Prince Abdullah speaks to BBC Radio Sheffield

[Bell4]

Excellent - if the season is a set of variables, then I’d like our points total to be increased by five, please, before we play our next match. If you could let me know when that’s been done, I’d be grateful. Thanks.


Sadly, the 3 point variable becomes fixed at the end of each match. We got zero points against Burnley, and that is now fixed. We dropped 2 points against QPR and that is now fixed, etc, etc.

The season is a succession of variables that become fixed after each game. Those variables are largely under our own control during the course of each match - that’s the whole point of football. We can’t just pretend that they don’t influence the outcome of the season, and that any shortfall is attributable entirely to the points deduction.

Sorry that the facts don’t fit with the blame the Prince agenda. That must be a disappointment to some.

Listen - try to

If we miss promotion by 1 / 2 points it will be down to the fixed deduction of the 2 points . As in fixed , as in something we could not influence by on field performance

Easy to understand ?

I am not a Prince lover or hater btw .

 

[loveWalrusDaveTheBlade]

The victims might also be ordinary staff employed by a club who don't get paid or get laid off because their employer has cash flow issues caused by late payment on transfers by other clubs

Would that be Liverpool FC? Whoever it was, they were paid from an FA fund into which we had to pay back - that’s how it works I believe - and so wouldn’t experience a cash flow issue.

 

[McGrath]

In my opinion, for what we spent in the Prem our signings don't seem noticeably worse than those of other clubs that sneak up or yo-yo.

When Brighton sign Izqierdo, Locadia, Jahanbakhsh, Maupay etc in their first few seasons in the Prem for similar fees to Brewster who all flopped, what can be expected? Even clubs with the most vaunted scouting networks regularly sign complete flops for £20 million plus.

Some of the money spaffed by our rivals, makes us look careful.

I'm the season we went up. Villa went up in the play offs and amongst quite a list they went onto to spend £22 million on Wesley ... Now who remembers him?

 

[McGrath]

Would that be Liverpool FC? Whoever it was, they were paid from an FA fund into which we had to pay back - that’s how it works I believe - and so wouldn’t experience a cash flow issue.

Wasn't that a COVID thing?

 

[The Crab]

He’s better than any owner in my time but he’s made mistakes and shown questionable judgement at times. But the good outweighs the bad.

I await my IQ test…

 

[loveWalrusDaveTheBlade]

Listen - try to

If we miss promotion by 1 / 2 points it will be down to the fixed deduction of the 2 points . As in fixed , as in something we could not influence by on field performance

Easy to understand ?

I am not a Prince lover or hater btw .

I try to listen, but I can’t hear you. I can, however, read what you’ve written, I’ve taken the time to consider it carefully, and I fully understand what it is that you are saying.

You are saying that if we miss promotion by 1/2 points it will be down to the fixed deduction of the 2 points, because there is nothing that we can do to influence that through our on field performance.

I disagree. While you are absolutely correct that we can’t do anything about the deducted points, your assumption take no account of the points that we are able to influence through our on-field performance - all 138 of them.

Take a simple example.
The top 2 teams each finish with 95 points.

If we secure 96 points on the field, then the two point deduction leaves us on 94, and we miss out, since we are not one of the two top teams.
If we secure 97 points on the field, then the two point deduction leaves us on 95 points, and we go up as one of the two top teams.

Both of these examples include the same assumption regarding the two point deduction, and yet the outcomes are entirely different. This means that your statement that “ if we miss promotion by 1/2 points it will be down to the fixed deduction of the two points” is demonstrably untrue. Do you understand and agree with that?

The things that we can influence on the field (138 points) vastly outweigh the thing that we can’t influence ( 2 points). Maybe have a think about that before seeking to patronise me again.

 

[Bell4]

I try to listen, but I can’t hear you. I can, however, read what you’ve written, I’ve taken the time to consider it carefully, and I fully understand what it is that you are saying.

