25 Feb 2025 15:06:25
Emotions are running high over the proposed cuts and whilst I understand the need to save money, operate efficiently, and return us to profitability, I question the approach.

Let’s be clear, the Glazers started the rot with a lack of investment, huge debt, and taking dividends, but SJR and team are now driving the bus.

If we are overstaffed then I get that we need to rationalise heads, it’s tough but it happens, although the cuts appear to be swingeing. Closing the canteen and removing the free lunches will save us £1M a year apparently. Compare that with the money paid to both secure and then sack Ashworth, rumoured to be £4M.

We’ve made a loss for 5 years, let’s think about why. Antony, rumoured to be available for £30M cost us between £80M and £90M, and we’ve sent him out on loan, that would have kept the canteen open for many years. Then there’s Sancho, circa £70M and a waste of money. Or the £70M we spent on Hojlund, a player with ‘some’ potential but at that price? Or the fee and wages for Casemiro, a player clearly at the end of his career. Or the £70M for Maguire, decent player but come on, £70M?

The incompetence runs deep but the money spent on transfer fees, wages, and pay offs is huge and the biggest opportunity to get control of finances. But no, let’s close the canteen and serve soup to the staff, a veritable soup kitchen.

As someone who grew up going to the games on the bus, the club is no longer the decent club it once was. We used to have a soul, and whilst other clubs fans hated us, there was an underlying respect for the way we did things, but no longer.

A lot of that is how the game has evolved generally, and particularly in England, but, at the risk of being contentious, if you’re not from Manchester, I’m not sure you truly get it. We didn’t choose to support the club, we did so because our Dads did, it was part of our upbringing. And it hurts that we have become just another corporate behemoth, just like all the other bug clubs.

I hate what we are becoming.

1.) 25 Feb 2025
25 Feb 2025 15:51:29
Good post pal.

2.) 25 Feb 2025
25 Feb 2025 16:19:02
I don’t agree with the cuts either especially as these are people with family’s and bills to pay… but maybe some of these people aren’t needed and like any business they are being let go to streamline and become more efficient. This happens in all walks of life and doesn’t get the same media coverage. I also agree that if the glazers forego their dividends, or the players took a small cut then maybe these redundancies wouldn’t be needed. Realistically though, that’s never going to happen and maybe our workforce was way too bloated and over subscribed to begin with.

3.) 25 Feb 2025
25 Feb 2025 17:10:02
AJH,

Maguire decent? He is a Championship player at best. An abysmal signing by the club, unfortunately of many.

4.) 25 Feb 2025
25 Feb 2025 18:23:02
They would get rid of plenty of players if they could but legally they are bound by contracts. I am not being insensitive but it is what the club needs. we are in such a pickle financially even though I or others may not like it, its going to happen. They have ran the place like a two bit corner store and if you want to change it, you need to change it top to bottom and will make mistakes along the way and by no means it will be perfect.

Our turgid football atm makes all of this look even worse.

5.) 25 Feb 2025
25 Feb 2025 19:13:03
Good post ajh. I think we all feel the same and I understand the local perspective. But the club has been what it is for a long time and they are trying to change that for the better in the long run.

6.) 26 Feb 2025
26 Feb 2025 01:25:09
Ahmed one would argue it’s run more like a two bob corner shop now than it is a billion pound company…. Why are you so convinced the calls that SJR is making are the right calls, I don’t see many of Ineos other companies doing that well currently, so hard to substantiate your argument but of course it’s just your opinion.

7.) 26 Feb 2025
26 Feb 2025 02:35:02
Nice set for their highest finish.

8.) 26 Feb 2025
26 Feb 2025 10:20:57
Nice are 16 points behind! But I was not talking about football, I was talking about Ineos companies, because as you know we were talking about cuts and redundancies, but still if that’s best you got that’s fine, maybe they will make up 16 points before end of season.

9.) 26 Feb 2025
26 Feb 2025 13:53:42
As LFC fan great post AJH
Totally agree
It’s not just Utd it feels we losing our beloved game to corporates especially from US
We are being treated as consumers and not fans.