COMMENT: Well, that wasn’t in the script. It was supposed to be a welcome parade. Almost a homecoming. Yet by the end – literally – Sir Jim Ratcliffe received his first real dose of Manchester United’s reality…
Flat. Limp. In the week when Ratcliffe formally became a shareholder and director of Manchester United, his first home game could not have gone worse. The players, even dare we say the fans, just weren’t up for it. Fulham were better on the day. The points, no matter how late Alex Iwobi’s winner, were deserved.
There was no great buzz before kickoff. No special roar before the first whistle blew. And there was no opening 50-50 won by a home player. Pathetic? We won’t go that far, but in terms of occasions… As moments to mark in a club’s history… a watershed to be celebrated… It seemed no-one connected to the club had read the script.
Would Ratcliffe have expected some magic? Perhaps. Certainly after his week of press and PR, he’d at least have expected far, far better than what was delivered.
Whether he was at the game or not, Ratcliffe will remember Michael Knighton’s introduction to the Stretford End almost 35 years ago. The deal never went through, but Sir Alex Ferguson and his players caught the spirit of the occasion. And after Knighton’s ball juggling in full United kit before kickoff, the players went out and thrashed defending champions Arsenal 4-1 on a sunny opening day of the new season. Neil Webb, on debut, thundering home a 35 yard volley to truly mark the occasion.
It’s now folklore. A special part of United’s history. Memories for all those connected to the club that day. Saturday was a chance to create something similar. The beginning of a new era. But today’s United, the club, the fans, they just didn’t recognise it. There really is something missing at this club…
However, perhaps this Fulham result was one that was needed. Regulars of this column will know we’ve championed Ratcliffe’s push to buy into English football. First with Chelsea and now, successfully, with United. His background. His success. It all suggests he will be good for Manchester United.
But nothing’s a sure thing, though you wouldn’t know it by the ‘fan-boying’ of the local press this past week. Ratcliffe gives a good interview, no doubt about it. But the way he’s been portrayed it’s like it’ll be a simple click of his fingers and everything that is holding United back will suddenly disappear. However, no amount of gushing reviews of his media performance will make fixing the club he’s taken on any easier. The reality check delivered by Marco Silva, his players and the Fulham away support is proof enough of that.
Cycling isn’t football – especially at this level. And the experience of managing Lausanne and Nice is still no great preparation for what will be expected from Ratcliffe as a co-owner of Manchester United. Of course, he’s taken all this on with his eyes wide open. But we’re talking the biggest club in the world in the biggest sport of the world. An institution fallen on bad times. As this column discussed last week regarding Dan Ashworth, this also represents a massive step up for Ratcliffe. This isn’t going to be plain sailing.
What is striking is how Ratcliffe’s team have launched their opening salvos inside the club. A new chief exec. A first sporting director hire imminent. New members of the board. And a new reporting structure quickly established involving Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc. Some will claim it’s simply Ratcliffe’s team hitting the ground running. But this column understands it’s more about how things inside United have been allowed to meander for so long under the Glazer family’s exclusive control. The hands-off approach is great when things are going well. When you have men of achievement like Sir Alex and David Gill in the prime decision-making positions. But it’s clear with how quickly these new appointments by Ratcliffe have been made that there’s been a major vacuum inside the club.
Change was needed. It still is. And you do wonder if the Glazers hadn’t accepted Ratcliffe’s minority share offer if any these new appointments would even have been raised at board level.
This is what Ratcliffe has walked into. And this humdrum culture was reflected in what he witnessed on Saturday.
It wasn’t the welcome parade this column was expecting. But perhaps it was the reality check Ratcliffe needed. This restoration isn’t going to be easy.
