[Archived] End Of Manc Dominance?

[tcj_jones]

United have lost Ronaldo and Tevez and brought in Valencia, Owen and Obertan... Well their front line is still absolute quality, but they seem to be collecting mediocre wingers and they've certainly taken a step backward. Their squad is simply too big now, so I wouldn't expect any more signings either.

Chelsea have been tracking Ancelotti for over a season now, so I'd expect some stability there now, while Arsenal have several players back from injury, and more importantly, kept the squad together, and City have splashed the cash. Liverpool have stood still, but still gained relative to United. If these clubs can really get their act together, then next season at the top could be the tightest it's ever been.

[Ritchie]

As I have mentioned previously, I believe that Arsenal will win the Premier League this season.

MUFC is in severe debt, which will affect the club enormously in the next few years. Citeh, on the other hand, are quids in and if the owners allow Hughes to actually develop a team (and we all know that he is capable of doing so) then City could actually become title challengers.

Liverpool will challenge simply because they have Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard playing for them.

It remains to be seen how Chelsea will perform under Signor Ancelotti.

So, in keeping with the subject title... it could be the end of Manchester United's dominance, yes. I won't laugh though, because I have no reason to dislike the club.

[1864roverite]

Man City fans own goal ??

http://www.manchestercity.vitalfootball.co...le.asp?a=159995

[gumboots]

As I have mentioned previously, I believe that Arsenal will win the Premier League this season.

MUFC is in severe debt, which will affect the club enormously in the next few years. Citeh, on the other hand, are quids in and if the owners allow Hughes to actually develop a team (and we all know that he is capable of doing so) then City could actually become title challengers.

Liverpool will challenge simply because they have Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard playing for them.

It remains to be seen how Chelsea will perform under Signor Ancelotti.

So, in keeping with the subject title... it could be the end of Manchester United's dominance, yes. I won't laugh though, because I have no reason to dislike the club.

Everyone has a reason to dislike Man Utd just because they are Man utd

[blue phil]

Even Caveman is admitting that Man U are effectively screwed under the Glazers and is hoping for someone to chuck £1bn plus in their direction.

Which we all know will inevitably happen - there's always another sheikh out there trying to prove he's a bigger and richer man than the abduls in the next sheikdom . Has nobody noticed that football works differently or do they think that what's going on at City is a soundly thought through business venture by whichever autocrat has just bought it ?

In the meantime the Glazers and Man Utd will continue to sit at the top table in Europe . Utd , like it or not , are in the top two supported clubs in the world and aren't going to go under . There will always be a buyer to pick up the pieces - unlike other "failing" businesses . Football is different .

[neekoy]

Man City fans own goal ??

http://www.manchestercity.vitalfootball.co...le.asp?a=159995

perez is trying to guarantee his job over the next ten years by trying to create some half-assed league that will generate plenty of funds so he can *maybe* repay some of this ridiculous debt he's just loaded Real with.

Maybe they should start looking into their own backyard.

I think Man Utd will not run away with it, I think it will be out of Chelsea and Arsenal, Liverpool will once again fail at the final hurdle

[philipl]

Agreed-

The chances are that there would be a buyer for Man U.

BUT

1) On a strict returns basis, the amount now needed to exit the debt and the Glazers make Man U already a very dodgy proposition as anything other than a vanity buy.

2) You are down to a handful of people in the world for whom £1 billion can be blown on a vanity buy. Putting it in context, its around three times the amount Abu Dhabi has put into Man City to date and £300m more tham Abramovich has put into Chelsea over the past six years.

3) The issue I am raising is that the Glazers are making the Mancs damaged goods. They have sold off the world's best player to fund a year's interest payments and as debt repayment dates near and the markets don't get any easier, the squeeze is only just beginning. By the timer the Glazers are squeezed into selling, what state will Man U be in?

With regards to Real Madrid, yes their business practices absolutely stink. But in the era of ethics-free mega-clubs, Real start off with a £70m a year advantage in TV revenue over Man U and a £50m a year advantage in interest costs over Man U. Now Ronaldo has gone, I won't be surprised if Man U don't find a much bigger hole in their global merchandising revenues than they had been anticipating.

