Sir Alex Ferguson had an “impromptu” interview with MUTV on Friday to respond to transfer speculation that Manchester United had put in a bid for Robin van Persie. Unlike the usual tittle tattle in the tabloids, that morning the BBC reported: “Arsenal have dismissed Manchester United’s bid for Robin van Persie, with offers from Manchester City and Juventus also short of their valuation.”
This isn’t what Ferguson usually does with transfer speculation. Let’s not forget that Sao Paulo’s director, Marco Aurelio Cunha Cunha, confirmed that we had put in a bid for Lucas Moura this week too. “Manchester United made a very important offer of €35m but they would need to produce a little more,” he said. This wasn’t just a story on the BBC, but direct quotes, yet Ferguson didn’t feel the need to confirm or deny this rumour.
So, what’s going on?
Raising the transfer fee for City
Some people have suggested that Ferguson, who now has a good relationship with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, wants to raise the transfer fee for City to pay. If we put in a few bids, knowing we’ll never actually be able to pay the player what he wants, City will have to keep matching our offers. Arsenal get more money for the player whilst City land themselves with a larger transfer fee with FFP implications.
Hmmm. Well, that’s just nonsense isn’t it. As if making City pay an extra £5m for a player, which is a drop in the ocean and makes no difference to their battle with FFP, is worth Ferguson losing face after missing out on another well reported transfer target. You think Fergie will be prepared to help Arsenal at the cost of making United look like, yet again, they have no pulling power? Of course not.
Appearance of competing
I’ve seen other people claim that we have no intention of signing van Persie but have put in the bid to keep the fans sweet and to appear a more attractive prospect with this IPO business hanging over us, just as we did with Eden Hazard, when in reality we would never be able to pay him and his agent what they wanted. The club want to show willing, giving the illusion of being to compete on some level with the top clubs, to try and show that the Glazers aren’t hindering us.
Again, if that was the case, Ferguson would be knowingly setting himself up to look like we can’t compete with City so would have the opposite to the desired effect.
Secure season ticket sales
Others have claimed that the bid is a cynical ploy to try and increase season ticket sales, with United using local radio and newspapers to advertise for next season. If United could secure a player like van Persie, it would say an awful lot about our intentions. People buy up a season ticket, only for United to be predictably miss out
It’s hard to imagine that anyone would spend £532-£950 just because United had put a bid in for a player. I know there may be some fairly daft reds but this would be taking it to a new level. Ferguson said: “There’s no point talking about something that might not happen.” Hardly the talk of a man trying to convince people to buy a season ticket because we’re going to sign van Persie, is it?
Scooping the press
Ferguson was due to speak to MUTV that day but after the story went on the BBC, the club wanted to get the first comments on Robin van Persie, so grabbed him before his press conference so they could get the exclusive. No, it’s not like Ferguson to talk about transfers, but he was only going to be asked the questions by the press later, so MUTV changed the time of their interview, making it “impromptu”, but there is no ulterior motive behind it.
Ferguson is genuinely confident
Maybe Ferguson has been given assurances from Wenger that if we meet their asking price (not the ridiculous £30m that’s in the papers), we will get the player. Following Nasri, Clichy, Adebayor and Toure making the move from North London to the Etihad over recent years, Arsenal are keen to distance themselves from the “feeder club” tag. So, unless City make an offer that makes it worth Arsenal’s while, maybe they have no intention of selling another player to City, and would much rather do business with Juventus or United. City don’t need to act in a desperate way anymore though, so are unlikely to slap another £10m over what the other clubs are prepared to pay to get an offer accepted. Reports from Italy suggest that Juve would only be able to stump up £110k-a-week whilst reports from England suggest he has turned down £130k-a-week at Arsenal. It’s possible Ferguson has spoken of his confidence because he believes he’s only competing with Juve for van Persie’s signature and knows we can offer him considerably more money than them.
Watch this space…
Man Utd News 24/7
Sir Alex is the master – leave it all to him
Indeed, I only guess, it is confident from Fergie, other reasons are simply ridiculous, imo.
Fergie only confirmed that the club have shown an interest. I think we have made a genuine offer but won’t “break the bank” for him.
When a top player with experience in the league becomes available of course the club are going to look at him, but he’s probably just an opportune buy, not someone we have been after for a while.
I don’t care if we sign him or not (I’d personally prefer to keep Berbatov) but I won’t deny there weren’t moments last season where I wished he played for United.
Anyway, will be nice to see a Greek player at United.
Robin Van Perseus.
Dont need RVP. simple as that
*there were moments* yeesh, double negatives
Its about Time United got themselves a high profile player. It will lift the team spirit. I just hope City dont beat us to it
good summary.
It’s probably a blend of 2-3 reasons stated above.
My two or three cents:
-”You are not allowed to buy a house (mortgage) without at least paying 30% in deposits in the UK”.
