It has been a year since the Sir Jim Ratcliffe-owned INEOS Group acquired a partial stake in Manchester United.
Their arrival was met with lots of optimism from the United fanbase, who had endured years of maladministration under the Glazers family.
The club is still messy, posing questions about Ratcliffe’s ability to turn the club’s fortunes around.
Plenty of bad decisions have been made. One was to keep former manager Erik Ten Hag in his position after leading Man United to their worst-ever finish in the Premier League.
Ten Hag won the FA Cup at the expense of neighbours Manchester City, but United were abysmal for most of the season. He was unsurprisingly axed a few months after the start of this season.
The club spent £5 million to hire Dan Ashworth as the new sporting director. He was dismissed after spending one transfer window at the club.
During a recent visit to Old Trafford by health inspectors, mouse droppings were discovered in the stadium, leading to the club being ‘slapped’ with a two-star hygiene rating.
Ratcliffe plans on building a new stadium. He planned on approaching Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to help with funding, but it is ‘unclear‘ if those proposals ever gained the necessary traction.
His decision to cut costs polarised the fanbase. Some have shown support due to the dire financial state of the club. Others are unhappy that it has rendered some staff redundant.
The recent decision to increase ticket prices was not well received, further increasing the pressure on Ratcliffe.
Hiring manager Ruben Amorim was a good move. However, he needs to be backed financially to inject more quality into the squad, starting in next month’s transfer window.
INEOS must also make a swift decision about refurbishing Old Trafford or building a new stadium.
They need to find a balance between cutting down costs and retaining the club’s long-standing tradition.
