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

[Wing Attack Plan R]

How much interference will there be from Ratcliffe? Can he make unilateral hiring and firing decisions?
Will he emulate Abramovitch, Mark Cuban, Stan Kroenke or worse?

Under Abramovitch, Mourinho claimed he always picked the teams he sent out, but he was also saddled with players he did not want. Chelsea, Man City, Newcastle also have the acrid scent of money laundering associated with their billions spent. Ineos / Ratcliffe won't need to sports wash the money, meaning less spent.

He's also 70, which isn't dotage, but what happens to the ownership when he dies, which will be anytime from right now to 20 years hence? Ratcliffe moved his tax base to Monaco and saved an amount basically equal to the sale price of United in the process.

 

[sglowrider]

Why? He’s still a fcuking Tory. And a Brexiteer.

And an enthusiastic fracker.

 

[sglowrider]

To any prospective owners:

* Get rid of the debt.
* Invest heavily into the infrastructure to put United on par with the best in world football
* Back Ten Hag in the transfer market till the cows come home

Give me that and you have my vote.

Bonus: Send Phil Jones packing.

I am sure they will have taken note of your post/advice after reading it. Every vote counts.

 

[The Red Thinker]

It's Apple for me.

Imagine a WWDC to unveil new players. Air Pod Trafford. Sign me up.

Enter the stadium with facial recognition. Tickets in your Apple Wallet. Monthly tickets, Season Tickets all a subscription service

 

[croadyman]

That's my fear as well. Feel like Ratcliffe will be a little less shite than the Glazers.

Yeah provided that ME owners won't get rid of Erik then still siding with them. They don't care about how much they spend which allows us to sort out infrastructure and have a big transfer budget too.

 

[croadyman]

Enter the stadium with facial recognition. Tickets in your Apple Wallet. Monthly tickets, Season Tickets all a subscription service

Cannot see any of these tech giants being serious

 

[tenpoless]

At INEOS we strive to make the world a better place through innovation and investment. Our company cares about the well being of the world, including the footballing world. Our contributions to football have been massive. INEOS produces chemicals that are used to produce antibiotics, steroids (used by Pep Guardiola), anti-inflammatories (used by Jurgen Klopp) and paracetamol which at some point Ronaldo took when he had a fever.

 

[croadyman]

Think people who are spot on that say he will pay what he thinks the club is worth whereas ME owners will pay whatever it takes

 

[Tarrou]

Think people who are spot on that say he will pay what he thinks the club is worth whereas ME owners will pay whatever it takes

we don't actually know that about ME owners though, we're just assuming it

has a ME owner spent over $1bn buying a club before? Certainly not $5bn+ obviously

it would be a first and not saying it won't happen (I think it will), but I don't think its impossible they turn it down either

 

[sglowrider]

At INEOS we strive to make the world a better place through innovation and investment. Our company cares about the well being of the world, including the footballing world. Our contributions to football have been massive. INEOS produces chemicals that are used to produce antibiotics, steroids (used by Pep Guardiola), anti-inflammatories (used by Jurgen Klopp) and paracetamol which at some point Ronaldo took when he had a fever.

 

[devilish]

My major concern is that Ineos took Nice and Lausanne and they showed to be pretty underwhelming.

 

[croadyman]

My major concern is that Ineos took Nice and Lausanne and they showed to be pretty underwhelming.

Yeah that is concerning to say the least

 

[croadyman]

we don't actually know that about ME owners though, we're just assuming it

has a ME owner spent over $1bn buying a club before? Certainly not $5bn+ obviously

it would be a first and not saying it won't happen (I think it will), but I don't think its impossible they turn it down either

How much did Abu Dhabi pay for City in 2008 because can't recall off the top of my head

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Is he a fan? He has a season ticket at Chelsea and has gone to watch them for decades. All this talk of split loyalties between the two is nonsense. Don’t believe the propaganda

That is the worry for me. Oh he lives in London so it is easier to go see them. Yet in same breath he is a multi-billionaire so of course he can afford United. He is a multi-billionaire, so can also afford comfortable travel to go and watch United, does he go to United's away matches in London?