How the fuck was the Glazer allowed to by United …with LOAN MONEY. They didn’t spend a penny from their own bank. That means any Tom,Dick,Virgina and Larry who is broke as fuck can approach a club and buy them because they took out a loan. No…..the takeover should have been rejected there and then.
-”United are spending like tight mother-kissers”.
Not necessarily, I’ve been ok with the budgets of £40-50m, We’ve bought VDS,Vidic,Evra,Anderson,Nani,Carrick,Valencia,Hargreaves,Chico,Berbatov. Jones,Smalling and youngster cost us a bomb…£18m for De Gea and Jones, £10m for Smalling, combined £40m for Nani + Ando. If anything SAF is to blame for not investing in a midfielder. I blame SAF for this personally because he’s had funds available but has overlooked it countless times.
-”Glazers are a cancer”
Yes they are, they are HIV. They will be here a long time to suck the United tits dry. But remember we are now a business first and a club second. We are like Arsenal but with a Top Notch Manager. The Glazer have improved the commercial side of United for their own tit sucking purposes, being shareholders their aim is PROFIT. Thus all they do aim to take money, ithat means bigger kit deals, deals with DHL, sponsoring anything and anything to get the brand noticed. Hublot,Chevrolet etc. The Cancer is basically making it’s home more comfortable so when they day comes…they will strike us (sell up) and take our club for all it’s worth ! They are a disease that has helped our growth but not for our own benefits, so so they can sell the club for £2billion and make a £1.5bn profit after their loans have been paid off.
- “Us Fans deserve to complain, we pay shit loads”
We do ! Fuck SAF, he’s obviously forced to take sides but don’t fucking stab the blood of the club. We are Manchester United…they (Glazers, the players,Manager) represent us ! Manchester ! If we fans all pull out financially, the club collapses. The club is struggling for season ticket holders and are now begging us to buy them by posting videos, sending letters home, leaflets, telling us what they can guarantee us. If you want to be a paying fan however…it’s your own choice, I opted out of paying the Glazers 3 years back but I still buy the merchandise. We are at crossroads because we don’t want to hurt the club but neither fund the cancer.
IMO…SAF should keep quiet and talk about stuff that concerns him. The fans don’t criticise him for spending ( majority don’t) so he shouldn’t criticise us back for our expectation of our clubs owners. Tbh, its the fans that really own United and Glazers are the leaches that have glued themselves onto our skins
I wonder if anybody reads this
so I put it here 
Mischief making,it’s all kidology wrong part of the pitch.
Hopefully van persie stays and runs his contract down we keep berba and get van persie on free next season simples
Could it all be a smokescreen…… who knows …
anyway whats with all the crap about me being serious,,,,I thought all you fuckers out there knew better…..
I don’t know what the deal is, but I’d rather we continue to give playing time to Welbeck and Hernandez. We already have a very strong attacking team. I think SAF should secure the services of Welbeck and Nani because they are both players that are amazing for the club. We already have Rooney who is presumably going to play as the number 9 with Kagawa behind in his preferred position. I wish SAF would sign a CM. Sahin and Moutinho would both do a great job there. Why are we trying to sign a player in a position we don’t need. Are we really going to continue playing 4-4-2, despite signing Shinji? If not, one of RVP or Rooney need to play on the wing, which effectively reduces the time for our three wingers.
It would be amusing if we sign RVP but, I’d rather we didn’t tbh. Not what we need. SAF should give playing time to Berba who is undoubtedly better than both Welbeck and Hernandez at this point.
Cedars son wants to play for his dads favorite team.
Boil;s down to what he’ll cost,i’ve accepted Berba is done so to get RVP for 12 to 15 mill it would be a ok deal imo,thought it came out Utd had put a bid in of around 12mill.I mentioned this on a different thread City have been very quiet in this transfer window,most of the big clubs have so hopefully the FPR are gong to have a effect,they will act as a transfer and wage cap and put Utd in a strong position
If Arsenal want anywhere near £30 mil then we won’t be getting him, never mind the Glazer effect, the lad’s 29 next month so it’s far to much for someone with his injury record, that said he would improve us, he plays the lone striker role much better then Rooney and there lies another problem, City know this and so can either sign him up in a cock blocking gesture (Nasri) or just force the price to where we won’t be able to compete.
Baffled, but signing RVP for less than 20m and letting Berbatov go to Milan or Juve wouldn’t be the craziest move in the world. Welbeck and Hernandez shouldn’t be insulated from competition, in fact it should make them better players. I agree that Arsenal won’t want to sell another player to City however, as any future player Arsenal sign will just see them as a stepping stone to mega-bucks instead of a final destination.
I don’t think this has much to do with the IPO however as investors for the most part are not stupid. They know the difference between speculation and ink on paper. As Pint Glass of Vodka says (Lol @ the screen name btw) its probably a combination of the above. We’ll son find out for sure.
City will not sign van persie. As someone correctly mentioned, they’ve been noticeably queit in this transfer window. I’m of the opinion that they are worried about the ffp which will surely bite them in the arse if they continue spending the ridiculous amounts of money that bought the title last saeson.
