Ronaldo signs new deal

[STEVIEG]

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pa...&newsid=419037

[Actin The Sham]

Good.

[colmanmc]

Great news for Utd

[Edmund Blackwater]

Here's a link that actually goes somewhere.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/6551679.stm


This board will be manyoo fan free for the next 40 seconds while they knock one out.

[Forsberg]

Could you put "fake" in brackets in the title please. I clicked on it, in the hope that the real fella had extended his stay at Milan .;)

[STEVIEG]

Could you put "fake" in brackets in the title please. I clicked on it, in the hope that the real fella had extended his stay at Milan .;)

The better one, at this moment in time:)

[xvis]

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pa...&newsid=419037

Great news.

Five seasons until 2012 will ensure some good years, or else a departure at the full price.


It's seems the correct move all round, you could see him at United until 25-26 and then if he fancied Real Madrid then, well, then so be it. ...unlike the Anelka situation when he got too eager too soon.

[STEVIEG]

Bad week for Man United fans:):):):)

[STEVIEG]

Real who?

http://estaticos02.cache.el-mundo.net/elmundodeporte/imagenes/2006/12/03/1165142837_g_0.jpg

[EL TORO]

Ah bollox, we'll have to keep Osman now.....:D

[Forsberg]

Cue a massive drop in form now that he's got his money. What motivation has he now ?.:D

[Actin The Sham]

Real who?



Real Madrid, you know that small time club in Spain that Fergie sells players that he no longer wants to, for vastly inflated prices.

:)

[Philby]

.........if only we had an Official Man Utd thread for Official Man Utd announcements such as these...alas

[STEVIEG]

Real Madrid, you know that small time club in Spain that Fergie sells players that he no longer wants to, for vastly inflated prices.

:)

Looks like the prospect of replacing Beckham as a Galactico didn't prove as big a sell as they thought

[RonnyB]

excellent news.

[KolaKubes]

Excellent.

Presumably Utd have just blown their wage structure for this. He was supposedly asking for around £140,000 a week.

[STEVIEG]

.........if only we had an Official Man Utd thread for Official Man Utd announcements such as these...alas

True, This is BOX OFFICE though

I decided to make an exception this time after all the threads about him through the year

Ronaldo is the man everyone wants to talk about, like him or hate him

and you know there would have been one or two more threads anyway

[KolaKubes]

.........if only we had an Official Man Utd thread for Official Man Utd announcements such as these...alas

It deserves its own thread.

Us and C. Ronaldo will see you in Athens. ;)

[Edmund Blackwater]

How many years did hargreaves sign up for?

[HappyMonday83]

I'd like to see utd flog wrongaldo and replace him with ribery, that would be a tidy bit of business.


http://blogs.smh.com.au/entertainment/archives/scarface470.jpg

[Actin The Sham]

How many years did hargreaves sign up for?

He's with a selling club though in all fairness.

[EL TORO]

Real Madrid, you know that small time club in Spain that Fergie sells players that he no longer wants to, for vastly inflated prices.

:)

Easy boys ,easy. They are still Europe's most successful football team ever.

[STEVIEG]

Masterful by Fergie the way he has handled Ronaldo this season

He has gone from one of United's best players to one of Europes best, and he has improved 300%

I was convinced he was gone last summer and I had the nagging feeling that he had never even reached half of his potential with us

The no-end product argument actuallly was a fair argument before this season and he was frustrating the way he he took the wrong optiions

Even at the World Cup, i thought he could have been better

Since August though, he has been a top player and he is now probably United's best player

The manager deserves great credit, as does the player

Hopefully they will win something now

[Edmund Blackwater]

Big man for the small occasion.
FACT!

[KolaKubes]

Easy boys ,easy. They are still Europe's most successful football team ever.

Ehm, no, Liverpool are Europe's most successful football club ever.

Real are one of the arms of Franco's fascist state still wriggling around like something from the Addams Family.

They'd done fuck all at European level in recent years (even being threatened with expulsion) until their massive debt was wiped out by a handy bail out from Madrid City Council which provided the cash for the Galacticos.

[STEVIEG]

Easy boys ,easy. They are still Europe's most successful football team ever.

True, and they will be for many years

It's a joke

A reaction to the bullshit speculation coming from their end over the last few months

[STEVIEG]

My thread title is wrong

He has agreed a new deal

From his words I presume he will sign though

[EL TORO]

Ehm, no, Liverpool are Europe's most successful football club ever.

Real are one of the arms of Franco's fascist state still wriggling around like something from the Addams Family.

They'd done fuck all at European level in recent years (even being threatened with expulsion) until their massive debt was wiped out by a handy bail out from Madrid City Council which provided the cash for the Galacticos.

Behave yerself Kola.

Madrid have won 9 European cups FACT.

If you want to start about city councils bailing out football clubs, you'd do well to start with the aformentioned Liverpool. Funny how they've been granted permission to build on Stanley park 10 years after Everton were told it was a protected area and would never be used for such a venture. Liverpool city council has a shocking history of bias towards the red side.

