A RED DEVIL OF A JOB
Sir Jim must deal with crumbling Old Trafford, an erratic team... and the Glazers
SIR JIM RATCLIFFE has vowed to make Manchester United great again – but Britain’s richest man will have to bridge a 10-year gap just to make the Reds competitive in their own city.
The petrochemicals billionaire has shown remarkable patience in his bid to secure a place in the boardroom in the 11 months since the Glazer family announced they were open to offers.
Even if they accept his £1.4billion offer for a 25 percent stake in the club before handing him control of football operations, the 71-year-old will be faced with the challenge of how to compete with Manchester City.
Not since the 1930s – when the Blues were winning titles and cups, while second division United were on the brink of bankruptcy – have City exerted such a powerful grip on Mancunian football, both on and off the pitch. Pep Guardiola’s side visit Old Trafford for the first derby of the season on Sunday as Treble winners.
City have finished above the Red Devils every season since Sir Alex Ferguson lifted the last of his 13 Premier League titles in 2013.
In that time, City have been champions six times. Over the course of those 10 full seasons they have won 167 more points than United and scored 299 more goals.
Guardiola is now in his eighth season, Erik ten Hag is the fifth boss tasked with replacing Ferguson.
There is hope at the Etihad that the Catalan will sign another contract to take his reign beyond 10 years.
But there is a succession plan in place for when Guardiola leaves.
City are stitched together with joined-up thinking that stretches from Abu Dhabi to boardroom to training ground to dressing room.
It is not yet clear how Ratcliffe aims to replicate that when any football decisions taken by his INEOS Group will still have to tally with the commercial obligations of the Glazers. Despite spending more than £1.5bn in the transfer market since Ferguson’s retirement, Ten Hag’s team still remains a work in progress.
The club is shackled by the need to service debts of £1bn while also ensuring that the Glazers and other shareholders are paid a dividend.
A leaking Old Trafford roof is indicative of a stadium that either needs a revamp or to be rebuilt entirely. Estimates start at around £1bn.
Across town at the Etihad, it has been confirmed that City’s ground will be hosting games at Euro 2028.
Around £300million is being spent to increase capacity beyond 60,000, while other projects include a 400-bedroom luxury hotel, covered fan zone and a stadium roof walk.
Next spring, the doors of the 23,500-capacity Co-op Live arena will open on the Etihad campus, a concert venue that will be the biggest indoor arena in the UK.
While United fans continue to protest about the Glazers’ reign at Old Trafford, their nearest rivals are reaping the benefits of success and owners who continue to invest in their club and wider community.
United supporters have long argued that Arab sheikhs from countries with questionable human rights records should not be allowed to own Premier League football clubs.
But many of them were willing to welcome Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani to Manchester until the Qatari banking tycoon withdrew his £5bn offer to buy their club last week.
The reality is that, while Sheikh Mansour’s huge initial investment in 2008 was the catalyst for City’s rise, his club is now worth in excess of £4bn and self-sustaining.
Annual revenues of £619.1m took
City to the top of the Deloitte Football Money League for the first time earlier this year, with Real Madrid, Liverpool, United and Paris Saint-germain making up the rest of the top five.
This also led to the Blues being named football’s most valuable brand ahead of Madrid, Barcelona, United and Liverpool.
That was before City lifted the Champions League by beating Inter Milan, completing a Treble that banked the club just under £300m.
The City Football Academy, a stateof-the-art training facility built for £200m in 2014, continues to put United’s base at Carrington in the shade, despite recent improvements.
At youth level, City won their third successive Premier League 2 title last season. They also finished top of the table at Under-16 and Under-18 level.
United’s women’s team did take local bragging rights, but while City stage their WSL games at the 7,000-capacity Joie Stadium in the heart of the CFA, the Reds travel to Leigh for ‘home’ matches.
The club is shackled by the need to service debts of £1billion while also ensuring the Glazers and other shareholders are paid a dividend