 

[croadyman]

we don't actually know that about ME owners though, we're just assuming it

has a ME owner spent over $1bn buying a club before? Certainly not $5bn+ obviously

it would be a first and not saying it won't happen (I think it will), but I don't think its impossible they turn it down either

Very true but when you look at the worth of say that Dubai Investment Corporation I could only see them being outbid by a tech giant

 

[Tarrou]

How much did Abu Dhabi pay for City in 2008 because can't recall off the top of my head

I don't remember either but couldn't have been more than 2/3 hundred million I'm sure

 

[amolbhatia50k]

To any prospective owners:

* Get rid of the debt.
* Invest heavily into the infrastructure to put United on par with the best in world football
* Back Ten Hag in the transfer market till the cows come home

Give me that and you have my vote.

Bonus: Send Phil Jones packing.

Competence and ridding us of debt (as much as possible) is key. Enough of being run shambllically. And it's still as ridiculous as ever to have a debt on the club which isn't for the club's benefit but due to the owners lack of money.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

How much did Abu Dhabi pay for City in 2008 because can't recall off the top of my head

Around £200 mill.

 

[The Boy]

Enter the stadium with facial recognition. Tickets in your Apple Wallet. Monthly tickets, Season Tickets all a subscription service

Most of this already happens, except (as far as I know) the facial recognition! I am season ticket holder at Bristol Rovers (my 11 year old is mad for them) and all our tickets appear every week in my apple wallet.

 

[Adamsk7]

If our new owner can just rid us of debt, then we can do the rest ourselves. With our interest payments and dividends off our back we can afford to compete still. It’s not like City have been going nuts with transfers and Chelsea have sure but they’ve not been paying anything we couldn’t.

No debt and continue on the trajectory with Erik and we will become a very attractive place to play (not that we aren’t anyway).

 

[Gurtej]

How much did Abu Dhabi pay for City in 2008 because can't recall off the top of my head

it was like 200-300m…..no one knew or cared about shitty before they were over taken….and that’s why it’s so laughable when people call them a big club….

Good thing they did was to put a structure in place and they won few leagues, but remember they won with most of their rivals either in decline like us an arsenal or in transition like pool and Chelsea….

Both pool and us will get new owners and I think if run properly, we will start dominating again….. I am certain in next couple of years we will be talking about the club who will hit 1bn revenue first and I am certain it will be us (unless city does a 1bn deal with its own airline)…

I also don’t think he will come alone, most likely he will be key player in consortium with major stake….

It’s not only the 5bn any owner has to spend…. We also need to spend big in infrastructure that can range anywhere between 1-2bn….

Additionally, as much as I think we can fund all purchases and wages given the revenue we generate, next summer we will spend big given years of mismanagement on squad and also the new owners would want to make a statement….I won’t be surprised if you see us chasing Mbapee next year

 

[sglowrider]

My major concern is that Ineos took Nice and Lausanne and they showed to be pretty underwhelming.

As for how SJR would run United, it's hard to tell. I don't think you can compare it to running Nice at all. He just turned 70 years old and being a lifelong United fan (despite having a Chelsea season ticket due to residing in London), maybe he wants to bring United back to being the state-of-the-art football club as his legacy move?

May need to tell that to him.

 

[Dr. StrangeHate]

Honestly not convinced by him.

Would need written confirmation that he will spend at boehly levels before even entertaining a bid from him.

Chelsea have bought 14 players in 33 weeks since the take over.

A pro boehly clause for buying a player every other week seems fair. This will also keep transfer sagas nice and short. Max 100 pages on the caf per player.

 

[Dr. StrangeHate]

This doesn't excite me at all. Apparently he wants to bring the old guard back, probably the class of 92. Don't want them anywhere near United, we need to move away from all that.

Didn't know that. The class of 92 will ruin the club. For sure that is a massive red flag.