[KolaKubes]

Behave yerself Kola.

Madrid have won 9 European cups FACT.

If you want to start about city councils bailing out football clubs, you'd do well to start with the aformentioned Liverpool. Funny how they've been granted permission to build on Stanley park 10 years after Everton were told it was a protected area and would never be used for such a venture. Liverpool city council has a shocking history of bias towards the red side.

I thought doffing my hat at Liverpool would emphasise just how very deeply I hate Madrid. I can't understand how any player with the slightest sense of history/politics would go there.

There's a lot of focus on Chelsea and their ill-gotten cash but Madrid are the bad smell that has lingered around European football with 50 years.

[Rebelred]

woohoo! Great news for United.
this could only be bettered by news that Richardson has signed for Man City or some other team deserving of his appallingness

[Edmund Blackwater]

I thought doffing my hat at Liverpool would emphasise just how very deeply I hate Madrid. I can't understand how any player with the slightest sense of history/politics would go there.

There's a lot of focus on Chelsea and their ill-gotten cash but Madrid are the bad smell that has lingered around European football with 50 years.
Sure didn't manyoo players execute the heroes of 1916?

[EL TORO]

I thought doffing my hat at Liverpool would emphasise just how very deeply I hate Madrid. I can't understand how any player with the slightest sense of history/politics would go there.

There's a lot of focus on Chelsea and their ill-gotten cash but Madrid are the bad smell that has lingered around European football with 50 years.

In fairness Madrid's past is dark and full of ill gotten gain., but my point was purely based on European cups won. Whilst on the point, Its a little known fact that Alfredo di stefano, Real's greatest ever player, actually signed for Barcelona whilst still in Argentina, it was on his arrival in Spain he was met at the airport by Franco's men and Madrid staff. That day he somehow became a Madrid player, and Barcelona said nothing.... Interesting bit of history and worth reading into.

[Superior]

he has improved 300%

Now that is impressive!

[Edmund Blackwater]

http://i17.tinypic.com/2j5e2b4.gif

[Actin The Sham]

http://i17.tinypic.com/2j5e2b4.gif

What has Steven Gerrard got to do with this thread?

[Actin The Sham]

My thread title is wrong

He has agreed a new deal

From his words I presume he will sign though

This from the BBC:

Ronaldo pens new Man Utd contract


Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new five-year contract with Premiership leaders Manchester United.


***

Seems cut and dried to be honest stevie.

Thank Eric.

:)

[STEVIEG]

This from the BBC:

Ronaldo pens new Man Utd contract


Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new five-year contract with Premiership leaders Manchester United.


***

Seems cut and dried to be honest stevie.

Thank Eric.

:)

Yup it's not signed but agreed

Seems to be sorted alright

Great to see that wanker Spanish no-mark Ballaque (Sp) still trying to say that sources close say he is still going to Madrid

another one of his so called exclusives goes up in smoke

[RonnyB]

Yup it's not signed but agreed

Seems to be sorted alright

Great to see that wanker Spanish no-mark Ballaque (Sp) still trying to say that sources close say he is still going to Madrid

another one of his so called exclusives goes up in smoke

whenever he says a player is moving it usually dosnt happen.

[Corkonian]

Yup it's not signed but agreed

Seems to be sorted alright

Great to see that wanker Spanish no-mark Ballaque (Sp) still trying to say that sources close say he is still going to Madrid

another one of his so called exclusives goes up in smoke

more than likely-as with beckham and co in the past, he'll sign the contract in front of the fans at the next home game. At least I think that used to happen anyway with the high profile contract negotiations. The board love the plaudits. Contract means nothing really. Its only to increase the asking price from Real/Barca. Glazer will cash in the diving little w*nker in a couple of years. In the mean time I hope it is costing him 140K a week. Rooney will be the next one looking for that kind of money. Good luck to him. Bleed Glazer dry.

[KolaKubes]

more than likely-as with beckham and co in the past, he'll sign the contract in front of the fans at the next home game. At least I think that used to happen anyway with the high profile contract negotiations. The board love the plaudits. Contract means nothing really. Its only to increase the asking price from Real/Barca. Glazer will cash in the diving little w*nker in a couple of years. In the mean time I hope it is costing him 140K a week. Rooney will be the next one looking for that kind of money. Good luck to him. Bleed Glazer dry.

"diving little wanker"?

You're not even a Manchester Utd fans anymore are you?

[Professor Piehead]

http://i17.tinypic.com/2j5e2b4.gif

heh heh heh. :D

[Roman Abramovich]

id like to see the wages agreed.....
id sell him if i was utd.

[Langer Dan]

id like to see the wages agreed.....
id sell him if i was utd.

