ESPN - Why Manchester United are still a mess under INEOS ownership

[Lee565]

I was really hoping our new shared owners would be ruthless but it seems they only happy to be ruthless with working class employees and not that main reason we are failing both on and off the pitch- ten hag who has overseen our worse two seasons post fergie and squandered money like no other manager post fergie and then you wonder why we are having issues with ffp.

We would have been better off booting ten hag, buying another manager out of their contract than keeping ten hag and signing de ligt this summer

 

[Joseunited]

Don't know about that Oggy is almost always wrong with his reporting, so I'll take this article with a huge load of salt.

Yeah,sarcasm isn't my strongest point.

 

[Judas]

It's that time of the year to throw the manager under the bus. New leaf FC

We need to be ruthless with this set of players, they've been doing this one too many times

Some of the quotes are pretty damning it's an inside job for sure. Clickbait or not there's too many details for it to be false

“This set of players”? There’s barely any left from the previous regimes. Rashford, Bruno…Dalot? You can’t be talking about Maguire for example.

 

[Hammondo]

What does this even mean? My manager’s manager has spoken to me before, as has done his manager. And in a company I interned (let’s call it for simplicity Mvidia), the CEO was having meeting with us.

So I do not see anything wrong with people higher up in the hierarchy speaking with the players. In fact, this was never a problem before here or in other clubs.

Because it undermines the manager.

 

[House Mkhitaryan]

INEOS have done a tremendous job of sacking everyone except the one guy that really deserves it.

 

[Hammondo]

INEOS have done a tremendous job of sacking everyone except the one guy that really deserves it.

Well they don't need to replace the ones they sacked, and ten hag needs a very good replacement from a tiny pool of people, where most are already hired and our ability to attract has dropped significantly.

 

[RedRocket9908]

Well they don't need to replace the ones they sacked, and ten hag needs a very good replacement from a tiny pool of people, where most are already hired and our ability to attract has dropped significantly.

The restrictions that Sir Jim's team are putting on the role by making it a head coach role rather than a manager role are clearly making it an unattractive proposition for the top managers which is why we were rejected by several last summer.

 

[Giggsy13]

If that happened then that's deeply and unneccesarily unpleasant.

It also places the complaints about SAF losing his ambassador role into context. Who cares about a many-times-over multi-millionaire losing out on a source of more millions when working people still contributing materially to the club get treated like shit?

It’s sadly these long time servants that suffer the most. So far not very impressed with INEOS’ callous approach.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

I wonder if it was the Megabus that was on offer after the FA Cup final, or if they were expected to catch the cattle class train home, I mean how bad could it have been? And not sure offering to pay for your own flight home really constitues a threat.

 

[ForeverRed1]

It’s still a mess because the issues at this club can’t and won’t be solved in 8 months.

It’s going to take a lot of blood sweat and tears, with some mistakes along the way. Unfortunately.

 

[Hammondo]

The restrictions that Sir Jim's team are putting on the role by making it a head coach role rather than a manager role are clearly making it an unattractive proposition for the top managers which is why we were rejected by several last summer.

That's basically how all clubs work now.

 

[quadrant]

More kicking Ineos for not having a magic wand. Whoopee.

 

[RedRocket9908]

That's basically how all clubs work now.

Its not, no top manager will be prepared to take a job where their role will only be coaching the players and picking the team as they all want full control of the team as well as incomings and put goings.

 

[Hammondo]

Its not, no top manager will be prepared to take a job where their role will only be coaching the players and picking the team as they all want full control of the team as well as incomings and put goings.

And which top clubs offer that, because I do not think a single ones gives it.

 

[Sandikan]

Somehow Rashford always finds a way to find an excuse to loose form under every manager.

As well as clearly putting his PR team to work constantly getting stuff in the media about how hard he works, loves the club etc

 

[MF1138]

Sounds like we have a bunch of whiny players that think the shit they offer up is down to anyone but them... who would have guessed

 

[sparx99]

The restrictions that Sir Jim's team are putting on the role by making it a head coach role rather than a manager role are clearly making it an unattractive proposition for the top managers which is why we were rejected by several last summer.

But that’s the role at most other top clubs. Ancelotti isn’t anything other a head coach at Madrid nor is Pep or Slot at their clubs.

 

[sparx99]

Its not, no top manager will be prepared to take a job where their role will only be coaching the players and picking the team as they all want full control of the team as well as incomings and put goings.

Name one club that works that way? Usually success over a period of time allows you greater influence. Pep and Klopp earned that at City and Liverpool. However, they are mostly still just head coaches.

Enrique, Slot, Ancelotti, Maresca, Amorim, Flick etc all answer to sporting directors.

 

[bond19821982]

Who are these senior players. Feck it. Stop complaining and get to work.

 

[M Bison]

Who bloody leaks this stuff ffs, just get on with your job and start delivering instead of blaming everyone else for doing your job badly.

 

[roseguy64]

Clearly clickbait.

Don’t get sucked into this tripe. Ogden is a bellend who loves writing about us as it gets him engagement in his pieces.

