Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe branded the club “mediocre” and admitted more “difficult and unpopular decisions” are needed to improve things at Old Trafford.
In a candid interview with fanzine United We Stand, Ratcliffe also defended the club’s decision to price all remaining tickets for home games this season at £66, regardless of the buyer’s age – a move which has been criticized by supporters .
United said the price change will only apply to the 3% of tickets not yet sold.
I was annoyed with the midweek ticket prices and started talking to SJR. I was supposed to meet in October, but I didn’t. So I caught up with him on Thursday and asked him about several topics for 36 minutes for the next mag. Out v Forest.
Covered by @stan_chow
Register by Tuesday https://t.co/nk9S7caPp0 pic.twitter.com/hfPQjhvRd5— Andy Mitten (@AndyMitten) November 30, 2024
Ratcliffe, the 72-year-old INEOS chief executive who became a minority owner of the Red Devils almost 12 months ago, has also targeted United’s recruitment and data analysis in recent years.
“To get Manchester United where we need to get them – it’s a bit like the country,” Ratcliffe said.
“We have to make some difficult and unpopular decisions. If you avoid difficult decisions, then nothing is going to change much.
“We’re not going to get everything right and it’s not going to happen overnight, but we’re not sitting on our hands for nine months.
“We still have a long way to go and we still have a lot of difficult decisions to make, but we have to do it for the better. The club has been adrift for a long time, a decade or so.
“Manchester United has become mediocre. They are not elite and are supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world. This was once under Alex.
“There is significant change to reach the elite. There has already been a huge change.”
Responding to criticism of the ticket price, Ratcliffe said: “I understand that,” he said. “I grew up on a council estate in Manchester.
“I don’t want to end up in a position where genuine local fans can’t afford to come, but I want to optimize ticketing.
“We have to find a balance – and you can’t always be popular. Here, we are talking about 3% of tickets. I don’t think it makes sense that a Manchester United ticket costs less than a ticket to see Fulham.”
Despite handing former manager Erik ten Hag a one-year contract extension in the summer, United replaced the Dutchman last month with Ruben Amorim after a disappointing start to the campaign.
Boss 🫡
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— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 7, 2024
And Ratcliffe admitted that changes are needed behind the scenes to return the club to its former glory.
“We weren’t good enough at recruiting,” Ratcliffe said.
“And until we’re as good as anybody in the world, then it’s not good enough for Manchester United.
“Data analysis comes with recruitment. It doesn’t really exist here. We’re still in the last century for data analysis here.
“There is a huge amount of useful data that we can get from data analysis, and we are in the ‘very poor’ category with data analysis here. These things don’t happen overnight.
“You can’t just flip a light switch and sort out the hiring. It’s all about the people and we have to find the right people.”
United are currently 13th in the Premier League having lost five of their 14 league games this season.