'United should have kept Beckham'

[Langer Dan]

Yup it's not signed but agreed

Seems to be sorted alright

Great to see that wanker Spanish no-mark Ballaque (Sp) still trying to say that sources close say he is still going to Madrid

another one of his so called exclusives goes up in smoke

who needs Ronaldo when you've got Reyes:)

[STEVIEG]

id sell him if i was utd.

Thankfully you are not United!

[Corkonian]

"diving little wanker"?

You're not even a Manchester Utd fans anymore are you?

I know plenty of United fans who think the same.He is like. Fair enough he's reducing the number of dives but he still goes down way too easily. I'm not going to sing from some Man Yoo hymn sheet with Red tinted glasses on.


Its hard to describe what kind of fan I am. Its very hard to not support neville/giggs/scholes/heinze/rooney and even ronaldo I suppose given the effort they are putting in lately and I have supported the team for 20 years now but ultimately whatever they do it reaps financial rewards for Uncle Mal. I could try to differentiate but it would be a cop out really, an excuse and I'm not into that. So I think I'll describe myself as United supporter in waiting.....

But you and I have had this discussion already haven't we? I don't expect you to accept my reasons so to delve back into the argument is pointless. Each to their own. I'd love to be able to go to OT for every game but I just won't do it.

[Edmund Blackwater]

whenever he says a player is moving it usually dosnt happen.
Except when he called the Figo, real ronaldo and Beckham deals months before they were mentioned elsewhere.
Obviously.

[STEVIEG]

In a couple of hours this thread has received about half the views as the Chelsea thread has in a few months

BOX OFFICE

[Edmund Blackwater]

In a couple of hours this thread has received about half the views as the Chelsea thread has in a few months

BOX OFFICE
You're fair obsessed with that oul Chelsea thread, aren't you?
remind me again how many Chelsea fans are on the site.

[Philby]

True, This is BOX OFFICE though

I decided to make an exception this time after all the threads about him through the year

Ronaldo is the man everyone wants to talk about, like him or hate him

and you know there would have been one or two more threads anyway

You've set a dangerous precedent, expect countless thread's on Zenden's favourite hair stylist and perhaps even a Jermaine Pennant book of the week thread ;-)

[RonnyB]

Except when he called the Figo, real ronaldo and Beckham deals months before they were mentioned elsewhere.
Obviously.

or the Henry to Barca, Ruud to Real in 2005 and if I remember correctly he said Beckham was Barca bound not Madrid.

[STEVIEG]

You've set a dangerous precedent, expect countless thread's on Zenden's favourite hair stylist and perhaps even a Jermaine Pennant book of the week thread ;-)

:):):)

[STEVIEG]

or the Henry to Barca, Ruud to Real in 2005 and if I remember correctly he said Beckham was Barca bound not Madrid.

He is an idiot who throws so much shit around that some inevitably sticks

More often or not he gets it badly wrong

Torres signed for United last year by the way didn't he........

[RonnyB]

I know plenty of United fans who think the same.He is like. Fair enough he's reducing the number of dives but he still goes down way too easily. I'm not going to sing from some Man Yoo hymn sheet with Red tinted glasses on.


Its hard to describe what kind of fan I am. Its very hard to not support neville/giggs/scholes/heinze/rooney and even ronaldo I suppose given the effort they are putting in lately and I have supported the team for 20 years now but ultimately whatever they do it reaps financial rewards for Uncle Mal. I could try to differentiate but it would be a cop out really, an excuse and I'm not into that. So I think I'll describe myself as United supporter in waiting.....

But you and I have had this discussion already haven't we? I don't expect you to accept my reasons so to delve back into the argument is pointless. Each to their own. I'd love to be able to go to OT for every game but I just won't do it.

The club always made big money for investors when they were successful & Mad Mal wont be the 1st to have done so.

Going back on an issue thats probably been debated here before but I'll give my views on it anyhow. I didnt want Glazer buying the club at all never mind the amount of sums required & interest on loans to be paid back. But when some were burning Glazer mock ups & forming other clubs I decided to carry on my support the way I've always done.

To me losing the league in '92 & '95 are still the lowest points while I've supported United & I can think of a few more results that had me more pissed off (even this season) than the Glazer takeover.

Some fans thought he'd be the ruining of the club & he still may well be but what has changed in the 2 years? Ticket prices were increasing anyway, the transfer fees Fergie was paying on Djemba-Djemba-Djemba (so bad they named him thrice), Bellion and Kleberson were ridiculous & had to be curbed maybe even stopped. It put more emphasis on the clubs youth system which next season hopefully we should see more examples of the quality than can be found there.

And the big thing I didnt want Glazer to do was change the name of the ground for money. So far he has'nt & I cant see him doing so either.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is to me it does'nt matter who gains the profits (whether it was Edwards, Watkins, Coolmore stud or Glazer) once the team are funded, resources are competitive to rivals & most importantly of all the football team remain successful.

