Ominous smoke signals floating above Old Trafford are conveying the message that the new 25 per cent minority share billionaire owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is evidently far from pleased with the dismal performance put in by a sluggish Manchester United team devoid of creativity, fighting spirit and spunk on the pitch against Brentford in their recent Premier League fixture.
The Red Devils were most fortuitous to emerge with a draw and should thank their lucky stars that they were somehow able to withstand the persistent assaults mounted by the Bees. The way the Bees fought so gallantly, it would have been almost unjustifiable had Erik ten Hag’s scrappy side secured a win at the Gtech Community Stadium, but the Bees continued to push on valiantly and managed to equalise in the dying seconds of the game.
The home side were in vibrant form as they clearly dominated Manchester United almost the entire duration of the match, creating numerous chances and attempting an impressive 31 attempts. However, the roll of the dice did not favor them as they could not make the goal attempts count and could only end up with a draw.
Ratcliffe was clearly displeased with United’s below-par showing and, according to a report from The Telegraph, the Brit billionaire and INEOS owner was left totally unimpressed with their weekend performance. In addition, the report also claims that he was also unhappy with their defeat to Fulham in February.
However, although the report omits to mention whether the Dutch boss will be sacked at the end of the season or not, it does claim that Rafcliffie believes the sort of football United is playing now is “unsustainable in the long-term”.
The Red Devils are currently languishing in 6th place with 48 points, trailing 4th-placed Aston Villa by 11 points, making their qualification for the Champions League next season almost an impossible dream.
Realistically in contention only for the FA Cup as their sole chance for silverware, the Dutchman’s embarrassing attempts in continuing to shield himself from harsh reality with unrealistic, face-saving comments only serve to further cloud his future at the club as proud new minority owner Ratcliffe most assuredly wouldn’t want the club to continue in the same shameful manner in the long-term.