Such ambition, to begin with, raised expectations of a brighter past for the members. However, as Ratcliffe admitted, the effects on the pitch will have to be reinforced and, now that the call to hold Ten Hag in the summer has been revealed to have been a mistake, there will inevitably be a renewed focus on the Ineos document throughout the year. anus. their alternative sports activity groups.
French club Great, which Ratcliffe bought in 2019, qualified for the Europa League last season. But in four full qualifying campaigns, they have yet to finish higher than fifth in Ligue 1, twice finishing ninth. They are now directly into their seventh supervisor under Ineos ownership.
Meanwhile, Lausanne, acquired through Ratcliffe in 2017, sit eighth in the Swiss Super League, having been relegated twice during that period, before earning subsequent promotion in both tournaments.
Despite having one of the biggest budgets in cycling, Ineos Grenadiers have proven to be a shadow of the all-conquering Crew Sky that Ratcliffe took over in 2019, without a major win for several years.
The billionaire enjoyed more luck in sailing where his boat Ineos Britannia reached the US Cup, the first time a British team has been in the final since 1964, but then lost a one-sided final to champions Untouched Zealand.
However, it is at United that Ratcliffe and his executives will finally be judged in relation to their investments in the game.
Probably the resistance that Ineos showed with its navigation team influenced the call to present the Ten Hag date. Perhaps the cost of firing the executive was also a factor.
To be honest with Ratcliffe, in February he tried to calm expectations by threatening to get ahead of United by three years and make a real push again. The task, he said, used to be “not just a simple short-term solution. We have to walk towards the right solution, not run towards the wrong solution.”
Unfortunately for Ten Hag, there was a limit to his boss’s endurance.
Reviving United and returning it to the leadership of English football has become one of the most important missions in sport.
With less than a month left to fight for it, it is too early to judge Ineos’ Worn Trafford document and evaluate its technique.
It is too quick to understand whether the membership decision-making structure – with the Glazers now shielded from scrutiny – will end up being a success, or whether tensions could arise.
But the heightened esteem that Ratcliffe and his executives enjoyed in their early months has been lost, and they now find themselves under intense pressure to secure their first management appointment.
Probably by the first date, you now realize the truly daunting magnitude of the problem you are facing.