Good analysis of the issues as usual from Scott. I was speculating that is was the IPO issue, but the tenor Scotts write just knicks what is really at issue. Fergie and the Club just never do this type of public debate.
There was an article that I posted yesterday that clearly suggested that Fergie it basically refused to discuss, or even denied the link with RvP at the friday presser, then marched right over to MUTV and gave the interview which says we are after the player.
So this is like the Nixon Tapes. What was on the missing 15 minutes. Or this case, what happen in the time it took Fergie to walk from the presser to the MUTV studio???
Ah me, I love a conspiracy.
But in the end, who cares. The clear revelation is that Arsenal talked about it first. So this was likely the issue. Not a directive from the Glazers, just a breech from the other club. It it had been a different club who know. But Fergie ended confirming a bid that he had denied only an hour before.
Don’t really think there is much need for a who dun it. But then, we all love a conspiracy.
@ Clint – Read your post about mortgages, only need a 10% down payment these days but spot on.. Sky taking us over with their own money is unfair but the same government allows this takeover and many other dodgy takeovers happen.
Glazers have not put any of their own cash into the club, had they my views may be different. Those who think the glazers are good owners are the sorts who spend £50 quid on a shirt a season and thats it. I nearly spend that on beer money and some food at a game!!!
I take no notice of these idiots. Don’t think its a coincidence that at one point I had up to 10 of my mates going regularly and now its just 1 who has a season ticket some of them aren’t even members.
The very first thing the glazers did before any of their commercial deals (which are more to line their own pockets than that of the club) was raise ticket prices and they’ve done it every year directly or indirectly. This has made OT more of a family environment which unfortunatley means that other than Little Jimmy the only noise you’re likely to hear during a game is “calling Evans Shit” or when we score. Then get criticised about no atmosphere inside the ground. It what the club wants. Can’t believe its £40 to sit in East Stand Tier 2 next season.
Everyones mind is made up. Those that criticse people who actually go to games who have invested their hard money into the club when they just sit at home and watch it can fuck off, don’t care about your circumstances. If you’re not paying your opinion is irrelevant.
Whoops supposed to go on the other thread.
Too much conspiracy going on. At the end of the day, no one has an idea what’s going on.
FERGIE has always been an admirer of van persie, perhaps he sees an opportunity to acquire a truly world class striker at the peak of his career. You can’t ever have enough quality players.
I just don’t see FERGIE bringing in any ‘enforcer’, ‘hatchet man’ or whatever water carrying donkey that’s touted around. He hasn’t got this successful by bowing to outside pressure. I think he genuinely believes united have players, particularly in midfield that can actually solve the dilemma. Anderson is looking to ignite his career again, cleverly is there. Michael carrick is still classy and efficient. Powell looks a great potential and could really step up, petrucci and tunni are ready to be first team players in my honest view of watching them develop. Lingard and larnell have also improved massively. We have players in the engine room that i feel if they avoid injuries and take opportunities, united won’t need to squander money on a nuri sahin who looks lost in madrid.
I’m an optimist, i see talents brimming and waiting. Gotta give these players opportunity before an intermilan stroll in and steal them.
FERGIE is like any human, he’s not perfect but his philosophy have more often than not worked.
I’m a season ticket holder and have been for years. I can’t stand these so called supporters who don’t like how the club is being run so don’t go anymore and whine about it on threads. Go and watch someone else losers. Once a red always a red even when things aren’t great. Glory hunters do one!
@UnitedTillIDie and @TheTruth,
Might be more in the Welbeck issue. As several discussed on the last thread. This public discussion of RvP will definitely put pressure on the negotiations with Danny. I personally think this was the real issue but who knows.
The real mystery for me is why we haven’t done a deal with Danny. In my view it comes back to the IPO. The club needs to look exciting and confident, but also to look like ruthless business people who analyze a deal and don’t pay over the odds. Danny might be expendable in that world.
Leaning towards scenario 2 (with 3 also a big possibility), but imagine if the transfer actually happened.
We need some defensibly capable player in the middle, Park usually pick up this no pleasant role for while but he leave the club so someone else need to do that, there is no two ways about it I think.
Top Onion – If United hadn’t won anything since 2005, would you be ok with the club having spent £500m on the debt? It’s funny that you use the term “glory hunters”.
Scott I’ve been going to old Trafford since 82 although I did miss a few seasons at the end of the 80s, beginning of the 90s due to the birth of my now grown up children so I don’t think that comment really applies to me.
NRD a lot of lads who use ROM can’t get to games,never seen anyone critise fans going to games so don’t even know were that comes from unless it’s a lead up line to tell people like me to fuck off.
Utd aren’t charging anymore than other top teams so save your self pity and superior attitude if you don’t like paying the price don’t go but save the whiney bullshit please
If we were truly in the race for the players we claim to be scoping there’d need to be 100m in the coffers. I think it’s spin; trying to appear more affluent than we are – influence investors.
