Club Sale | It’s done!

[ScarleyUtd]

Yes I reckon the new controlling structure will likely look like he's the seventh Glazer.

So what do you reckon Ratcliff's gameplan is?

Interesting. So the idea is that if Ratcliffe buys a 25% stake in the club that he’ll eventually have greater operating control of the club than the Glazers? But if that’s the case why wouldn’t Ratcliffe buy enough of the club to take control of it now? If the answer is that the Glazers would obviously refuse to give up control now, then why would they be willing yo give up control later?

More importantly, are we supporters actually going to be ok with the Glazers retaining control of the club for an indefinite period of time? I understand that there’s nothing we can do about it, but at the very least we should be under no false belief that anything will change so long as the Glazers remain in control of the club. I’m just not interested in waiting another 15-20 years to see the Glazers off.

Because according to reports the Glazers (or two of them) believe the club will grow a lot more in value over the next few years – and both Jassim and Ratcliff didn't. That's why the Glazers don't want to sell up now for less than a certain amount. Hence, it's claimed, them knocking back Jassim.

I think the theory with Ratcliff is that a deal is put in place with conditions. Money now for the 25%, based more closely to what the Glazers see the club as being worth (it's unclear what that's 25% of though – the Glazers 69%, or the total value of the club) and Ratcliff gets his spot at the table. Within that there's an agreement that he can buy further shares at a certain price/time. Added to this is that some Glazers do want out, and in all likelihood Ratcliff hasn't just thrown in 250 mill of his own cash by the end of the year for infrastructure just for getting a minority stake.

If the club does gain in value, Ratcliff has gained too, and the Glazers will sell to Ratcliff to give him the majority. If the club doesn't gain much in value the Glazers will see they got it wrong, but they get the overpayment from Ratcliff for his 25%. Other potential buyers will know the Glazers got it wrong too and so won't offer more, while Ratcliff still has his seat at the table and at least some Glazers are now very, very likely to sell.

I might not have got everything right, but that's the gist I think. It all depends I guess on whether there are conditions in place within the deal.

 

[Rhyme Animal]

and I'll apologise in advance for you being sick

And I’ll apologise in advance for you being rad.

 

[Von Mistelroum]

You don’t know who the original artist is…?

Cmon, fix up sunshine.

I believe that particular line was delivered by Mr Snoopy Dogg Dogg on a song by the good Doctor Dre?

 

[Rhyme Animal]

I believe that particular line was delivered by Mr Snoopy Dogg Dogg on a song by the good Doctor Dre?

Von Mistelroum creeps to the mic like a phantom…

 

[Red in STL]

So what do you reckon Ratcliff's gameplan is?


Because according to reports the Glazers (or two of them) believe the club will grow a lot more in value over the next few years – and both Jassim and Ratcliff didn't. That's why the Glazers don't want to sell up now for less than a certain amount. Hence, it's claimed, them knocking back Jassim.

I think the theory with Ratcliff is that a deal is put in place with conditions. Money now for the 25%, based more closely to what the Glazers see the club as being worth (it's unclear what that's 25% of though – the Glazers 69%, or the total value of the club) and Ratcliff gets his spot at the table. Within that there's an agreement that he can buy further shares at a certain price/time. Added to this is that some Glazers do want out, and in all likelihood Ratcliff hasn't just thrown in 250 mill of his own cash by the end of the year for infrastructure just for getting a minority stake.

If the club does gain in value, Ratcliff has gained too, and the Glazers will sell to Ratcliff to give him the majority. If the club doesn't gain much in value the Glazers will see they got it wrong, but they get the overpayment from Ratcliff for his 25%. Other potential buyers will know the Glazers got it wrong too and so won't offer more, while Ratcliff still has his seat at the table and at least some Glazers are now very, very likely to sell.

I might not have got everything right, but that's the gist I think. It all depends I guess on whether there are conditions in place within the deal.

