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ONCE UPON A TIME, they bestowed upon him their devotion.
Nonetheless, after a year has passed, a significant number of Manchester United fans are beginning to question whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reciprocating their trust.
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Exactly one year has elapsed since Ratcliffe and his Ineos Group proclaimed their takeover of football operations from the Glazers at Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe made a daring move with his initial £1.03 billion investment, acquiring a minority 25 percent stake; however, this initiative now appears superficial and even demeaning.
A devoted supporter originating from Failsworth, Ratcliffe expressed: “Our mutual ambition is unmistakable: We all long to see Manchester United reinstated to its rightful position, at the peak of English, European, and global football.”
Forget about European and global aspirations. Currently, United is languishing in 13th place, celebrating the holiday season in the league’s lower half for the first occasion in Premier League history.
The ambitions of supporters hoping to end nearly 25 years of discontent under the Glazers and rejuvenate the glorious period of Premier League dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson seem more elusive than ever.
Old Trafford resounded with jeers following Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat against Bournemouth, but it’s not just the poor performances on the pitch that have triggered the dissatisfaction.
Ratcliffe’s harsh cost-cutting strategies resulted in the termination of 250 employees to save approximately £45 million each year.
Additionally, Ratcliffe dismissed Ferguson from his role as the club’s global ambassador, a position that commanded £2 million annually, in October.
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Legendary player Eric Cantona criticized his former club, stating: “It’s absolutely outrageous. I would throw them all into a large bag of s**t.”
From a public relations perspective, devaluing the role of the iconic manager—despite him remaining a non-executive director—was undoubtedly a monumental misstep.
Man Utd legend Lee Sharpe warns that Marcus Rashford’s potential departure may haunt the club if he moves to competing Premier League teams.
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Nevertheless, various hurdles have arisen. The latest issue came to light following the loss to Bournemouth when new coach Ruben Amorim had his press conference interrupted by a leaking roof.
This created a negative perception, with scant few positive developments occurring since United’s Ineos takeover announcement on December 24.
Ratcliffe, alongside his right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford, renowned for his “marginal gains” strategy during his time with British Cycling, did experience a fleeting success with last season’s 2-1 FA Cup final triumph over their Manchester rivals, City.
However, that victory appeared insignificant given the turmoil surrounding then-manager Erik ten Hag prior to the Wembley match and the unexpected 180-degree turn to retain him afterward.
Numerous names were floated as potential successors, including former England manager Gareth Southgate, Graham Potter, and Roberto De Zerbi.
Surprisingly, Ten Hag even took a trip to Ibiza, convinced that his two-year spell at the club was coming to an end.
Yet, when no suitable replacement emerged, Ratcliffe and Brailsford appeared at his doorstep in Spain to deliver the news that he could retain his position.
Five months later, he was ultimately let go, walking away with around £17 million in severance that Ratcliffe and Brailsford had initially hesitated to approve.
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Ratcliffe made a significant investment of £3 million to acquire Dan Ashworth from Newcastle as sporting director.
His goal was to spearhead an ambitious recruitment campaign aimed at attracting top talent.
However, after merely 160 days, he was dismissed—just 27 days longer than Ashworth spent on gardening leave prior to his transfer.
Despite onboarding Omar Berrada from Manchester City as CEO and Jason Wilcox as technical director, the decision was made to part ways with Ashworth earlier this month, citing excessive interference from too many individuals.
Currently, Ratcliffe, Brailsford, and Ineos find themselves in a precarious situation. Old Trafford—with the new manager Amorim at the forefront—risks becoming as toxic as it was during the Glazers’ ownership, which burdened the club with £660 million of debt since 2005.
The challenges facing Britain’s wealthiest individual are mounting, including concerns over a new stadium and adjustments to ticket pricing.
Ratcliffe claimed in March that he aimed to construct a “Wembley of the North” and expand Old Trafford’s capacity to 100,000.
Even with substantial backing, he found it necessary to seek government support for the £2 billion-plus endeavor. However, he was swiftly informed that taxpayer funding was off the table.
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Decisions regarding the new stadium will be finalized next summer.
Meanwhile, fans have expressed fury over members’ ticket prices climbing to £66 and the removal of concessions for children and seniors.
This led to protests outside Old Trafford and the inaugural signs of anti-Ratcliffe chants.
Moreover, Ratcliffe is considering halving the annual £40,000 funding allocated to the Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association.
The club justified this by stating they need to seek loans after their recent financial reports indicated they had depleted £232.3 million of their revolving credit facility by the end of September, in stark contrast to £35.6 million in June.
One member of MUDSA (Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association) remarked: “The optics would be catastrophic—it feels as though the club has lost touch with its identity.”
The dissatisfaction was further fueled by Ratcliffe’s choice to prioritize the men’s team over the women’s FA Cup final, where they triumphed over Tottenham 4-0 in May.
Instead, he opted to remain in the North-West to witness the men’s side suffer a 1-0 loss to Arsenal. Ratcliffe defended this decision, stating: “There’s only so much that can be handled. Our focus has been directed towards the men’s team.”
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While managing to defeat Pep Guardiola’s City under the iconic arch was a moment of joy.
However, prior to this, United personnel were informed they would have to cover their meal, hotel, and transport expenses, breaking away from tradition.
Senior officials had their corporate credit cards revoked, lost access to chauffeur-driven cars, while match-day staff no longer receive complimentary lunches after their efforts.
The club’s Christmas party was also canceled, with Ratcliffe highlighting the disarray at the club’s Carrington headquarters, labeling the disorganized IT department as a “shambles” and noting that the facilities for both the Under-18s and Under-21s were equally unimpressive.
Amorim also inherited a challenging situation. Merely a day before the Ineos announcement last December, Ten Hag’s squad had suffered a defeat to West Ham, placing them in eighth position.
Now, they find themselves in 13th place, and the £200 million infusion following Ten Hag’s retention has failed to yield the anticipated results.
Only Noussair Mazraoui’s transfer from German giants Bayern Munich stands out as a notable success for his initial £12.8 million fee. However, Leny Yoro’s start to life at United has been hampered by injuries after his £42 million transfer.
The other signings—£36.5 million for Joshua Zirkzee, £38.5 million for Matthijs de Ligt, and £42.3 million for Manuel Ugarte—appear to be poorly allocated funds, an unfortunate reality that Ratcliffe regards seriously.
These acquisitions mark yet another disappointment for Ratcliffe and the recruitment team following what has been an upheaval-filled year.
And, oh, Jim, the leaks from the roofs around Old Trafford await resolution…
