Tag Archives: jim ratcliffe

Don’t Stop

Well that was pretty good, wasn’t it? I don’t think even the most ardent optimist could have predicted that set of results during Michael Carrick’s first month in charge. I mean, we could all see that Amorim’s favoured 5-3-2 wasn’t exactly working but I didn’t quite grasp the extent to which it was actively holding us back. I know it’s early days and I’m not getting carried away yadda yadda but basically everything is sorted now. Even if we don’t win the league this year we’re definitely winning it next season.

Obviously I’m not being entirely serious here but credit where credit’s due, given the absolute dross served up in recent times it’s been quite the turnaround. We’ve played some lovely stuff over the last few games featuring some scarcely believable passages of play from the same group of players who’ve been unable to string 3 passes together for much of the last 18 months. Whereas previously they looked tentative and passive, they now appear hungry and confident. This is more like it, lads.

There’s been a few parallels drawn with the similarly feelgood start to Solskjaer’s time in charge during the winter of 2018/19. United won 8 on the bounce and 14 of his first 19 games in charge prompting Woodward to hand him a 3 year contract. Form then nosedived completely and we won 2 of the next 10, missing out on a CL spot that should have been achieved comfortably. Needless to say, it is vital that the club avoids making a similar judgement on Carrick now. Yes, it’s all very encouraging but let’s see how the season plays out before making any kind of decision.

That’s not to say I wouldn’t want to see him given the job full-time. If this kind of form continues for the remainder of the season he’ll rightly be seen as a very strong candidate. Out of all the names mentioned there’s only Ancelotti who I’d feel confident in and he’s already kiboshed the idea saying he’d only consider Real Madrid after his stint in Brazil comes to an end. If the other contenders are limited to the bloke from Crystal Palace and the bloke just sacked by Spurs then I expect Carrick has a great chance irrespective of what happens from now until May.

Football punditry continues to get worse year by year, mainly due to the need to fill hour after hour of non-stop coverage on multiple platforms. I thought we’d reached saturation point when Sky Sports News became a thing, but it’s even worse now due to the fan cam crowd and already over-exposed faces like Neville and Keane now having their own YouTube channel or whatever it is. I don’t actively seek out any of this content but it’s still everywhere because even if you don’t watch it you’re force-fed clips on social media or their latest nonsense makes the next day’s headlines. It’s exhausting.

Arsenal are currently getting it from all angles just because the media decided to crown them PL champions back in October. This wasn’t based on anything other than City had a bad start and Liverpool’s form dropped off a cliff. Now to clarify, I don’t like Arsenal but compared to City and Liverpool I really don’t mind them that much. I don’t like their manager, their knobhead internet fans (same as every other club) and I don’t like them fouling goalkeepers at corners. I do find the reaction to their current sticky patch to be pretty pathetic, however.

The PL is a genuine test of endurance and given the level of competition, winning it is incredibly difficult. Truth be told, Arsenal don’t look anything like the team they were a couple of years ago. Literally everyone in my circle has agreed for months that they still expect City to win it – it didn’t take a genius to predict they would improve after Christmas and Arsenal’s nerves would kick in as the run-in approached. Nevertheless, the media consensus was that it was basically a one-horse race and they were going to walk it.

So now there’s a tedious pile-on since the cracks are starting to show and their lead has been reduced to 2 points. You expect this level of discourse from Goldbridge-level bantz merchants but now it’s all over the mainstream media too. I’m honestly sick of it and it genuinely impedes on my enjoyment of the sport. I get more nuance and perspective talking to mates in the pub than I do from any talking head on Sky Sports filling another 30 mins of mind-numbingly banal content. I’ve honestly reached the stage where I don’t wish to hear Gary Neville utter a single word on any subject for the rest of my life.

Another one who needs to stop talking is Jim Ratcliffe, who continues to show he’s a genuinely terrible person each time he opens his mouth. It’s not exactly a shock to learn that a 73 year old billionaire holds some Enoch Powell-esque political opinions, but most of those operating in the public eye at least have the good grace to keep them under wraps. Monaco-dwelling Jim is proving himself a massive hypocrite and is in a major strop because his business is struggling and UK industry isn’t thriving post-Brexit as he predicted.

Ratcliffe may well have valid grievances with the government about Net Zero and its effect on the chemicals sector, but using talk of colonialism as a stick to strike back at them is incredibly snide and disingenuous. The Britain First march in Manchester last weekend serves as a reminder how the far right are quick to capitalise whenever the subject of immigration hits the headlines. Whether that was his intention or not, public figures like Ratcliffe espousing broadly similar views plays directly into their hands and provides further oxygen for their narrative.

If any other club representative had expressed similar sentiments it would likely have resulted in a reprimand and disciplinary action given the current climate of football club’s promoting diversity and inclusivity at every opportunity. It’s easy to scoff at ‘wokeist’ initiatives and how they’ve become almost obligatory for pretty much every organisation existing in modern Britain. Ratcliffe’s comments give a clue as to precisely why they’re necessary.