Put everything together and whilst Real Madrid have gone bananas this summer, there is an awful lot you can do when you have £150m a year in free cash more than your biggest rivals.

[alexanders]

Hope Arsenal or Chelsea clinch the title this year.

[tcj_jones]

Philip, my friend laughed at me when I told him United were paying £80m in interest each year and that the Glaziers funded their purchase of the club by putting it into debt.

If I am right over the interest bill, I'd like to prove him wrong. Do you have a link to these figures by any chance? Or otherwise a report whereby these figures are mentioned?

Thanks.

[philipl]

This is a commentary on last year's results.

"The latest figures from Red Football - covering the period that included the refinancing of the company in 2006 which followed the leveraged takeover by Glazer the year before - suggest that the club is being affected by the global credit crunch.

Glazer, whose sons are board members and occasionally attend games at Old Trafford, borrowed most of the money needed to buy the club, loading it up with debt.

The Red Football figures showed that the club still owes some 152 million pounds to hedge funds at a rate of interest of 14.25 per cent and that it paid off only 42 million pounds of the 81 million pounds in interest due on their debts last year."

Incidentally, they either repay the hedge fund together with rolled up interest- about £250m- by April 2010 or the hedge fund has the ability to appoint a majority of directors and seek a buyer for the club.

[philipl]

From the BBC:

Manchester United have had to change their long-planned exhibition dedicated to Cristiano Ronaldo to a 'farewell' presentation. The 'Best Player In The World' display at Old Trafford went up as it was announced the winger was moving to Real Madrid. (Various)

[ross-shire rover]

Hope Arsenal or Chelsea clinch the title this year.

What happened to hoping Rovers will win the title ?? We know it won't happen but we can always hope...

[leftfooter]

Tevez, Adebayor, John Terry?

Shouldn't this thread be re-named the 'Start Of MANC Dominance?'

[Hughesy]

They have only got Tevez out of them 3 - its obvious Adebayor is hoping for some interest from another club, not sure it will happen though, think he will probably go City.

City should forget Terry, he isnt worth £30m+

[Billy Castell]

Sounds a bit like their manager then.

[deftangel]

BBC reckon Man Yoo's interest payments are "only" £43 million or so;-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t...utd/8164571.stm

Which they seem to view as pretty manageable.

[philipl]

The 15,000 waiting list has disappeared and the Mancs are struggling to sell all available STs this summer.

[Exiled in Toronto]

The 15,000 waiting list has disappeared and the Mancs are struggling to sell all available STs this summer.

Sounds like good business to me - how much income do waiting lists generate? They are just a sign of an inbalance between supply and demand that can, and should, be corrected by pricing. Let's see how many premier league games they don't sell out before crowing.

The Glaziers, like them or not, have been far more successful than previous regimes in maximising income.

[cn174]

Sounds like good business to me - how much income do waiting lists generate? They are just a sign of an inbalance between supply and demand that can, and should, be corrected by pricing. Let's see how many premier league games they don't sell out before crowing.

The Glaziers, like them or not, have been far more successful than previous regimes in maximising income.

I think some of the NFL teams charge to be on the waiting list - I'm surprised Man U never come up with that idea.

[Hughesy]

I dont believe for one minute that United cant sell out their ST's.

If they were to go public that they didnt have a waiting list (Which i believe they do), then they would have masses trying to sign up again!

[thenodrog]

I dont believe for one minute that United cant sell out their ST's.

I'd like to. That is part of the MU attraction that their image is based on.

[philipl]

That was as rubbish a Manc performance as you are likely to see.

Lost a heck of a lot of 50/50s, no fluidity, no menace.

[67splitscreen]

Accy Stanley would have give um a game tonight.

SAF underrated OC and his players badly, they got exactly what they deserved.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Lets hope they play like that Ewood. It's not likely though. I've always said the best time to play them is either the first two games of the season or the last two.

[Amo]

Coyle obviously threw the Stoke game to lull them into a false sense of security.