You are saying that if we miss promotion by 1/2 points it will be down to the fixed deduction of the 2 points, because there is nothing that we can do to influence that through our on field performance.

I disagree. While you are absolutely correct that we can’t do anything about the deducted points, your assumption take no account of the points that we are able to influence through our on-field performance - all 138 of them.

Take a simple example.
The top 2 teams each finish with 95 points.

If we secure 96 points on the field, then the two point deduction leaves us on 94, and we miss out, since we are not one of the two top teams.
If we secure 97 points on the field, then the two point deduction leaves us on 95 points, and we go up as one of the two top teams.

Both of these examples include the same assumption regarding the two point deduction, and yet the outcomes are entirely different. This means that your statement that “ if we miss promotion by 1/2 points it will be down to the fixed deduction of the two points” is demonstrably untrue. Do you understand and agree with that?

The things that we can influence on the field (138 points) vastly outweigh the thing that we can’t influence ( 2 points). Maybe have a think about that before seeking to patronise me again.

Lots of words about nowt

Your second paragraph just about got there

Try to be more precise

 

[Westran]

All this 'if we lose out on promotion by one or two points', we wouldn't have gone up to the prem last time without the deduction, and we would likely not be as strong as we are now as a result of the cash flow that we got as a result. It's a completely mute point.

 

[JayGreen17]

He’s been the best chairman in modern times, look at where we are now to where we were. He is a sports man and that was noticeable with how he kept hold of players and didn’t sell on the cheap.

 

[William Large]

Some of the decisions he made were probably shit.
Some of them were probably really good.

Most of the decisions and the full details about the take over - we are unlikely to ever know about.

He made mistakes but if we look at where we were when he took over to where we are now…….its like night and day.

What he didn’t do, was to jizz his pants at the prospect of selling our best assets at the first sign of a few quid and improved us both on and off the pitch.

I have no real idea who these new owners are, what money they have, are or what their intentions are - time will tell

T’owd bog roll wasn’t perfect but we seemed to know where we stood with him and he seemed to genuinely care. Brought in a few questionable board members but I suppose none more so than previous owners.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Some of the decisions he made were probably shit.
Some of them were probably really good.

Most of the decisions and the full details about the take over - we are unlikely to ever know about.

He made mistakes but if we look at where we were when he took over to where we are now…….its like night and day.

What he didn’t do, was to jizz his pants at the prospect of selling our best assets at the first sign of a few quid and improved us both on and off the pitch.

I have no real idea who these new owners are, what money they have, are or what their intentions are - time will tell

T’owd bog roll wasn’t perfect but we seemed to know where we stood with him and he seemed to genuinely care. Brought in a few questionable board members but I suppose none more so than previous owners.

Which board members were questionable and why?

 

[McGrath]

Which board members were questionable and why?

In his interview he said that while he was Saudi sports minister he brought on board people who didn't know football. It sounded like the Prince himself thought that was a mistake

 

[SB_90]

just listening to it now. i knew football was in dreadful way finalincally. (especially in the premier league where they recently argued that losing 35m a season wasnt enough & 'we' want to lose even more) but us having to raise 30m transfer funds of talent every season. before we can buy. is a shocking indictment of how football finances are way out of control

we can complain at the prince. but this is a sport where being a billionaire is no longer enough to be successful

 

[Sean Thornton]

In his interview he said that while he was Saudi sports minister he brought on board people who didn't know football. It sounded like the Prince himself thought that was a mistake

Financial, legal and family. They were there to look after his interests not to make football decisions. He had Bettis and managers, coaching staff etc for that. The board was football-lite though which probably caused Bettis more work.

 

[McGrath]

Financial, legal and family. They were there to look after his interests not to make football decisions. He had Bettis and managers, coaching staff etc for that. The board was football-lite though which probably caused Bettis more work.

