When Ratcliffe and Ineos joined the Old Trafford hierarchy, many fans welcomed the arrival of boyhood fans and billionaires to restore the club’s previous glory.
However, after a year, my relationship with some of my supporters has become sour.
A medium-term rise in ticket prices that affect under 16 and pensioners, as well as hundreds of redundancy, is one move that the club has made that has attracted criticism due to cost-cutting measures, including removing staff free lunches.
Ratcliffe knew that moving to the club had challenges, but admitted that “but its size is probably slightly larger than expected.”
“I haven’t read much newspapers lately that I have to say,” he added. “I know it’s not popular, and this period of change is offensive to people, and some of the decisions we have to make is offensive. But they are needed to bring Manchester United back to a stable footing.
“I recognize that it is not popular at this point, but I am ready and believe that what we are doing is the right thing, so I can deal with it being unpopular for a period of time.
“Manchester United got off the rail – we need to get it back on the rail and we believe what we are doing will get it back on the rail.
“When things get difficult, people need to show a little resilience.
And he made it clear how tough the club’s financial situation is.
“We are in the process of change, it is an uncomfortable time, it is destructive, and I feel sympathy for the fans.
“The simple answer is that if we didn’t do those things, the club would run out of money for Christmas.”
He said the costs had risen and the club had spent more than seven seasons.
“If you’re spending more than you ultimately earn, that’s the path to doom,” he said.
It was suggested that Ratcliffe is that serving the club’s debt level and its debt was a more pressing issue for fans, with £37 million paying in interest in last fiscal year.
“The interest is one of the costs, but not the biggest costs for this club,” he said.
“And the club needs to turn that home, so it is in a good financial position for the future.
“Most UK clubs – most companies – have some form of debt. But if you think the club is really profitable, in the next few years, you can do the opposite: you can pay off your debts. I think Manchester United should be.
“In the end, if we look at running a Manchester United size club with a revenue of around £650 million, we will spend £650 million running the club and some of it as a team.
“Where do you want to spend your money? Do you want to spend it on running a club or on a squad? Because if you spend it on a squad, you get better results.
“My only concern here is to bring Manchester United back to greatness again.”
He also said that the financial pressure on INEOS, which led to the termination of its sponsorship agreement with the New Zealand All Blacks, would not affect Manchester United.
