Manchester United fans are unhappy with the management of Jim Ratcliffe, according to the Telegraph.
This follows the decision to increase ticket prices to £66, almost double the current price, with the recent changes also applying to kids’ tickets.
The change will not affect current ticket holders but tickets returned by current holders will be subjected to the changes.
Though the club have said that the alteration will not affect branch allocation of members, that is not enough to placate the angry fans.
In a survey conducted by the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) among 4,000 United fans, 65% of them are unhappy with Ratcliffe’s management of the club.
95% of them believe that the sudden change in ticket prices will alienate the next generation of fans.
68% of fans made it known that they will attend fewer games, and only three per cent are unbothered about the hike.
99% of the respondents are in agreement that the club need to consult with the fans before making alterations to ticket prices in the future.
Ratcliffe needs to listen to the fans
The arrival of Ratcliffe was met with a lot of optimism from the fans following years of maladministration by the Glazers family.
While the Glazers family still own the majority share of the club, the British Billionaire is in charge of football operations.
It is no news that the Glazers family have become unpopular among the fans, and the INEOS chairman risks being in the same shoes due to the hike in ticket prices.
In his pursuit of taking United ‘to the top of English, European and world football’, he needs the support of the fans.
Though just a few United fans took part in the survey, the results should give Ratcliffe an idea about the feelings of fans regarding the club’s management.
Fans demonstrated their anger outside the stadium before the 4-0 win over Everton last weekend at Old Trafford and the protest may continue tomorrow against Nottingham Forest.
He cannot afford to let the fans boycott home matches, given the club’s current situation. He needs to read the room and abandon the proposed changes for now.