I think what Prince was getting at was that they made mistakes in decision making that he wouldn't have made having had 20 years experience with Al Hilal. That was my interpretation anyway

 

[Sean Thornton]

I think what Prince was getting at was that they made mistakes in decision making that he wouldn't have made having had 20 years experience with Al Hilal. That was my interpretation anyway

Dunno but l would have thought they’d run everything by him. Could well be wrong. If he was totally uninvolved due to his government job Bettis would have a lot on his shoulders as CEO.

 

[McGrath]

Dunno but l would have thought they’d run everything by him. Could well be wrong. If he was totally uninvolved due to his government job Bettis would have a lot on his shoulders as CEO.

He would have been co owner with McCabe back then. So I suspect their job was to keep tabs on McCabe and not let him run the show.

Also, I think it may have been during that period that Bettis left the club to pursue a job in California. I do seem to recall a growing amount of dysfunctionality between owners. The Prince then getting re-engaged after leaving his sports minister role and then Bettis returning to kind of act as the medium between him and McCabe. Bettis return seemed to please Wilder a lot at that time.

 

[More Bladier than thou]

PA would’ve had a much easier ride from united fans if he actually communicated with us and explained reasons etc whilst or just after they happened. Theres been no clarity on anything during his tenure. Why wait until now ?If we the fans understood why things were/ not happening then we the fans would have gone easier on him. He did himself no favours.

 

[NotFallowfieldBlade]

Prince is a great bloke and a very good owner just skint

 

[NotFallowfieldBlade]

PA would’ve had a much easier ride from united fans if he actually communicated with us and explained reasons etc whilst or just after they happened. Theres been no clarity on anything during his tenure. Why wait until now ?If we the fans understood why things were/ not happening then we the fans would have gone easier on him. He did himself no favours.

Do you live under a rock ? He has literally communicated every decision made in the last few years on podcasts or interviews

 

[Laney Blade]

He’s been the best chairman in modern times, look at where we are now to where we were. He is a sports man and that was noticeable with how he kept hold of players and didn’t sell on the cheap.

He waa the owner not the Chairman. He says he's made a sizeable profit out of Sheffield United. So his pleading poverty was all bull. The Chairman was Yusuf Giansiracusa.

 

[Laney Blade]

Prince is a great bloke and a very good owner just skint

According to him on Football Heaven he says he's made a sizeable profit out of owning & selling SUFC. Now he no longer owns us the pleading poverty has stopped. Ever been had ?

 

[William Large]

Which board members were questionable and why?

Yusuf Giansiracusa?

 

[Jon Bon II]

Do you live under a rock ? He has literally communicated every decision made in the last few years on podcasts or interviews

Yes but that's not the same as knocking on every season ticket holder's door, to sit down and bare his soul over a coffee, is it?

 

[Tom Bott]

but ultimately we had three seasons in the top flight under him, which makes him a far better owner than McCabe was.

One season each for McCabe and PA under sole ownership, and one double season essentially from joint ownership.

 

[Klaatu Barada Nikto]

One season each for McCabe and PA under sole ownership, and one double season essentially from joint ownership.

I doubt Kev was putting much in after the prince announced in 2018 that he wanted 100% control.

 

[Tom Bott]

I don't doubt your doubt, but without factual backup it remains merely a doubt.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Yusuf Giansiracusa?

And again, why?

 

[bladesmanluke]

According to him on Football Heaven he says he's made a sizeable profit out of owning & selling SUFC. Now he no longer owns us the pleading poverty has stopped. Ever been had ?

"Ever been had?" From the same account that hailed Dozy Mmbousi's takeover bid as the second coming.

Yeah isn't it weird how he's not skint after selling a football club for £105m.

 

[Nick Jansky]

According to him on Football Heaven he says he's made a sizeable profit out of owning & selling SUFC. Now he no longer owns us the pleading poverty has stopped. Ever been had ?

My word, what a really stupid post. Has it occurred to you that he might have been short of cash until he sold his biggest asset, the one he has pumped all his available cash into?

Your lack of understanding, on everything really, is breathtaking. No wonder you’re a laughing stock.