Summary

Media caption,

Watch promotional film of Man Utd's new stadium

  1. get involved

    'Open heart surgery is taking place to save Man Utd'published at 08:08 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    Get Involved: #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    Jeff: Ratcliffe is correct. United are suffering from the hangover of years of Glazer ownership, saddling United with their debt and 10 years of mismanagement by Ed Woodward when they overpaird for players and gave long contracts on exorbitant wages. Amorim has a hard job to do and will need full backing of the board. Some players will need to be gone in the summer - Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Casemiro, Luke Shaw, Christian Eriksen, and possibly Rasmus Hojlund, who has failed through no fault of his own. Centre-forwards don't score when starved of service from the wings.

    Christine: Ratcliffe's thoughts are honest and truthful about where the club is and running out of funds. Ralf Rangnick said it is how it is and he got out quickly. The club has ran on such a toxic culture on and off the pitch that not only would we have had not good enough players on more money than they should be, the club would be bankrupt by the end of this year. Why do you think the Glazers sold to Ineos to get United out of this mess? Open heart surgery is taking place to save United.

    A general view of Manchester United fans walking to Old TraffordImage source, Getty Images
  2. 'Sense of comfort in authority figure explaining why he has sanctioned unpopular decisions'published at 08:02 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    Despite Sunday's protests from Manchester United supporters, there are many who continue to back the club's co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to turn things around at Old Trafford.

    Alex Turk, of Stretford Paddock, has voiced that support in a piece on BBC Sport's dedicated Manchester United page:

    "Sir Jim Ratcliffe is not the most popular man at Old Trafford right now - among some staff just as much as some fans.

    "That was made abundantly clear when the Manchester United fans who marched to the Arsenal match in protest against the Glazer family also made sure to namecheck him in expletive chants on Sunday.

    "So I might be in the minority when I say Ratcliffe's latest public address is, again, refreshing after years of silence from the Glazers.

    "I may also be called naive for finding a sense of comfort from an authority figure explaining why he has sanctioned unpopular decisions after relentless reports have intensified the doom and gloom.

    "I do not agree with all the cost-cutting measures he has put in place. In fact, I strongly disagree with some. But this hopeful fan also understands why they are necessary.

    "'The simple answer is the club runs out of money at Christmas if we don't do those things,' says Ratcliffe. That's factoring in the hundreds of millions he injected as part of his investment."

  3. What is Man Utd's financial situation?published at 07:54 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    As was made clear when Manchester United supporters protested on Sunday, there is plenty of unrest amongst fans who are uneasy about the steps being taken by Sir Jim Ratcliffe since he spent £1.3bn for a 28.94% stake in the club.

    Last month, it was confirmed there would be a second round of redundancies at the club, which will result in up to 200 people losing their jobs in addition to the 250 who departed last year.

    Ratcliffe says the decisions, which he accepts are unpopular, are necessary in order to slash losses, which last year exceeded £113m.

    Banners held up by fans on Sunday said "we want our club back" and "£1bn stolen'', which referred to the amount spent on servicing the debt loaded on to United when the Glazer family bought the club in 2005.

    While the club continues to lose money, United's current total debt, which includes £300m in outstanding transfer fees, is in excess of £1bn. In the last financial year they paid £37m in interest on the debt.

    Manchester United fans protestImage source, Getty Images
  4. get involved

    'Redundancies and charging staff in the canteen will have minimal financial gain'published at 07:47 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    Get Involved: #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    Steve: In my view, the Manchester United owners are not good enough and overpaid - and they diminish rather than improve the young men they employ. They demonstrate that it is possible to exploit some when paying them too much and others by paying them peanuts. I'm out after 68 years.

    Anthony: For me, it's obvious that he has to produce a financial reward to his investors by the next financial year. The redundancies and charging staff in the canteen will have minimal financial gain for the club. His claim 'Manchester United will be broke by Christmas' if changes are not made is, in my view, rubbish. They are the most supported and most famous football club in the world. I partially agree with him saying that some of the players aren't good enough'. They should be, but only twice throughout this whole season, have they actually put a decent shift in against Liverpool and Arsenal. The solution is a clearout at the end of the season.

    Sol: He sounds like the archetypal entitled financier who thinks sports success is about cost cutting, book balancing, profiteering success. The man is a buffoon, albeit one who has made money.

  5. What did Ratcliffe say about stopping 'free lunches'?published at 07:42 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    As Tom Mortimer put it, Sir Jim Ratcliffe spoke about stopping "free lunches" for Manchester United staff, which he has put an end to as part of a range of cost-cutting measures that have also included redundancies.

    This is what Ratcliffe told BBC Sport about why those measures have taken place:

    "Ultimately, if you look at running the club the size of Manchester United with an income of about £650m you spend a part of that £650m on operating the club and part of it on the squad," he said.

    "Where do you want to spend the money? Do you want to spend it on operating the club, or do you want to spend it on the squad? Because if you spend it on the squad you get better results. And at the end of the day what's Manchester United here for if it's not to win trophies and silverware? What we want to do is invest in the best players in the world if we can, rather than spend it on, I'm afraid, free lunches.

    "My only interest here is returning Manchester United back to greatness again."

  6. 'There’s a lot of condescension, patronisation and dehumanisation'published at 07:33 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    More from Tom Mortimer, of the ‘No Question About That’ podcast, on whether he has sympathy for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the difficult financial decisions he has had to make since taking over football operations at Manchester United:

    "A little bit, there’s got to be some sympathy because of the task he’s having to take over. The Glazers have run the club into the ground for the last 20 years.