 

[phelans shorts]

That is the worry for me. Oh he lives in London so it is easier to go see them. Yet in same breath he is a multi-billionaire so of course he can afford United. He is a multi-billionaire, so can also afford comfortable travel to go and watch United, does he go to United's away matches in London?

These season tickets are more like boxes. For entertaining clients. It makes far more sense for him to do that close to INEOS London headquarters.

 

[Acole9]

Where have you heard that? Not seen that anywhere.

Off another United fan I know. They might be making it up though.

 

[Amir]

Good thing they did was to put a structure in place and they won few leagues, but remember they won with most of their rivals either in decline like us an arsenal or in transition like pool and Chelsea….

No need to resort to that. They've been brilliant, and also pushed at times by a very good Liverpool side. We were normally challenged by one side when we won most of our PL titles.

Both pool and us will get new owners and I think if run properly, we will start dominating again….. I am certain in next couple of years we will be talking about the club who will hit 1bn revenue first and I am certain it will be us (unless city does a 1bn deal with its own airline)…

I have confidence we'll be doing very well. I don't know about dominating, certainly not Fergie style. But I expect we'll have a good cycle for the next 3-4 years.

 

[#07]

 

[Jimble]

I won’t be surprised if you see us chasing Mbapee next year

I really hope not. He's one of the least likeable players in the world. Talented, but a massive bellend.

 

[Red the Bear]

No need to resort to that. They've been brilliant, and also pushed at times by a very good Liverpool side. We were normally challenged by one side when we won most of our PL titles.



I have confidence we'll be doing very well. I don't know about dominating, certainly not Fergie style. But I expect we'll have a good cycle for the next 3-4 years.

If we get oil money we might as well start dominating Fergie style, we have unbridled potential and with oil money we could fulfill it(only Liverpool could rival us in that scenario if they get their own state owners).

Whether it's worth selling our souls for that is another matter.

 

[Tommy79]

My major concern is that Ineos took Nice and Lausanne and they showed to be pretty underwhelming.

Sailing . In 2018, Ratcliffe and INEOS invested well over £100million in a bid, amongst other things, to claim the America’s Cup in 2021. INEOS Team UK, led by Ben Ainslie, lost an eliminator 7-1 and did not make the final.


Cycling . In the spring of 2019, Team Sky became Team INEOS after Ratcliffe sanctioned a deal said to be worth £40million a year. A Team Sky rider had won Le Tour in each of the four previous years and Egan Bernal duly made sure INEOS got off to a winning start. Since then, they have not won it.


Formula One. INEOS bought a third of the all-conquering Mercedes team ahead of the 2021 season, which saw them win an eighth consecutive constructors’ championship. In 2022, they did not even make the top two.


Football. INEOS own Nice - mid-table in France - and Lausanne-Sport, who were relegated from the top tier of Swiss football at the end of last season.

I don't think he is the white knight people think he is, but you can understand to a degree why some would want him over ME owners.

 

[jm99]

we don't actually know that about ME owners though, we're just assuming it

has a ME owner spent over $1bn buying a club before? Certainly not $5bn+ obviously

it would be a first and not saying it won't happen (I think it will), but I don't think its impossible they turn it down either

According to forces there's only 15 clubs worth more than a billion, real and barca are fan owned (or something like that, that wouldn't make a takeover possible), bayern and dortmund the same, and psg and city are owned by oil states and became more valuable through investment. So there's only 9 clubs this could apply to, and Chelsea, us, Liverpool and spurs haven't been for sale, I don't know how atletico are structured but I'd imagine similar to real and barca. Juventus weren't for sale either so only really the Milan clubs and arsenal would have even been possible.

The middle Eastern owners have thrown more money at Ronaldo and mbappe than it cost to buy Newcastle or City or psg, I don't think they'll have any issue paying 5bn for us

 

[horsechoker]

He’s 70 right? What happens when…

Well done he's 70

 

[Member 101269]

Where is Carl Van Loon

 

[Member 101269]

Sailing . In 2018, Ratcliffe and INEOS invested well over £100million in a bid, amongst other things, to claim the America’s Cup in 2021. INEOS Team UK, led by Ben Ainslie, lost an eliminator 7-1 and did not make the final.