[Langer Dan]

He is an idiot who throws so much shit around that some inevitably sticks

More often or not he gets it badly wrong

Torres signed for United last year by the way didn't he........

only if you read the echo!:)

I was very surprised to Hear Roy was a Blackburn Rovers player! They're worse than The Sun down there:D

[Philby]

Balague is a nice lad, think some of the personal insults are wide of the mark.

Generally he's wheeled on as "England's finger on the pulse of Spanish football" when in reality he probably has a few half-decent contacts at the top clubs & a few in the local press...he's not got a direct line to movers & shakers in Spanish football.

For a variety of reasons they may decide to feed him some information, that information could be spot, vaguely on the money or a downright lie depending on their motivation for passing that info on. (e.g. I could see why the big two in Spain would want to cause waves for C. Ronaldo at OT by hinting that a deal is going to happen to bring him back to the Iberian peninsula).

It wouldn't surprise me if Ronaldo's representatives have met (and perhaps had in-depth meetings) with representatives from Barca and/or Real. If Balague gets wind of it then I don't see the problem with hinting towards a possible deal on a TV show...along with giving his opinion on the likelihood of a deal (which is what they inevitably ask him).

You win some, you lose some. He has been right about a number of things in the past (including the deal to bring Rafa to Liverpool. He is as close to Rafa as any journo can be) & comes across as a pretty nice guy.

[Philby]

only if you read the echo!:)

I was very surprised to Hear Roy was a Blackburn Rovers player! They're worse than The Sun down there:D

True. Sure you can hardly take a players word at face value can ya.

[Rebelred]

You've set a dangerous precedent, expect countless thread's on Zenden's favourite hair stylist and perhaps even a Jermaine Pennant book of the week thread ;-)

I'm surprised there hasn't been a single mention of the question "Fletcher and Carrick...as good as it gets?" this week

[Philby]

I'm surprised there hasn't been a single mention of the question "Fletcher and Carrick...as good as it gets?" this week

Maybe because one of them is wank and the other is nothing special?

[Edmund Blackwater]

Balague is a nice lad, think some of the personal insults are wide of the mark.

Generally he's wheeled on as "England's finger on the pulse of Spanish football" when in reality he probably has a few half-decent contacts at the top clubs & a few in the local press...he's not got a direct line to movers & shakers in Spanish football.

For a variety of reasons they may decide to feed him some information, that information could be spot, vaguely on the money or a downright lie depending on their motivation for passing that info on. (e.g. I could see why the big two in Spain would want to cause waves for C. Ronaldo at OT by hinting that a deal is going to happen to bring him back to the Iberian peninsula).

It wouldn't surprise me if Ronaldo's representatives have met (and perhaps had in-depth meetings) with representatives from Barca and/or Real. If Balague gets wind of it then I don't see the problem with hinting towards a possible deal on a TV show...along with giving his opinion on the likelihood of a deal (which is what they inevitably ask him).

You win some, you lose some. He has been right about a number of things in the past (including the deal to bring Rafa to Liverpool. He is as close to Rafa as any journo can be) & comes across as a pretty nice guy.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
he said something about a manyoo player, therefore he's a bollox.
The campaign to have him rmoved from manyoo's media wing starts here.

[Actin The Sham]

The club always made big money for investors when they were successful & Mad Mal wont be the 1st to have done so.

Going back on an issue thats probably been debated here before but I'll give my views on it anyhow. I didnt want Glazer buying the club at all never mind the amount of sums required & interest on loans to be paid back. But when some were burning Glazer mock ups & forming other clubs I decided to carry on my support the way I've always done.

To me losing the league in '92 & '95 are still the lowest points while I've supported United & I can think of a few more results that had me more pissed off (even this season) than the Glazer takeover.

Some fans thought he'd be the ruining of the club & he still may well be but what has changed in the 2 years? Ticket prices were increasing anyway, the transfer fees Fergie was paying on Djemba-Djemba-Djemba (so bad they named him thrice), Bellion and Kleberson were ridiculous & had to be curbed maybe even stopped. It put more emphasis on the clubs youth system which next season hopefully we should see more examples of the quality than can be found there.

And the big thing I didnt want Glazer to do was change the name of the ground for money. So far he has'nt & I cant see him doing so either.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is to me it does'nt matter who gains the profits (whether it was Edwards, Watkins, Coolmore stud or Glazer) once the team are funded, resources are competitive to rivals & most importantly of all the football team remain successful.


I only barely remember going into school after United got relegated in 74. Back then there wasn't as much media or tv coverage but I was still gutted.

Following that the worst moment for me was against Arsenal in the cup final in 79.

[STEVIEG]

I'm surprised there hasn't been a single mention of the question "Fletcher and Carrick...as good as it gets?" this week

After Evra's goal George Hamilton did use the 'as good as it gets phrase":)

Philby should sue!

[KolaKubes]

Bob Cass is apparently Fergie's mouthpiece in the media right now. Essentially, take note of any story he comes out with regarding Utd.

