Sir Jim Ratcliffe: I want to buy Manchester United | Will make a bid for the club [Telegraph]

Isn't he kind of the best case scenario for us? Very rich and loves the club? As long as he's somebody who is smart in how they operate, don't get involved, clears the debt, and doesn't take money out of the club... Can't complain? We need a burst of investment for the infrastructure and stadium renovations to make up for the neglect under the Glazers, but other than that, I fully believe that we just need an owner who will let the club's money stay within the club and it be ran smartly.
 
Solius said:
At least he’s not a gulf state. We don’t need money, we need somebody who cares about the club and allows us to spend our own money well without taking it out.
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That was pretty much my thinking to? Yes an owner putting in some money to help us is the goal, and Ratcliffe can invest in stadium and infrastructure and clear the debt without putting in too much because he's not a gulf state. But it's my understanding we are a pretty self sustaining club in terms of everything else because we are so big and we earn a lot. We just need owners who will allow alot of the income to be invested back into the club and not drained out by the owners instead. Give me Ratcliffe any day of the week over blood money like Dubai. No Billionaire is a saint but there is levels.
 
United don't need a massive upfront investment, we need to be free of our current debts. From there we can handle new debt that's poured into investment rather than servicing a seventeen year old buyout.
 
L1nk said:
That was pretty much my thinking to? Yes an owner putting in some money to help us is the goal, and Ratcliffe can invest in stadium and infrastructure and clear the debt without putting in too much because he's not a gulf state. But it's my understanding we are a pretty self sustaining club in terms of everything else because we are so big and we earn a lot. We just need owners who will allow alot of the income to be invested back into the club and not drained out by the owners instead. Give me Ratcliffe any day of the week over blood money like Dubai. No Billionaire is a saint but there is levels.
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It is less about him not being a saint and more that his track record with Ineos is of taking over clubs and making them a whole lot worse whilst letting people with no clue about football make football decisions. I cannot see a difference between him and the Glazers other than nationality and I don't buy for a second that he loves the club, he loves attention.
 
L1nk said:
That was pretty much my thinking to? Yes an owner putting in some money to help us is the goal, and Ratcliffe can invest in stadium and infrastructure and clear the debt without putting in too much because he's not a gulf state. But it's my understanding we are a pretty self sustaining club in terms of everything else because we are so big and we earn a lot. We just need owners who will allow alot of the income to be invested back into the club and not drained out by the owners instead. Give me Ratcliffe any day of the week over blood money like Dubai. No Billionaire is a saint but there is levels.
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But how will the idiots be placated if we’re not spending 600 million every summer? Doesn’t matter how many thousand slaves have died raising that fund.
 
I'd feel better if he brutally ruled a nation called Sirjimbucktoo and planned to use United as his personal bottle of rights sanitiser...

Thats the only way to run a football club.

Sarcasm aside, I think Ratcliffe is the best option of the most likely bidders.
 
It won't be Sir Jim personally anyway, we'd be owned by INEOS, I feel like they would potentially bring in new investors. However... United is definitely a bit of a sleeping giant, so much land to develop on, there really is a lot of potential there.
 
Solius said:
At least he’s not a gulf state. We don’t need money, we need somebody who cares about the club and allows us to spend our own money well without taking it out.
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No one is going to pay the entire billions from their personal account. It will be come in the form of lending which means, there will be a debt on the club. All depends on how much money can the buyer raise without taking money on the club. So this idea that we don't need money from outside isn't correct.
 
Solius said:
At least he’s not a gulf state. We don’t need money, we need somebody who cares about the club and allows us to spend our own money well without taking it out.
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I agree and that's the dream, but Jim will likely run the club as a business and he will be in it to make money back or increase the value of the club, it states it in the article as a possibility.
 
UnitedSofa said:
We do not want Ratcliffe - we’d be calling for the Glazers back before long…..



This is what a French flair on r/soccer said last time the Ratcliffe news popped up.

You should look at what they are doing with the football club they currently own. Their methods may work in lesser sports, but they have zero knowledge about football and they lack the humility to realize it.

Brailsford has apparently taken a liking to being a sporting director, but he's completely out of his depth and it shows in Nice.

And another comment

Every interview with sports directors who've left the team is the same retelling of how Brailsford (the baldy) hires smart people with huge wads of money, those people make smart decisions, then Dave gets into one of his nervous panics, decides he knows better demands they do everything differently and things fall apart

But at least in football there's no doping questions to literally run away from, like he did with that journalist in 2015

This is a comment about another club he/INEOS owns.

