When Sir Jim Ratcliffe officially took over Man United in February 2024, perhaps many fans were looking forward to a new era, with greater investment in all aspects. Billionaire Ratcliffe spent £1.3 billion to get a 27.7% stake in the club, taking over football management.
Over the past 12 months, many things in the team's system have changed, but Ratcliffe's cost-cutting measures have increasingly fallen out of favor with fans.
On-field performance has not improved at all. Man United only finished 8th in the 2023-2024 season, causing coach Erik ten Hag to be criticized.
However, the FA Cup title helped him save the situation. The Red Devils' meetings in June 2024 considered the possibility of bringing Thomas Tuchel to Man United, but in the end, they still decided to stick with Erik ten Hag, giving the Dutch coach a 2-year contract extension.
A large-scale assessment has also been conducted, causing 250 of the club's 1,100 employees to lose their jobs in July 2024.
Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro became Ten Hag's first two signings in the summer. A coaching overhaul also took place when Rene Hake, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Andreas Georgson and Jelle ten Rouwelaar joined the club, while Steve McClaren, Mitchell van der Gaag and Benni McCarthy left.
Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte arrived in August, bringing their total summer spending to nearly £200 million. Less than three months later, the pressure on Ten Hag increased as the team dropped to 13th place. In October 2024, Ten Hag was sacked.
The club paid Ten Hag £11.4 million in compensation. To cut costs, the Red Devils terminated the £2 million ambassador contract of legendary former coach Sir Alex Ferguson and canceled the staff's Christmas party. Spending on "belts" affects almost everyone, except the dressing room of the first team.
In November 2024, new captain Ruben Amorim made his debut with more cuts because United had to pay a significant compensation to Sporting CP. They decided to cut the payment to the club's disabled fan association to £40,000/year before Ratcliffe's arrival.
In addition, the club announced that ticket prices will increase on the competition day and cancel preferential benefits for the elderly and children. Hundreds of fans have gathered outside Old Trafford to protest the decision to increase ticket prices to £66/match.
The initial price is £40 for adults and £25 for children. Some fan clubs are very angry because the Red Devils have not consulted fans about this increase.
In the winter transfer window, United have the condition of selling fewer players if they want to get more additions. That was also the situation in the previous January sale, when the club tightened costs.
Poor performance on the pitch and drastic cuts have caused Man United to lose points in the hearts of fans. The drastic change that is too fast can be counterproductive, losing the trust of fans - the invaluable asset that has accompanied the Red Devils for decades.
