The Glazer Reign Is Crumbling

Can't get my head around this structure. Performance on the pitch and the business model are inextricably linked. If you go down revenue drops drastically and you can't invest on the pitch. It's £#%&!ing ridiculous and l can't wait to see how they try and sell it to us. Who is the shot caller on player recruitment and contract negotiations?

The Glazers business model was always predicated on supporter apathy. The vast majority of match going fans couldn't give a shit who owns the club.

Originally Posted by Lodestar

Can't get my head around this structure. Performance on the pitch and the business model are inextricably linked. If you go down revenue drops drastically and you can't invest on the pitch. It's £#%&!ing ridiculous and l can't wait to see how they try and sell it to us. Who is the shot caller on player recruitment and contract negotiations?

The Glazers business model was always predicated on supporter apathy. The vast majority of match going fans couldn't give a shit who owns the club.

You'd assume the corporate side of the business will set budgets and targets. The sporting side will have to operate within those constraints. It's a reasonable structure.

Originally Posted by Lok

You'd assume the corporate side of the business will set budgets and targets. The sporting side will have to operate within those constraints. It's a reasonable structure.

So SJR drops £1.5 billion and gets told by the corporates that he can only have one player in Jan at a value not exceeding £40 mil (because those are the constraints)? Lol.. Reasonable structure.

Originally Posted by Lodestar

So SJR drops £1.5 billion and gets told by the corporates that he can only have one player in Jan at a value not exceeding £40 mil (because those are the constraints)? Lol.. Reasonable structure.

See, I just don't see it. Surely, SJR wants to come in and start incredibly positively? Sounds obvious doesn't it?

No way he just hands over a billion just for things to stay the same. He's not an idiot and we have to hope this is the start of a full buy out. Until I see how it works, I'm not focusing on the Glazer dealt negativity.

If he DOES come in and its more of the same, then I will have a proper tantrum.

Ratcliffe is investing his own money, additional to the money he’s spending buying 25%. If he wants to buy a player, he will, as long as it fits within FFP. But we won’t be as constrained by FFP rules now we have an owner capable of actually investing money in the club.

Originally Posted by Ethers

Ratcliffe is investing his own money, additional to the money he’s spending buying 25%. If he wants to buy a player, he will, as long as it fits within FFP. But we won’t be as constrained by FFP rules now we have an owner capable of actually investing money in the club.

Is he? Suspect the money he is putting in now will partly go to the Glazers as sellers of shares and partly to the club for new shares (which appears to be funding stadium improvements). The combination gets him 25%. If he is then willing to put in more money for a player he either buys more new shares or it is a loan. Can’t see the former as it then takes him above 25% and the Glazers wouldn’t get anything from it. My money is it goes in as a loan/debt. He’s not just going to gift it ….

Originally Posted by Lodestar

Can't get my head around this structure. Performance on the pitch and the business model are inextricably linked. If you go down revenue drops drastically and you can't invest on the pitch. It's £#%&!ing ridiculous and l can't wait to see how they try and sell it to us. Who is the shot caller on player recruitment and contract negotiations?

The Glazers business model was always predicated on supporter apathy. The vast majority of match going fans couldn't give a shit who owns the club.

how do you think any football club or indeed any company in the world operates? there is a board of directors who ultimately sign off on budgets, objectives, etc

SJR will be on the board, probably co chair, and don't forget will hold a larger % of shares than any single glazer sibling. so will have a significant say in all decisions

sounds like the football operations will ultimately roll up to him and the commercial operations will continue to roll up to one of the ghouls. I don't think he'll be as "hands on" as some think. he's not going to be scouting players himself and asking for permission to buy them on a case by case basis.

Originally Posted by pedr0

how do you think any football club or indeed any company in the world operates? there is a board of directors who ultimately sign off on budgets, objectives, etc

SJR will be on the board, probably co chair, and don't forget will hold a larger % of shares than any single glazer sibling. so will have a significant say in all decisions

sounds like the football operations will ultimately roll up to him and the commercial operations will continue to roll up to one of the ghouls. I don't think he'll be as "hands on" as some think. he's not going to be scouting players himself and asking for permission to buy them on a case by case basis.

So his shares will have equal voting rights as the Glazer shares?

Cannot remember who posted on here before, but if Ratcliffe has come in to eventually buy out the glazers. Is it not in his best interest to keep share prices down as low as possible?

He is first and foremost a business man. If he can buy the whole club for 500 million -1 billion less in 4/5 years time he will want to.

Ultimately we will all have to wait and see how it works out. I am leaning more towards hope, that it’s a positive thing. However , I do think it would be unwise to disregard the potential negative ramifications of this deal.