He (or rather his company INEOS) also own Swiss side Lausanne Sport and they're absolutely shit now. They've basically been (ab)used as a loan farm for OGC Nice players. They had absolutely no strategic vision for the club. They've transformed more and more into a plastic club without any true identity. Last season they got relegated despite some fairly hefty investments made by INEOS over the years. It's quite surprising given that other clubs manage to stay in the Swiss top flight despite far lower budgets
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Ya I’ll take that with a pinch of salt. This guy supports Man Utd and knows the shitshow that is currently going on at the club. The other alternative is an another American owner or if you dislike Jim so much why not hang onto the Glazers and let them bleed the club dry ? Or maybe you want some Arabs taking over ?
 
UnitedSofa said:
We do not want Ratcliffe - we’d be calling for the Glazers back before long…..



This is what a French flair on r/soccer said last time the Ratcliffe news popped up.

You should look at what they are doing with the football club they currently own. Their methods may work in lesser sports, but they have zero knowledge about football and they lack the humility to realize it.

Brailsford has apparently taken a liking to being a sporting director, but he's completely out of his depth and it shows in Nice.

And another comment

Every interview with sports directors who've left the team is the same retelling of how Brailsford (the baldy) hires smart people with huge wads of money, those people make smart decisions, then Dave gets into one of his nervous panics, decides he knows better demands they do everything differently and things fall apart

But at least in football there's no doping questions to literally run away from, like he did with that journalist in 2015

This is a comment about another club he/INEOS owns.

He (or rather his company INEOS) also own Swiss side Lausanne Sport and they're absolutely shit now. They've basically been (ab)used as a loan farm for OGC Nice players. They had absolutely no strategic vision for the club. They've transformed more and more into a plastic club without any true identity. Last season they got relegated despite some fairly hefty investments made by INEOS over the years. It's quite surprising given that other clubs manage to stay in the Swiss top flight despite far lower budgets
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The Mancunian Glazer then.
 
I'll take a local United fan over a faceless US group, a lunatic or an oil state any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
 
Solius said:
At least he’s not a gulf state. We don’t need money, we need somebody who cares about the club and allows us to spend our own money well without taking it out.
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Shouldn't he be a bit competent though?
 
If he does take over 1st major appointment should be Edwin Van Der Sar in at the club.
 
bond19821982 said:
No one is going to pay the entire billions from their personal account. It will be come in the form of lending which means, there will be a debt on the club. All depends on how much money can the buyer raise without taking money on the club. So this idea that we don't need money from outside isn't correct.
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Debt will be on the owner, not the club.
 
Red00012 said:
Ya I’ll take that with a pinch of salt. This guy supports Man Utd and knows the shitshow that is currently going on at the club. The other alternative is an another American owner or if you dislike Jim so much why not hang onto the Glazers and let them bleed the club dry ? Or maybe you want some Arabs taking over ?
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What makes you support Jim so highly?
 
Gabriel Djemba-Bebe said:
Well, for starters, he'll be using his own money to buy United rather than leveraging heaps of debt onto the club.
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He actually won't. He does not have anywhere close to 6 billion in cash and so if he buys the club he is going to do it with a loan. He is also not some altruistic soul who is going to dip into his own pockets to pay off the existing debts.

On the offchance that he is going to make a serious offer for the club he is going to finance it through a bank and secure it with his assets, he would be free to shift the burden for that financing onto the club if he is succesful which is effectively what the Glazers did. There is nothing to suggest he will be any less motivated by self interest and greed than our current owners, if you look at his past dealings it is quite probable he would be worse. It seems a lot of people are being hoodwinked by the he is a local boy who supports the club narrative but the truth is he is a shark who openly supported Chelsea for many years. The whole package is all a bit project Leave for my tastes, promise the world and deliver disaster.
 
Gandalf said:
He actually won't. He does not have anywhere close to 6 billion in cash and so if he buys the club he is going to do it with a loan. He is also not some altruistic soul who is going to dip into his own pockets to pay off the existing debts.

On the offchance that he is going to make a serious offer for the club he is going to finance it through a bank and secure it with his assets, he would be free to shift the burden for that financing onto the club if he is succesful which is effectively what the Glazers did. There is nothing to suggest he will be any less motivated by self interest and greed than our current owners, if you look at his past dealings it is quite probable he would be worse. It seems a lot of people are being hoodwinked by the he is a local boy who supports the club narrative but the truth is he is a shark who openly supported Chelsea for many years. The whole package is all a bit project Leave for my tastes, promise the world and deliver disaster.
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unless someone comes along like an oil state it’s only going to get worst really, United will just be paying the interest on 6b of debt instead of 600m it’s getting a bit daft tbh
 
Gandalf said:
He actually won't. He does not have anywhere close to 6 billion in cash and so if he buys the club he is going to do it with a loan. He is also not some altruistic soul who is going to dip into his own pockets to pay off the existing debts.

