Man United latest sees staff now ‘brand Ratcliffe and INEOS worse than Glazers’
Man United staff are even more unhappy with INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe and as morale continues to sink following Christmas cuts .
The part-time owners of the Red Devils have faced waves of criticism from staff, players, and journalists over their ownership and handling of staff in recent months.
The Daily Mail reported on December 10 that staff claim “it’s worse now” under the new leadership. One staff member even praised the more critical Glazers, saying, “At least the Glazers prioritised families.”
The report reveals that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has sanctioned another brutal cost-cutting measure with the Christmas break approaching.
Instead of the usual £100 bonus, staff will receive a £40 M&S voucher. This year’s Christmas party has also been cancelled.
Man United fans have been here before with poor ownership
Football Insider opinion
This news follows a recent episode of the podcast The Price of Football by Kieran Maguire, who discussed the situation. He explained that staff morale is “very, very low” and added, “It’s not a pleasant working environment, but INEOS don’t care.”
It seems fans would have accepted almost anything over the Glazers after years of poor results on the pitch, a leaking stadium, and no league title in over a decade. But since Ratcliffe and INEOS arrived, both fans and staff have felt the negative impact.
The ‘cost-cutting’ measures appear to have hit the staff the hardest, with the group quick to sack Erik Ten Hag for a reported £15 million (The Athletic) and dismiss Ashworth after just five months.
INEOS hope is starting to feel like another Man United ownership failure
Staff morale continues to dwindle, following the decision to lay off 250 employees in a mass cost-cutting exercise upon INEOS’ arrival, leaving many upset. The club hierarchy also decided a Christmas party would be “inappropriate after a year of redundancies” [Daily Mail].
Even Sir Alex Ferguson intervened. Football Insider exclusively revealed that INEOS embarrassingly backtracked on their decision to revoke privileges for the Busby Babes’ families at the club.
With appointments like Omar Berrada and Ashworth, fans grew hopeful, seeing a structure finally taking shape after years of uncertainty. The club should have had this structure all along, but they lagged behind rivals in putting it in place.
However, after Ashworth’s departure, Mick Brown exclusively told Football Insider that the owners are “turning people against them” by making “bizarre” decisions.
It remains unclear whether these choices will lead to improvement or further decline, but as of today (11 December), the club sit 13th, with staff growing increasingly wary about their job security.
Fans have protested against the Glazer ownership for years, and yet Ratcliffe and INEOS have seemingly managed to surpass their majority-owning partners in the unpopularity stakes for some in just a year at the club.
In other news, Leny Yoro has sent a message to Man United fans after making his debut for the club.
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