Club Sale | It’s done!

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Lyng

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Because it's one man with his company vs a whole-ass nation state. How can you even make that comparison?
Its his company. His company is very much in bed with the Saudis. There is no moral high ground between those two bidders. One is state owned and sports washing and everything bad that comes with it. The other is a disgusting company with close ties to the Saudi state.
 

EireRed_GS

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worrying times.. I cant see how things are going to change now any time soon.

Theres so many questions need answered here...... Wheres this new money going to? Whats the plan to deal with the debt? Is there an agreement for Glazers to sell the rest after X years? They really need to communicate clearly on these kind of questions.. If Radcliffe cant / wont answer these, that would be a massive red flag.

Im assuming Radcliffe wouldnt go into this with a view of only having a piece of the pie, and Glazers will have to sell up the rest by a certain date. Im praying this isnt just a vanity project for Radcliffe.

They can take control of the footballing side of it all they want, if its still the same people above making all the decisions, realistically all the same problems are still going to exist.

Theres just too many things broken with this club to be fixed any time soon (if any are). We desperately needed a clean break, a reset. And we are not going to get that, but still have the toxic elements ruining the club lurking about for the foreseeable future
 

RedDevilUnited369

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So do we really believe Jim Glazer taking over footballing matters doesn’t mean his Glazer brothers can’t veto anything as majority shareholders?
 

Marcus

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I think this is a positive. Let's get footballing people in place and live within our means, not like we are a sugar daddy's plaything. We do have the right manager I hope. But he clearly needs help with things like identifying and signing transfer targets in good time. Hopefully, pre-season will be better planned from the footballing perspective and we can have fitter and less injured players. I can live with this.
 

NotChatGPT

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All this goes back to the devil being in the detail, we have none so until we do I’d veer away from telling people what this is hardly not.
Well, we do have enough details about the Qatari bid to be fully aware of what a shit outcome that would’ve been for the club, the devil being Qatar state ownership. In terms of the Ratcliffe offer, do you genuinely believe it’s a £1,3b billion investment simply for a 25% stake of the club and that’s it?

Because Ratcliffe is a businessman and understands how it works. Jassim is a mouthpiece for a government whose only interest is cleaning their country's image. Beyond promising a shed load of money there wasn't likely to be much more in there. From a purely financial standpoint the Qatari bid was superior but the Glazers obviously wanted to hear something else.
The only thing obvious about the Qatari bid is that it wasn’t high enough to justify a full sale of the club. Maybe the Glazers are completely uninterested in a full sale, but they entertained bids to see if someone would bid insame amounts that they’d be stupid not to jump on. Maybe they wanted a full sale but were unhappy with the offers, and in comes Ratcliffe with a structure for a phased takeover where they will either way exit with more money than the Massive Red from Qatar offered up.
 

putzmcgee123

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I did ask earlier in the thread & was pointed in the direction of the 69%.

You’ve got me thinking though, if it is a mix of A & B he’ll actually have less of the Glazer % . . .
There have been like 100 articles written this weekend thus it's hard to remember exactly where I read everything, but they definitely said INEOS are proposing to buy a combination of Class A and B shares. INEOS would become the single largest shareholder with 25% (presently, it's Joel with 19%).

I've not seen it confirmed in any report what percentage of each class INEOS will buy. Some posters seem to think it will be 12.5pp each of Class A and B, while others stated (0.25 × 69%) + (0.25 × 31%). I did read somewhere that suggested the Glazer voting power will be diluted, so I suspect they will either create provisions to give all shares purchased by INEOS Class B status, or perhaps they will scrap the dual share structure altogether and give all shareholders the same voting rights per share.

The Board apparently meets on Thursday, so we may not know until then.
 
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Rojofiam

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I’ll let @Lyng handle this.

Thanks for proving the point though, the mental gymnastics are beyond belief here.
Its his company. His company is very much in bed with the Saudis. There is no moral high ground between those two bidders. One is state owned and sports washing and everything bad that comes with it. The other is a disgusting company with close ties to the Saudi state.
And I heavily condemn it, don't worry. However, it's still different than an actual state taking over the club.
 

arthurka

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Still don't get why Brexit Jim should pour his and Ineos money into Utd whole owning only 25%. Hope the fans will express their dislike in this scenario. Full Sale isn't 25% of Jim.
 

putzmcgee123

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Still don't get why Brexit Jim should pour his and Ineos money into Utd whole owning only 25%. Hope the fans will express their dislike in this scenario. Full Sale isn't 25% of Jim.
The only way it makes even a bit of sense is if there is a binding agreement to buy a future majority with a fixed min/max price. I fear we have little choice but to wait for the details to emerge later this week.
 

Himannv

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They're still in charge for now. But if they have given up sporting control for it, that's huge.

If Ratcliffe has also started the path for an eventual takeover, also huge. There's a lot of ifs in there, but at the same time, why start wetting the bed when you don't know all the details?