However, as rightly pointed out by Philby, these contacts will feed a mouthpiece spin if it suits the club, so you still have to take it with a pinch of salt.

[Corkonian]

The club always made big money for investors when they were successful & Mad Mal wont be the 1st to have done so.

Going back on an issue thats probably been debated here before but I'll give my views on it anyhow. I didnt want Glazer buying the club at all never mind the amount of sums required & interest on loans to be paid back. But when some were burning Glazer mock ups & forming other clubs I decided to carry on my support the way I've always done.

To me losing the league in '92 & '95 are still the lowest points while I've supported United & I can think of a few more results that had me more pissed off (even this season) than the Glazer takeover.

Some fans thought he'd be the ruining of the club & he still may well be but what has changed in the 2 years? Ticket prices were increasing anyway, the transfer fees Fergie was paying on Djemba-Djemba-Djemba (so bad they named him thrice), Bellion and Kleberson were ridiculous & had to be curbed maybe even stopped. It put more emphasis on the clubs youth system which next season hopefully we should see more examples of the quality than can be found there.

And the big thing I didnt want Glazer to do was change the name of the ground for money. So far he has'nt & I cant see him doing so either.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is to me it does'nt matter who gains the profits (whether it was Edwards, Watkins, Coolmore stud or Glazer) once the team are funded, resources are competitive to rivals & most importantly of all the football team remain successful.

I was going to list off fact after fact again about what he owes and how its increasing and why a Leeds United style disaster is very much possible but whats the point? Go to the MUST website if you want the figures. I'm not gonna waste my time.
Losing the title to Blackburn Rovers is more important to you than the club being handed over to Malcolm Glazer who has saddled it with 681million in debt and thats increasing every year. You don't think OT will be sold off and leased back resulting its name being at least partially changed when the repayments really bite? Fine. You think 25million (at the most) to be spent in the transfer market is enough to stay competitive. Fine. Live in that bubble.
Like you said-you did nothing but continue going to matches (or however you supported the club) when the takeover was happening so its not like you'll have sudden change of heart. Each to their own. I just hope all those fence sitters are as content with their decision to do nothing when it all comes crashing down and I genuinely believe it will.

[RonnyB]

I was going to list off fact after fact again about what he owes and how its increasing and why a Leeds United style disaster is very much possible but whats the point? Go to the MUST website if you want the figures. I'm not gonna waste my time.
Losing the title to Blackburn Rovers is more important to you than the club being handed over to Malcolm Glazer who has saddled it with 681million in debt and thats increasing every year. You don't think OT will be sold off and leased back resulting its name being at least partially changed when the repayments really bite? Fine. You think 25million (at the most) to be spent in the transfer market is enough to stay competitive. Fine. Live in that bubble.
Like you said-you did nothing but continue going to matches (or however you supported the club) when the takeover was happening so its not like you'll have sudden change of heart. Each to their own. I just hope all those fence sitters are as content with their decision to do nothing when it all comes crashing down and I genuinely believe it will.

I do understand that the club is riddled with a huge debt & interest bill. However I'm no good at business or mathematical figures. MUST proclaim what they see fair enough. I have no problem with that. Also if worst comes to worse the club suffering in a major way will hurt a lot more than a few league titles but that is yet to happen so for now my disappointments are football related.

I do know that Glazer is a good business man though and he must have carefully planned his purchase & how to maximise profit. He hardly came in to bring the club crashing down (unless he's a closet scouse). Its a used line but a damaged club isn't going to make him any money is it? Again if the football suffers & he sells our soul then I'll take more notice.

As for the £25m kitty every year, I think that should be enough to a certain degree. United are a club that prides itself on its youth system so for me I like to see one or two develop from that. Anyway money doesnt guarentee success as we saw when over £45m was spent on Veron & Ruud only to end up trophy-less.

As for fence sitting what exactly can we do? Boycott the club? No thanks.

[Philby]

After Evra's goal George Hamilton did use the 'as good as it gets phrase":)

Philby should sue!

The Bastard, does that give me carte blanche to misappropriate his many witticisms?

[Actin The Sham]

The Bastard, does that give me carte blanche to misappropriate his many witticisms?

Uh oh......danger here.

[nemesis]

Masterful by Fergie the way he has handled Ronaldo this season

He has gone from one of United's best players to one of Europes best, and he has improved 300%

I was convinced he was gone last summer and I had the nagging feeling that he had never even reached half of his potential with us

The no-end product argument actuallly was a fair argument before this season and he was frustrating the way he he took the wrong optiions

Even at the World Cup, i thought he could have been better

Since August though, he has been a top player and he is now probably United's best player

The manager deserves great credit, as does the player

Hopefully they will win something now

Agree with all of this. BUT (and there was always going to be a but), the way Ronaldo's agent has been behaving throughout the whole thing is still a huge cause for concern. Unless there was a juicy minimum fee release clause in that contract, and unless the board will actually hold Real or Barca to it, we can expect to hear possibly genuine rumours of his departure to Spain every year from now on.

