any sense in the short term whilst they sorted out a full sale.

No idea what's going on, but this sort of ownership is clearly unsustainable in the long term

It's ridiculous. On the one side the Glazers that have no interest in investing in a club they might sell in the near future and on the other hand Ratcliffe that will have no incentive to invest unless the club is fully or at least majorily his.

 

[Matt851]

As underwhelming as it has been so far, I do think that this window is not a normal window.

The club are clearly trying to break the cycle of being taken for a ride over every transfer, apart from waiting for the other club to blink, I’d like to know what other ideas people have for not being taken to the cleaners?

Then we have the player power nonsense whereby the Rashfords and Sanchos are on insane wages and unable to shift. They are taking a hard line, knowing that it it will reduce the value, but again, I’d like to know what other options they have? (Please don’t say “let them rot in the reserves”), because as much as I would like to see that, they need to create some PSR headroom.

So all in all, they are playing with a really poor hand, but have to break some engrained cycles which have seen us get into this mess over the last 10 years.

If we get to the end of the window with 3-4 quality signings and 3 of the 5 wantaways gone, I’d say that’s a pretty successful window.

The current regime have a difficult job but hard not to think they are making a poor fist of it to date and its not like wilcox has a great deal of achievements at previous clubs to provide confidence in his abilities.

Obviously putting the players we want to get rid of isn't a strategy but the club and amorim have created a situation whereby there is no path to reintigrating rashford or garnacho. Therefore other clubs are just going to low ball us towards the end of the window. It isn't how a smart football club manages these things

Also I have no idea how the haggling over mbueumo is supposed to help stop us getting taken to the cleaners in the future. Brentford asking price appears reasonable based on other fees for forwards this summer and now it's clear the only way the transfer will happen is at that level. If the club think that fee is too high they should be negotiating for other players at the same time because the only alternative is to walk away.

Realistically the problem with the sancho, antony or mount transfers wasn't that we paid an additional few million on the fee its that we massively overpaid and the players haven't been anywhere near good enough

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

It's ridiculous. On the one side the Glazers that have no interest in investing in a club they might sell in the near future and on the other hand Ratcliffe that will have no incentive to invest unless the club is fully or at least majorily his.

The only incentive for Ratcliffe to invest is if he gets more shares in return for the cash, which the Glazers are unlikely to want to do unless this investment guarantees a higher share price when they do sell, this is then surely counterproductive for Sir Jim if he does want to have full control at some point.

Which is why I am just expecting something to be announced fairly soon, I fail to see the point in Ineos ever getting involved if it doesn't.

 

[clarkydaz]

It's ridiculous. On the one side the Glazers that have no interest in investing in a club they might sell in the near future and on the other hand Ratcliffe that will have no incentive to invest unless the club is fully or at least majorily his.

Sir Jim has been kind enough to build a new stadium/regeneration for them while they do feck all. They are going nowhere

 

[roseguy64]

Sir Jim has been kind enough to build a new stadium/regeneration for them while they do feck all. They are going nowhere

The stadium build has started? News to me. All they've done is announce plans with no funding source.

 

[clarkydaz]

The stadium build has started? News to me. All they've done is announce plans with no funding source.

Oh thats right and it was the Glazers doing all the spadework and PR interviews for it

 

[oreon]

We have 2 months left in the window so relax. And Ineos like wny new owner would struggle to get rid of them. So they are trying their best but fans like you have no idea how that works and think this is FM to just put someone on the transfer list and is gone the next day

And fans like you are the reason we are in mediocrity. You'd rather bury your head in the sand then hold INEOS accountable.

One of the reasons Amorim is still around is because INEOS felt he didn't have a full preseason to work on his system. So it was crucial to get the key players in before the start of preseason training so he can work on his system. This was one of the things INEOS was supposed to change. Getting business done early so players are settled to the start of the season.
City, Chelsea and Liverpool who have settled teams have done majority of their business. While UTD the team that desperately needs a makeover has 1 transfer done.
It's not good enough.

Do fans want to go back to being best team in England or accept the decline. If we want to go back to being the best then we need to demand more from the board, INEOS and the Glazers.

 

[Escobar]

My point is that there's not really that much time if we want to be prepared going into the new season. We hear this almost every summer: "the season just ended", "the window just opened", "it's not preseason yet", "it's only July", "we still have a few weeks left" - and then we're inevitably scrambling in the final week of the transfer window to get some panic signings across the finish line after a poor start to the season.