Let's remind ourselves of the other options on the table here, rather than looking at the big sack of Qatari cash on the table.

We could have sealed a minority investment with another entity who wasn't interested in having any control. The Glazers could have also not taken any deal. What we ended up with is very positive.

The reason why we are in a mess financially is because of sporting decisions. If the sporting side is run correctly, then we're successful and the financial side then benefits.
Sporting decisions mean nothing without financial approval, and the Glazers will not budge in that aspect. The only funds that will be available are basically what the club generates itself - which is no different to what has been happening all this time.

There has been no clear indication that Ratcliffe will eventually takeover the club or whether that is even his plan. If this was a takeover where a new owner will have complete control, I'd understand and embrace the optimism, but this is clearly not the case. This is just a situation that allows the Glazers the opportunity to milk this cash cow for more and more, which is why they have agreed to these terms. It really is the perfect deal for them in every sense.

If you are fine with the Glazers being in charge, then by all means you're free to see this as a positive step. As a fan, I don't want them owning the club and even being here as minority owners. As majority owners here for the foreseeable future, it's a net negative outcome and that is my view.
 

Solius

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The aggression towards Ratcliffe from some on here is bizarre. He's almost the villain purely because he's not a sheikh (who has 2 photographs exist of him) that offered a magical perfect package with zero flaws.

This was likely the only way to get the Glazers out. They're stubborn as feck and whatever Qatar were trying was clearly not working. If it gets a foot in the door with a view to eventually removing them then that's better than nothing. Cosy up to them, be polite, slowly buy shares and get them out that way.
 

ShinjiNinja26

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The only way this 25% stake becomes palatable is if there’s an agreement that’s set in stone that INEOS will complete a full takeover in the next 5 years. Otherwise Ratcliffe is just enabling these parasites to keep on milking the club dry for the foreseeable future.
 

putzmcgee123

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The only way this 25% stake becomes palatable is if there’s an agreement that’s set in stone that INEOS will complete a full takeover in the next 5 years. Otherwise Ratcliffe is a just enabling these parasites to keep on milking the club for the foreseeable future.
Agreed, but we ought to wait for the details to emerge before we take the pitchforks out on Jimbo.
 

Nogbadthebad

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The aggression towards Ratcliffe from some on here is bizarre. He's almost the villain purely because he's not a sheikh (who has 2 photographs exist of him) that offered a magical perfect package with zero flaws.

This was likely the only way to get the Glazers out. They're stubborn as feck and whatever Qatar were trying was clearly not working. If it gets a foot in the door with a view to eventually removing them then that's better than nothing. Cosy up to them, be polite, slowly buy shares and get them out that way.
Hes a man who makes money from destroying the environement, is as tight with tge saudi regime as anyone, championed brexit then moved his companies, and himself abroad and has to limit his own time in this country so he can avoid paying tax here.

He is a villain in his own right.

As will anyone be who has enough money to buy us. There are no good guy billionaires. You have to be a bastard to make that kind of money.
 

Solius

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Hes a man who makes money from destroying the environement, is as tight with tge saudi regime as anyone, championed brexit then moved his companies, and himself abroad and has to limit his own time in this country so he can avoid paying tax here.

He is a villain in his own right.

As will anyone be who has enough money to buy us. There are no good guy billionaires. You have to be a bastard to make that kind of money.
Not debating this. It's more the hypocrisy from people who want Qatar. Ratcliffe has been instantly judged as a failure/another parasite by virtue of not being the state that promised riches.
 

TheRedDevil'sAdvocate

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No way am I giving them even a shred of credit. :lol: I am more willing to believe Raine played a bigger role in steering it this way than the nepo babies.
Doesn't matter, however you look at it. When it comes to their money, they're open to advice and willing to play the long game. This is the best you can do when you are not as smart as your daddy, who built the fortune. I don't know what would have been the case, had Qatar chosen a more aggressive approach to force their way into the club, but this was never in the cards. Now, they're seemingly getting paid 1.5 billion to give up the part of the club they don't know how to run properly and they'll keep receiving dividends while the new guy will get all the heat if City keep finishing 20 points ahead of us. And if the new guy succeeds, they'll end up pocketing the price they always had in their minds to go away.
 

Laurencio

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Because Ratcliffe is a businessman and understands how it works. Jassim is a mouthpiece for a government whose only interest is cleaning their country's image. Beyond promising a shed load of money there wasn't likely to be much more in there. From a purely financial standpoint the Qatari bid was superior but the Glazers obviously wanted to hear something else.
Ratcliffe's price valued the shares higher than the Qatari bid. He seemingly has also agreed to a future deal that gives the Glazers an opportunity to make even more money than they would have with the Qatari bid. The only financial aspect that was "better" was their suggested ability to spend on infrastructure and the selling of a fantasy project. I have no doubt that the Qataris would have spent a lot of money to deal with the stadium and carrington, but there is nothing to suggest INEOS won't. The debt issue is a red herring. Anyone who takes over would want to absorb the debt on a full takover, including INEOS, because it limits your ability to maneuver. The Qatari's "paying it off" was a simplification of the process of absorbing a debt, presented as such to make fans believe it was a better option (when it's practically the same). Now, we might have to wait for a full sale for the debt to be removed, which is unfortunate, but it is not a substantial and time sensetive issue.