    "Obviously, we saw vast protests at the weekend, but these have been going on since the Glazers took over. It’s not like we’re 15th in the league now and this is the first time this has happened. This situation that United is in has been a long time coming, and Ratcliffe has to deal with all the chaos and the mess that exists at the club.

    "But there’s a reason why United fans are chanting very bad things about him, to put it lightly. There’s a lot of condescension, patronisation, and dehumanisation. There were always going to be difficult decisions for him to make, but I think it’s the way you go about it, share your vision, and talk about it, and if you do that in a respectful manner you might get the fans onside.

    "If the vision you were painting for the fans was clear to see then I could understand, but he’s not a good spokesperson, and every single time he comes out it makes things worse."

    Read more on BBC Sport's page dedicated Manchester United.

  7. Ratcliffe is a 'terrible PR man, and a terrible spokesman'published at 07:27 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    Tom Mortimer from the ‘No Question About That’ podcast, was asked what he made of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's interview with BBC Sport:

    "That was uncomfortable, really uncomfortable to listen to. I feel like Jim Ratcliffe’s been in the job for just over a year now and he’s been a terrible PR man, and a terrible spokesman. This isn’t his remit, and I don’t understand why he keeps being the voice of Manchester United right now.

    "I understand that he’s the owner of the club, but every time he comes out and speaks it makes me feel more and more uncomfortable. Omar Berrada is the CEO, and usually that person is the one who takes all the flak, so Berrada – who has a history in sports governance – could be the man to do this and smooth over these types of really difficult decisions that have been made on Ratcliffe’s part.

    "There’s such a condescension and patronisation to (Ratcliffe’s) voice, especially in the way he talks about some of the current players. (Andre) Onana in particular, who might not be having a great season right now, is our No. 1 goalkeeper, and he’s been called out by the owner and put into the same group as players like Antony and (Jadon) Sancho, who’ve obviously left the club.

    "The flippant line about free lunches too – there’s such a lack of respect and humanity to a lot of what he says."

    Read more on BBC Sport's page dedicated Manchester United.

    Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Manchester United CEO Omar BerradaImage source, Getty Images
  8. Conflicting viewspublished at 07:25 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    Right, it's fair to say that the reaction to Sir Jim Ratcliffe's interview with BBC Sport has been mixed.

    We will try to boil down the key themes of what the Manchester United co-owner had to say this morning.

    But we will start with the thoughts of two supporters who, it is fair to say, have conflicting views on Ratcliffe's input.

    Firstly, we will bring you reaction from Tom Mortimer, of the 'No Question About That' podcast, who says he is "uneasy" about Ratcliffe acting as a spokesman for the club.

    Then we will hear from Alex Turk, of Stretford Paddock, who says he trusts Ratcliffe to turn things around at Old Trafford.

    You can also find more from Tom and Alex on BBC Sport's dedicated Manchester United page, which has plenty more news, views and analysis.

  9. What else is coming up?published at 07:17 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    As well as reaction to that Sir Jim Ratcliffe interview, we will also be assessing Newcastle's 1-0 win at West Ham, which moved the Magpies up to sixth place in the Premier League table, level with fifth-placed Manchester City and just two points behind Chelsea in fourth.

    And stick with us for build-up to tonight's second-leg ties in the last 16 of the Champions League, which include Liverpool's clash with Paris St-Germain at Anfield.

    Bruno GuimaraesImage source, Getty Images
  10. What else did Sir Jim Ratcliffe say?published at 07:11 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    Other points addressed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe in his interview with BBC Sport included:

    • Marcus Rashford's departure from the club on loan to Aston Villa
    • How backing then sacking ex-manager Erik ten Hag - and hiring sporting director Dan Ashworth, who left after five months - were "errors"
    • How he believes the club had "come off the rails"
    • How he believes head coach Ruben Amorim will be at the club for "a long time"
    • How he plans to make Manchester United "the most profitable club in the world"
    • Plans to deliver a new world-class stadium
    • His challenging first year at the club
    • His sympathy with fans for some of the changes he felt needed to be made
    • And how he felt criticism over a perceived lack of support for the women's team was "unfair"
  11. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 07:06 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    We will bring you all the reaction this morning to that interview with Sir Jim Ratcliffe but would love to know your thoughts on the issues the Manchester United co-owner addressed.

    Please get in touch via:

    • X using #bbcfootball
    • WhatsApp on 03301231826
    • Or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    Thanks.

  12. Some Man Utd players not good enough & overpaid - Ratcliffepublished at 07:01 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    Sir Jim RatcliffeImage source, Getty Images

    In case you missed it, Sir Jim Ratcliffe gave a wide-ranging interview with BBC Sport's Dan Roan on Monday in which the 72-year-old Manchester United co-owner addressed the club's struggles on and off the pitch and repeated a pledge to deliver silverware by 2028.

    With United 14th in the Premier League table, Ratcliffe said that some players are "not good enough" and "overpaid".

    He namechecked midfielder Casemiro, striker Rasmus Hojlund, goalkeeper Andre Onana, and wingers Antony and Jadon Sancho - who are on loan at other clubs - when discussing the regime he had "inherited".

    The billionaire, who was talking just a day after fans protested against United's ownership, also spoke of the club's financial difficulties, saying it was set to run out of money by the end of the year without taking actions he admitted were "unpopular".

  13. 'We've inherited those things and have to sort that out'published at 06:58 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    Media caption,

    'Club is in period of change' - Ratcliffe on United's finances & 'overpaid' players

    "If you look at the players we are buying this summer, that we didn't buy, we're buying Antony, we're buying Casemiro, we're buying Onana, we're buying Hojlund, we're buying Sancho," Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe told BBC Sport.

    "These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we've inherited those things and have to sort that out."