You're close enough, there is zero chance that Ratcliffe is ponying up for 25% without a guaranteed pathway to majority control never mind putting in his own money for infrastructure, there's little doubt he's overpaying but he' apparently willing to do that as long as he has gurantees

 

[Teja]

This is where I get a bit lost with the Qatar thing, buying United isn't like buying a normal business where a value is set by 'future expected revenues', the value to them is just owning us, and putting the money in getting us back to the top again, it would be a sportswashing exercise afterall, so I don't know how you put a cost on that.

£5 billion or £6 billion, does it really matter when it comes to purchases like this.

I feel the sportwashing thing is over done. You can buy any club in the PL and make them the next City by doing the same backhanded deals that City have been using forever now. City fanbase internationally has grown quite a bit already and It will only grow after their CL win.

But anyway, there is quite a bit of difference between 5bn and 10bn. I think they'd have overpaid by 15-20% but not by a 100% difference. You can literally buy every single club outside the top six combined for 10bn. Probably can add Spurs on top too.

 

[RedDevilUnited369]

Still mulling this one over.

Sinking £250m in to the club separate from the 25% buy in…what does that mean? Does it bring the end price down? Why would he do that? What’s the Glazers really done for him lately to deserve such generosity?

Jimmy Glazer might be a genius or absolutely crazy.

Need more details.

 

[Mickeza]

Then they probably turned around and asked him why he signed Ross Barkley, Kasper Schmeichael and Aaron Ramsay last summer for Nice

All free transfers. Very comparable to the 70m fee and 400k wages we’ve given a 31 year old. None of them are still there and Nice are top of the league with a young squad. Not quite the hit job you imagined when you typed that message.

 

[RedCoffee]

Still mulling this one over.

Sinking £250m in to the club separate from the 25% buy in…what does that mean? Does it bring the end price down? Why would he do that? What’s the Glazers really done for him lately to deserve such generosity?

Jimmy Glazer might be a genius or absolutely crazy.

Need more details.

Sounds like his 1.5bn for 25% will go straight into the Glazers pocket. The extra 250m sounds like a directors loan to appease the fanbase and give the club a short term cash boost

 

[putzmcgee123]

The year is 2047. Sheikh Jassim stories are still being peddled by Twitter no marks, even though by now he is literally a preserved head in a jar. Rumours of a 368th bid swirl. Sir Jim Ratcliffe (junior) continues to outsmart him, by offering the Glazers the only thing they cannot buy: being genuinely physically attractive to a human woman (He is lying. He is after all, a billionaire, not a magician). Ben Jacobs continues to look like a wonky-eyed Stephen Merchant, if such a thing can be imagined, though he now works selling pagers door-to-door. He has a Japanese girlfriend, though no one has ever met her.

2047 sounds awesome!

 

[Acquire Me]

Still mulling this one over.

Sinking £250m in to the club separate from the 25% buy in…what does that mean? Does it bring the end price down? Why would he do that? What’s the Glazers really done for him lately to deserve such generosity?

Jimmy Glazer might be a genius or absolutely crazy.

Need more details.

Sir Jim is an excellent businessman. The deal in the making takes time because it’s likely(obviously) very detailed. With detailed I mean how the takeover process will work out from start to full ownership.

My guess is that it must be some sort of equity arrangement.

Going to be very interesting to know some of the details in a couple of weeks. But make no mistake thinking he will be under the Glazers authority. The man is not doing business that way.

 

[NotThatSoph]

No one said anything about not having voting power attached to the shares, all shares have voting power.
However there is no way around the fact once he buys class B shares they become class A shares and thus have less voting power and so he is not going to have 25% voting power it will be far less

Of course there's a way around that fact, they can just change it.

 

[Giggsyking]

 

[Judas]

More nonsense.

 

[Andy_Cole]

Not really relevant is it

 

[MancunianAngels]

So?

Him buying the club and turning us in a state sponsored sport washing project would have been the final final nail in the coffin.