The bit about the long term employee, if true, is upsetting and disappointing. Other than that I’ll pay little attention to this and move onto watching the Brentford game through my fingers.

He mainly writes about Man Utd because that's who he's assigned to. Obviously that's gonna happen. What?

 

[Buster15]

More kicking Ineos for not having a magic wand. Whoopee.

Yes indeed.
We should know that it is going to take some time to change and correct the problems of the past. Because those problems are fundamental.

A couple of wins and the narrative would soon change.

 

[Terrific Tangerine]

Well if the club throws the manager under the bus at least their won't be any first teamers in it.

 

[The Brown Bull]

Well if the club throws the manager under the bus at least their won't be any first teamers in it.

Maybe they will throw him off the plane?

 

[DarkLord1984]

Ok. Bye

what did he think was going to happen saying that to a moderator

 

[Reiver]

Brailsford dressed as a pimp telling the squad what he had given up by coming to Manchester is fecking hilarious.

 

[Coops73]

Ok. Bye

Oh you’re well ‘ard incha

 

[Kaos]

I don't see the point of Brailsford. Sounds like someone with an inflated sense of self-worth, and feels like a mates hire from Ratcliffe to have him around. He's supposedly INEOS' director of sport, but from what I understand his 'expertise' tends to be in the cycling world. The question is whether we'd lose anything by binning him - assuming he's being paid by the club, I'd wager his wages alone probably cover the salaries of a fair chunk of the folk the club have had to bin.

Ratcliffe has always been a tosser, the adulation some fans have shown for him because he's a 'local' lad who says the right things is a little cringe too, seemingly ignoring the fact he was a ST holder at Stamford bridge and tried to buy their club, and lest we forget - he's singlehandedly the reason the Glazer's are still involved with the club. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of Qatar buying us, but it would have meant we would have been finally free of the Glazer cancer. Looks like we're now stuck with both them as well as Brexit Jimbo and his merry mates.

 

[golden_blunder]

Oh you’re well ‘ard incha

And your issue is?

 

[JediSith]

From ESPN (multiple journalists - Mark Ogden, Rob Dawson)

This is the article Andy Mitten was talking about last week, calling it an upcoming 'bombshell'. I think that's a big stretch but it is kinda interesting in parts.

-------------------------------------

On Brailsford:



Transport seething:



The Athletic wrote about this back in June. Apparently the transport offered by the club was a bus.

Bruno's contract:



Job cuts:



Pissing off Casemiro:




Pissing off Rashy and Sanchy:



Continuation of the #StrongMinds

Brailsford:
looks like the usual blaming someone else. One they’ve got off to a crap start.

Cost cutting/job losses:
This I agree with should never have saved money by cutting wages on staff at £30-100k a year.

Should have saved it by selling Bruno and Rashford. Great clubs, United in the past, are defined more by statement sales than statement signings. RVN, Beckham, Ince, Hughes, etc. Selling Bruno & Rashford would have served 1st the football function & 2nd the cost saving function. Look at RM in recent years. They are defined more by sales eg sold Ronaldo, sold Varane , sold Casemiro, let Ramos leave . But we got pressured by Bruno.

Bruno/Rashford angry
Genuinely don’t care. They have too much power. I won’t even say for what they offer because even multi prem winning & CL league winning players at United didn’t have the level power these two do at United. I can’t think of top team where two players are made bigger than the team, not City, not Arsenal , not Liverpool (salah came close but Klopp managed it) , not RM.

Bruno Contract

Biggest mistake INEOS have made.

 

[Champ]

I don't see the point of Brailsford. Sounds like someone with an inflated sense of self-worth, and feels like a mates hire from Ratcliffe to have him around. He's supposedly INEOS' director of sport, but from what I understand his 'expertise' tends to be in the cycling world. The question is whether we'd lose anything by binning him - assuming he's being paid by the club, I'd wager his wages alone probably cover the salaries of a fair chunk of the folk the club have had to bin.

Ratcliffe has always been a tosser, the adulation some fans have shown for him because he's a 'local' lad who says the right things is a little cringe too, seemingly ignoring the fact he was a ST holder at Stamford bridge and tried to buy their club, and lest we forget - he's singlehandedly the reason the Glazer's are still involved with the club. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of Qatar buying us, but it would have meant we would have been finally free of the Glazer cancer. Looks like we're now stuck with both them as well as Brexit Jimbo and his merry mates.

Brailsford is being paid by Ineos, not by United.
His expertise is in sports in general, with a heavy bias towards cycling.
However he has experience with football when he went through the same process at Nice, and despite the protestations of some on here, he has actually managed to turn them around to some degree whilst doing it within a relatively tight budget.

 

[julianfr]

Best in ass

Fixed it for you

 

[Coops73]

And your issue is?

Easy tiger, just a little joke

 

[Lentwood]

From ESPN (multiple journalists - Mark Ogden, Rob Dawson)

This is the article Andy Mitten was talking about last week, calling it an upcoming 'bombshell'. I think that's a big stretch but it is kinda interesting in parts.

