PIF and RB Sports & Media

[TK-421]

There was a bit of talk yesterday morning on Talksport about PIF and their pursuit of Nunez, and how they are funding other clubs whilst not being able to put money (like we hope they would) into us. (from 4:35 if the link doesn't start there)
 

 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2025 by TK-421

[duo]

They really are taking the PIF

 

*Can't claim it heard someone say it.  

[Stifler]

I think people are going too far to be honest.

Where we have came from since the takeover has been massive.

We have won a cup for the first time since 1969. Our merchandise income has double twice. They have brought in Adidas as our shirt manufacturer because of our previous connection with them.

Sela have been good sponsors for us.

They bought the Strawberry land just incase we needed it for an expansion of SJP.

People who are used to big infrastructure projects from both Saudi and the Reubens have been brought onto the board room. So yes the new stadium and the training ground will happen.

 

We can be disappointed with how this summer has gone, but we haven’t lacked ambition.

We can’t sell our players to Saudi clubs because we have no one to sell, and as we saw with ASM, we’d have to sell at a reduced rate. However they have got us to the max we can get to PSR without receiving any sanctions.

[ExiledGeordie]

A bit ironic that other clubs in the league namely in the top 6 make (alot of) money selling players to PIF and yet we can’t spend a dime. 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2025 by ExiledGeordie

[SUPERTOON]

12 minutes ago, Stifler said:

I think people are going too far to be honest.

Where we have came from since the takeover has been massive.

We have won a cup for the first time since 1969. Our merchandise income has double twice. They have brought in Adidas as our shirt manufacturer because of our previous connection with them.

Sela have been good sponsors for us.

They bought the Strawberry land just incase we needed it for an expansion of SJP.

People who are used to big infrastructure projects from both Saudi and the Reubens have been brought onto the board room. So yes the new stadium and the training ground will happen.

 

We can be disappointed with how this summer has gone, but we haven’t lacked ambition.

We can’t sell our players to Saudi clubs because we have no one to sell, and as we saw with ASM, we’d have to sell at a reduced rate. However they have got us to the max we can get to PSR without receiving any sanctions.

The issue is that they haven’t really done anything for well over a year. Everything good happened when Amanda was here (off the pitch). Even the achievements on the pitch since haven’t been a result of any recent effort from PIF. 

[Ben]

4 minutes ago, SUPERTOON said:

The issue is that they haven’t really done anything for well over a year. Everything good happened when Amanda was here (off the pitch). Even the achievements on the pitch since haven’t been a result of any recent effort from PIF. 

 

Agree with this, Howe has achieved fantastic results in spite of PIF not because of them.

[r0cafella]

3 hours ago, SUPERTOON said:

The issue is that they haven’t really done anything for well over a year. Everything good happened when Amanda was here (off the pitch). Even the achievements on the pitch since haven’t been a result of any recent effort from PIF. 

The only thing they've ever done is authorise the Investments. No legwork is done by this lot. 

[Famous Nick]

too focused on other sporting investments. does feel golf and F1 etc does get much more attention. also how they bankrolled CWC with a billion dollars, not sure for what purpose. could have been some background deal for winning WC deal from dodgy Infantino.

 

would they do this with Aramco that their CEO is on medical leave for almost a year and and CFO resigns too and nobody jumping in for both of those positions leaving a strange power vacuum? never...

 

feels a bit we have been put on the backburner. we really need positive news coming out of the club starting with getting this next 3 weeks doe with solid transfers, then stadium news etc. also unreal how little new sponsors we seen.

 

issue is players and especially their agents will get a sense of this, if the upcoming season goes badly. (=early CL exit, no CL place in May, no cup success)

 

[et tu brute]

4 hours ago, SUPERTOON said:

The issue is that they haven’t really done anything for well over a year. Everything good happened when Amanda was here (off the pitch). Even the achievements on the pitch since haven’t been a result of any recent effort from PIF. 

A bit of rewriting here about Staveley coming from a few. She wants great credit for bringing PIF to the table and nobody can dispute that. She was always short term as she never had the funds to match any owner investment with her %. She also put us in a position where we had to lose two players to avoid a points deduction. Not forgetting going through two court cases, which wasn't a positive image for the club. I honestly don't think the owners had any option, but to buy here shares out. 