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Dizzy Heights

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Even in this (putting it mildly) testing season, we’re still fortunate enough to experience days that many other football clubs would dine out on for decades. Another trip to San Sebastián was guaranteed to provide some respite from our domestic travails, only tempered by the suspicion it might turn out to be the final European trip for a good while. A couple of days of wine and pinchos bookending a moderately important game of football would be a more than satisfactory way to bow out if this was to be our last hurrah.

As it was, any fears were unfounded as the team came away with a credible draw – lucky perhaps to have encountered a Sociedad side who looked even more toothless than United. The tie was then settled at OT a week later where for the first time, we got a glimpse of what Amorim ball might look like in the future. I remarked to a mate as we walked out of the ground how weird it was to see the entire crowd smiling and happy. We’ve been so bad at home for so long that such occasions now feel like rarities.

Assuming relegation is successfully avoided, the entire season now rests on the Europa League and I can’t help believing that we’re gonna win it now. I know this flies in the face of common sense, but it just strikes me as a very United way of concluding what has been the worst campaign in decades. We’ll beat Lyon in a couple of weeks and then providing we get at least a draw in Bilbao we’ll do them at OT, no problem. Then it’ll be back to Bilbao for the final where we’ll face perennial bottlers, Spurs. I’m telling you, it’s happening.

The slight upturn in form that preceded the international break signalled the moment for the club to finally send ST renewal emails. A general 5% increase is probably lower than most were expecting given the rumours that had suggested a hike of 20% or more. Nevertheless, the pattern is now set for year on year rises until we’re paying the kind of prices billionaire Sir Jim probably sees as fair and reasonable. Freezing prices for under-16s was a blatant attempt to manipulate the narrative but the continued erosion of the OAP discount signals exactly what the club’s long term intentions are.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the rumours suggesting hefty price increases were started with the intention of making a 5% rise more palatable. Credit to the FAB for engaging with the club and arguing vociferously against any rises at all – but they’re ultimately fighting a losing battle when the club’s entire operating strategy is based on generating as much revenue as possible from any source they can think of. Long-term ST holders are an inconvenience blocking the club’s ability to welcome further hoards of free-spending day trippers. It’s the same story at virtually all PL clubs now.

Obviously, we’re being manipulated in the same way we have been for years. The laughable explanation that the rises are necessary due the club’s financial woes could almost be described as gaslighting. So we’re supposed to believe that we’re in this mess because we’ve not been paying enough at the turnstiles? Do me a favour. The club is financially screwed because the Glazers saddled it with unsustainable debts that have grown exponentially despite a cumulative income of around £8.5 billion since 2005. They’ve pocketed £166M in dividend payments whilst employing utter buffoons to oversee what’s basically been a managed decline over the last couple of decades.

Prior the price rise reveal we were treated to our first look at ‘New Trafford’, with the proposed plans for the new stadium being thrust into the media spotlight. Some would describe the design choice as ‘bold’, others might use the word ‘ridiculous’. It just left me shaking my head as it looks even more deranged than anticipated. I mean, of course they’ve come up with a concept featuring 3 massive towers visible from Liverpool. I mean, what billion pound in debt already-business wouldn’t think of that as an entirely sensible proposal? Honestly, what a club.

Tellingly, once again there was zero information provided on how the club intends to fund this monstrosity. Which, as you may recall, was the most glaring omission from the plans presented at the OT Regeneration public meetings held back in December. With the continued absence of such crucial detail, speculation is only going to intensify as to exactly what their plan entails. JP O’Neill, the esteemed former editor of Red Issue published a Substack piece that provided some insight on a potential worst-case scenario.

Given their reluctance to entertain the prospect of renovating the existing ground, it’s looking increasingly possible that any new stadium could ultimately be owned by a 3rd party entertainment behemoth with the club merely holding a long term lease. Meanwhile, all current assets will be demolished with the land sold off to property developers – which would explain precisely why Gary Neville has been involved from the start. In short, a potential sale and leaseback that would mean another insane payday for the Glazers and leave the club as tenants in the shiny new OT megadome.

It’s a vomit inducing prospect, but a very real one. Although nothing is confirmed, I don’t see how else this project becomes viable without such a doomsday scenario being presented as a fait accompli. The e-reds won’t mind in the slightest as most don’t have the attention span to understand the implications of the club surrendering their core assets and signing off on a rental home. That would be quite some legacy for an alleged ‘life-long red’ to leave behind. If this is just scaremongering and doesn’t reflect Ratcliffe and the Glazers’ intentions, then let’s hear some denials.

