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

phelans shorts

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Absolutely, I liked the idea/look of the new Stamford Bridge for exactly that reason.

Still think a refurb results in us having a much cooler & unique stadium.
Oh I agree, I’m not sold by the arguments for needing a new stadium at all. It largely feels like jealousy that others have a shiny new toy however dull and unoriginal they are.
 

phelans shorts

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I like that. The aesthetics remind me a little of Manchester Central Arena, which of course was once railway station.



I hereby propose we buy the arena, move it brick by brick, widen it out and put it on stilts.
City’s owners have a big share in it now if I’m not mistaken, so it may be difficult.

Lovely building though
 

phelans shorts

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I suggested the other day that potentially people could buy a digital subscription and get a ticket to watch by VR a live match, from the comfort of your own home hundreds/thousands of miles away. This would be an amazing way to cash in on all of those millions of digital only fans. Part of your subscription could be watching youth matches, womens matches, VR tours of the stadium, watching clips of old matches, reading digital match programmes etc. could be a massive money spinner
I’m don’t see VR tickets ever being viable, particularly in England where collective bargaining for tv deals is a thing. It’ll hit those TV deals massively and hurt those lower down the league.

The rest could probably be done with little to no fuss, but I just don’t ever see VR working in that sense.
 
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I’m don’t see VR tickets ever being viable, particularly in England where collective bargaining for tv deals is a thing. It’ll hit those TV deals massively and hurt those lower down the league.

The rest could probably be done with little to no fuss, but I just don’t ever see VR working in that sense.
Nothing stopping teams now streaming the games from midnight, adding top of the range VR to that would drastically increase the viewer figures/subscribers.
 

crossy1686

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How do they intend to make their money back on the Sofi Stadium? That's just a insane amount. Surely football fans are are different breed to NFL fans? I'm not sure heated seats and what not is needed*

I'm not actually sure they've got heated seats*
Sofi is a company so they’ve sold the naming rights for a start, there’s also probably a bunch of events on when the games aren’t, but the Americans pay crazy money for tickets to anything
 

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Tell you what. I was at Lusail stadium for Brazil vs Serbia. It was mega. 80k stadium but if it was as tight as Old Trafford is would be 150k. Massive. It’s beautiful. Probably The best stadium I’ve ever been to.
 

phelans shorts

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Nothing stopping teams now streaming the games from midnight, adding top of the range VR to that would drastically increase the viewer figures/subscribers.
But sport has that live factor that would be missing in that case. The majority of people you’d be looking to sell those VR replays too will be the people who’ll get up in the middle of the night to experience the live game, would they be that fussed to them watch it back in that way knowing what happens?
 
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But sport has that live factor that would be missing in that case. The majority of people you’d be looking to sell those VR replays too will be the people who’ll get up in the middle of the night to experience the live game, would they be that fussed to them watch it back in that way knowing what happens?
I spent about 20 years of my life making sure not to find out the score until MOTD, if I missed it live. ;)
If the experience was good enough, I think there would be enormous interest, not least from the fans in different time zones.
 

phelans shorts

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I spent about 20 years of my life making sure not to find out the score until MOTD, if I missed it live. ;)
If the experience was good enough, I think there would be enormous interest, not least from the fans in different time zones.
Twitter makes it all the more difficult nowadays, until Elon tanks it!

Like I say I think the problem with replays is the most likely to be interested is the same fans that currently watch at 5am or whatever their local time is when we play. Whats the tagline Sky keep using, it’s only live once?
 

golden_blunder

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But sport has that live factor that would be missing in that case. The majority of people you’d be looking to sell those VR replays too will be the people who’ll get up in the middle of the night to experience the live game, would they be that fussed to them watch it back in that way knowing what happens?
They will develop a way to make it so you can watch it live, a stadium and pitch full of cameras or something. And it would sell to all those people who can’t get to OT. Add all the other bits I mentioned as extras
 

Messier1994

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Tell you what. I was at Lusail stadium for Brazil vs Serbia. It was mega. 80k stadium but if it was as tight as Old Trafford is would be 150k. Massive. It’s beautiful. Probably The best stadium I’ve ever been to.
Anyone got any feel for how big of a stadium we realistically could carry (have like 90+% attendance) nowadays?
 