[TheBrownBottle]

3 minutes ago, et tu brute said:

A bit of rewriting here about Staveley coming from a few. She wants great credit for bringing PIF to the table and nobody can dispute that. She was always short term as she never had the funds to match any owner investment with her %. She also put us in a position where we had to lose two players to avoid a points deduction. Not forgetting going through two court cases, which wasn't a positive image for the club. I honestly don't think the owners had any option, but to buy here shares out. 

Agreed - I suspect if PIF & RB had appointed competent people at board level and let them run the club then all of that is moot.

[r0cafella]

So many things are both true and contradictory about Mandy it's such a puzzle

 

She is a force of nature and absolutely gave us our hope back I will always be grateful for that. Obviously like all of us she had her flaws and made mistakes along the way but the good massively outweighs the minor mistakes which were sorted without any real penalty. 

[TheBrownBottle]

13 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

So many things are both true and contradictory about Mandy it's such a puzzle

 

She is a force of nature and absolutely gave us our hope back I will always be grateful for that. Obviously like all of us she had her flaws and made mistakes along the way but the good massively outweighs the minor mistakes which were sorted without any real penalty. 

We’re still paying for that Greek goalie - a chunky amount of PSR headroom - and we handed across Anderson at a discount.  I don’t think completely fucking up the accounts is a minor mistake in a company.  I also don’t think that the hiring of Eales as CEO counts as a minor mistake. 
 

All credit to her for persisting in getting the takeover across the line, but from some of our support you’d think it was an act of altruism by a supporter rather than a very wealthy person making a tidy sum from a business deal she’d brokered. 

[r0cafella]

Just now, TheBrownBottle said:

We’re still paying for that Greek goalie - a chunky amount of PSR headroom - and we handed across Anderson at a discount.  I don’t think completely fucking up the accounts is a minor mistake in a company.  I also don’t think that the hiring of Eales as CEO counts as a minor mistake. 
 

All credit to her for persisting in getting the takeover across the line, but from some of our support you’d think it was an act of altruism by a supporter rather than a very wealthy person making a tidy sum from a business deal she’d brokered. 

Yeah we are but ultimately the cost of it is less than the cost of not buying one or two of the players we got during that period. It's worth it in that regard. 

 

The eales situation is obviously bizarre like and kind of parallels the Eddie Mitchell situation for me. It's quite clear to me that both Mandy and Eddie wanted someone to parts of roles they had inherited (the shit parts basically) but they ended up with people who wanted to do the actual good parts instead. 

 

I think it's patently obvious that internally as an organisation we are an absolute shambles that's riddled with politics. And I say this as someone who is working in such an environment

[Doctor Zaius]

Who the fuck is running the club btw? Howe? Reuben? It's a mess off the pitch. 

[JT24]

16 minutes ago, Doctor Zaius said:

Who the fuck is running the club btw? Howe? Reuben? It's a mess off the pitch. 

Silverstone and/or Miller are probably acting as an interim CEO with most decisions going up to PIF for sign off. 

[TRon]

11 hours ago, ExiledGeordie said:

A bit ironic that other clubs in the league namely in the top 6 make (alot of) money selling players to PIF and yet we can’t spend a dime. 

 

 

 

 

 

That would still happen if PIF weren't our owners by the way. 

[gjohnson]

6 hours ago, r0cafella said:

So many things are both true and contradictory about Mandy it's such a puzzle

 

She is a force of nature and absolutely gave us our hope back I will always be grateful for that. Obviously like all of us she had her flaws and made mistakes along the way but the good massively outweighs the minor mistakes which were sorted without any real penalty. 

No arguement that Stavelys efforts bought immediate improvements to us, but she always gave the impression that it would only work with other peoples money. Shes like one of those 'influencers' that go on tiktak/faceballs and all that saying 'im a millionaire through having 20 properties...and the secret is to use the rent to pay for the next....im actually several million in debt to the banks, but that doesnt matter" All great till someone cant pay the rent.