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There’s Nothing Like This

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I’m writing during the middle of the winter break and honestly, its arrival came as a relief given it signalled a fortnight without having to suffer watching United play football. It’s debatable whether this last 6 months has been the nadir of the post-Ferguson era, but it’s certainly up there with the regrettable Moyes experiment and the 2nd season under Van Gaal. It’s been tortuous at times, and the forward trajectory and resultant optimism of a year ago has disappeared completely.

There are numerous mitigating factors of course, but it doesn’t alter the fact that United remain in a complete mess. Sometimes, like after the Villa home game, you look at them and think “they’re definitely behind him” and you manage to convince yourself there’ll be a concerted effort to carry that level of determination into the next game. Then 4 days later it’s Forest away and they simply don’t turn up. It’s so predictable and the same thing has been happening for years on repeat.

Now that the transition to being INEOS-led is finally underway we can hopefully look forward to having some serious people in charge again. Poaching one of the main heads at City could be seen as a coup of sorts, but such is my complete lack of faith the immediate thought was “I bet he’s a plant” – either that or he’ll be in prison in 6 months’ time if they’re found guilty of these 115 charges. I’m being facetious of course, but it would be classic modern day United if the incumbent CEO ended up in court defending the actions of his previous employer.

Given that splashing the cash on big money transfers is no longer an option, (such activity being one of the root causes of our current predicament), there’s little we can do except pray the changes Ratcliffe, Brailsford & Co put into practice have an immediate positive effect on the current staff. Despite haemorrhaging millions on players, the overall quality of the squad is still questionable. Senior pros aren’t performing or have a terrible attitude (more on Rashford in a bit), the few quality players we have are too old or injury prone, those possessing the right work-ethic aren’t good enough and the jury’s still out on a handful of recent arrivals.

I’ll be convinced by Omar Berrada if we manage to go a few months without hearing rumours of Wan Bissaka’s terms being extended or that United are considering handing Scott McTominay a new deal. When is the penny going to drop that keeping mediocre players under contract doesn’t suddenly pique the interest of potential buyers? We’ve been doing this for a decade now and I don’t recall the tactic working once. Mediocre is probably harsh as this pair are good players, they just aren’t good enough if we’re expecting to compete at the top level any time soon.

Dalot is another one who United consider a major asset despite his performances suggesting the exact opposite is the case. By all accounts he’s a good professional and he clearly tries his hardest, but are you kidding me? I’m left dumbfounded by the narrative that he’s developed over the last couple of years. He was a liability when he was shipped off to Milan on loan 4 years ago and he remains a liability now. The fact he’s found the net as opposed to Row Z on a couple of occasions recently is more a statistical anomaly than evidence of marked improvement. It’s embarrassing that the club’s social media promotes such nonsense, it’s like they’re trying to gaslight us.

The club’s financial position is so perilous that we don’t appear to be in the position to bring in our annual comedy loan signing this month. Despite losing Martial to injury and shipping that rat Sancho back to Dortmund, unless something dramatic happens at the death it looks like we’re relying on Hojlund and Rashford alone to provide goals for the rest of the season. If one or both get injured what’s the plan then? Recalling Hugill from Burton Albion would be an option (I can’t believe I’ve just typed those words) but whatever way you look at it, we’re desperately short of options.

Although he’ll always have an army of defenders on social media, I think most normal United fans have lost it with Rashford after his “performances” over the last few months. Watching an alleged senior pro and lifelong red strop around the pitch scowling whilst turning in a series of utterly abysmal displays has done me in. I’m not sure how he had the gall to make that yapping gesture after scoring against Spurs the other week. Like a number of his peers, it’s uncertain if he’s got a clue what’s going on with his life anymore.

How he’s turned from an excited young teenager absolutely buzzing to have scored on his PL debut to the brooding, entitled bellend we witness today encapsulates everything detestable about a growing number of modern footballers. The manner in which players so lauded and highly remunerated lose all perspective and basically start taking the piss out of their own public speaks volumes about their true character. In Rashford’s case it’s all the more embarrassing given the cringeworthy “humble kid with a heart of gold” schtick that’s pumped out by his PR team.

In the meantime, the player is out clubbing in “the biggest dive in Belfast” according to another contributor to the mag, before phoning in sick and missing training the next morning. Despite the club briefing journalists that “everything is fine” and the video footage was from a previous night (it wasn’t), the optics are pretty terrible here – just as they were following his comment on Instagram reacting to Sancho’s arrival at Dortmund. They can try and play down his antics all they like, but he’s been phoning it in all season and something is clearly not right with him.

The club is facing a bit of a conundrum now because whilst Rashford appears to have decided he doesn’t fancy Ten Hag, he remains one of their biggest commercial assets and is one of the few players who’d command a large fee if they were to leave. If United decide to dispense with the manager at the end of the season (which is entirely possible irrespective of Rashford’s feelings on the subject), I’m sure he’d feel placated and everything will settle. If Ten Hag is given another season, then it’s looking increasingly likely that the club will decide to cash in this summer. Fingers crossed they go with Option B.

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