Unionists at the Grangemouth refinery in Scotland used to call Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'Dr No' as he regularly said "no". Ratcliffe has a yacht, Hampshire II, befitting a James Bond villain.
An allay once insisted he simply will not take "no" for an answer. Before he was recognisable and still the archetypal billionaire 'recluse', Ratcliffe was described as a risk-taker, a deal-doer and very persuasive. READ MORE: What Ratcliffe made of United's plans during talks READ MORE: Ratcliffe has six key questions to answer In a BBC Radio 4 profile that aired more than 10 years ago, a banker who dealt with Ratcliffe said he looks for businesses that are under-loved or under-managed that can double the cash flow in five years.
Ring any bells? Manchester United have such a wide and diverse following which has become particularly tribal amid the prospect of a takeover.
There was large support for Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani online, fuelled by the prospect of Qatari riches and some ill-informed former players playing the populist on social media.