Cycling . In the spring of 2019, Team Sky became Team INEOS after Ratcliffe sanctioned a deal said to be worth £40million a year. A Team Sky rider had won Le Tour in each of the four previous years and Egan Bernal duly made sure INEOS got off to a winning start. Since then, they have not won it.


Formula One. INEOS bought a third of the all-conquering Mercedes team ahead of the 2021 season, which saw them win an eighth consecutive constructors’ championship. In 2022, they did not even make the top two.


Football. INEOS own Nice - mid-table in France - and Lausanne-Sport, who were relegated from the top tier of Swiss football at the end of last season.

I don't think he is the white knight people think he is, but you can understand to a degree why some would want him over ME owners.

This

 

[Tarrou]

According to forces there's only 15 clubs worth more than a billion, real and barca are fan owned (or something like that, that wouldn't make a takeover possible), bayern and dortmund the same, and psg and city are owned by oil states and became more valuable through investment. So there's only 9 clubs this could apply to, and Chelsea, us, Liverpool and spurs haven't been for sale, I don't know how atletico are structured but I'd imagine similar to real and barca. Juventus weren't for sale either so only really the Milan clubs and arsenal would have even been possible.

The middle Eastern owners have thrown more money at Ronaldo and mbappe than it cost to buy Newcastle or City or psg, I don't think they'll have any issue paying 5bn for us

Probably not. But I wonder why none of them bid for Chelsea at half the price.

 

[jm99]

Probably not. But I wonder why none of them bid for Chelsea at half the price.

Potentially because of the uk government involvement and the deadline, given the challenges Newcastle got in getting approval for their owners it might have been too complicated, maybe not but I reckon a conventional sale of Chelsea would have attracted those buyers

Or could be the issues around their stadium with the fans trust owning it or whatever it is

 

[sglowrider]

Sailing . In 2018, Ratcliffe and INEOS invested well over £100million in a bid, amongst other things, to claim the America’s Cup in 2021. INEOS Team UK, led by Ben Ainslie, lost an eliminator 7-1 and did not make the final.


Cycling . In the spring of 2019, Team Sky became Team INEOS after Ratcliffe sanctioned a deal said to be worth £40million a year. A Team Sky rider had won Le Tour in each of the four previous years and Egan Bernal duly made sure INEOS got off to a winning start. Since then, they have not won it.


Formula One. INEOS bought a third of the all-conquering Mercedes team ahead of the 2021 season, which saw them win an eighth consecutive constructors’ championship. In 2022, they did not even make the top two.


Football. INEOS own Nice - mid-table in France - and Lausanne-Sport, who were relegated from the top tier of Swiss football at the end of last season.

I don't think he is the white knight people think he is, but you can understand to a degree why some would want him over ME owners.

MUGA!!

 

[sglowrider]

If we get oil money we might as well start dominating Fergie style, we have unbridled potential and with oil money we could fulfill it(only Liverpool could rival us in that scenario if they get their own state owners).

Whether it's worth selling our souls for that is another matter.

What souls? We slag off our managers, players/former players, club administrators at the drop of a pin, if we don't get what we want ie silverware.
Let's not pretend that there is such purity going on here.

 

[tenpoless]

Glazers are currently stronks and waiting for a bidding war.
Sir Jimmy phones Bogdanoff for a help.
"They are at ease? dump it"
United drew against Palace
"Dump it again"
United lost 4-0 against Arsenal
"Give them some hope for 3 days"
United won 1-0 against Nottingham
"Dump it and erase any progress they have made since Ten Hag joined"
United lost 6-0 against Reading in FA cup. Casemiro and Licha got a red card, Shaw didn't want to play, Bruno back to his gobshite mode and Rashford forgot his shooting boots again. Phil Jones is set for a return

Glazers : "3 billion!! take it! take this nightmare away from us, please I beg you"