[Corkonian]

I've heard rumours of a 40million buy out clause. I don't expect to see him here after more than two seasons at the most though.

[KolaKubes]

I've heard rumours of a 40million buy out clause. I don't expect to see him here after more than two seasons at the most though.

Ye're worse than the ABUs at this stage!:rolleyes:

[Corkonian]

No I'm being honest! Honest.lol. A friend of mine used to work
Phil Townsend and he's the one that told me. I have no idea how true it is but generally this guy knows his stuff so I personally believe its fairly reliable. But like I said- its just a rumour.

KK as for the MUST=ABU comment. Not all of us feel like I do. Some still go to games and cannot but support the team. I personally cannot and I certainly do not speak for MUST as a whole. The thing with me is I love the club, you support one team and you really cannot choose not to anymore when you've followed them for as long as I have but I hate what its become. if anyone can point a way out to me for Glazer to fail without United having to fail miserably then I'd love to hear it. I miss going to OT and supporting United but the team's success and Glazer's subsequent debt repayments are inextricably linked and I cannot over look that no matter how hard I try or how much I want to.

[KolaKubes]

No I'm being honest! Honest.lol. A friend of mine used to work
Phil Townsend and he's the one that told me. I have no idea how true it is but generally this guy knows his stuff so I personally believe its fairly reliable. But like I said- its just a rumour.

KK as for the MUST=ABU comment. Not all of us feel like I do. Some still go to games and cannot but support the team. I personally cannot and I certainly do not speak for MUST as a whole. The thing with me is I love the club, you support one team and you really cannot choose not to anymore when you've followed them for as long as I have but I hate what its become. if anyone can point a way out to me for Glazer to fail without United having to fail miserably then I'd love to hear it. I miss going to OT and supporting United but the team's success and Glazer's subsequent debt repayments are inextricably linked and I cannot over look that no matter how hard I try or how much I want to.

Yep, I just disagree with the MUST treatise that Utd failing might be for the best. In fact, I think its dangerous insane and I'm glad the boycott failed miserably.

My own attitude to it is succinctly put as "Best of luck to Utd and those parasitic cunts the Glazers". Just as previously it was, except with the Edwards substituted for the Glazers.

[Corkonian]

You see I get that-why yourself and Ronny B are saying-shur Edwards was a fcuker too, the club is a business. But Martin Edwards didn't put the club into 700m of debt. Thats what we were opposed to. At an AGM prior to the Glazers showing serious interest in a takeover, it was suggested to Gill that the United operate with a proportion of managable debt so that it would free up more money for SAF to buy more players and compete with Chelsea Real and Barca. Gill stood there and refused to even entertain the idea. He said United would never be run with debt on the books. Suddenly 700milllion is ok?
Its not that we don't want anyone owning and investing in the club. we're not that dilusional. Ideally we'd love to have the fans involved and the plc enabled that but we were relatively happy as long as the club was in safe hands.
Sure, we didn't want Murdoch either but if you'd seen his plans which involved making the team less successful in order to make the premiership more competitive, then you'd understand why. I still think he's in the background somewhere with this. Now we want a fan owned or partially owned club so this can never happen again.

Only yesterday Glazer finally owned up to the level of debt United (700million and rising) and its ultimate holding company Red Football (137million and rising) -which by the way hold just United stock as its sole asset -are now saddled with. Great timing by them if you ask me. Announce the Ronaldo news and then hopefully none of the fans will give fcuk. And you know what-he's right. Most fans don't. But they will when he's sold off in a year or two.
Either way KK, whether MUST want it or not, he's going to run the club into the ground. People think the Glazers know what they are doing. That they are successful business men-no they are not that successful. They've had disasters happen before in buiness like anybody else. They tried to get rid of some of the debt by selling off some of the Bucs but what they didn't legislate for was that the NFL wouldn't allow that. So they obviously didn;t do their homework. Its just better that United failing happens sooner rather than later so that when we do go to pick up the pieces there will still be fans around who want to go to the games and the club can get back on its feet without too much trouble. If its a long slow decline then theres less chance that people will be interested when the time comes to build the club back up again. Its do-able but its more hassle.

[KolaKubes]

You see I get that-why yourself and Ronny B are saying-shur Edwards was a fcuker too, the club is a business. But Martin Edwards didn't put the club into 700m of debt. Thats what we were opposed to. At an AGM prior to the Glazers showing serious interest in a takeover, it was suggested to Gill that the United operate with a proportion of managable debt so that it would free up more money for SAF to buy more players and compete with Chelsea Real and Barca. Gill stood there and refused to even entertain the idea. He said United would never be run with debt on the books. Suddenly 700milllion is ok?
Its not that we don't want anyone owning and investing in the club. we're not that dilusional. Ideally we'd love to have the fans involved and the plc enabled that but we were relatively happy as long as the club was in safe hands.
Sure, we didn't want Murdoch either but if you'd seen his plans which involved making the team less successful in order to make the premiership more competitive, then you'd understand why. I still think he's in the background somewhere with this. Now we want a fan owned or partially owned club so this can never happen again.

