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Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd fan group slams 'kick in the teeth' after Sir Jim Ratcliffe decision
Manchester United supporters have been left furious by ticket price hikes at Old Trafford despite the club's dismal season after the team finished 15th in the Premier League - with Sir Jim Ratcliffe finding himself under huge pressure Manchester United fans have slammed the club for a "fresh kick in the teeth" after new 2025-26 ticket prices were revealed - with some costing as much as £97 on general admission. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has come under fire from supporters for his decision-making at Old Trafford following a series of cost-cutting measures that has seen him slash concessions and raise prices, on top of scrapping free lunches for staff. He has also axed Sir Alex Ferguson from his ambassadorial role amid the club's perilous financial position. It has come during a disastrous season for United after sacking Erik ten Hag and replacing him with Ruben Amorim - though the Portuguese coach failed to arrest the team's slump and ended up finishing 15th. United also lost the Europa League final against Tottenham and will be without European football entirely in the 2025-26 campaign, another major blow to their financial position. Now the Manchester United Supporters Trust have spoken out to condemn United chiefs for their ticket hikes, which they say are "against the interest of fans". "This really is a fresh kick in the teeth for Manchester United fans," the statement read. "When the Club said they were introducing this new model for Members tickets, we urged them to keep the majority of matches at current levels and only apply the highest price category for a small number of the biggest games, and reduced prices for lower demand games. "Once again, they have failed to consult any of the fans representative bodies on the details of the decision, and once again they're making choices against the interests of fans and, we believe, the Club as a whole." Category A tickets, against Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Newcastle, will cost between £59 and £97, while Category B - the most common ticket featured across 11 Premier League fixtures - will set fans back between £57 and £86. Category C, meanwhile, is set to cost roughly £37-£60 - but that will only be present for two games, against Sunderland and Wolves. Category D is the cheapest ticket bracket at a range of £32-£52 and will only be used for cup games. United are still set to be active in the transfer window despite their limited transfer funds, having already snapped up Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5m, and are also hoping to sign £70m-rated Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. However, the club are hoping to offload expensive stars such as Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho from their wage bill to continue saving as much money as possible and reinvest it into their team. Earlier this year, Ratcliffe revealed United would have gone bust by Christmas without their new cost-cutting regime. "Manchester United would have run out of cash by the end of 2025," he said in an interview with Gary Neville. "Where do you want to spend the money? Do you want to spend it on operating the club or do you want to spend it on the squad? Because if you spend it on the squad, you get better results. "The losses are because the club's just been spending money needlessly. We've got a body language consultant. There's all sorts of stuff we're spending money on that we don't need to be."
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Sir Alex Ferguson 'had his doubts' over Man Utd fixture list in astonishing rant
The randomised Premier League fixture will be released on Wednesday, although doubts have been raised about the system - most memorably by legendary Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson An astonishing attack from Sir Alex Ferguson about Manchester United's fixture list prompted the Premier League to release their own statement in 2009. The official list of matches and their dates for the 2025/26 campaign will be released on Wednesday at 9am. The huge schedule details the rough plan of the 380 games that will be played between the 20 clubs in the top flight of English football. Premier League officials state the list is always randomised and put together by an outside IT company called Atos. However, after being left unhappy by a run of matches at the start of 2009, Ferguson tore into the Premier League's fixture list and insinuated that they tried to make life difficult for the Red Devils. In the 2008/09 campaign, United had to face nine of the 10 teams who finished directly below them the previous season away in the first half of the campaign. He was also aggrieved that his team had to play on the road straight after United's three Champions League away clashes at the time. In a pre-match press conference previewing an FA Cup third-round tie away to Southampton, the Scot tore into the Premier League. He said: "I've been saying this for a few months, but our fixture programme didn't do us any favours. I think we have been handicapped by the Premier League. They tell me it's not planned - bloody hell!' When asked if he felt the Premier League wanted to disadvantage United, he added: "I've got my doubts. I'm not saying what they do down there. "But next year we'll be sending somebody to see how it happens, I can assure you. I just don't understand how you can get the fixtures like that.' The previous summer, United did have the opportunity to raise objections to the Premier League about the fixture list but chose not to. Officials from the division refuted Ferguson's comments with a strong statement. It read: "The Premier League fixtures are put together through as random a process as possible. The initial list is created by specialist software before going to the Fixtures Working Party, which is made up of representatives from the Premier League, Football League, FA, clubs and supporters. "The police also approve it before it is sent to the clubs, at which point they can raise any objections they may have. There are various factors that go into the structuring of the fixture list - police requests, club requests, involvement in European or FIFA competitions for example - but the overriding factor is the luck of the draw.' Despite the tricky fixture scheduling, United were able to win the Premier League, pipping Liverpool to the title by four points. Throughout that era, Ferguson was far from the only person who was sceptical about the scheduling. At the start of the 2005/06 campaign, Jose Mourinho, who was beginning his second season at Chelsea at the time, told the People newspaper: "It is always Chelsea who get the worst games, the worst fixtures to play, while Arsenal always have the best ones." His comments were said after the reveal of the fixture list, which had Chelsea down to play away from home immediately after their first five Champions League games, while the Gunners had home matches after their European clashes. Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Angel Gomes lauds Sir Alex Ferguson's ‘perfect' Man Utd rule that all players followed and club won't get rid of