On the offchance that he is going to make a serious offer for the club he is going to finance it through a bank and secure it with his assets, he would be free to shift the burden for that financing onto the club if he is succesful which is effectively what the Glazers did. There is nothing to suggest he will be any less motivated by self interest and greed than our current owners, if you look at his past dealings it is quite probable he would be worse. It seems a lot of people are being hoodwinked by the he is a local boy who supports the club narrative but the truth is he is a shark who openly supported Chelsea for many years. The whole package is all a bit project Leave for my tastes, promise the world and deliver disaster.
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Absolutely. People are kidding themselves thinking life after the Glazers is destined to be all rainbows and sunshine. There are no good owners in football, not at the sums of money required for a club like United.
 
devilish said:
Shouldn't he be a bit competent though?
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Surely it takes at least a basic level of competence to escape Oldham, let alone go on to become the UKs richest man and head a company worth £60bn?

Out of interest how has he/Ineos faired with other investments, sporting and non sporting? They own or sponsor various sports teams do they not?

Comparisons with the Glazers, who for periods of time propped up their failing retail businesses with their sports franchises seems unfair.
 
Jim White on Talksport at 3:06 says he heard Nassir Al Khalifi they had a 4bn bid received for PSG and the bidder was among the middle East.



They're out in Qatar and claim they heard that from him first hand. If we believe this I don't think there will be any issue selling United for 6bn among more than one interested party.
 
Gycraig said:
unless someone comes along like an oil state it’s only going to get worst really, United will just be paying the interest on 6b of debt instead of 600m it’s getting a bit daft tbh
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It is not a popular opinion but unless you actually want an oil state an American Investment group is probably our best bet. The Glazers have poisoned the well with United supporters but in truth there are plenty of examples of sports teams thriving under this model when it is implemented properly with a long term vision and commitment.

In reality the notion of an altruistic billionaire paying the 6 billion asking price for the love of the club and then pouring their own money into it is a complete fantasy. The only owners not motivated by profit will be oil states and so with that in mind is Ratcliffe a better bet than any other investment group? The performance of Ineos with Nice, Lausanne and their other sporting interests would suggest he is at best incompetent and has a track record of not delivering on his promises.
 
With the glazers it'll be the highest bid available that wins, also if it's from an oligarch or a state. Not sure Sir Jim can offer that much, but give it a go, Jim - you're the best option for us fans out there it seems
 
Gandalf said:
He actually won't. He does not have anywhere close to 6 billion in cash and so if he buys the club he is going to do it with a loan. He is also not some altruistic soul who is going to dip into his own pockets to pay off the existing debts.

On the offchance that he is going to make a serious offer for the club he is going to finance it through a bank and secure it with his assets, he would be free to shift the burden for that financing onto the club if he is succesful which is effectively what the Glazers did. There is nothing to suggest he will be any less motivated by self interest and greed than our current owners, if you look at his past dealings it is quite probable he would be worse. It seems a lot of people are being hoodwinked by the he is a local boy who supports the club narrative but the truth is he is a shark who openly supported Chelsea for many years. The whole package is all a bit project Leave for my tastes, promise the world and deliver disaster.
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You think he will buy the club from his own personal wealth? It won’t just be him. It would be a consortium with him at the head.
 
ROFLUTION said:
With the glazers it'll be the highest bid available that wins, also if it's from an oligarch or a state. Not sure Sir Jim can offer that much, but give it a go, Jim - you're the best option for us fans out there it seems
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Why is he the best option?
 
Gandalf said:
. The only owners not motivated by profit will be oil states and so with that in mind is Ratcliffe a better bet than any other investment group? The performance of Ineos with Nice, Lausanne and their other sporting interests would suggest he is at best incompetent and has a track record of not delivering on his promises.
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What did he promise Nice & the swiss club?
 
ROFLUTION said:
With the glazers it'll be the highest bid available that wins, also if it's from an oligarch or a state. Not sure Sir Jim can offer that much, but give it a go, Jim - you're the best option for us fans out there it seems
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Why is he good option? Because he is United fan? He doesn't even have enough money. He needs investors.
 
TheReligion said:
You think he will buy the club from his own personal wealth? It won’t just be him. It would be a consortium with him at the head.
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I specifically said that he would not. It will be an investment under the Ineos umbrella and in that case no dofferent than being bought by investors from America or India or anywhere else for that matter. On the specific subject of Jim though, along with being a notorious tease with limited follow through he has made a total shiteshow of the other sporting assests he has bought and so my initial feelings are that it would be out of the frying pan and into the fire with him.
 
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