SIR JIM RATCLIFFE and his team continue to leave no stone unturned in their bid to take Manchester United back to the top.
Having cheesed off most of the staff with their penny-pinching, new plans have emerged for the club’s Carrington training ground.
These include a ‘pre-activation and player performance’ zone and — wait for it — sky lights and more communal areas.
In the meantime, a toxic atmosphere remains among beleaguered workers, who have received critical emails and offers of redundancy.
The latest body blow came in what should have been a time of celebration after United’s FA Cup final victory.
Already the ‘new broom’, that was apparently putting a spring in everyone’s step, had swept away the traditional Cup final day perks of free travel, food, a ticket for better halves and a party afterwards.
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Worse still for those who work behind the scenes, they then had to witness some social media clown called IShowSpeed lapping up the hospitality at the players’ after-match do, in a room that could have easily housed a few hundred more.
As it was, those staff might have dodged a bullet. The whole thing resembled the final hour of a wedding, when the last of the quiche and chicken legs are brought out to be finished off.
Looking to the future, here is a radical tip for Sir Jim if he wants to save cash and get United back to the top . . . go back to The Cliff.
United’s old training ground which still exists, albeit in a rather dilapidated state.
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Get the modern-day stars — who require the most up-to-date technology, pitches, pampering and a swimming pool to get the best out of them — to toughen up.
Show them where Sir Matt Busby laid the foundations of United’s success — and Sir Alex Ferguson built an empire.
Tell the new boss that if Fergie could plot the Treble from a c**p little office in a building that resembles a council-run sports centre, it is good enough for them.
And don’t give me all this, ‘things have moved on’.
Tottenham have got some of the best facilities going — and they are still Spurs.
Leicester were acclaimed for their new training base when it was built in 2020 — and Luton replaced them in the top flight, even if they swapped places again last month.
So if you take United’s overpaid players back to where it all began, it may give the club a fresh start.
Scott so wrong to zone out
IN 25 years of covering Manchester United there have been several highs and lows from the after-match mixed zone area.
But Saturday was something else as the players, bar Jonny Evans, snubbed multiple interview requests that used to be granted with no problems by greats like Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney.
At one point, Scott McTominay just walked through ignoring everyone, before coming back off the team bus so that he could ignore everyone again.
This time on his return from the dressing room he carried a Budweiser box, inside of which was a ghetto blaster booming out music.
You know what goes through your head when someone stops their car at the lights with their window down so that everyone within a square mile can hear their favourite song . . .
Fergie banned me from Man Utd press conferences SEVEN TIMES – I once rowed with him in the toilets
By SunSport’s Manchester United correspondent Neil Custis.
MUCH consternation recently at the news that three football writers were denied the chance to ask Erik ten Hag a question over three consecutive press conferences.
The dismay did not stretch to myself despite being one of those placed briefly on the naughty step.
I don’t agree with such ‘punishments’ for stories or opinions but Ten Hag has had to take a bucketload this season and has never been anything but polite and helpful.
So if he wanted to do something to have a go back for once, no problem.
It’s all sorted now and everyone is friends again.
Having been brought up on Sir Alex Ferguson press conferences and downright unfair bans of varying lengths, seven in my case, you become immune to middle-aged men having a hissy fit.
Recent events reminded me of a lovely warm day at the Haydock Thistle Hotel some years back, where North-West based managers and writers were all invited to a lunch.
Sir Alex was there on the main table laughing, singing and generally holding court when simultaneously all the writers’ phones bleeped with a message from United’s “no communication department”.
He had no doubt arranged for it to be sent bang in the middle of the lunch informing us all that relations would be suspended forthwith.
Our crime was to use his words from a local radio interview he had done that week and the controversial comments he made within it.
We were all fuming so, when he got up to leave I followed him out of the luncheon suite.
As I ranted about how unfair his actions were, he ignored me and walked on ahead, entering another room.
I followed, still ranting, but he kept his back to me and looked down silently.
