Soccergate....can Someone Explain To Me.....

[ToraToraTora]

...why do they not simply organise themselves and buy their respective clubs? Then they could control them as they appear to want to do. There are gazillions of MU supporters for example they only need to buy a few shares each. Don't get me wrong I did disagree with the Yerp super league cobras but really the only reason it even came up is because so called "fans" are not interested enough to buy their club.

[Ken4155]

There would never be enough shares on sale for supporters to gain overall control of the big clubs.

[ToraToraTora]

ken, to adapt a phrase from Mr Bridger, everything in the world is for sale.

[Ken4155]

Speculation suggests that the Glazers would want around £3b - £4b to sell their shares, which are currently worth £2.1b.

[ToraToraTora]

great their are enough MU "fans" to buy one each if necessary.

[douglas9401]

I see I've completely misunderstood the whole shares thing for all these years.

Who knew it was so easy to beat the pros at their own game?

[ToraToraTora]

anyone can buy shares dougie and guess what, demand puts the price up.

[youngmafbog]

You can only buy shares if they are for sale though.

Short of an underhand hostile takeover I cant see this ever happening. And that would probably raise the attention of the authorities and get stopped anyway.

[ToraToraTora]

"You can only buy shares if they are for sale though" - yes but just buy up all that's available the word gets round price drifts up, keep buying till you have a controlling interest. If the fans got organised they could buy their own club over time.

[youngmafbog]

Need to be careful there. Often there aer different class shares some without voting rights.

I'm not sure on the setup of Manu but I would have thought the Glaziers held more than 51% so very difficult to get a controlling interest unless they give them up. Which they wont unless someone gives them big bucks. Not the sort of thing that the fans could organise.

[ToraToraTora]

they could do it over time, if they were minded to.

[youngmafbog]

Had a look. you can only buy Class A shares that pay no dividend. Plus The Glazer clan own all the class B which have 10 times the voting rights which means even if you owned all the Class A you could never get a vote through.

Unless the Glazers sell there is nothing that can be done with a hostile takeover, and looking at the volatile history of the clubs trading I have doubts that would work without seriously damaging the club.

[ToraToraTora]

ok fair enough, tough to do now but why did they ever let it get to this stage?

[youngmafbog]

Looks to me like the club has been used by the finance vultures, even Soros has been in there.

Most fans would simply not have the nouse to understand what was happening until it was too late unfortunately.

[Peter Pedant]

erm they may not be for sale
certainly when the Glazers bid for Man United, the av fan in Church St Newton 'eef - had NO idea whatever what would hit them (*)

Papa glazer also cleverly used junk bonds to raise money for the buy out which was v v expensive ( lots and lots of moolah)
£500m - high rate of interest because of the risk, and no collateral.
There are still £450 m worth around

(*) fans burning green and yellow flares - the colours of the Old newton heath f c which was a railway side and turned into Man U. Pub where the article of assocition were signed is the health centre doling out vacca on Oldham Rd oppo the RBS that closed last year. (Duke of York)
Time for crowds of Abers to protest wot all dis abart den - foo! - wha' man united den etc etc

[Peter Pedant]

// keep buying till you have a controlling interest.//
you have obviously done this yourself in the past TTT

jesus - fairy tales. say it and it must be true

[Ellipsis]

The fans need to withdraw all support. Stop attending games. Cease their Sky Sports and BT Sport subscriptions. Stop buying merchandise. Stop engaging on social media. And keep it up until the owners cave.

[Peter Pedant]

This is the plot of Lysistrata innit
the comedy by aristophanes?

the gairls dont give up leddies' field hockey - - - but - - sex

[Ellipsis]

If you like, PP. I was thinking of it more in terms of "going on strike", the withdrawal of moolah rather than labour.