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ANGEL GOMES has hailed Sir Alex Ferguson's Man Utd kit policy that keeps young stars grounded. Gomes, 24, is closing on a free transfer switch to Marseille from Lille, but holds his Carrington routes close to his heart. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Angel Gomes is closing in on a move to Marseille from Lille Credit: Getty 4 Sir Alex Ferguson implemented a series of rules that are still in place even now at Old Trafford Credit: Getty Images - Getty Fergie famously BANNED academy players from wearing anything other than old-school black boots while representing the club, and the policy remains in place even now. Gomes told the BBC that Fergie's ruling was "perfect", and instilled a sense of togetherness across the junior teams. He said: "You would play against other teams and they'd be wearing colourful boots that you wanted to wear, because your idols wore colourful boots. "But thinking about it now, it was perfect because they wanted everyone to be the same." The Man Utd way is drilled into players from the day they enter the building, with players told to earn the right to wear flashy boots once they make it into the first-team. Speaking to The Sun back in 2019, then-Man Utd star Scott McTominay said: "I probably couldn't tell you one player in the club who likes wearing black boots. "But it was the rules and something accustomed to every academy player and if someone tried to come out in red boots it's like 'you're no different to any of us so get your black boots back on until you earn the respect and right to wear coloured boots'. 'I didn't like the black boots. But you had to do it. You had to respect the rules. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 4 'There are no big egos, there's no young kids coming in wearing jewellery and looking a bit flash, that's not the case at this club." He added: "Whenever we were growing up here, the main thing that was being spoken about here was being a good person first and foremost. Former Man Utd star subbed off after 20 minutes then red carded on bench in nightmare Club World Cup debut 'You don't realise at the time how much little things like that at the time are going to help you." McTominay and Gomes both came through the Carrington ranks alongside Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams. Reflecting on his time at Old Trafford, Gomes admitted that the famous red shirt can weigh heavy on Man Utd players, with countless players thriving upon being freed of it. He said: "Players may have been intimidated or not really know about the weight, what it carries and what it takes. "But ultimately, sometimes, it's down to environment, timing and having the right things in place to help you. "Some players who have left and gone on to do better than when they were at United, there might be things in place at that certain club, at that moment in time, that helped them succeed. "Sometimes it's not as black and white as they failed or they've not held their own there because of the weight of the shirt." Gomes has found his feet away from the spotlight of the Premier League, and earned his first call-up to the England squad at the beginning of the 2024/25 season. He admitted the "difficult" decision to leave Old Trafford has ultimately paid off: "There are a lot of things that pull you towards staying. "But then you have to think about what is right for your career. There were a lot of things I sacrificed."
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Angel Gomes lauds Sir Alex Ferguson's ‘perfect' Man Utd rule that all players followed and club won't get rid of
ANGEL GOMES has hailed Sir Alex Ferguson's Man Utd kit policy that keeps young stars grounded. Gomes, 24, is 4 Angel Gomes is closing in on a move to Marseille from Lille Credit: Getty 4 Sir Alex Ferguson implemented a series of rules that are still in place even now at Old Trafford Credit: Getty Images - Getty Fergie famously BANNED academy players from wearing anything other than old-school black boots while representing the club, and the policy remains in place even now. Gomes told the He said: "You would play against other teams and they'd be wearing colourful boots that you wanted to wear, because your idols wore colourful boots. "But thinking about it now, it was perfect because they wanted everyone to be the same." The Speaking to The Sun back in 2019, then-Man Utd star "But it was the rules and something accustomed to every academy player and if someone tried to come out in red boots it's like 'you're no different to any of us so get your black boots back on until you earn the respect and right to wear coloured boots'. 'I didn't like the black boots. But you had to do it. You had to respect the rules. Most read in Football JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 4 'There are no big egos, there's no young kids coming in wearing jewellery and looking a bit flash, that's not the case at this club." He added: "Whenever we were growing up here, the main thing that was being spoken about here was being a good person first and foremost. Former Man Utd star subbed off after 20 minutes then red carded on bench in nightmare Club World Cup debut 'You don't realise at the time how much little things like that at the time are going to help you." McTominay and Gomes both came through the Carrington ranks alongside Marcus Rashford, Reflecting on his time at Old Trafford, Gomes admitted that the famous red shirt can weigh heavy on Man Utd players, with countless players thriving upon being freed of it. He said: "Players may have been intimidated or not really know about the weight, what it carries and what it takes. "But ultimately, sometimes, it's down to environment, timing and having the right things in place to help you. "Some players who have left and gone on to do better than when they were at United, there might be things in place at that certain club, at that moment in time, that helped them succeed. "Sometimes it's not as black and white as they failed or they've not held their own there because of the weight of the shirt." Gomes has found his feet away from the spotlight of the Premier League, and earned his first call-up to the England squad at the beginning of the 2024/25 season. Read more on the Irish Sun He admitted the "difficult" decision to leave Old Trafford has ultimately paid off: "There are a lot of things that pull you towards staying. "But then you have to think about what is right for your career. There were a lot of things I sacrificed." 4 Angel Gomes notably wearing black boots while playing for Man Utd Credit: PA
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Aberdeen to host Ipswich in pre-season friendly
Aberdeen will face Ipswich Town as part of their pre-season preparations, the recently relegated Premier League club have Scottish Cup winners will host the friendly at Pittodrie on Friday, 25 July at 19:30 will spend next season in the English Championship after suffering relegation on their return to the top flight. The previous meetings between the sides came back in the 1981-82 Uefa Cup, with Sir Bobby Robson's side falling to a 4-2 defeat against Sir Alex Ferguson's Dons over two legs.