That said, a bebatov and cash deal would look good to arsenal.
Top onion – If that’s true, you should be embarrassed. Incredible that anyone who has been watching United for three decades could be so apathetic towards owners that have spent £500m on financing their debt.
Zibbie
STR there are some investment banker types here, financial gurus, over the last year they have un-bunched my panties about mu worry of the Glazzers. Even without the IPO all debt even with the banking meltdown 5 years back, will be gone by 2017, if FFP hits even 1/4 of what it should. MUFC and the Bavarian s will rule the FOOTBALLING world. Have and will MUFC have won more without the debt, sure they would. I personally have no clue what or whom would be better. A oil guy worth 50 bill who would let football people run the show and give them all they need? Have in his will never to be sold and 1/2 his fortune goes to an % baring investment and all earning are put into the club. Outside of that. I like the Glazzers, I could be all fucked in the head.
GO ROONEY!!!!!!!
Top Onion
I think Scott more means success smoke screens the debt that has been surfaced onto the club. If we hadnt won then people would be in uproar about the Glazers. Fergie has been a miracle worker prolonging Scholes, Giggs, Nev getting the best out of Fletch, Brown and co.
Bottom line is its ok to say i only care what happens on the pitch when that is success, change that to failure and i can guess at how things would be.
Zibbie say
If not the Glazzers then WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY??????????????
Just spew shit is not fine or OK, discussion is great if there are two rational parties.
So we do not watch them buy no tickets or kits then what? Fucking so frustrating WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zibbie
Mate its not hard to see United cash pays for the Glazers to make a living and give them the richest sporting asset in the wor;d, yet still in 400 million debt…….
I dont understand what people cant understand about? We dont want biollionaires, we dont russain crooks, We dont need handouts we make our own money.
Complain and bitch and point all your perceived problems, like my dad use to say. Like a Pelican all you do is eat, shit and bellow. BELLOW FELLOW’S!!!!!!!!!!
Giggs then who, or what then?? No one has that answer.
Did you buy your house with cash? How many big business is without debt?
OK Glazzers suck big old donkey dick, better.
@wayne – I respect you opinion but your last line was bang out of order. I’ve seen those comments otherwise I wouldn’t have said what I did. The same people then complain about the atmosphere see Blackburn at home last season go back and check the thread. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t sit here and say the atmosphere is shit when you don’t go and then go and criticise match going fans for having a pop at the glazers. I understand some can’t get to games was in a similar position X-mas time last year but the same people talking about how we should be happy with our owners. Do me a favour!
As for your line about our prices being in line with other clubs if I don’t like it I shouldn’t go. I can’t believe you fucking said that!!! United’s like a drug I love watching them play live the even if the atmosphere has deteriorated for the majority of games. It’s not like switching from coke to pepsi. Maybe it is for some, not for me.
Its ok Fergie is in charge and we keep winning, the debt means nothing to some fans as long as we win. Some fans dont dont deserve to say they support Manchester United as you are glory hunters if you dont care about the foundations of the club.
Zibbie ” Did I buy my house with Cash”
This sums of the niavity of some for me, no did i fuck as I am average Jo who is a working class man. United owned themselves they didnt need to be bought but then we were sold out and went from being unbeleivably stable to 700 million in debt.
We know have to sell bonds and float ourselves on the stock market pimping ourselves out like a two dollar hooker. Its a fucking joke but its ok because i dont have the answer or a spare billion to hand i will just keep stum hey?
Giggs12 why they made 100 million, why can’t they pay there bills in their losses in malls? To keep them afloat so then they can help the club.
You own a comic book store have some debt, you take home enough money to pay your bills and have some fun. You show up at work there is 100 nerds outside waiting for you to open, protesting saying you greedy fuck you could have purchased 50 more comic books with that money for us!!! wow stuck in 1965 and think this is a boys game. HUGE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS!!!!!!
@Giggs12Gerrard0 – Spot on @16.30.
I agree with Wayne in terms of matcg going reds. I am just fortuante I can go to games, you dont become the biggest club in the world by staying local.
In the same respect Wayne, NRD wasnt really having a go at you mate i just think on this subject yuo are a little bit sensitive. I have read your posts for years buddy and no one believes they are a better fan because they can got to games.
I have a season ticket since 89, I took a break from 2001-2005 whilst I lived in the states, altough the drug that it is I watched United play every game on thier US tour in that time.
Zibbie
“why can’t they pay there bills in their losses in malls? To keep them afloat so then they can help the club”
Mate is that a joke, we never needed to be kept a float and it is funadamentally fucking hurrendous United money is paying thier losses.
@toponion: Fergie has been a miracle worker working on a shoestring budget. Gone are the days when we used to break transfer records. Suddenly we don’t find value in the market and could anyone actually say that this team even without all the tinkering fergie was talking about would make the top 5 teams in europe.