Financially, for the Glazers, Ratcliffe's deal is far more lucrative and for the club - we just don't know yet.
 

Highfather_24

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Could have :

- Wiped out all the existing debt and bought the club with no new debt
- Got rid of the glazers
- Build a new stadium
- Build a new training ground
- Not worry about FFP anymore and scramble for loans on deadline day


But we're stuck with brexit Jim overpaying for 25%, and then god knows what will happen. Does he even have the cash needed for the above stuff? I highly doubt it.
 

justsomebloke

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I'm prepared to keep an open mind and see how this develops going forward, but for now this outcome just adds more unclarity which is the last thing this club needs.

That Qatar is now out of the picture feels more like a relief than a loss, to be honest.
 

RedSky

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Qatar doing their best to turn the situation ugly. Just because you have money doesn't guarantee you success. We've spent a mini fortune on transfers and have been shite. PSG spent billions and couldn't win the CL.
 

Foolsgold21

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Could have :

- Wiped out all the existing debt and bought the club with no new debt
- Got rid of the glazers
- Build a new stadium
- Build a new training ground
- Not worry about FFP anymore and scramble for loans on deadline day


But we're stuck with brexit Jim overpaying for 25%, and then god knows what will happen. Does he even have the cash needed for the above stuff? I highly doubt it.
Really drinking in that lovely PR.

As the old saying goes - if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
 

pascell

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Could have :

- Wiped out all the existing debt and bought the club with no new debt
- Got rid of the glazers
- Build a new stadium
- Build a new training ground
- Not worry about FFP anymore and scramble for loans on deadline day


But we're stuck with brexit Jim overpaying for 25%, and then god knows what will happen. Does he even have the cash needed for the above stuff? I highly doubt it.
Jassim acting like the guy that didn't get the girl and ended up heartbroken
 

Nogbadthebad

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I'm not sure what they can announce that changes anything at the club to be honest.

Hes not in a hurry to take control. He isn't paying off the debt, (as a minority share holder I wouldn't expect him to either), so out financial situation is not changing for the foreseeable future.

He can change personnel in the footballing part of the business maybe. But whoever he puts in there with FFP rules and the kind of competition we have now, there is still a huge mountain to climb to get to be competing for things. We would have to be the best run club in the country to even stand a chance of getting near city.
 

The side netting

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Agreed 100%.

Hate the Glazers, but Qatari ownership would be ruinous to the soul of our club. We can only hope Brexit Jim can put a decent structure in place and start putting our significant wealth to good use (improved facilities, smarter recruitment etc).

He can hardly do worse than the current lot.
You just don't get it yet do you. United are finished. What you are 'hoping' for won't happen with a 25% minority stake.
This hasn't been a sale, it's been nothing more than a few shares being bought. This stuff happens at companies day-in and day-out. Ratcliffe won't be pumping billions into the club to get it to where it should be as a minority shareholder.

Supporters like you are going to be very, very disappointed over the next ten years when the penny finally drops we're a mid-table team, once and for all.

Young kids don't give a sh*t about history or the Busby Babes, or Munich. Those days are long gone. They are only interested in who's winning, who's at the top and United won't be at the top anymore.
I live near the Essex/London border and I can tell you that once you get past the Spurs, Arsenal and West Ham kits you see on kids, the next ones are City's and Real Madrid. You barely see United shirts anymore and that wasn't the case 10 years ago.

Ratcliffe is too old to get United back to where it needs/should be. Its already too late. There are several clubs ahead of us that have forged on years ago and we aren't catching them up in the next ten years with Ratcliffes minority stake and the Glazers still pulling the strings.

Welcome to your reality check.
 

evil_geko

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He was a kid and like most would quickly break any bonds to a childhood club if that club didnt want him but another club gave him the chance become a professional player.

Middle age Shiek Jassim has no such excuses.
Yep, if he buys another PL club now he was full of shit all along about being United fan.
 

horsechoker

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Could have :

- Wiped out all the existing debt and bought the club with no new debt
- Got rid of the glazers
- Build a new stadium
- Build a new training ground
- Not worry about FFP anymore and scramble for loans on deadline day


But we're stuck with brexit Jim overpaying for 25%, and then god knows what will happen. Does he even have the cash needed for the above stuff? I highly doubt it.
We could've if he coughed up the money. His rigidity has also cost him.
 
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