[r0cafella]

2 minutes ago, gjohnson said:

No arguement that Stavelys efforts bought immediate improvements to us, but she always gave the impression that it would only work with other peoples money. Shes like one of those 'influencers' that go on tiktak/faceballs and all that saying 'im a millionaire through having 20 properties...and the secret is to use the rent to pay for the next....im actually several million in debt to the banks, but that doesnt matter" All great till someone cant pay the rent.

She was obviously the face of the investment and the stake she held was more or a fee for being the middle person. 

 

I wouldn't equate it in the way youve described though. 

[gjohnson]

1 minute ago, r0cafella said:

She was obviously the face of the investment and the stake she held was more or a fee for being the middle person. 

 

I wouldn't equate it in the way youve described though. 

Hmm...not sure on that she was part owner and was booted out almost the second the money ran out. Im not saying we didnt benefit, but her exuberance on initial spending is hamstrung us now (along with various other well known issues). Ironically if wed kept her away from the spending, that energy, positivity and ambition would probably mean wed have CEO, DOF etc already in place. 

 

Ill adjust my original comment to "shes brilliant at selling the dream, not so good at dealing with the realities of it".  Example...a bank like Barclays doesnt try to sue you for millions unless theyre pretty confident they're right

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, gjohnson said:

Hmm...not sure on that she was part owner and was booted out almost the second the money ran out. Im not saying we didnt benefit, but her exuberance on initial spending is hamstrung us now (along with various other well known issues). Ironically if wed kept her away from the spending, that energy, positivity and ambition would probably mean wed have CEO, DOF etc already in place. 

 

Ill adjust my original comment to "shes brilliant at selling the dream, not so good at dealing with the realities of it".  Example...a bank like Barclays doesnt try to sue you for millions unless theyre pretty confident they're right

I don't think this is the case like. She spent up to the limit and corrected it by selling a guy who never played for us and selling our 6th choice cm. 

 

To be the club we were sold we had to push as hard as possible which we did under her tenure. She wasn't perfect but I reckon we were close to achieving those goals than we are without her. 

[PauloGeordio]

5 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

I don't think this is the case like. She spent up to the limit and corrected it by selling a guy who never played for us and selling our 6th choice cm. 

 

To be the club we were sold we had to push as hard as possible which we did under her tenure. She wasn't perfect but I reckon we were close to achieving those goals than we are without her. 

She had charisma and was good in the deal too. Miss her. 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2025 by PauloGeordio

[80]

57 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

I don't think this is the case like. She spent up to the limit and corrected it by selling a guy who never played for us and selling our 6th choice cm. 

 

To be the club we were sold we had to push as hard as possible which we did under her tenure. She wasn't perfect but I reckon we were close to achieving those goals than we are without her. 

Bang on. It's beyond me why people get so upset about selling 2 under loved kids when the alternative was not having at least 4 in who helped us win our first trophy in 60 years and put us in the champions league.

 

With PSR, unless you're in the cartel, you've got two choices - 1. Push it to the limit 2. Completely forget about competing. Anything else is irrational.

 

If people are saying signing Isak in the first place was a strategic error and shouldn't have happened, then fair enough, it's a cogent argument.

[r0cafella]

Just now, 80 said:

Bang on. It's beyond me why people get so upset about selling 2 under loved kids when the alternative was not having at least 4 in who helped us win our first trophy in 60 years and put us in the champions league.

 

With PSR, unless you're in the cartel, you've got two choices - 1. Push it to the limit 2. Completely forget about competing. Anything else is irrational.

 

If people are saying signing Isak in the first place was a strategic error and shouldn't have happened, then fair enough, it's a cogent argument.

I do actually get it, we let players go who obviously could fill roles we have and are going to have to spend money on. However the other side of the same coin is who are you removing Hall? tino? Nobody seriously makes that trade? 

[80]

Just now, r0cafella said:

I do actually get it, we let players go who obviously could fill roles we have and are going to have to spend money on. However the other side of the same coin is who are you removing Hall? tino? Nobody seriously makes that trade? 

Exactly, it's a question that never gets answered on here when I ask it.

 

People bemoan us not having an extra CM in Anderson, but neglect that instead we'd need a new Tonali and a new Livramento instead, and wouldn't have had the benefit of them in previous seasons either.

[80]

Plus the diminished interest of players and sponsors who are/were only interested in coming here for the prospect of a waking giant.