Paul Scholes has launched a scathing rebuke of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s lordship over Manchester United, claiming “nothing positive” has happened since Ineos took over.
He especially attacked the “ridiculous” ticket prices that drive away many fans.
United are on course for their worst season in the Premier League, sitting 13th in the table, but increased base ticket prices without consultation to £66 in November, almost tripling the cost for children.
He appears to have fallen short of his promise to “work with fans” to return the club to “the top of English, European and world football” when Ineos completed its £1.3bn partial takeover in December 2023.
‘(The Ineos Group) has been in charge (of Manchester United) for almost a year and everything is still negative. “I can’t think of anything positive they’ve done for the football club,” Scholes told The Overlap Fan Debate, presented by sky bet.
“Things are getting worse on the football pitch, so couldn’t they have just said they would make tickets cheaper? Couldn’t they just give us something positive? How can Manchester United fans be asked to pay more money with what’s on the soccer field?
Paul Scholes has criticized Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s leadership at Manchester United, claiming that Ineos “doesn’t care” and that “nothing positive” has happened since they took over.
Hundreds of Manchester United fans protested against ticket prices in December
Ratcliffe has set the base ticket price at £66 and admitted he will make “unpopular decisions”
‘£66 for a ticket is ridiculous. If you think about Manchester, there are so many deprived areas and Sir Jim Ratcliffe himself is from Failsworth, which is a deprived area. If you’re taking a child with you it’s £120, if you’re bringing a family you’re looking at £300-400; It’s not good.
‘Where do these owners get the façade to raise ticket prices? For the value, we are probably having our worst season in the Premier League and they had the nerve to raise prices.
“There is nothing positive happening with that football club. The team seems normal. They are not doing anything for the fans.
“If we have Sir Jim Ratcliffe, compared to all these American owners, who have been United fans since they grew up in an area of Manchester, he is still raising prices. It just shows that they don’t care.
Hundreds of United fans gathered outside Old Trafford before December’s game against Everton to protest against rising ticket prices.
In front of the Trinity Statue, United fans held a banner reading “Stop Exploiting Loyalty”, with chants against Ratcliffe and the Glazers, accusing them of being “sellouts” and “taking the f***”. There were also protests at Anfield on Sunday when the Red Devils drew 2-2 with Liverpool.
Ratcliffe and Ineos presented their acquisition of the football operations as something that would improve efficiency and maximize spending on the team.
And spending money on players has been a big part of their regime – over the summer they splashed out another £200m on signings, although their impact has been questionable.
Christmas Eve marked the anniversary of the £1.3bn minority takeover of Ratcliffe (left).
United spent around £200m on new signings over the summer and expensively sacked Erik ten Hag after renewing his contract.
But the Failsworth-born petrochemical billionaire has tested fans and staff with a series of morale-crushing decisions – something he admitted he would do.
Ineos has laid off almost a quarter of the club’s 1,100-strong workforce to save between £35m and £45m each year and cut its traditional benefits, such as covering its trip to the FA Cup final.
Senior staff had already lost their corporate credit cards and chauffeur-driven cars, and match-day staff at Old Trafford had their complimentary lunch boxes taken away in another blow to morale.
This came after he banned working from home and told staff: “If you don’t like it, find alternative employment.”
In November it emerged that Ratcliffe was considering halving United’s £40,000 annual payment to the club’s disabled supporters’ association. A month later, reports emerged suggesting he had cut two £10,000 dues to the Manchester United Former Players’ Association.
Other unpopular decisions have been made, such as releasing Sir Alex Ferguson from his £2.61million-a-year global ambassadorship and telling him to stay away from the dressing room, breaking a tradition that dates back to the days of Sir Matt Busby.
Senior board figures Martin Edwards, David Gill and Mike Edelson were also told they would no longer be allowed to visit the dressing room after games, as they had done for years.
There was also the treatment given to the women’s team, which moved them into portable buildings to allow the men to train on their pitch during planned £50m renovations to their Carrington training center facilities.
Sir Alex Ferguson sacked from £2.61m-a-year ambassadorship in unpopular move
There is a perception that Ratcliffe is not particularly interested in the Man United women’s team.
“There’s a lot you can do, and our focus has been on men,” she told the fanzine United We Stand.
Over the summer, he told Bloomberg that he doesn’t mind making “unpopular” calls.
“At Manchester United I have to do some things that are unpopular,” he said.
“I mean, I think at the end of the day doing difficult things, and you know, a certain degree of unpopularity, in a funny way, might make you more popular.
“Because someone is seeing that you are standing up and making some tough decisions instead of just going with the wind.”
Paul Scholes spoke at The Overlap Fan Debate, presented by sky bet.