It's safe to say Sir Jim Ratcliffe's first year at Old Trafford running Manchester United has been a nightmare, with INEOS having made plenty of unpopular decisions
12:28, 24 Dec 2024
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's first year as Manchester United owner has not gone to plan.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's first year as Manchester United owner has not gone to plan(Image: PA)
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's first year as part-owner of Manchester United has been far from the celebratory occasion fans hoped for when he bought a 25% stake in the club for £1.05bn on Christmas Eve 2023.
Despite an FA Cup final victory over local rivals Manchester City last May, the INEOS tycoon's arrival hasn't brought about the transformative effect many at Old Trafford were hoping for, with the Red Devils slumped in 13th in the Premier League table.
Ratcliffe's vision is still being implemented, but several of his major decisions in the past year have either backfired or faced sustained criticism, with the billionaire even compared to Ebeneze Scrooge, the infamous crank from Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol.
So with that in mind, Daily Star Sport took a look at five of the biggest decisions Ratcliffe and INEOS have made so far - none of which have resulted in positives...
Extending Erik ten Hag's contract - only to sack him months later
Erik ten Hag during his final Manchester United match
Erik ten Hag had his contract extended in the summer - only to be sacked months later costing United millions(Image: PA)
The decision to keep Erik ten Hag as head coach was a U-turn that came after a provisional decision to sack him before the FA Cup final. The team's impressive performance and victory at Wembley over Manchester City led to a change of heart and a contract extension for the Dutchman, reports the Mirror.
However, this decision has set the club back several months and threatens to make this season a write-off. He was sacked after a defeat to West Ham back in October.
Ruben Amorim could be the man to turn things around, but with limited funds available for transfers after United spent £150m in the summer, he has a squad that isn't ideally suited to his tactical plan, which could take several transfer windows to rectify.
If he, or another candidate that United had their eye on towards the end of last season, had been in place six months ago, who knows how different the landscape would be now.
Controversial staff cuts
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Ratcliffe's decisions have not been popular(Image: Getty Images)
In early July, it was announced that the club would be making 250 staff members redundant following a cost review that suggested it would lead to a total saving of about £40m.
However, various reports have indicated that staff morale plummeted during the process of letting so many employees go. It was later revealed in the club's latest set of quarterly financial results that they spent £8.6m on severance packages.
A subsequent decision was made to cancel the staff Christmas party, while lunchboxes for workers at Old Trafford were scrapped in favour of a buffet that led to claims (strongly denied by the club) that they were leftovers from corporate guests.
And that's not even considering the decision to terminate Sir Alex Ferguson 's long-time ambassadorial position.
Ashworth mess
Dan Ashworth
Dan Ashworth left his Sporting Director role at Old Trafford after just months in charge(Image: Getty Images)
Don't miss a thing with football updates!
Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news? Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star Football email newsletter!
From the latest transfer news to breaking stories, get it all in your email inbox.
How do you sign up?
It only takes a matter of seconds.
Simply click on this link, then provide your email address and that's it, job done. You'll receive an email with all of the top football stories.
You can also sign up for our sport email, Off the Ball, for all the latest darts, boxing, snooker, F1 stories and more, right here
Dan Ashworth spent four months on gardening leave after telling Newcastle he wanted to move to Old Trafford only to last five minutes before INEOS decided he was not the right fit as sporting director.
The fact Ashworth was not the key figure behind appointing Amorim - and shelling out around £3m to do so - pointed to a fault line but it is hard to escape the reality that there remain too many chefs in the kitchen.
Working solely at United there is chief executive Omar Berrada, technical director Jason Wilcox and interim director of recruitment Christopher Vivell.
INEOS has brought a complex federal structure to the club, roping in big names like Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc, while Roger Bell and Rob Nevin have also hopped onto the board with the company's arrival.
Concerns over the Women's team
Millie Turner of Manchester United acknowledges the fans after the Women's League Cup match between Manchester United and Liverpool
Ratcliffe has called Manchester United's women's team "an opportunity"
Despite the steady growth of the Women's Super League, INEOS chief Ratcliffe, who has been notably upfront, has mentioned that the women's team is "an opportunity" but not a top priority. "There's only so much that you can do and our focus has been on the men's team. If not, you get spread too thinly," he candidly remarked to United We Stand.
The women's squad even had to vacate their training ground area for the men during renovation works.
Currently, United is positioned fourth in the WSL, trailing leaders Chelsea by seven points, leaving many insiders questioning the team's direction in both the mid and long term.
Ticket price uproar
Manchester United fans protest ticket pricing ahead of the Premier League match at Old Trafford
Manchester United fans protest ticket pricing ahead of the Premier League match at Old Trafford(Image: PA)
Article continues below
Meanwhile, fans are up in arms over the recent hike in members' ticket prices to £66, as United joins the ranks of clubs eliminating concessions. The 1958 supporters' group, known for leading anti-Glazer protests prior to INEOS stepping in, slammed the move as "clear exploitation of our loyal fanbase."
Ratcliffe justifies the price surge by pointing out that Fulham charged more, and as a larger club, United should match that, blatantly overlooking the stark economic disparities between parts of Manchester and West London, or that the Cottagers have themselves been slammed for their expensive prices.