Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ‘last insult to Man Utd followers as he betrays working class roots’
Supporting Manchester United used to feel like a privilege to those who chose to do it but now it feels like a burden to those same people.
A long-suffering faithful who have swapped milestones for millstones, due to the long and painful demise of a football institution reduced to its knees both on and off the pitch.
Fans are the lifeblood of all clubs, from the Premier League to non-league – the one constant in the middle of all the chaos. But those who stick with United through thick and thin find themselves at risk of being bled dry, by people more concerned with being the most important people in a room, than reading it.
Just 12 months ago Sir Jim Ratcliffe sat in his INEOS boardroom spouting his views on the north-south divide. He did so from plush surroundings in Mayfair, London’s millionaire playground, having hot footed it across town from his mansion in Chelsea.
(Image: X/@joshrushby_)
This wasn’t the time of year to be lounging by his pool in Monaco and he spoke of how proud he was of his working class roots in Manchester. Of growing up in more humble times than he enjoys now.
At one stage he almost sounded like a man of the people. But a year since jumping into bed with fellow billionaires the Glazers, Ratcliffe’s true colours are starting to paint a picture which betrays what he claims to stand for.
He’s sacked employees, including one of the greatest socialists of all in Sir Alex Ferguson, cancelled works parties and abolished bonuses and now the final insult has been delivered.
(Image: PA)
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Because supporters battling through a cost of living crisis will have to pay more for a ticket to sit inside the Theatre of Dreams and watch a team so bad, current boss Ruben Amorim labelled it the ‘worst in the club’s history’.
At a time when the club has never been so divided and divisive. Some of these good folk might even hail from Failsworth, the same place as Ratcliffe.
History has shown that most of the businesses Ratcliffe touches turn to gold. But what Ratcliffe has failed to appreciate is that football is not like normal business. And once those he tries to control become restless, it doesn’t end well.
