Could a new era be beginning at Old Trafford?
Jim Ratcliffe, a billionaire who supports Brexit and loves the UK but does not reside or pay taxes there, was officially announced as a minority stakeholder in Manchester United this week. The 71-year-old owns the petrochemicals company Ineos and has invested £1.3bn for a 27% share, giving him and his team control over the club’s day-to-day operations. This announcement was welcomed by United fans who have been frustrated by the lack of communication from the Glazer family for the past 19 years. Ratcliffe made it clear that he sees himself as a custodian rather than the true owner and hopes to bring back a winning team that plays attractive football, dethroning rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
In addition, he plans to achieve this by hiring highly successful individuals who excel in their respective fields. He stated, “Our goal is to identify the top talent globally and ensure they possess the appropriate character and personality. We aim to create an environment conducive to the success of elite athletes. Our main focus is to improve performance on the field.” While fans were understandably enticed by these words, skeptics with no loyalty to the club may question if he is simply regurgitating popular opinions from a podcast hosted by Jake Humphrey. Ratcliffe’s emphasis on filling key positions with top-notch individuals may sound impressive, but the fact that his right-hand man is Dave Brailsford should raise some red flags.
When a parliamentary committee investigated the cycling team known for its dull but successful approach, they found that their highly praised values of strictness, openness, and responsibility may have been exaggerated. The man in charge of this team, Brailsford, has a history of hiring anyone who can deliver results, regardless of their character. Despite being criticized by the committee for unacceptable and unprofessional mistakes, Brailsford has been assigned to investigate and report his observations to another knight.
Ratcliffe declined to comment on Erik ten Hag’s future, but was more open when discussing Mason Greenwood. He explained that the decision-making process would involve examining the facts rather than the hype and considering the individual’s character. However, his response was long and convoluted, causing some fans to feel uneasy. Ratcliffe, who moved to Monaco in 2020 upon reaching retirement age and desiring warm weather, also suggested that the government should provide funding for a new stadium, under the guise of supporting the north. When questioned by the BBC’s Dan Roan about why a multi-billion-pound football club and its owners believe they deserve public funding that could be better utilized elsewhere, Ratcliffe declined to give his opinion, despite having just expressed it in a boldly confident manner.
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Tune in at 8pm GMT to catch live coverage of the exciting Big Vase match between Roma and Feyenoord, with Scott Murray providing commentary. The current aggregate score is 3-2 in favor of Roma.
“The only way to do great things is to love what you do.”
“The key to achieving great things is by having a passion for what you do.”
“The final minute may have been due to a lack of experience. If we had just been a bit more clever – with it being the 93rd minute and the score at 0-0 – we wouldn’t have given the ball away twice on the edge of our box. But then, he scores a fantastic goal. We needed to have more determination to finish the game, because if we couldn’t win, we definitely shouldn’t lose – especially in a knockout match.” – Declan Rice reflects on his team’s 1-0 loss to Porto in the first leg of the Round of Arsenal in the Champions League.
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Challenging Manchester City and Liverpool’s dominance (like Alex Ferguson did in 2002) will not be an easy task for Jim Ratcliffe, the new rival, as Erik ten Hag is not on the same level as Fergie. Maybe Ratcliffe should avoid using metaphors and focus on his own team instead – Adrian Irving.
Regarding the letters from yesterday’s Football Daily, John Catton suggests that Tottenham should purchase a statue of Harry Kane and place it in the opposing team’s half to motivate their forwards who are struggling to score.
I’ve been told that there is a rumor going around that Chelsea is willing to pay £100m for the Kane statue, as long as it signs a contract for 100 years – Martyn Shapter.
Email [email protected] to submit letters. The recipient of today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is John Catton.
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Source: theguardian.com