That was always a problem to come. Without CL there are budget constraints and not much pull for players (especially as we finished 15)

 

[Escobar]

The Scouse have done their homework early. We haven't although we are in a much bigger need. The ownership so far has been a shambles. Wouldn't call it a dissapointment though as it's exactly what I was expecting from INEOS

They are the champions and loaded. But: two times the paid the release clause of players and with the others they broke the English transfer record. You see the difference?

 

[Escobar]

And fans like you are the reason we are in mediocrity. You'd rather bury your head in the sand then hold INEOS accountable.

One of the reasons Amorim is still around is because INEOS felt he didn't have a full preseason to work on his system. So it was crucial to get the key players in before the start of preseason training so he can work on his system. This was one of the things INEOS was supposed to change. Getting business done early so players are settled to the start of the season.
City, Chelsea and Liverpool who have settled teams have done majority of their business. While UTD the team that desperately needs a makeover has 1 transfer done.
It's not good enough.

Do fans want to go back to being best team in England or accept the decline. If we want to go back to being the best then we need to demand more from the board, INEOS and the Glazers.

I judge them once I can see all of it, which is at the end of the window. Unless you are 12, United always did business late in the window even under Fergie. We are not that club anymore who is first choice and we have to be very cautious with out budget

 

[AneRu]

That was always a problem to come. Without CL there are budget constraints and not much pull for players (especially as we finished 15)

The budgetary constraints are there and we should operate sustainably but we do have the pull, we have attracted the best attackers in the league and we can attract a big hitter like Osimhen.

On the budget issue we have serious issues but the question that no one can answer is: if we don't sell any of our outcasts do we go into the new season with last year's squad? If so then what's the point, why did we even appoint Amorim if we can't retrofit the squad to match his needs and philosophy?

Of course we have serious financial issues but we also have serious financial potential should we start performing on the pitch. It's imperative that, if SJR doesn't plan to or can't buy out the Glazers or at least get majority ownership, in the interim, he pulls a thumb out and write the club a short term, interest free loan to make sure the first team's needs are met immediately.

It's a given we need three more signings after Cunha and Mbeumo - midfielder, goalkeeper and central striker and they cost us £120m, for example. I am sure a loan of £60m can cover the required down payments to get the deal through. The club has potential, if it's firing on the pitch, to pay back that loan over 12 to 18 months and cover the remaining installments.

Then we can see about getting rid of the outcasts and wantaways without having our season and mid term financial future reliant on what happens with those brats. Just sitting around, crying PSR and cash flow won't solve the issues we have because until United starts competing at the upper echelons of the PL and CL we will always be in this doom and gloom cycle.

If he doesn't have the creativity or inclination to help the club back on its feet then why the hell did he even bother coming on board?

 

[KStandBarmyArmy1993]

I judge them once I can see all of it, which is at the end of the window. Unless you are 12, United always did business late in the window even under Fergie. We are not that club anymore who is first choice and we have to be very cautious with out budget

Did we?

Other than Rooney and Berbatov, I can't think of many big signings we made in the last week or so of the window.

In the seasons we did well, we usually had 99% of the squad confirmed by the end of pre season, or at least by the first league game.

If we're struggling to get signings over the line this summer, we either need to budge on the transfer fee or go for other cheaper targets if finance is an issue.

It's critical we start the season well and to do that, we can't go into the first pre season matches with so many unanswered questions.

 

[Malone_Post]

So pre-season starts tomorrow & so far all we’ve managed to do is sign one player by paying his release clause (which we also tried and failed to negotiate) and sold absolutely no one.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. INEOS are making the Woodward era look like the glory days. Fair play to the Glazers though, bringing in a team so incompetent they make them look smart in comparison is a genius move really.

 

[AndySmith1990]

Quite worrying signs so far. From the outside looking in they appear as slow and incompetent as the previous clowns.

 

[Gordon'sHill]

And fans like you are the reason we are in mediocrity. You'd rather bury your head in the sand then hold INEOS accountable.

One of the reasons Amorim is still around is because INEOS felt he didn't have a full preseason to work on his system. So it was crucial to get the key players in before the start of preseason training so he can work on his system. This was one of the things INEOS was supposed to change. Getting business done early so players are settled to the start of the season.
City, Chelsea and Liverpool who have settled teams have done majority of their business. While UTD the team that desperately needs a makeover has 1 transfer done.
It's not good enough.

