Manchester United fan group The 1958 protested against Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Ineos and the Glazers' ownership of the club
Manchester United supporters protesting against the ownership group prior to Fulham clash
Manchester United supporters protesting against the ownership group prior to Fulham clash(Image: PA)
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In the build-up to Manchester United's clash with Fulham this weekend, one question dominated my conversations with non-Reds. "Why are they protesting again?"
On the face of it, the question holds merit. The departure of Ruben Amorim at the beginning of January was met with mixed opinions from supporters but the appointment of Michael Carrick as interim head coach has proven to be the correct call from the ownership group. United went into the Fulham game on the back of their two most impressive results of the campaign.
However, as The 1958's spokesperson Steve Crompton said in the week, these protests go far beyond what is happening on the pitch. Once the protest moved towards the club superstore, chants of: "£66, you're taking the p***," could be heard from the hearty group of supporters still remaining 25 minutes before kick off.
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Ironically, it was the ticket prices of Sunday's visitors Fulham which encouraged Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe to up the prices at Old Trafford. A decision which now looks to have eroded faith in this new era.
What the powers-that-be failed to consider when they made such a decision was the backlash. When he was appointed, Ratcliffe stated he wanted to mend the relationship between the fans and the ownership.
However, such poorly thought out decisions only serve to make a mockery of that stance. All it did was prove to those who had reservations about the British billionaire that they were right about real change not coming with their arrival in 2024.
When I first covered a protest by The 1958, it was the opening game of the season back in 2022. On that day, it was all about the Glazers. On the opening day of February, the anger is aimed at more than just the American family.
Coming out of the protest, it is hard to know whether real change will occur off the back of it. There is no way Ineos and the Glazers will be able to ignore what was seen on Sunday afternoon but when the majority of fans are still purchasing merchandise and are only happy to pay £66, the ownership group will feel they can get away with it.
But one conclusion we can draw from the protest is that an unpopular theory has now been put to bed. This idea that United fans only come out against the owners when things are bad, is a myth.
Earlier in the season, when matters were a lot more bleak, The 1958 postponed their protest to give Ineos more time. That grace period is now clearly at an end and Ratcliffe and Co would be fools to think they are immune from criticism.