Manchester United's Decline Continues Under Jim Ratcliffe's Leadership

Posted : 04 January 2025

Manchester United fans entered 2024 hopeful of a fresh start under Jim Ratcliffe’s leadership, but the promised changes have yet to materialize, and the club's decline has continued. After a year of turmoil, the team is heading into a clash with Liverpool in poor form, having suffered four consecutive defeats.

Despite Ratcliffe’s $1.6 billion investment and control over football operations, the club remains in a precarious position. New manager Ruben Amorim has acknowledged that the team is in a relegation battle, illustrating the club's ongoing struggles.

The past year saw a mixed bag of results. United did secure an FA Cup win over Manchester City, but the victory did little to steady the ship. Manager Erik ten Hag, despite the win, was under pressure after a disappointing eighth-place finish last season—the worst in Premier League history for United. He was retained briefly but eventually dismissed after a poor start to the new season.

Amorim was hired with high hopes, but his impact has been minimal, with just two wins in eight league games, leaving United 14th in the standings. His preferred formation, 3-4-3, has not suited the squad, and key players like Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho have fallen out of favor.

Off the pitch, Ratcliffe's decisions have been contentious. He brought in key figures such as CEO Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox, but tension soon emerged within the club’s leadership. The club’s massive £200 million spending spree in the summer has failed to yield immediate results, further fueling frustration.

Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting measures have made him unpopular with the fans, particularly with a recent ticket price hike and a redundancy program that resulted in around 250 job cuts. His actions have created a divide between the club's ownership and the supporters, who feel alienated by these moves.

Ratcliffe, while admitting that tough decisions are necessary, has failed to deliver the promised change on the field. The decline, which began with Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013, shows no signs of reversing, leaving United fans disillusioned. The ongoing struggles both on and off the pitch highlight the mounting challenges facing the club, and with no clear solutions in sight, their hopes for a revival continue to dim.

Manchester United's Decline Continues Under Jim Ratcliffe's Leadership

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