-------------------------------------

On Brailsford:



Transport seething:



The Athletic wrote about this back in June. Apparently the transport offered by the club was a bus.

Bruno's contract:



Job cuts:



Pissing off Casemiro:




Pissing off Rashy and Sanchy:



Continuation of the #StrongMinds

Nothing article, load of rubbish

 

[whitbyviking]

I see @noodlehair has gone off on one again. Christ. Fergie frozen out is a bit of a fecking stretch. He’s lost a £2mill yearly salary for doing sweet feck all, thats it.

Still on the board too, so hardly frozen out.

The hysterical reaction of some in here to a clickbait article is a bit embarrassing, and very entitled.

ETH is probably going to be the worst decison, but we are seeing multiple examples of the small pool of replacements turning us down and that is a result of issues pre-INEOS. They are definitely between the rock and hard place now.

The Bruno decision is also poor, but, when you see the reaction to other alleged layoffs how do you think the optics would have been on losing the club captain after he had a decent season.

As for the first story I fully sympathise with anyone who is laid off but the story is just sensationalist. What do people expect? There aren’t members of a senior management team wandering around Man Utd facilities looking for people to console. It’s the job of that person’s colleagues and line manager, it would probably take a few layers before it got to the executive level. How this is the fault of any owner is beyond me.

 

[MadDogg]

I don't see the point of Brailsford. Sounds like someone with an inflated sense of self-worth, and feels like a mates hire from Ratcliffe to have him around. He's supposedly INEOS' director of sport, but from what I understand his 'expertise' tends to be in the cycling world. The question is whether we'd lose anything by binning him - assuming he's being paid by the club, I'd wager his wages alone probably cover the salaries of a fair chunk of the folk the club have had to bin.

Ratcliffe has always been a tosser, the adulation some fans have shown for him because he's a 'local' lad who says the right things is a little cringe too, seemingly ignoring the fact he was a ST holder at Stamford bridge and tried to buy their club, and lest we forget - he's singlehandedly the reason the Glazer's are still involved with the club. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of Qatar buying us, but it would have meant we would have been finally free of the Glazer cancer. Looks like we're now stuck with both them as well as Brexit Jimbo and his merry mates.

Nobody was willing to pay what the Glazers wanted for a full sale. So the choice wasn't between Ratcliffe and Qatar, it was between Glazers remaining in full control or what we have now. In either case it's likely that the Glazers will eventually look for a full sale (or at least a majority sale), so what we have now makes it easier for one person (Ratcliffe) to make that happen in the future.

 

[ohhrooney]

Brailsford is being paid by Ineos, not by United.
His expertise is in sports in general, with a heavy bias towards cycling.
However he has experience with football when he went through the same process at Nice, and despite the protestations of some on here, he has actually managed to turn them around to some degree whilst doing it within a relatively tight budget.

Turned around Nice how? Can you please elaborate on it?

“In the six years before Ratcliffe bought Nicefor €100m, the club finished in the top four of Ligue 1 three times.”

“Less than six years ago, Rivère, Fournier and Favre led the best-club run club in Ligue 1, a project that became a model for the rest of the division.”


https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5418974/2024/04/18/nice-ineos-jim-ratcliffe-decline/#:~:text=Before%20INEOS%20arrived%2C%20we%20finished,has%20been%20in%20fifth%20place.”&text=Get%20all%2Daccess%20to%20exclusive,%2C%20teams%2C%20leagues%20and%20clubs.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jan/20/manchester-united-fans-nice-jim-ratcliffe-psg

 

[Amir]

Should have saved it by selling Bruno and Rashford. Great clubs, United in the past, are defined more by statement sales than statement signings. RVN, Beckham, Ince, Hughes, etc. Selling Bruno & Rashford would have served 1st the football function & 2nd the cost saving function. Look at RM in recent years. They are defined more by sales eg sold Ronaldo, sold Varane , sold Casemiro, let Ramos leave . But we got pressured by Bruno.

And then we would have needed to go and buy replacements, spend transfer fees, give them contracts as well...

 

[justsomebloke]

Everyone with iq higher than their sho size could see this coming.

We missed out on Qatar when old man Jim threw the Glazers a life line. That was the absolutely worst outcome possible and we will feel that the next few decades unfortunately. .

The future looks grim indeed.

Whatever the outcome with INEOS, I for one am still deeply relieved we did not go for Qatar.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

Totally disagree. Part of our current problem is the fact it's "just a job" on and off field. A club grows from being a community. We're not some telemarketing franchise. Even City with their financial backing seem to get this. It's not to say we have to be a knitting circle, but a place where people turn up and get paid to do a job and go home and that's it - isn't a football club. It's a telesales enterprise.

We used to understand that in the not too distant past.

100%. They have full control of football operations. They should be acutely aware of what a football club is. What they historically were, and still are.

Some of the redundancies may have been folks who’ve been there 6-12 months inputting data into a computer. You can apply regular business attitudes to many folks.

But staff that have been part of the fabric of the club for 10-30 years?… do better. Even if you’re just trying to look like good guys. DO SOMETHING. Just do better. Treating these people disposable is indicative.