Now that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group have been fully ratified as the new partial owners of Man United, the groundwork can start to be laid for their immediate and long-term future.
There’s certainly a whole host of things to be getting on with and with the club so far behind the times according to former super agent, Jon Smith, that’s no easy task.
“I think the whole system at Man United is antiquated, probably 20 years out of date,” Smith told CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.
“They’ve not really changed anything with the last regime and the regime before that, with personnel either stood down, resigned or left. Nothing’s changed, really.
“If you look at Tottenham Hotspur, Man City, Newcastle and Arsenal et al, they are really well run clubs in all departments.
“The manager, I believe, should report into a sporting director or a technical director who reports to the board. Those nice, cosy, what used to be called ‘fireside chats’ between the manager and the owner is just not how it should be done anymore.
“I absolutely think the heartbeat of a football club is the football people that work there.
“It’s going to be a long haul. Changing Old Trafford, which needs huge attention, and so much more besides.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe needs to get the priorities right
Getting the priorities right is going to be key to how successful things will be initially, and it’s imperative that there is buy in from everyone at the club to ensure that they’re all pulling in the same direction.
It’s clear that under Sir Alex Ferguson, they were doing exactly that, and that’s why the Red Devils were so successful.
However, since the masterful Scot left Old Trafford, things have just gone from bad to worse on and off the pitch.
Man United still have reasons to be cheerful
There are a couple of reasons to be cheerful, however.
“Their actual PR is pretty good,” Smith added.
“I think their social media is pretty good, but I just think that the way the club reports within and the way it’s structured is where Sir Jim Ratcliffe should be focussing his initial efforts.”
As long as the loyal supporters don’t expect miracles overnight and allow the powers that be to get on with their work, there’s no reason why Sir Jim and his team can’t get United back on track as soon as possible.