Do fans want to go back to being best team in England or accept the decline. If we want to go back to being the best then we need to demand more from the board, INEOS and the Glazers.

I think this is fanciful. I think the main reason he is still around that Berrada knows he'd be sacked if he turned round to big Jim and said, 'sorry gov, looks like he's not the new Pep after all'. The management team have dug themselves into a hole here. However, its hard to blame them for lack of movement in transfers when the whole world sees the mess we are in and how increasingly desperate we will be. Woodward et al signed poor players on Ronaldo wages and we can't shift them. its going to go to the wire and could be ugly.

 

[soapythecat]

I think they are trying to bite off more than they can chew. If we are so skint then ship accordingly. We clearly can’t afford Mbueno so why keep chipping away - Brentford know we are desperate so won’t sell cheap.
They are almost a Temu version of a good boardroom staff at the moment and it’s showing. Loss of sponsors, very poor transfer dealings and we are about to start the season with a manager who can’t get the team to play the way he wants. fecking disastrous first year in charge of you ask me.

 

[TheNewEra]

Awful window so far

 

[Vidooq]

It's such a sickening feeling that we are tussling with Brentford for 5 million pounds for a month now, while other clubs are completing their puzzle with the missing profile of player in order to compete, and are adding 137m players on top of their champion-winning side. This is not reflecting a critique about our transfer policy in particular as I'm fully aware that there is more time till the transfer period is over, but rather, where we are as a club, and that it will take a few years before we can be in the position of Liverpool, Arsenal, City.

Having a wishful top 4 objective, before even a ball is hit, it's gut-wrenching, even though it's a realistic expectation. We've made such a collosoal fecks up with Rashford contract, Antony's fee, Sancho's transfer. Misprofiled players such as Mount, Onana, and Hojlund. So much money wasted, that are now hampering the speed with which we can complete transfers.

We need 2-3 years of mostly correct decisions in player recruitment, combined with good coaching, so that we are back in the top tier.

 

[Bright_Eyes]

The only incentive for Ratcliffe to invest is if he gets more shares in return for the cash, which the Glazers are unlikely to want to do unless this investment guarantees a higher share price when they do sell, this is then surely counterproductive for Sir Jim if he does want to have full control at some point.

Which is why I am just expecting something to be announced fairly soon, I fail to see the point in Ineos ever getting involved if it doesn't.

Worst case scenario is the Glazers don't want to sell at any reasonable price and Ratcliffe got involved as a minority share holder with footballing control because that's the only deal that could be made without being fleeced. I don't think that's so unlikely. Ratcliffe is pretty old and has wanted to run a big club for a while. There might be no possibility for buying the club at current valuations because the Glazers expect it to boom in value at some point.

 

[Leftback99]

It's such a sickening feeling that we are tussling with Brentford for 5 million pounds for a month now, while other clubs are completing their puzzle with the missing profile of player in order to compete, and are adding 137m players on top of their champion-winning side. This is not reflecting a critique about our transfer policy in particular as I'm fully aware that there is more time till the transfer period is over, but rather, where we are as a club, and that it will take a few years before we can be in the position of Liverpool, Arsenal, City.

Having a wishful top 4 objective, before even a ball is hit, it's gut-wrenching, even though it's a realistic expectation. We've made such a collosoal fecks up with Rashford contract, Antony's fee, Sancho's transfer. Misprofiled players such as Mount, Onana, and Hojlund. So much money wasted, that are now hampering the speed with which we can complete transfers.

We need 2-3 years of mostly correct decisions in player recruitment, combined with good coaching, so that we are back in the top tier.

Yep, the transfer business under Ten Hag set us back years and now we're having to watch every penny. There was never going to be a quick fix.

 

[Morpheus 7]

Ineos talk a good game, failing on promises so far. Not ready for start of season again, issue with players leaving and getting in. Same old shite, wonder why we are never ready in August. Impossible with this ownership. Chatting about new stadiums and winning the league in a few years, delusional.

 

[Moriarty]

There might be no possibility for buying the club at current valuations because the Glazers expect it to boom in value at some point.

That ship might have sailed. They had a chance to sell and make a good profit but they massively overvalued the club. If United do not progress this coming season, and more sponsors leave, they might cut their losses. Personally, I think the parasites are waiting for the super league to get resurrected.

 

[Garethw]

One day before pre season starts. Only Cunha bought and no actual sales negotiated. Absolutely pathetic performance from all of them. Worst ever PL finish and this is their response.