NRD
Crazy isnt it mate, this argument will always devide and I listen to Wakey a lot on this debate he brings great balance. Then there is others and makes me want to smash my head into a brick wall, its like pulling teeth.
The Glazers are financial rapists. They need United, United doesn’t need them. Simples!
Simple. Fergie is confident that he’s convinced Van Persie to come United. He never mentions whether we’re in for a player unless negotiatons are serious. Fergie’s wanted him for years and he knows he can’t pass up the opportunity to sign one of the top three strikers in the world, in his peak, for no more than £20 million, from a rival team. Yes we’re well stocked with strikers but if there’s a chance to greatly improve the team and squad, which RvP would, we should take it. Berba’s going, Welbeck contract talks have broken down, Hernandez is awful at football. I’m all for RvP signing. Nasty bastard too, we’d adore. Imagine home games when we’re bossing. Diamond formation, Carrick sitting deep. Nani and Valencia out wide, Kagawa in the hole linking with Van Persie and Rooney. That is a fucking lethal attack.
Having said all that, wouldn’t be bothered one bit if we miss out, even if it means the media giving it the usual ‘United can’t compete anymore’ bullshit.
@Fletch – logic tells me Danny will stay but with so much bollocks in the funny season you never know. I’ll be very happy once the window shits tbh
haha @ window shits.
Windows IS shit.
This whole glazer thing causes all sorts rifts between people. One thing we can agree on it may look like its come close i.e Cl exit in 05/06 and last years debacle in Europe but whilst Fergie is here its safe to say the shit won’t hit the fan.
What happens after is anybody’s guess, but one day the truth will come out and in my opinion those who are defending the glazers and foolishly putting their hopes on the FPP will be eating humble pie. That will still be no good though.
Solution – Back to the plc, this time if MUST are serious they can buy shares what stopped them buying them between the Sky takeover bid and the glazers coming in I don’t know you’d have to ask them. I As a plc we were raking it in and would still have the potential to chase commercial deals as we are doing now. I don’t think one person/family should own Manchester United.
NRD never seen anyone say their happy with the Glaziers i’d like to see them gone but as Zibbie has just pointed out for who?.Read recently if the Red Knights had got control would have also been carrying debt,that would be the case with most who attempt to buy so what’s the difference.Take away the fact of the debt and the Glaziers have been good owners on the business and football side no one can deny that.As Sir Alex pointed out in the mail article it’s not just the transfer fee it’s agent fees and wages.Over the last 4 or 5 yrs the market has been artifically high,Real went on a spending spree to try and compete with Barca and City wanted to buy the league.So i believe Sir Alex in regards to money being there but what has happening turned into silliness.All the bollocks about Utd not being able to compete is just that all bollocks. Utd stick to a model that pays around 50% in wages which makes sense and if the FPR do work will reap the benifits on already having a sound wage structure in place.Utd always think ahead so this could have always been part of the plan if the FPR work,teams like City and Chelsea could end up in big trouble to qualify for Europe.
My point being there’s abosolutely no proof the debt has stopped Utd buying ‘star’ players and according to Sir Alex hasn’t yet the Glaziers get blamed for it over and over again,that’s what bugs me the most i’m not a Glazier fan but a lot of what is put out there against them is unproven
In the last line of a previous comment
Those that criticse people who actually go to games who have invested their hard money into the club when they just sit at home and watch it can fuck off, don’t care about your circumstances. If you’re not paying your opinion is irrelevant
I live in Canada that’s telling me to fuck off and my opinion is irrelevant and your telling me i’m out of order responding don’t see it that way
@Notorious – im no financial expert so im sure I’ll be corrected if im wrong, but our global TV revenue alone is worth more than our existing match day revenue in any given season. Likewise, our match day money is greater than our annual global merchandise revenue.
What im saying is even if fans boycotted OT as MUST are demanding the Club could still find ways of balancing the books mate. A tenth of that match day revenue comes from rivals for starters so increasing allocation is one example of soaking a loss of bums on seats. Staff redundancies is another realistic cost cutter to make up match day losses. Im confident United could survive a boycott of games basically, so even on a protest front MUST are having a laugh by convincing people United can be toppled from within by not going to games – truth is we can’t.
The Bottom Line is the majority of our money comes from abroad not from the UK, and certainly not from a few million people in Greater Manchester fella.
Times have changed and Manchester United belongs to the world. Ferguson, Charlton and everybody else at the Club have no problem in admitting that fact. Our global fans could ruin the Club MUCH quicker than season ticket holders and thats why we’re in Africa/Asia/America right now, as in that order that is where the markets are growing. All future revenue for EPL Clubs is to be found abroad not domestically.
So for you to say people who don’t go to games are irrelevant, thats beyond daft mate. Have a rant if you want but don’t delude yourself and don’t talk down others. Maybe in the 80′s you had some kinda point but in todays game you just sound like Barney.
