6 months ago
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SIR JIM RATCLIFFE has been SLAMMED by Manchester United fans after saying the club have been focussing more on the men’s side and calling them the “first team”.
Ratcliffe, 71, has just overseen an end-of-season review, which saw INEOS decide to keep Erik ten Hag as manager.
AlamyBut when Ratcliffe was asked about the club’s plans for their women’s team during a lengthy interview with Bloomberg, he somewhat stumbled.
When quizzed about the talented Women’s Super League side, Ratcliffe said: “Well they’ve just won the FA Cup.”
Chelsea Women will be repositioned so that it sits alongside, rather than beneath, the men’s team in a move that heralds a new era for the club.
But Ratcliffe’s response, or lack-thereof, to questions about whether United have similar plans has received serious backlash from fans.
The INEOS chief admitted: “We haven’t gone into that level of detail with the women’s football team yet.
“We’ve been pretty much focused on how do we resolve the first-team issues, in that environment, and that’s been pretty full time for the first six months.”
He then responded “correct” when asked whether plans were to-be-continued.
Ratcliffe’s decision to refer to Ten Hag’s men as “the first team” was considered particularly disappointing.
One user wrote: “Ratcliffe’s comments are an embarrassment. Trying to justify paying no attention to the women’s team. It’s really, really poor.”
While a second noted: “It’s very clear Ratcliffe has no interest in the women’s team. The other ‘first team’ at United.”
A third said: “It’s not TBC, it’s Can’t Be Asked.”
Another declared: “Imagine being a female United player who’s being persuaded that they should sign a new contract and the owner of the club is saying that the team is not the first team. Yikes.”
A fifth fumed: “Why would any good women’s team player wanna join MUFC now?”
It's starting to look like Sir Jim Ratcliffe doesn't know what he's doing
By Neil Custis
SIR JIM RATCLIFFE looked more than a little shame-faced when he headed into Manchester United’s dressing room to congratulate his FA Cup winners.
The plan had already been hatched ahead of Saturday’s 2-1 win over Manchester City . . . and this was all rather awkward.
It was a stunning performance from Ten Hag’s troops and United’s triumph over a team widely regarded as the best in the world will live long in the memory.
It was also a personal triumph for the unassuming guy who had arrived at Old Trafford full of life and ideas to make United better — which in many ways he has.
Having been dealt a dreadful hand with injuries in his second season, he tried to explain to Ratcliffe and his team just how much this has affected performances.
But it seems Sir Jim hasn’t listened. Nor has he taken notice of the way Ten Hag has carefully brought Saturday’s scorers Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo into the first team — with spectacular results.
Ratcliffe has fired out emails criticising the state of an office, called the club museum ‘crap’ and withdrew travel and lunch benefits for United staff on FA Cup final day to cut costs.
There is early proof the new men overseeing United’s football department do not know what they are doing, not least in the way they deal with people . . . including the most important one of all — the manager.
Ratcliffe and his team seem to have spoken to anyone able to set up Subbuteo.
And everyone they have spoken to believes they have got the job.
Ratcliffe, who completed the purchase of his 27.7 per cent stake in the club in February, gave Marc Skinner a one-year contract extension as women’s team manager in May.
The announcement of the new deal came shortly after United’s historic 4-0 victory over Tottenham in the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley, which was their first major trophy.
Ratcliffe was criticised for missing the women’s FA Cup triumph to watch Arsenal beat Ten Hag’s side 1-0 at Old Trafford.
However, despite that success, United’s fifth-place finish was their worst-ever position in the WSL since winning promotion in 2019.
It came after the club challenged Chelsea and Manchester City for the title in the 2022/2023 season.
United have a number of female players out of contract this summer.
They include club captain Katie Zelem, star goalkeeper Mary Earps, forward Nikita Parris and FA Cup final Player of the Match Lucia Garcia.
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