Ratcliffe is not afraid to make big decisions - Ten Hag should fear for his job
As a Monaco tax exile, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is probably only allowed 90 days in the United Kingdom so you wouldn’t blame him if he had decided not to waste one on this.
Or maybe, after his tirade against southern bias in sport and life, he decided to stay in the warmth of his Knightsbridge office. Either way, when Sir Dave Brailsford reports back to wherever Sir Jim is based, the debrief from Manchester United’s first game under the official co-ownership of INEOS will be grim.
After the bullishness of Ratcliffe on the completion of his deal, he not only needed a result to back up his tub-thumping, he needed a performance. What he got was a dismal result and a dismal performance.
Do not be fooled by the fun and games of the last few minutes and an equaliser from Harry Maguire, a player who was lucky to still be on the field. When Alex Iwobi fired in a fantastic winner deep into added time, it was no more than Fulham deserved.
And the sight of Maguire lumbering in the wake of Adama Traore as the Fulham substitute set up Iwobi’s points-winning finish summed up this truly dire United display. And as knee-jerk as it might seem, there can be no denying that after just one match of the Ratcliffe regime, Erik ten Hag is under pressure. Real pressure.
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One of the more eye-catching snippets from Ratcliffe’s round of media interviews was his insistence that United’s ‘style of play’ would be formulated by a cartel of boardroom operatives, including himself, the sporting director, the chief executive officer and recruitment figures.
The coach would then have to faithfully implement that style. Imagine if Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp was that coach in question. Well, actually, you can’t, because they would treat the concept of administrators as tacticians with the contempt it deserves.
But that is not to say Ratcliffe and his INEOS crew have to like and/or put up with the style of the coach - certainly not when the style produces this sort of abject display. And while Ten Hag’s winning numbers are not too shabby, this remains a United team that rarely provides an exhilarating exhibition of football.
Alex Iwobi celebrates after scoring Fulham's late winner (Getty Images)Unlike the clubs they are aspiring to once again challenge, this is not a side that plays front-foot football. When counter-attacking football is their go-to game, they are never going to be a dominant force.
Ten Hag would probably suggest he does not have the personnel to go high-octane but if that is the case, a chunk of responsibility lies with him. And his decision to start Omari Forson ahead of Antony was an admittance of partial guilt.
Ten Hag said that, despite the high-profile appointments in the boardroom, he would still have the final say on incoming players. And so he should, but the jury is still out on his judgement. At least he is slowly being proven right when it comes to his choice of goalkeeper but Andre Onana was one of the few to acquit themselves half-decently.
It was United's first game since Sir Jim Ratcliffe officially took control of sporting matters (Manchester United via Getty Images)Onana had no chance with Calvin Bassey’s opener twenty minutes into the second half nor with Iwobi’s clincher. And such was the half-paced, insipid nature of United’s general play, Onana was lucky not to concede more.
With Aston Villa winning, this was a hammer blow to Ten Hag’s hopes of finishing in a Champions League spot and as Ratcliffe is suggesting a three-year plan to get back to the top, that is a season out of Europe’s top tier that United can ill-afford. That would leave the new co-owner with a decision to make.
Is Erik ten Hag the man who can knock Manchester City and Liverpool from their perches, as Ratcliffe is so desperate to do? And as Ten Hag knows, one thing is certain … Ratcliffe is a man who makes big decisions. Watch this space.
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