Look at the “domestic” match day revenue figures from last season and compare them to the “global” TV rights and Merchandise revenue from the same period. Around the world people sitting at home as you put it are putting more money into the Club than fortunate people in the UK going to matches. Check the maths, and if im wrong I’ll be interested to learn why.
Also it should go without saying im not attacking those lucky enough to attend games. Im just pointing out that millions more around the world are ALSO putting their hand in their pockets for the Club on a regular basis, and most of them won’t ever step foot in OT.
Perhaps a better question for proud match-goers is this – would you still spend over a grand on Manchester United each year without being able to watch them play from the Stands? Millions around the world do just that fellas. Think about it ffs.
@ wayne- My initial comment weren’t directed at you, there were plenty of others who’s names I haven’t even seen before spouting shite. Probably should have made it clearer but this thing issue make my blood boil. I hate reading glazers are good owners I don’t see it that way. For me they have killed the atmosphere inside the ground and then players moan about it. There’s other things as well.
This issue does cause debate. As for the solution I’ve just put it out there on the previous thread. It’s not my fault if people don’t want to read what I posted.
IF MUST are serious about getting the club back if it became a plc they would have to put there money where their mouth is. I don’t buy into the whole Red Knights the fact they call themselves Knights is pathetic why not Red Warriors or Red Wizards. Go back to the plc, Manchester United should not be owned one man or family. As a plc we were raking it in, and no debt. Not to mention they turned us from a 36,000 seater stadium and doubled it.
This way if we do become a plc the fans can do something about it, I was just about old enough to buy shares when the takeover happened but wasn’t going to spend my student loan on them!!! If this time the fans do nothing then we’re to blame.
MUST have made some good points but there’s no denying the fact that by speaking on all fans behalf they have caused some damage in terms of being able liaise with the glazers. They just don’t say anything. At least Abramovich states what he wants either by leaking it or some other mean. These guys nothing – just a copy and paste generic statement.
Anyway done talking about parasites, sunny day, fancy a beer. Laters ROM.
Giggs no joke, just tiring to understand mate. Who sold the club out? Did they not do a some what hostel take over.
@Wayne – mate everybody supporting a Red Knight takeover is having a laugh to put it politely. They wouldn’t remove ANY debt if they got ownership. From what i’ve read they’d need to ADD more debt to fund the takeover!
So in effect the Red Knight’s plan is the same as the Glazers – use debt to buy the Club and then pay off the debt – anybody who doesn’t understand that well I dont know what to say!
For the more critical mind the Red Knights are no serious alternative, they won’t even reveal who the fuck they are Lol. I’ve said it before yeah sure I hate my mortgage provider but do you think I’d swap my existing creditor with some unknown bank just because a dodgy mortgage broker (MUST) told me to? Like fuck I would. Less spin more facts please, as it’s always BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW.
There’s a sense of toys being thrown out of prams when it comes to MUST tbh. Supporting the Red Knights seems like the blind leading the blind as the Red Knights themselves have to borrow to fund any take over AND THAT MEANS EVEN MORE DEBT and the prospect of hidden “real” owners.
The fact they don’t make any of this crystal clear for less critical supporters puts me right off.
Step aside RVP here comes RL( Robert Lewandowski )..guarented satisfaction..
Great gig by the stone roses tonight, John Squire is a genius!
And great news if RVP is really joining. He can share goal tally with Rooney. Can u imagine Rooney + RVP banging the goals ? while Welbeck, Chicarito & Macheda all ready for backing up. Plus Kagawa kid, Ashley & Nani are snipering from midfield. That’s plenty of option in striking department.
Have we signed Lewandowski yet? Eh..
Red Knights were full of shite
Hi this is my first post. I’m a big fan of the site and respect all the contributers.
Im a long time irish red and have been over countless times.
The Glazer ownership conflicts me, prefer they didn’t own the family silver like..
However I felt i should point out that prior to the take over United didn’t own themselves.
We were a PLC which meant banks and other financial institutions owned us.
We were at the mercy of the market and looking at what has happened that would have been very bad.
Also as a PLC we were always very open to a take over.
Issues with atmosphere at games and financial exploitation of fans existed then as now.
Fans used to attack the PLC board for apparently not releasing funds for Sir Alex to spend.
Sound familar?
Basically getting rid of the Glazers is in of itself not an option.
What owners or alternative ownership form would actually be better or viable?
@Willierednut – hear, hear!
Thanks NRD, you spot on but disagree with the paying fans/circumstances part.
Like Scott The Red , I am honestly surprised by the apathetic response.
“You can’t do anything about it” attitude…..Its our club, anyone with a emotional attachment to this club has it’s say on the ownership issue…paying or non-paying.
Local fanbase is key…the season tickets go down and the club WILL RESPOND.
Prices will go down. This is how we should approach.
Season ticket holders going down however will be compensated by more allocation to the every growing number of tourist/daytrippers…family deals etc.