Only yesterday Glazer finally owned up to the level of debt United (700million and rising) and its ultimate holding company Red Football (137million and rising) -which by the way hold just United stock as its sole asset -are now saddled with. Great timing by them if you ask me. Announce the Ronaldo news and then hopefully none of the fans will give fcuk. And you know what-he's right. Most fans don't. But they will when he's sold off in a year or two.
Either way KK, whether MUST want it or not, he's going to run the club into the ground. People think the Glazers know what they are doing. That they are successful business men-no they are not that successful. They've had disasters happen before in buiness like anybody else. They tried to get rid of some of the debt by selling off some of the Bucs but what they didn't legislate for was that the NFL wouldn't allow that. So they obviously didn;t do their homework. Its just better that United failing happens sooner rather than later so that when we do go to pick up the pieces there will still be fans around who want to go to the games and the club can get back on its feet without too much trouble. If its a long slow decline then theres less chance that people will be interested when the time comes to build the club back up again. Its do-able but its more hassle.

The thing I find strange arguing with the "boycotters" is that I'm not in disagreement with you on most of the key points. What there is is serious differences of interpretation and how best to respond to the crisis we find ourselves in.

Being either realistic or cynical depending on your outlook, once we went PLC, the club was always at risk of this. The benefits to the club were that we got a nice cash investment which was put into the stadium and helped give us a lasting edge over our rivals in terms of revenue (albeit one eroded since the Abramovich cash and London middle class types "discovering" football in the mid-90s and being willing to pay nonsensical ticket prices).

If I remember the history of the decision to go PLC, there were a lot of dissenting voice and perhaps in retrospect it was a heavy price to pay for the level of investment gained.

I disagree regarding Edwards, the toilet sniffer has made more out of Utd than anyone and frequently put the development of the team below the interest of maintaining his share price.

The guy's a fucking wanker and I land the blame for opening us up to the possibility of this takeover at his feet. He is higher up my list of cunts than the Glazers actually and always will be.

While you cleverly sidestep the issue of the blocked Sky takeover with talk of them actively seeking to dissipate our competitiveness, the fact is that MUST and its kin were the ones patting themselves on the back for stopping that going through and the fact is that said takeover would have left Utd much better off financially.

Would love to see some of you lot admit that you catastrophically fucked up that one and perhaps its that which has partially made up the minds of the majority of Utd fans that they'll be having no more to do with your schemes?

Now, if want to know, I think Utd will be alright. I think we've got a few cash cows in Ronaldo and Rooney. There seems to be nothing challenging us getting CL football every year. Premiership revenues are skyrocketing. The youth set-up is going to mean we will have a competitive squad for many years to come without having to delve too deeply into the transfer market.

My reading of the situation now is simple. The Glazers are seeing if they can tease a much higher profitability out of Utd. If they do that, they will then look to either re-float the club or they might sell Tampa Bay and use the cash to pay off some of the debt and improve the profitability of Utd. They will not overextend themselves on the Utd deal unless there's something more in it for them.

A successful boycott would have ensured only that Utd would be fucked. The Glazers would still walk away unscathed apart from what passes for their reputation. By continuing to support the club (unsurprisingly) we help stave off the threat of a Utd meltdown and help tempt in other investors who might get the debt down.

The boycott and phoenix fund/rebirth concept is well-intentioned but idiotic as far as I'm concerned

[cit_gym_rat]

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pa...&newsid=419037
his gone in the summer isnt he?

[Corkonian]

I disagree regarding Edwards, the toilet sniffer has made more out of Utd than anyone and frequently put the development of the team below the interest of maintaining his share price.

The guy's a fucking wanker and I land the blame for opening us up to the possibility of this takeover at his feet. He is higher up my list of cunts than the Glazers actually and always will be.

I'm not disagreeing with your opinon of him. All I'm saying is that at that stage of the clubs history of ownership we were not saddled with the kind of debt we are now faced with. I would also put Edwards at the perhaps the top of your list. I personally don't even put the Glazers in with them. Business is business. I disagree with their purchase of United. I think they don't have a clue about United's history but thats about it. Its Gill and co that I add to your list who lied and lied and lied to our faces about the whole thing. At least the Glazers were up front about it. Don't get me wrong-I don't have any love for them, but I don't hate them. that would be rather ridiculous.


While you cleverly sidestep the issue of the blocked Sky takeover with talk of them actively seeking to dissipate our competitiveness, the fact is that MUST and its kin were the ones patting themselves on the back for stopping that going through and the fact is that said takeover would have left Utd much better off financially.