Was he having a rethink as his gaze remained concentrated, his head stooped?
No, he was having a wee! We had entered the gents but, in my own hissy fit, I hadn’t quite realised.
I’m not sure what the hotel guest two urinals down made of it but how absurd the whole scene must have appeared.
Defeated and deflated, I returned to the luncheon where the free red wine got a hammering and I sulked.
There would be more such incidents, told and retold to this day with laughter.
I always say covering United when Sir Alex was boss was like a stay at Fawlty Towers — not particularly comfortable but certainly unforgettable.
Not Jur greatest boss
BRIAN CLOUGH remains one of the greatest managers of all time for his incredible feats at Nottingham Forest and Derby.
His exit was quite sad as his beloved Forest went down and his farewell speech went to TV’s Barry Davies in the City Ground tunnel.
Everyone knew in advance he was going and the warmth from the fans showed what a title, two European Cups and the sheer genius and charisma of the man meant.
There were back slaps at Portman Road where he presided over his final game. That was that.
It was months before a then up-and-coming commentator called Darren Fletcher — you might have heard of him now — contacted Clough’s son Nigel to ask, if his dad wasn’t busy, would he mind doing some co-commentary on local radio.
Nigel was delighted, commenting that the football fraternity had largely ignored his dad since his retirement.
To recap, Clough had won the league title with Derby and, with Forest, landed another title plus back-to-back European Cups and four League Cups.
Sir Alex Ferguson, of course, took to the microphone at the centre of Old Trafford following his last home game, effectively saying ‘thanks a lot — now support the next bloke’.
At Liverpool, Bill Shankly — three First Division titles, two FA Cups and the Uefa Cup — was treated appallingly by the club he made great after his retirement and said he had felt more welcome at Everton.
Meanwhile, the greatest of all, Bob Paisley — six championship titles and three European Cups — never seems to pop up when the debate begins about who was the best manager ever.
So to Jurgen Klopp and his nine years at Liverpool.
Honours: One Premier League title, two League Cups, one FA Cup and that one Champions League trophy.
Joe Fagan did the bulk of that in ONE SEASON.
Klopp will no doubt chuck in the Uefa Super Cup and World Club Cup, neither of which have ever held much store over here.
As for the send-off, well it has been going on longer than Elvis Presley’s residency in Las Vegas.
Just when you thought it was over, it emerged there was another event this week with 10,000 people packing into the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
He did a good job, but this is Liverpool and in the pantheon of the true great Reds managers there are two — still just two.
A Kie to success
WHEN it comes to awards season this year, the front of the queue has to be those representing Vincent Kompany and Kieran McKenna.
After a season where Burnley won only five Premier League games, Kompany was launched into a stratosphere frequented by current greats in landing the Bayern Munich job.
McKenna did a fine job in achieving successive promotions with Ipswich.
But with his close confidants convincing the world he was inches away from getting the Manchester United job, his stock increased exponentially.
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And shock, horror he lands a pay rise and a new contract with the club he was always going to be staying at in the first place.
Marvellous stuff!
Pundits’ verdict on Ten Hag’s future
Where do the pundits stand on Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United future?
Michael Owen – He has to go
“He cannot, simply cannot, manage this team next season. He’s not good enough.”
Teddy Sheringham – Might stay if he wins Cup but should go
“If United win the FA Cup, he could stay. But, for me, changes are needed and United need to get it done sooner than later.”
Jamie Carragher – Sacked
“I don’t see how Erik ten Hag stays. It’s just performance after performance.”
Gary Neville – Stay if he wins the FA Cup
“To sack a manager who’s won two trophies in his first two seasons at the club I think would be extreme.”
Louis Saha – On the fence
“I don’t see it as clearly but they need changes from the players but they need changes from him as well.”
Alan Shearer – Sacked
“I believe the future of the Man Utd manager is already determined. Even if they win the FA Cup I think he’s gone.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