This place would have become a Qatar apologist site like Newcastle fans are on Twitter with the Saudi government.

 

[MancunianAngels]

Not really relevant is it

Of course it isn't. But people keep clinging onto a cheat code that they assume would have guaranteed success.

 

[Pickle85]

Very easy to release this stuff when there's no longer any chance you'll be called on to do so.

 

[Ahmer Baig]

Just let it go. Whoever he is was never interested in buying the club.

 

[Mainoldo]

Do you have £6bn though?

 

[laughtersassassin]

Unless part of the deal says the Glazer’s put in the same amount after he hands over his money

That ain't gonna happen

 

[TrueRed79]

As every day passes, one can only think that this guy is a fake, or was never seriously interested in buying Utd in the first place. Why is he still being posted about around here? It's borderline pathetic that he still gets a mention around here.

 

[Lord of Blackhaven]

Sheikh Jassim had vowed to invest an initial £800m in infrastructure at Manchester United.

If only he'd used that to up his actual bid he might have won. What a businessman.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

I feel the sportwashing thing is over done. You can buy any club in the PL and make them the next City by doing the same backhanded deals that City have been using forever now. City fanbase internationally has grown quite a bit already and It will only grow after their CL win.

But anyway, there is quite a bit of difference between 5bn and 10bn. I think they'd have overpaid by 15-20% but not by a 100% difference. You can literally buy every single club outside the top six combined for 10bn. Probably can add Spurs on top too.

You're right about is been cheaper to buy another club and trying to do what City have done, but it wouldn't be easy at all, City got it right by getting the best manager that is currently available, and having virtually a free run at doing as they wish, also nicely coinciding with United and initially Liverpool not been run to compete with a club like this.

Even now 15 years on and so many trophies no one really cares or respects them, becasue they know what they are been used for and how they have got there, whilst the fanbase will be bigger is it really by that much? And how many wil stick around if there is any real punishment for their 115 charges?

Basically Qatar want to spend all the money at once, and get one of the biggest names in football, which won't involve the need for any dodgy sponsorship dealings, and who have a massive fanbase already, but it doesn't really change the motivation for doing it.

 

[putzmcgee123]

Very easy to release this stuff when there's no longer any chance you'll be called on to do so.

We haven't heard from that Finnish guy Zilliacus in a while, but I have it on good authority he would have gotten the fans to crowd fund £69B into infrastructure investments.

 

[Pickle85]

We haven't heard from that Finnish guy Zilliacus in a while, but I have it on good authority he would have gotten the fans to crowd fund £69B into infrastructure investments.

if the Glazers had only answered my phonecalls the club would have a new 14 billion pound stadium, the surrounding area would have been bounded by a moat and turned into a huge United theme park/fanzone. It would have its own status as a principality by now (the right palms would be greased to avoid it becoming a city...ugh) and Fergie would be its benevolent ruler. We'd also be twenty points clear at the top of the league.

 

[putzmcgee123]

if the Glazers had only answered my phonecalls the club would have a new 14 billion pound stadium, the surrounding area would have been bounded by a moat and turned into a huge United theme park/fanzone. It would have its own status as a principality by now (the right palms would be greased to avoid it becoming a city...ugh) and Fergie would be its benevolent ruler. We'd also be twenty points clear at the top of the league.

@Pickle85 for owner IMMEDIATELY. Full sale to @Pickle85 ONLY.

On Zilliacus, obviously Raine never even humoured this guy at all, but just imagine the absolute state of the club this season in particular if this proposal of his were implemented.

Each fan who joins will have access to an app which the fan, from anywhere in the world, can use to participate and cast his vote when deciding on footballing matters relating to the club. No decisions will be taken that are not supported by a majority of the fan base.

 

[Pickle85]

@Pickle85 for owner IMMEDIATELY. Full sale to @Pickle85 ONLY.

On Zilliacus, obviously Raine never even humoured this guy at all, but just imagine the absolute state of the club this season in particular if this proposal of his were implemented.

