The most successful club in the English championship, Manchester United languishes in an infamous fourteenth place before the 20th daytwenty-three points behind the Anfield “enemy”, as Ratcliffe described them on his arrival.
The billionaire, shareholder (29% of shares) in charge of football-related operations, had said he wanted to compete within “three years” with Manchester City, the “noisy neighbor”, and Liverpool, “the other neighbor”. Year 1 does not really encourage optimism for Old Trafford supporters, upset by certain choices of the septuagenarian from Greater Manchester.
The boss of the chemical group Inéos, never tender in negotiations, for example increased the price of tickets for subscribers during the seasonremoving discounts for children and retirees.
“This has created a significant divide with the supporter base, and the club must act urgently to repair the damage,” responded the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust. Demonstrations even took place a month ago in front of Old Trafford, the “theater of dreams” with its now obsolete nickname.
“Unpopular decisions”
Internally, the new management has cut some 250 jobs, particularly among low-wage workers who have been present for years, and canceled the Christmas party for employees.
Funding for the club’s foundation was cut, according to ‘Sky News’, and the subsidy to the former players’ aid association was ended, ‘The Sun’ reported. Not enough to improve the popularity of Ratcliffe, the richest man in England.
“We have to make difficult and unpopular decisions,” he admitted in December to the fanzine ‘United We Stand’. The club, which has become “mediocre”, must “save every pound” if it wants to regain its former glory, insisted this defender of Brexit. However, the pill is difficult to swallow for those who populate the stands, especially given the low return on investment achieved by the leaders so far.
The nearly 240 million euros spent for the summer transfer window (Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee) did not lead to a sporting improvement. Nor the extra 10 million lined up in November to chipper Ruben Amorim at Sporting.
The management of the previous coach, Erik ten Hag, does not do Ratcliffe and his associates credit, either. The Dutchman was retained despite a disastrous 2023-2024 campaign in the Premier League (final eighth place) and the Champions League (one victory in six matches). The FA Cup title earned him an extension in July, only to be sacked at the end of October.
Le fiasco Ashworth
More than two months later, the Amorim team is still fourteenth in the Premier League and continues to experience disappointment. She went to Anfield this Sunday weighed down by three successive defeats in the league, a series where she conceded seven goals without scoring a single one.
The 39-year-old coach arrived with a new tactical system (a formation aligned in 3-4-3), the one with which he shone in Portugal, but which is not necessarily adapted to the Mancunian squad. Lhe timing of his arrival, just before the dizzying sequence of end-of-year matches, did not allow him to spend much time on the training grounds, which he often regretted.
THE ‘Red Devils‘ therefore still pay for the delays around ten Hag. This fiasco could also have divided a new staff populated by (too many?) numerous leaders: Ratcliffe, Dave Brailsford, Joel Glazer, Jean-Claude Blanc, Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and even Christopher Vivell.
Sports director Dan Ashworth, who arrived on July 1, left after only five months. However, it was a great prize of war for Ratcliffe, who had to pay compensation of several million euros to Newcastle to offer his services.