 

[Bright_Eyes]

That ship might have sailed. They had a chance to sell and make a good profit but they massively overvalued the club. If United do not progress this coming season, and more sponsors leave, they might cut their losses. Personally, I think the parasites are waiting for the super league to get resurrected.

Think the same. They're waiting for one of a few big changes. Super league, TV rights, etc. I don't think they'll sell on the cheap though whilst we're in a rut. They'll wait, even if it's daft to.

 

[TheNewEra]

One day before pre season starts. Only Cunha bought and no actual sales negotiated. Absolutely pathetic performance from all of them. Worst ever PL finish and this is their response.

Yup it's pretty dire

 

[redshaw]

Was always going to be tough when you overspend so much that we're stuck and have to ride these years out with loans and such. It's not like Barca could offload Coutinho or Chelsea offload Lukaku easily. We have so many big fees you can't write off or big contracts.

It's a good learning process in the future for the club. When Atalanta ask for 70 million you look elsewhere and avoid that mistake. When Ajax want 80 million you say no thanks and avoid that problem, some people at the club weren't listened to about his real value.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

Was always going to be tough when you overspend so much that we're stuck and have to ride these years out with loans and such. It's not like Barca could offload Coutinho or Chelsea offload Lukaku easily. We have so many big fees you can't write off or big contracts.

It's a good learning process in the future for the club. When Atalanta ask for 70 million you look elsewhere and avoid that mistake. When Ajax want 80 million you say no thanks and avoid that problem, some people at the club weren't listened to about his real value.

Some of our signings have just been absolutely mental.

Hojlund and Antony are two that I look at and genuinely envision Ajax and Atalanta being absolutely baffled that we agreed to their demands.

Someone like Lukaku or Di Maria I can totally understand the fees at the time.

 

[The Irish Connection]

Ineos talk a good game, failing on promises so far. Not ready for start of season again, issue with players leaving and getting in. Same old shite, wonder why we are never ready in August. Impossible with this ownership. Chatting about new stadiums and winning the league in a few years, delusional.

Yeah. Crap. Even the Mbeumo signing will probably be underwhelming now given how long it’s been dragged out and the building hype.
I don’t agree with people saying we have to drag it out for a few million so we can repair our reputation of overpaying. We have dragged out transfers for a decade or more and always end up paying what the selling club asked for weeks or months before.
Just get it done so the club can have a bit of positivity and focus on the sales then.

It now looks as though the main striker targets are going elsewhere.

Ineos are just a shield for the GLAZERS austerity measures.

If we don’t pull a rabbit out of the hat in the rest of this transfer window I think we will have another poor season.

Why the hell did they keep Amorim after the Europa league final if they knew we would struggle to bring in two players and no striker before two or three sales? And only 1 before the magical pre season?

I just hope we get some major updates in the next fortnight or so.

 

[Escobar]

Did we?

Other than Rooney and Berbatov, I can't think of many big signings we made in the last week or so of the window.

In the seasons we did well, we usually had 99% of the squad confirmed by the end of pre season, or at least by the first league game.

If we're struggling to get signings over the line this summer, we either need to budge on the transfer fee or go for other cheaper targets if finance is an issue.

It's critical we start the season well and to do that, we can't go into the first pre season matches with so many unanswered questions.

I would like to know a window where we did all our transfers before training start

 

[Big Ben Foster]

That was always a problem to come. Without CL there are budget constraints and not much pull for players (especially as we finished 15)

Wait a minute, people in here spent the last few months emphasizing that the season was a "free hit" and that it didn't matter where we finished, because we'd have a fresh start in the summer. I guess that's not the case after all then?

 

[Andycoleno9]

Best people in business spent month and a half for one transfer. Great job guys.

 

[Escobar]

The budgetary constraints are there and we should operate sustainably but we do have the pull, we have attracted the best attackers in the league and we can attract a big hitter like Osimhen.

On the budget issue we have serious issues but the question that no one can answer is: if we don't sell any of our outcasts do we go into the new season with last year's squad? If so then what's the point, why did we even appoint Amorim if we can't retrofit the squad to match his needs and philosophy?

Of course we have serious financial issues but we also have serious financial potential should we start performing on the pitch. It's imperative that, if SJR doesn't plan to or can't buy out the Glazers or at least get majority ownership, in the interim, he pulls a thumb out and write the club a short term, interest free loan to make sure the first team's needs are met immediately.