I'd missed this...hilarious. Can you imagine if that happened?! Managerial change every three weeks, Antony at fullback and stocks set up in OT for weekly tomato throwing (player decided by vote).

 

[gaffs]

Glazers have presided over PL titles, CL trophy, Europa trophy, FA Cup, League Cup…

Why would they yield all sporting control to a minority share holder who has won nothing, ever, in football?

Because Ratcliffe is paying for it.

 

[Frosty]

Somehow the announcement of Ratcliffe investing hundreds of millions has made me even more angry at this whole debacle.

 

[Spoony]

Somehow the announcement of Ratcliffe investing hundreds of millions has made me even more angry at this whole debacle.

Why?

 

[Frosty]

Why?

My hatred of the owners is strong.

This feels a little bit like a parent who keeps rewarding bad behaviour.

The Glazers know they can now retain control, probably sell parts of the club piecemeal, still not have to put in any of their own money, know new buyers will start making up for all the spending that should have taken place and still likely make 10bn on something they inherited. I don't see them leaving for years.

I also think if Ratcliffe was 10 years younger he would have been a lot more shrewd and probably would only have settled for a full sale.

 

[Acquire Me]

My hatred of the owners is strong.

This feels a little bit like a parent who keeps rewarding bad behaviour.

The Glazers know they can now retain control, probably sell parts of the club piecemeal, still not have to put in any of their own money, know new buyers will start making up for all the spending that should have taken place and still likely make 10bn on something they inherited. I don't see them leaving for years.

I also think if Ratcliffe was 10 years younger he would have been a lot more shrewd and probably would only have settled for a full sale.

Assuming that Sir Jim can’t do business at his current age and that he will do this without getting control is laughable. Sorry mate.

 

[Castia]

All free transfers. Very comparable to the 70m fee and 400k wages we’ve given a 31 year old. None of them are still there and Nice are top of the league with a young squad. Not quite the hit job you imagined when you typed that message.

They signed those players and finished mid table I couldn’t give 2 fecks how much Case cost it’s embarrassingly bad regardless.

Maybe he could have given some if his footballing wisdom to his Swiss side as well they probably wouldn’t have gone down. The Nice stuff is also hilarious he’s had 4 years of shit and your trying to use 10 games this season as a measure of success

 

[Rams]

So Toto Wolff is considering investing in the club after being asked by Jimbo. Guess Mercedes is a big upgrade on a Chevrolet.

 

[Giggsyking]

So Toto Wolff is considering investing in the club after being asked by Jimbo. Guess Mercedes is a big upgrade on a Chevrolet.

Invest what? He does not have that type of money.

 

[onemanarmy]

Invest what? He does not have that type of money.

Witht a net worth of $1.6 billion, he could easily become a minority shareholder.

 

[Rams]

Invest what? He does not have that type of money.

Toto Wolff is a very wealthy investor! He owns a large share of the Mercedes F1 team as well as other investments. He’s a billionaire!

 

[Garethw]

If only he'd used that to up his actual bid he might have won. What a businessman.

This is what I don’t understand. Use the additional £800 million to get the bid accepted.

He could have then stated that the greed of the Glazers means that Stadium plans etc would be put on hold for a year or two.

 

[Frosty]

Assuming that Sir Jim can’t do business at his current age and that he will do this without getting control is laughable. Sorry mate.

No need to apologise. Let me explai.

I don't assume he cannot do business aged 71. That wasn't my point.

It has been reported that he wants a legacy. As he is in his seventies time is against him.

If he were younger I would expect him to be able to play a longer game and take advantage of the fact that the Glazers are running out of the club's money. Rather than accept the current unsatisfactory part purchase.

He will want full control. My issue is that I have less than zero faith in the Glazer family, and I can see them both pushing a hard bargain and resorting to underhand tactics, regardless of any agreement, to try and wring every cent out of a new owner .