Two big things stand out. 1) what happens when there is a clash between business and sporting decisions? 2) will he actually have full sporting control?

We will soon find out, I can’t imagine the glazers letting Ratcliffe invest all the money, they siphon off their dividends and Ratcliffe keeps the club afloat. I suppose the first set of finances will tell us everything we need to know. If Ratcliffe ends up taking millions in his own as dividends he’s a glazer stooge.

That being said, I do hope he manages to bring in the proper people and we start to behave like a football team again. Don’t expect much to happen in January but the summer will be the first real test about the future of the club.

Originally Posted by pedr0

he's not going to be scouting players himself

Would be a significant improvement from the last decade.

Originally Posted by Lodestar

So SJR drops £1.5 billion and gets told by the corporates that he can only have one player in Jan at a value not exceeding £40 mil (because those are the constraints)? Lol.. Reasonable structure.

SJR will be involved in setting budgets. He'll have a seat at the top table but his main involvement looks like it will be on the sporting activities of the club rather than the commercial aspects.

Not sure what's so hard to understand.

It's very probable that he has already had discussions/agreements about how and where his investment will be spent. x on fa£#%&!ites, y on playing staff, z on capital repayment etc...

Originally Posted by Lok

SJR will be involved in setting budgets. He'll have a seat at the top table but his main involvement looks like it will be on the sporting activities of the club rather than the commercial aspects.

Not sure what's so hard to understand.

It's very probable that he has already had discussions/agreements about how and where his investment will be spent. x on fa£#%&!ites, y on playing staff, z on capital repayment etc...

Hopefully this is the case, imagine being ran like a proper football club

Originally Posted by Lok

SJR will be involved in setting budgets. He'll have a seat at the top table but his main involvement looks like it will be on the sporting activities of the club rather than the commercial aspects.

Not sure what's so hard to understand.

It's very probable that he has already had discussions/agreements about how and where his investment will be spent. x on fa£#%&!ites, y on playing staff, z on capital repayment etc...

I'm not sure what legal agreement you could have as a minority (voting) owner that would safeguard you against the Glazers reneging tbh.

Interesting article on the BBC today, even if it is light on actual facts:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67474385

We need some of those jiffy bags at OT imo.

Originally Posted by Sheik JaBooty

I'm not sure what legal agreement you could have as a minority (voting) owner that would safeguard you against the Glazers reneging tbh.

Of course you could have such agreements. It's extremely common in business.

Originally Posted by Lok

Of course you could have such agreements. It's extremely common in business.

But ultimately it’s not about the votes, it’s about the money. Whose is it; what is done with it; and how it changes the balance of power between them.

Originally Posted by avocado

But ultimately it’s not about the votes, it’s about the money. Whose is it; what is done with it; and how it changes the balance of power between them.

Eh up, Adam Curtis is in….

Originally Posted by Sheik JaBooty

I'm not sure what legal agreement you could have as a minority (voting) owner that would safeguard you against the Glazers reneging tbh.

Hasn't he got a bigger holding than any of the individual glazer spawn?

Originally Posted by Sparky***

Hasn't he got a bigger holding than any of the individual glazer spawn?

6x Glazer > 1x Ratcliffe

Originally Posted by Ethers

Eh up, Adam Curtis is in….

Should I be flattered?

Originally Posted by Dasilvatwins

Cannot remember who posted on here before, but if Ratcliffe has come in to eventually buy out the glazers. Is it not in his best interest to keep share prices down as low as possible?

He is first and foremost a business man. If he can buy the whole club for 500 million -1 billion less in 4/5 years time he will want to.

Ultimately we will all have to wait and see how it works out. I am leaning more towards hope, that it’s a positive thing. However , I do think it would be unwise to disregard the potential negative ramifications of this deal.

Two big things stand out. 1) what happens when there is a clash between business and sporting decisions? 2) will he actually have full sporting control?

We will soon find out, I can’t imagine the glazers letting Ratcliffe invest all the money, they siphon off their dividends and Ratcliffe keeps the club afloat. I suppose the first set of finances will tell us everything we need to know. If Ratcliffe ends up taking millions in his own as dividends he’s a glazer stooge.

That being said, I do hope he manages to bring in the proper people and we start to behave like a football team again. Don’t expect much to happen in January but the summer will be the first real test about the future of the club.

If that’s been agreed (the first bit) then the price of those shares has likely been agreed.

I can’t imagine there’s not going to be some mechanism or framework in place for him to acquire more shares leading to full/majority ownership. If so they’ll have agreed pricing for that already