COMMENT: So breathe Manchester United fans, breathe. Sir Jim Ratcliffe? Take the emotion out of it. The hysterics. And the last 24 hours can be viewed as a major, positive step in the club's future.
It was inevitable. As we've stated in recent columns. The drawn out process. The constant upping of the valuation. The Glazers, specifically brothers Joel and Avram, were never going to sell. The financial potential of what looms around the corner. The emotional connection they both have to the club. It was always going to take something extraordinary for them to sell up.
So instead, Ratcliffe has found a compromise. He's bought in. And at premium price. £1.5bn for a 25 per cent stake values United at twice what market analysts claim the club is genuinely worth. Ratcliffe has really put his money where his mouth is. The billionaire has shown a determination - a passion - for the club which should give supporters real cause for optimism.
Indeed, for this column, when the board accepts Ratcliffe's offer later this week, it will mark a new era. An era which United fans can look forward to. Those four siblings of Joel and Avram will be cut loose. Disinterested. Passive. Yet always with their hand in. By the end of the week, that drag on the club will be gone. And for good.
And in their place will be Ratcliffe. As a 25 per cent shareholder he'll have a major say on expenses. On dividends. On who gets what - and why. The place will be tightened up. The hirings will be more focused. And the club will be run just as that... a football club.
As we've always argued, money has never been the problem at United. It's been the decision-making. The hirings. The signings. As attractive as the wealth of Sheikh Jassim was, it wasn't going to lift the club out of it's malaise without the addition of good, focused management.
Indeed, Ratcliffe touched on that when commenting on the state of United three years ago: "They [United] are in quite a big pickle as a business.
"They haven't got the manager selection right, haven't bought well. They have been the dumb money, which you see with players like Fred.
"United have spent an immense amount since [Sir Alex] Ferguson left and been poor, to put it mildly. Shockingly poor, to be honest."
Ratcliffe knows the club. He knows it inside-out. And he's not only a lifelong fan, but he's English. Better yet, he's from the Northwest. He and Paul Scholes could've been neighbours. In a Premier League of American owners and State-run mega spenders, United are bucking the trend. They're going back to roots. To tradition. To have a British presence in the board room, making decisions, even simply in terms of perception, this must be something to be embraced. Indeed, for fans, even a source of pride.
As we discussed in the past, United were on a win-win with either bidder. It was difficult to see a downside with either Ratcliffe or Sheikh Jassim. That was, of course, if the Glazers were serious about selling. That Ratcliffe, after over a year, has still managed to find a way to get his feet under the table should be welcomed by the support.
United now have a supporter inside the board room. A local. A sportsman. One who wants the team to win. Who grew up wanting United to win. Who can discuss the Best of the '68 team. The relegation in the '70's. Ron Atkinson in the '80's and the Sir Alex era. He knows the club. He knows the culture. The history. And he knows success.
Of course, United fans need to hear from him - and regularly. But the glass should be deemed half full. When those forms are signed, United fans will have a local supporter inside the board room. They will have a seat at the table. No title contender (okay, okay... you know what we mean) in the Premier League can boast similar.
As rocky as the season has so far been, Ratcliffe will take his board seat at a good time. Mags Mernagh is now a year into her brief to overhaul the Carrington training centre. Work on improving Old Trafford is now underway. And as much as the team has stumbled this season, those paying attention can see what Erik ten Hag is trying drive through the dressing room. Ratcliffe isn't joining a club on it's knees. It's picking itself up. It's taken some knocks, sure, but there is a lot of positive movement going on behind-the-scenes - which would be recognised if the team was winning.
For this column, the reaction to the weekend's developments was to be expected. So many have so much emotionally invested in the Glazer family being run out of the club, that compromise is impossible. No matter how successful the club becomes, there'll always be a section of the support - driven by those who have made a living out of hating the Glazers - unwilling to accept United's owners.
But if fans can take the emotion out of it. Ignore the noise. Then Ratcliffe's arrival can be seen as a major, positive step. It's a compromise, sure. But Manchester United will end this week far stronger than it is today.