Red Knights was utter shit heads….just looking to do a Sir David Beckham and be a knight in shining armour then pull out with “Oh we are being ripped off”.
I’d love a liverpool-esque Mutiny to happen…but Glazers have aligned themselves with loyal men who are shivering in fear. Its not a dig at Fergie, Gill etc…they got a job to keep.
Like the banking crisis…we have to show our reluctance to be treated like shit to these bankers/wankers (Glazers).
Many of us have been disappointed too many times in the past 3 years to get excited by this. I’m just getting myself ready for the Everton match & hope we have Baines in our team.
Then do something about it then! Ask the big chief what course of action you should take…
United till I die – Red Knights were as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike!
Papii for the most I’m with you, not on this man, MUFC lost on goal difference with a record loss game to injury.
They lost by a poit to Chelski or it would be 6 of 6. SAF said he gambled with young teams in the group stages for 4 year now, he got bit in the ass last year. How did all that CL experience help over that time with better players.Not on this one dude, SAF stays competitive as he remakes the team, in 18 months 13 to 16 1st team player gone, was Diuff a 1st teamer? that why 13 to 16, some 11 in and still this response to SAF and Gill, way off pal. This is not a feeling here there are facts. Just paranoid rantings of others blur your view, you have a Red heart. Easy to be swayed to anger. You a master closer in your profession, articulate so well, tickle my funny bone and all good with you, just my view. A Rooney rolled ankle and maybe the greatest player and team away from 2 more CL titles. Were OK.
hahaha
I m so sick from those rumours…i cant wait 1.9. to stop all this…it is so frustrateing, that we cant buy anyone we want…the best option is that we dont give offers when anyway we can t compete, or players dont wanna come here…sometimes I wonder hiw SAF have nervs for all that negotiate with players…
UTID – I red somewhere that Arsenal gets 40 mils a year from tickets…wich is lot of money…i dont know how much we get but i think it is not less than Arsenal
Scott let me make one thing clear, I am not happy at the situation the club is in. The glazers are obviously in it to make money(without wanting to cause further argument, what good businessmen wouldn’t). What I am saying is that walking away and moaning won’t fix it. The glazers are here for the long haul, it pains me to say it, but let them have the money. In another 10 years(hopefully less) the club will be out of debt and the glazers will take a little extra.
This will start a good one…. Who have we missed out on? Sjneider? I’m not sure I would want a mercenary demanding those wages to join us. It appears to me that money is available for transfers when fergie wants it. Painful as it was to lose the crown to city last season we only lost on goal difference and are seemingly strengthening because of it I don’t see city doing the same. Is it because of FFP or are they not being run as well as they could be. I don’t know the answer to that before anyone jumps down my throat.
The point I’m trying to make is simple to sum (Manchester) united we stand….
P.s. would love to see RVP up front with Rooney next season, defences all over the country, continent, world, would be shaking in their boots at the prospect of trying to defend against them.
Top onion – So you think the only player we’ve missed out on since 2005 is Wesley Sneijder? Honestly? For someone who has been around the club for years, your comments come across as incredibly naive.
We’ve spent £500m on debt. If we were a .plc, no, not all of that money would have gone on players but obviously we would have invested in the team more than we have under the Glazers. We should have won the league last season, we can point to all the failures of our own players… but if not for the ridiculous amount of debt, if we were able to spend as “the richest sports franchise in the world”, we would have strengthened the squad in January when our team was on its knees thanks to injury. We could afford to take a gamble on someone, hoping that they did what was required to drag us over the finish line in 1st.
In your initial post you said that anyone who doesn’t like how the club is run should go and support someone else. Do you stand by that?
Wayne @ 16:53: “NRD never seen anyone say their happy with the Glaziers i’d like to see them gone but as Zibbie has just pointed out for who?”
As far as I can understand these matters, the only viable alternative to a leveraged-buyout (i.e., Glazernomics) would be a big-time sugar-daddy like RomanA or TheSheikh or the Qataris who bought PSG and just spent a shit=load of money on Zlatan, the ultimate money-whore.
In reality, the key question to ask is: how many sugar-daddies have a “surplus” two-billion U$Dollars/QuidsEuros ? (Does it really matter when we’re talking in this realm ?)
Unless there is a serious answer to this question – AND the RedKnights were not “serious”, nor is MUST – then huffing-and-puffing just won’t blow down the Glazers’ house of cards.
From what I understand, the world economy is awash in surplus cash – not investment. So, it seems likely that the forthcoming IPO will probably raise the necessary funds to wipe out the “debt”.
What then?
What will the doom-sayers complain about ?
Will the sky continue to fall in in the sky above OT ?
Or will the footie season start in five weeks so that we can all get back to coming to grips with the-meaning-of-life ?
The comment about RVP is just to take our opponents eyes (that are big spenders) from our real transfer targets.
It’s been a while, so hi everyone! Work has been MADNESS and I took the off-season to concentrate on clearing backlogs so that I could enjoy the new season with less things weighing on me.