On the contrary I'm not sidestepping anything. I was the one who brought the Sky matter up. Again its down to messing with the clubs tradition. What good is x amount in the bank when Murdoch looked to stifle the success of the team. Thats a joke ffs. Why would ANY fan want that? Lets throw that at Scouse/Newcastle/Arsenal fans- Ya we've won fcuk all for years, have a crap team, have stopped playing attacking football, but at least we're rich. Oh sorry-at least Murdoch is. Yes MUST's predecessors SUAM feel like they had a hand in stopping that but ultimately it was the Monopolies Commission who could see the takeover was wrong for FOOTBALL not just United. If an independant body can see that then I'm not sure what you are throwing at those who fought against it.

And as for your argument about having more money- United was running perfectly well as a successful business without debt. The bord were answerable to shareholders who were satisfied with the success of the club finacially and on the pitch. The PLC was never perfect but the club ran smoothly for years as one. It didn't NEED any more cash. Kenyon/Gill?SAF alwasy said United didn't need a sugar daddy. Murdoch and the Sky empire would have been the only ones who would have benfitted as far as I can see.

Would love to see some of you lot admit that you catastrophically fucked up that one and perhaps its that which has partially made up the minds of the majority of Utd fans that they'll be having no more to do with your schemes?

fcuked up the chance for Murdoch to get his grubby little hands on United? oh gee-sorry. By the way SUAM fought that with the support of other teams' supporters too becuase that fight was about more than just United. It would have ruined football if Murdoch got his hands on the club because he would have been pulling the strings on how successful United were. Thats not football. thats a sham of a league. How many trophies would we never have won if Murdoch had gotten his way? SAF was against it. Players were against it. Fans in general were against it. i think in that respect our argument has been vindicated.

Now, if want to know, I think Utd will be alright. I think we've got a few cash cows in Ronaldo and Rooney. There seems to be nothing challenging us getting CL football every year. Premiership revenues are skyrocketing. The youth set-up is going to mean we will have a competitive squad for many years to come without having to delve too deeply into the transfer market.

I'm glad your so optimistic. But all it takes is one or two seasons and it can all go very wrong. Liverpool have investors. Chelsea have investors. Arsenal will soon have investors. We have.... DEBT. The youth system can be hit and miss. We have a few good players coming through but its a BIG step up to the main team and i'm not so sure that those coming through are going to be that fantastic. The nev/giggs/beckhams were a once off. Just look at Richardson and co and you'll see how hit and miss they have been.

My reading of the situation now is simple. The Glazers are seeing if they can tease a much higher profitability out of Utd. If they do that, they will then look to either re-float the club or they might sell Tampa Bay and use the cash to pay off some of the debt and improve the profitability of Utd. They will not overextend themselves on the Utd deal unless there's something more in it for them.

Look the basics of the situation are this. It was a highly leveraged purchase and all that debt has bee transferred onto United. Unlike the PLC (who have many investors) and clubs owned by people who genuinely love the club, United are now in the hands of a man who sees it purely as a business venture. If he sells Tampa Bay he will only prove his character as 3 years ago Tampa Bay were the be all and end all and he swore to never sell them. Therefore whats to stop him selling United if he suddenly gets takes an interest in Baseball. But despite that, as I said the club is now heavily in debt and financial experts have always said what a risky business football is. United in theory could go for the next 5/6 years without winning a single thing. So if it all goes wrong Glazer will try to sell a team who's value will have plummeted. But he still has almost 900 million potentially a billion pounds of debt (depending on interest rates and whether or not he's managed to refinance of debt) on United at that stage. Who is going to pay that when the club is worth so much less. United are then screwed and your looking at them going into administration. He was always going to walk away from it unscathed. The boycott has never been about maliciously trying to financially ruin Glazer. It was about getting him to fcuk off so you see its not that MUST are anti-Glazer at all. Its about getting a club thats owned by the fans and run with the fans interest in mind. United's history pretty much died when Football Club was removed from the crest.

What I will say is that I am objective enough to see that MUST were over zealous in thinking they could beat Glazer hands down even though there are suggestions they came very close to it I think they placed too much faith in a group of supporters which are the only set of supporters to acquire an *Anybody But* set of counterparts. I also like your idea of approaching Glazer about being a minor partner. Its something which should have been looked into but alas i'm not on the Committee and I don't know if the ones at the top actually looked into that properly. It's something a few of us thought about but again, we thought we he's never gonna go for that and he's shown that he's rather autocratic in his style of ownership. The way he did business in the first place suggested that. As for your idea to remain supporting the club until investors get rid of the debt-again good idea. But for many of us, the only option now is a football club partially owned or owned in full by the fans so the likes of Edwards, the PLC and Glazer can never happen again eg- A Leeds United style consortium for the want of a better club. That is why I want him to fail. That is why I cannot go to OT until he's gone. It's nothing personal, its about wanting a club that is owned by the fans. how possible that is is a matter of opinion but at the moment the figures speak for themselves.

[ho chi feen]

http://i17.tinypic.com/2j5e2b4.gif

Welcome to 2003, Ed.