Messier1994

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90k easily I’d imagine given current levels of demand.
How is demand, is it a bit lower now than during the peak years?

Would be nice to top Barca… What is Camp Nou’s max capacity, 97k?

I am definitely in the corner of how they should rebuild Old Trafford. These new arenas have no charm. Even if the crowd is “loud”, that real noice level isn’t there. Each little section with its own kiosk.
 

sglowrider

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe shows ruthless side as joint Lewis Hamilton Man Utd bid takes shape
Britain's richest man could team up with Formula One great Lewis Hamilton to take over Manchester United from the Glazer family - and his ruthlessness has been on display at Nice

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has sacked Nice manager Lucien Favre after just six months in charge following an embarrassing defeat.
Favre returned for a second stint in charge of Nice in June following Christophe Galtier’s move to Paris Saint-Germain. He was sacked on Monday after overseeing a 1-0 defeat by third-tier team Le Puy in the Coupe de France.
Didier Digard has been placed in temporary charge while a permanent replacement is found. Nice are 11th in Ligue 1 with 21 points from 17 games and have not won for three matches.
Nice are now looking for the fifth manager since Ratcliffe’s company completed their £88million takeover in the summer of 2019. Favre has followed Patrick Vieira, Adrian Ursea and Galtier in going through the revolving door on the Mediterranean coast.
 

Sparky_Hughes

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I suggested the other day that potentially people could buy a digital subscription and get a ticket to watch by VR a live match, from the comfort of your own home hundreds/thousands of miles away. This would be an amazing way to cash in on all of those millions of digital only fans. Part of your subscription could be watching youth matches, womens matches, VR tours of the stadium, watching clips of old matches, reading digital match programmes etc. could be a massive money spinner
I would totally sign up for that
 

saivet

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Is there actually anything about a bid or Lewis Hamilton?
From the article, this is what Hamilton said....in September so basically the article is a load of waffle.
"Jim’s part boss but partner – I'd say we're more partners because we're in this together and I hope in future to do something with Jim and build with him," Formula One driver Hamilton said in September. "I don't know where that will be or what that will be, so I can't really say.

"I haven't had a call from him asking if I want to be involved in [a United takeover bid] just yet, but I do want to get more and more involved in teams because I really do believe in black ownership – there is a lack of it in sports – and black equity. Again, there is a real lack of that."
 

croadyman

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Good news!! Best of luck Uncle Jim!
My worry with Ineos isn't so much the money but more are they capable of putting the right people in place at the club,if they could show evidence of being able to do that I could get fully onboard
 

Rightnr

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So am I to understand that these deals are in fact done in the press?

OK, I'll stop now.
 

Chairman Steve

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How filthy rich would we be?
If INEOS is actually buying us, then yes we will a fair chunk of money to play with. Not Oil State level but enough to do what’s required for a successful team. Stuff like new stadium may be a challenge but who knows.

And Ratcliffe and INEOS have a track record of dabbling in sports. I get the feeling they want to muscle in on Red Bull and be a recognised sporting performance brand.
 

UnitedSofa

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So am I to understand that these deals are in fact done in the press?

OK, I'll stop now.
Sir Jim has been very vocal about his intent to buy United. All other buyers are remaining silent. So yes, the deals are done out of the public eye 99.9% of the time
 

MrSingh2002

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Guess it was only a matter of time before the public lobbying began.

He hasn't done much at Nice and he might not be rich enough to do the type of overhaul many want.

Any positives besides he's British and a United fan?
 

humdinger

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He’s not really a fan, he’s a businessman interested in profit. Not keen on the idea of him/Ineos being our owners.
 

andy0

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So am I to understand that these deals are in fact done in the press?

OK, I'll stop now.
I don'y understand it either.

If Ineos was a public company, there would have to be an official announcement to the Stock Market at some stage, but it isn't.