Sir Jim Ratcliffe during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Southampton FC at Old Trafford. Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Sir Jim Ratcliffe during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Southampton FC at Old Trafford. Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is in danger of falling into a trap that could be more costly than any of the mistakes made since he bought a stake in Manchester United.
There is something chilling about the ruthlessness with which he is wielding the axe as he slashes costs at the club. Right now, the targets seem to be frontline staff who likely care deeply for an organisation that should be about more than just meeting the bottom line.
There is a cruel folly to a billionaire pleading poverty as he looks to save thousands from measures impacting the lowest paid staff while paying out millions to address the huge errors already made during his short tenure.
Related Articles
'More than people will ever know' - Everton dressing room response to Kevin Thelwell exit
Everton player reply to David Moyes warning clear as hidden figures emerge
And in his pursuit of budget cuts, a process he says should lead to silverware, he risks losing far more than what he could ultimately stand to gain. He needs to look no further than Everton if he wishes to see the error of his ways.
A football club is nothing without its people, and to be successful it needs a core that cares for it, that understands it, that wants to nurture it. We are lucky in this country that the roots of most clubs run deep into their communities and it is that relationship that often helps both to survive and, when possible, blossom.
Everton is a case in point. “Everton is more than just a football club, it’s an institution built by the people who give their heart and soul to it. Everyone who comes here plays a part in its history and growth.”
Those were the words of Idrissa Gueye, posted on social media on Monday. The midfielder was talking about the impact of outgoing director of football Kevin Thelwell but his point is a much wider one. Everton remains a club that feels like a family. At its core are many people who deeply care about the Blues, while through the work of Everton in the Community, the club remains deeply entrenched in the streets of L4 and will do so even when it moves to the banks of the Mersey in the summer.
It is for this reason that recent years have been so terrifying. As the club lurched from financial crisis to relegation battle and back again, the great fear was what would happen should the worst unfold. Twice Everton’s battle to stay in the Premier League went down to the final week of the season - once to the final kick of the final game. Relegation may have been something cheered by rival supporters but the impact of relegation on real lives in this city and beyond would have been catastrophic.
That the club was in such peril was, of course, influenced by bad decisions made at the top, as well as a perfect storm of other contributing factors. But that the club survived was helped greatly by the thread of love and commitment for its survival that ran through its core.
No matter how bad the outlook became, there was still the smile of Mary on reception on Finch Farm, the greeting of Gordon in the Goodison press seats and personal touches of so many people whose determination helped the club to pull through tough times. It is one of the reasons Colin Chong is set to stay on even as new owners The Friedkin Group ring through changes at the top of the club.
Much of this may sound sentimental. But it matters. It is what makes the changes being wrought at Old Trafford so shortsighted. When a club becomes solely about silverware and bottom lines, when its soul is ripped out from within, what are you left with? A business without a heart. That is not a football club worth championing because football is about more than that.
And yet down the East Lancs, 250 jobs have already been cut and a further 200 are now at risk. Hot meals for some staff have been axed along with £40,000 of funding to support players who represented the club with pride at a time before doing so lined their pockets. Concessions for pensioners and children have been removed for the rest of the season - it would cost £66 for a schoolboy supporter to attend a Premier League home game.
There may well be some cuts that make sense, football is big business and a result of the current financial rules is that the balance sheet will influence the transfer budget.
There is a danger in zealotry though. And other big businesses in football know that. For all that Everton have been through in recent years, the club’s handling of ticket prices for the move to Bramley-Moore has been received positively. Meanwhile, what did new owners The Friedkin Group do when they arrived days before Christmas? Every staff member received a gift voucher, staff in Houston were handed Everton shirts and scarves - even if just an opening gambit, the initial approach was one of investment in staff, not targeting them with cost-cutting measures designed to save thousands while paying out millions to address the expensive mistakes of their bosses in prolonging Erik ten Hag’s doomed regime and ending Dan Ashworth’s before he had even settled in.
Last month, TFG celebrated ‘All Associates Day’ - an occasion to “honour” its staff. Once again the two landmark clubs in its portfolio, Everton and Roma, were central to the event as the company sought to celebrate workers while encouraging them to build an emotional connection with the organisation.
There may be a fine line between business sense and sentimentality. But finding a balance is important, and finding value from the emotional pull within a club is more than worthwhile. Just look at what club captain Seamus Coleman has done over recent years. Through all the injuries that have prevented him from always being available on the pitch, his words and influence have repeatedly helped his teammates find answers on it, right when they have been needed the most.
When I wrote at the weekend that David Moyes hoped to keep Coleman after the summer, when his contract is due to expire, some of the feedback was that this would be a decision that lacked the ruthlessness needed to take Everton forward. Yet it is important to recognise the value of your people, and Coleman - whether in the dressing room as a player or coach - symbolises the beating heart of Everton as much as anyone.
To be able to draw on that kind of devotion and experience is priceless. By putting a price on Man Utd’s heart, Ratcliffe risks more than a few more years in the Premier League wilderness.