It's astonishing the amount of people beating the Glazers over the head about the debt, yet they don't even bother to do simple fact checking.
The Saudi Takeover Rumor Thread
- Thread starter C3Pique
- Start date
- Status
No it wouldn't make sense, but then match fixing never does yet it has happened in the past and probably will again in the future. Sure no doubt they would go down the trying to buy success route first but that is never a guarantee to work.
As i said above i'm not suggesting the Saudis if they owned United definitely would be involved in match fixing. But would anyone really be shocked if 10-15 years down the line United were involved in a match fixing scandal with them as owners?
The Glazers aren't rinsing us. They certainly aren't the savviest of owners, but squad investment has not been an issue. It's how we've invested that's the problem. We're operating in a completely different world now though.
First Chelsea, then City and now PSG. Due to these clubs inflating the transfer market with dubious ownership, the economics of football are spiraling out of control. The money has become so obscene that squads are being stockpiled by the top clubs as much as they are built to win. It is about investment as much as anything.
Look at Real Madrid. They have two #1 keepers in their squad, six starter quality fullbacks and a handful of quality centerbacks along with who knows how many quality midfielders and attackers on their books. Same for Barca. And while I loathe the fact they are able to do this largely because they milk the majority of TV revenues in Spain and use whatever shady financial tactics possible, at least they're historic clubs.
But now City is doing the same. It's no longer just "we want this player's quality in our squad". It's "if we buy them they can't help anyone else beat us whether we need them or not". And who the feck are City. Nobody. That's who.
I haven't even mentioned who the City or PSG owners are or who our potential buyers are and how they operate. But no, I don't want to be part of this out of touch shitshow where winning is about how much blood money you're backed by. Because, who cares.
I don't think we would ever need to stoop so low.
It would at least be one less stick for rival cnuts to beat us with.
Sure they can switch their chant to Arabs but it would be pure jealousy. Exactly where I like to see them.
Honestly I'm surprised at some of the shite I'm reading in this thread. Reckon some of you would sell your arses for another premiership win....
A few have done it for less.
Redcafe has gone far from the days of Martial FC vs Mourinho ****...
Nowadays it's Glory Hunter vs Moral Hunter
Throw in a champions league as well and we can talk.
So club owners
being family with people who abuse human rights and are anti-LGBT = Not OK
being businesses which directly fund govts who openly supply arms and promote families with people who abuse human rights and are anti-LGBT = Perfect
Guess it is all about where one is able to draw the line.
being family with people who abuse human rights and are anti-LGBT = Not OK
being businesses which directly fund govts who openly supply arms and promote families with people who abuse human rights and are anti-LGBT = Perfect
Guess it is all about where one is able to draw the line.
«Winning at all costs» is an expression that very few mean LITERALLY. Anyway, being owned by oil money etc is not illegal - match fixing and the likes are.
Then why are so many people quite happy to accept money from these people?
Who said our current owners are “perfect” (your word)? I was against the Glazer takeover, and I am against their ownership still. I am also against us selling to an even worse group of people. They are not mutually exclusive positions.
So then why are you surprised when other people draw the line at different points? If you don't want to win at all cost, then something other than United's success also matters to you.
You’re being ingenious here. Being owned by the Saudis can’t be compared to your unrealistic examples.
When I say «win at all costs» in football I’m talking about being ruthless in the transfer market, cynical tactics, «dark arts», diving and fouls etc. We’re not talking about nuking Liverpool city.
I didn't know Kim Jong Un also met the Glazers for a potential buyout.
I didn't know Kim Jong Un also met the Glazers for a potential buyout.
Great Post.
If we have to accept a dodgy regime to compete with City then it doesn't really matter what happens. They've won.
United are already rich enough to compete. We spend more on players than pretty much anyone in the world bar City and PSG. Clubs with far less resources routinely out-perform us.
So we don't need an oligarch to compete. And even if we go years without winning a title, we'll remain a big club. Liverpool haven't won the league for nearly 30 years and they're still famous around the world.
My unrealistic examples? I only offered the example of match fixing and bribing referees, both of which happened countless times in the history of football and are hardly unrealistic.
They are also not, in my opinion, worse than being the PR tool intended to whitewash a murderous, oppressive, backward regime that engages in public executions. But each to their own: others draw their line in different places. Which is my point to begin with.
And, even more importantly, they are competing right now! Which, ironically, leads to a lot of people here claiming there is no way for us to compete without oil money anymore because even Liverpool are too far ahead now. That's blatant nonsense, mind you, but that never stopped anyone.
The concern I have is similar to other posters. Some examples of MBS’s crazy spending habits show that if he wants something, he tends to get it.
If the interest is genuine he will buy United eventually. There is a price for any commodity in the world and he will eventually come up with a number that the Glazers can’t say no to.
If the interest is genuine he will buy United eventually. There is a price for any commodity in the world and he will eventually come up with a number that the Glazers can’t say no to.
The Russians most probably, the resident evils of the West. It's never the US or Britain, NEVER.
I think many are missing the point in fans wanting new owners and therefor having nothing against the Saudis owning us. It's not only the money spent. Yes you can be successful with even less money spent than we did under Glazers. the examples of Juventus is there and Bayern. It's the structure and the way the club is run, which will fail to change unless a new owner comes in. Juventus have a top notch organization same as Bayern, we are run by incompetent people and we will continue to down spiral in this trend.
