Last Christmas Man Utd fans gave Ratcliffe their hearts – this year he’s left them in tears after disastrous decisions
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LAST CHRISTMAS they gave him their heart. But the very next year many Manchester United fans are beginning to believe that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is giving it away. It is exactly 12 months since Ratcliffe and his Ineos Group announced they were taking control of football operations from the Glazers at Old Trafford.
![[It has been a year since Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Man Utd takeover and fans aren't feeling the festive spirit]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/338589f4-c943-49ee-9cb3-78393ca3e1b6.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Ratcliffe made a bold statement following the initial £1.03billion buy-in, which secured a minority 25 per cent stake, but it sounds hollow and even embarrassing right now. Ratcliffe, a lifelong Red Devils fan from Failsworth, said: “Our shared ambition is clear: We all want to see Manchester United back where we belong, at the very top of English, European and world football.”.
![[Things have failed to improve since the Ineos chief took over football operations from the Glazers]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2022-ready-sell-club-potentially-777639763.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Forget Europe and the world, 13th-placed United celebrated Christmas in the bottom half of the table for the first time in the Premier League era. All the fans’ hopes and dreams of ending almost a quarter of a century of dissent under the Glazers and bringing back the good old days of Premier League dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson still seem as far away as ever.
![[The brutal axing of Sir Alex Ferguson went down like a lead balloon]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-25-league-phase-md1-947617560_706077.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Old Trafford booed the players off in Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth but it is not just the results on the pitch which have caused unrest. Ratcliffe’s ruthless cost–cutting saw 250 members of staff being axed to save around £45million per year.
![[Eric Cantona lashed out at Ratcliffe over the decision]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/c39bf36f-f3b4-4905-b104-a7ba68329306.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