It's a given we need three more signings after Cunha and Mbeumo - midfielder, goalkeeper and central striker and they cost us £120m, for example. I am sure a loan of £60m can cover the required down payments to get the deal through. The club has potential, if it's firing on the pitch, to pay back that loan over 12 to 18 months and cover the remaining installments.

Then we can see about getting rid of the outcasts and wantaways without having our season and mid term financial future reliant on what happens with those brats. Just sitting around, crying PSR and cash flow won't solve the issues we have because until United starts competing at the upper echelons of the PL and CL we will always be in this doom and gloom cycle.

If he doesn't have the creativity or inclination to help the club back on its feet then why the hell did he even bother coming on board?

For some yes for many others not. Look at Gyokeres or Quenda. We are 2nd choice for many players whikst having to sell expensive but crap players and have money issues. So to me, no surprise we act so cautious

 

[BarstoolProphet]

Best people in business spent month and a half for one transfer. Great job guys.

With a high release clause to boot. Trying to stay positive, but looks like another false sunrise with INEOS in charge. It's the no sales that worries me the most. Even with high salaries, they way they have communicated that area has been a complete failure so far. Atleast Bruno stayed otherwise they would have dithered on replacing him too, even with 200m extra.

 

[RedDevilUnited369]

Back in training tomorrow. Anyone know if the men’s new training facilities are ready or still in the women’s facilities ?

 

[groovyalbert]

Looking like a painfully familiar summer. Nice early signing, all the right sounds about shifting players on/being shrewd in negotiations... Then nothing. No players out, missing out on our main targets, not being able to negotiate prices down.

City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are already miles ahead of us this window, and they were light years ahead of last season.

But don't worry, we're winning the league in 3 years.

 

[RuudTom83]

Plenty of time to rectify it, but the signs are NOT good.

 

[Jed I. Knight]

Same old, same old.

 

[LisburnWhite]

Cant understand some of our fans on here. Still 2 months of the window open and we all knew it was going to be a bit tight this summer what with the overspending for ETH.
We all want United not to be taken for mugs and just paying whatever it takes, yet when we dont wrap a transfer quick sharp there are people moaning like little children not getting sweets from the shop.
We are suffering from PTS from previous years but we need to be sure of every purchase this year and have a little bit of patience with the deal makers.

 

[Josep Dowling]

The budgetary constraints are there and we should operate sustainably but we do have the pull, we have attracted the best attackers in the league and we can attract a big hitter like Osimhen.

On the budget issue we have serious issues but the question that no one can answer is: if we don't sell any of our outcasts do we go into the new season with last year's squad? If so then what's the point, why did we even appoint Amorim if we can't retrofit the squad to match his needs and philosophy?

Of course we have serious financial issues but we also have serious financial potential should we start performing on the pitch. It's imperative that, if SJR doesn't plan to or can't buy out the Glazers or at least get majority ownership, in the interim, he pulls a thumb out and write the club a short term, interest free loan to make sure the first team's needs are met immediately.

It's a given we need three more signings after Cunha and Mbeumo - midfielder, goalkeeper and central striker and they cost us £120m, for example. I am sure a loan of £60m can cover the required down payments to get the deal through. The club has potential, if it's firing on the pitch, to pay back that loan over 12 to 18 months and cover the remaining installments.

Then we can see about getting rid of the outcasts and wantaways without having our season and mid term financial future reliant on what happens with those brats. Just sitting around, crying PSR and cash flow won't solve the issues we have because until United starts competing at the upper echelons of the PL and CL we will always be in this doom and gloom cycle.

If he doesn't have the creativity or inclination to help the club back on its feet then why the hell did he even bother coming on board?

Budget constraints? We were the highest spenders in the league last summer. If we get Mbeumo that’s around £120m again. We don’t have budget constraints, the club is horrendous at utilising it properly.

 

[Big Ben Foster]

Cant understand some of our fans on here. Still 2 months of the window open and we all knew it was going to be a bit tight this summer what with the overspending for ETH.
We all want United not to be taken for mugs and just paying whatever it takes, yet when we dont wrap a transfer quick sharp there are people moaning like little children not getting sweets from the shop.
We are suffering from PTS from previous years but we need to be sure of every purchase this year and have a little bit of patience with the deal makers.

Issue is, it's the same excuses every summer so I struggle to see how you "can't understand" the sentiment.

This time it's different, this time we need to give the leadership the benefit of the doubt, have patience, trust the plan, etc.