I was pretty clear in the part of your post I was referring to:
Not sure why you decided to focus on one sentence in your post...
Very confused to the point you are trying to make. I never said you have to switch teams. I never said you had to do anything. I was speaking about a) equating running a business to the atrocities of the Saudi government to justify more resources and b) questioning why a person who stop supporting a sports team b/c it was owned by a brutal regime. As I said before, these views strike me as having a win at all costs mentality, which I believe is another form of glory hunting. Yes, it's my opinion but I've made myself pretty clear.
If we are rich enough to compete and we should be, why aren't we? Are the Glazers willing to employ someone who knows what they are doing regarding player recruitment? Now Ole might be an absolute genius, if Ed actually gives him the respect of listening to him, but he could end up an unmitigated disaster. The amount of money we have wasted. I am just praying that the hierarchy at this club get it right for once.
I'm not so sure. MBS has rather a lot on his mind at the moment - buying a football club isn't likely to be high up in his priorities, especially with his financial powers and economic authority stripped away from him:
Rumours grow of rift between Saudi king and crown prince
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2...g-salman-and-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman
Saudi crown prince allegedly stripped of some authority
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...n-prince-allegedly-stripped-of-some-authority
The problem isn't the money spent. The problem is how we've spent it.
If we had someone responsible for running the football side of the business, and separated that operation from the hugely successful commercial side, we might not have wasted so much money on bad signings and hired managers who were past their best.
Our failure to do this is the reason for our poor performance. If football matches were decided purely by wages and transfer spend, we'd be competing for the title and reaching the Champions League semi-finals every year.
Now, it could be argued that a different regime would run us more efficiently than the Glazers have. Certainly, the Abu Dhabi regime has run City brilliantly. But there's no guarantee the Saudis would replicate that at United. And besides, aren't we in the process of hiring a DoF? Perhaps we should wait until the end of summer before slating the Glazers for not appointing one. Surely they must realize that we need to start competing again and take steps to address that.
You could be right. City have done really well, but even they had teething problems. PSG just chuck money about, but are a completely pointless club.
So
So you would be happy to go 20-30 years without winning anything? We are already 'not competing' after 6 years. This will probably get worse with the current owners.
Why will it probably get worse?
Here we go again with this laughable narrative. If you slag off the Saudi regime, it doesn't mean you support/back/like the Glazers. How do so many of you struggle with this oh so very simple concept.
No. I'm not saying that, you misunderstand me.
I'm saying that, with our current investment, we're perfectly capable of competing. In fact, we're under-achieving massively given our total spend.
To start competing again we need to put a modern football structure in place. We need to move on from the Fergie years and accept we're unlikely to get that kind of manager again, so we need to appoint a DoF and make sure our army of new scouts are being listened to.
Can the Glazers oversee that kind of structure? Well they've certainly revamped our scouting and academy networks, and all the talk is that they're going to appoint a DoF too. So perhaps we should give them a chance?
I was massively opposed to the Glazers 10 years ago - that summer when we sold Ronaldo and bought Valencia is the most damaging summer we've had since I started supporting United in 1990. But, to be fair to them, the debt's under control and they've turned us into an operation that can compete with the oil princes without needing one ourselves. Unless a United-supporting billionaire, or consortium, wants to buy the club I'd suggest they're our best option for now. We certainly don't want to become a pawn in a Middle Eastern power game like City or PSG.
EDIT: Although I would be happy for the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund to take us over. After all, we've got a Norwegian manager so would be a nice synergy.
But we can't compete with the oil clubs, we should be spending so much more than we do.
Are there even any somewhat reliable rumours about it? Or is it purely based on this single pic when Glazer met someone in Saudi (99.99% because we have partnership with them) ?
We can compete with any club, Oil rich or whatever sources of income.We are Utd!
The problem is not spending but stability in management, a careful transfer policy aligned with the style and identity we want to assume. We’ve had 3 coaches all with a different vision. Two of those have spent heavily with limited success but have chiseled away at our ethos and identity.
Until the executives decide a clear strategy with the man to deliver that, we can have as much money as you can throw off the Stratford End, it’s not going to ensure success
Of course because that's all you see. You think not against the idea of the Saudi taking over the club = wanting more resources. I stated my view about the thread's topic without preferring them to take over the club. I repeat, ideally I want supporters to own the club. But as I said, if it did happen (Saudi take over) it won't stop me from supporting the club.
If these strike you as the form of glory hunting, your view on this strike me as short sighted mentality - unable to see the big picture. In your mind not against the Saudi takeover = glory hunters. I never thought I'd ignore someone on here but it seems like I have to.
Last edited:
Cheers.
I don't want us to become Saudi owned. Am genuinely worried though that if they couldn't buy us they'd try for Liverpool. With the amount of investment on offer, allied to how big we both our in our own right one of us could be set to dominate the PL for the foreseeable future.
Perhaps people should stop debating this until there's some evidence it might happen. I mean people are free to talk about what they like, of course, but it seems a bit daft to go on about a total hypothetical for so long. Maybe just do a poll.
- Status