The derailment from the main topic forced my hand to respond, coupled with the fact that I’m still recovering from a bad bout of flu and am shunting work aside for a while.
I actually don’t think we’ve missed out on a player due to our inability to compete financially. Plenty of misses, but those were almost always due to players with poor/non-existent ethics (Robben and Mikel come to mind, though the latfter net us a handsome return with little effort), or players with little/no self-discipline (Ronaldinho opting for a glitzier nightlife than “boring” Manchester), or players who were just after the money (Nasri). For the last category, the only way is to be like City, and you can skin me alive if they can sustain that kind of spending for 10 years, not to say 20, or in the case of United, almost 30, just to guarantee success. The foundations of United have always (or at least over the last 30 years) been based on financial prudence, with plenty of thanks to SAF for making it possible. Transfer fees and wages are only the immediate costs – there are intangible costs of player happiness. Great if you get a player who performs and justifies his wages, but what if you get a certain Rooney who blows hot and cold ever since his renewed contract? I know there are plenty of Rooney supporters, I’m just calling it as I see it. I still don’t think he is an irreplaceable cog in the United web of cogwheels.
I’m with the camp that would rather have a possibly rotten egg in my hand, than exchange it for what someone claims to be 2 good eggs when he knows that my egg is possibly rotten. Fair enough, I’d be the first to admit that if Bill Gates or Warren Buffett came along, I’d welcome them with open arms because chances are what they’re after won’t solely be money. But without a solid bid from anyone else, why are we throwing eggs and tomatoes at the current owners who apart from milking the club (a little at a time, never exhorbitantly), has not interfered with the footballing side of things? Would we rather have owners similar to the likes of Blackburn, Portsmouth, Liverpool, who either don’t have that much dough themselves but would like to own a PL club solely in the hope of making good returns from it, or are reluctant to invest their own money into the club?
Whatever it is, the Glazers will divide opinion, and only time will tell whether they’re in it for the long haul. At the very least, I don’t think they plan to act like corporate raiders and maximise their returns in the short term by breaking things up and selling them off.
A “single” owner’s withdrawls and paying out dividends is largely similar as far as I’m concerned. Does anyone have got figures to compare how United fared in the PLC days vs the Glazers – in terms of growth and payouts? We’ve seen Leeds come and go (far down), seen off Arsenal’s initial burst, seen off Chelsea and their initial burst, and it’ll take a few more years to see if we’ll also see off City.
I don’t know about RoM, but I’ve seen other places where supporters call SAF a liar for “spouting the no value in the market nonsense”, and then go on to criticise him with only the rumours about Baines to rely on, AND then going on to say we should pay X Y Z for players like M’Vila or Hulk or Hazard or some other hotly-tipped-player from some other league. It really gets on my nerves when people call SAF a liar who’s looking after his own job. Seriously now. When you’re hitting 80 with your own treasure chest that is more than sufficient to last you even if you booked the whole hospital for the last 10 or 20 years (I’m guessing only… ;p), would you need or want to take instructions from someone else who does not respect your experience? SAF’s the type who’d probably just go “stuff it up yours, find yourself a new manager in a week”.
I personally don’t blame SAF for putting a good mix into unproven youths and experience. I mean, if you turned one of those 1 quid toy egg machines (if you guys know what I’m referring to) or a 1 quid raffle/lottery ticket and found/won a diamond ring, chances are you’d be always thinking whether to do it again vs buying a coke/beer. Good or bad, it has happened to SAF in OGS, so let’s just keep faith he’ll uncover another one before he parts ways with United for good. (Bebe anyone? I’m hopeful.)
I don’t know why so many are always unhappy with the squad. I didn’t start very early, only in 93, but I’ve never chased after transfer stories or wasted time hoping the club signs some player X or Y and then bitch about why the club doesn’t or signs player Z instead. I reckon if SAF signs OGS and Ronnie Johnsen now for what was reportedly a 1mil upfront fee combined, it’d be used as ammunition that the club is skint.
The only thing I hope tthe club signs, is a proper Chinese physician (not a quack) who can work together with Western doctors and physios to improve the physical aspects of the club’s players and reduce the number of injuries. Being professionals, I’m sure the players wouldn’t squirm from chinese herbs, bitter medicine made from wierd looking plants, and needle therapy (acupuncture)?
Look forward to the season, everyone, I’ll catch you all again more regularly once my workload comes down or after the season begins. As it is, I’m already excited again to see how the largely unchanged team will do.
__________________De Gea_________________
___Rafael____Ferdinand____Vidic_______Evra___
__________________Carrick__________________
Valencia_______________________________Nani
__________________Kagawa_________________
_________Rooney____________Van Persie______
Deeeeelicious!!!
Subs:
Lindegaard
Smalling
Jones
Young/Lucas Moura
Hernandez
Cleverly
Welbeck
I’d be happy with that!!