Sir Jim Ratcliffe gets right to the point in his foreword to Grit, Rigour & Humour, the book that chronicles the INEOS success story, explaining what has made him one of the richest men in Britain.
It alludes to an experience Ratcliffe had four years ago with friends in the isolated Kimberley region of northern Australia. They were at a random refueling station when he noticed a note written on a whiteboard for any pilot that happened to be traveling by.
It was a remarkably straightforward piece of advise that fit Ratcliffe’s philosophy of doing business. He still has traditional beliefs and is at his core a working-class man.
In addition to being a cunning operator, the 71-year-old has surrounded himself with knowledgeable people, like Sir Dave Brailsford, whose marginal gains theory revolutionized cycling in Britain. These are men who demand responsibility and will not tolerate defeat.
Ratcliffe wrote, “Do your job fully, and well, and with pride,” as an explanation of the INEOS culture. Make sure you are well-prepared, and never hesitate to admit when you don’t know the answer to a question.
New Manchester United investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left) is up against an enormous obstacle.
Those were the thoughts running through Erik ten Hag’s mind as he attempted to explain to the media on Saturday, following another heartbreaking low point in Manchester United’s season, how he and his players had just been outclassed by Bournemouth.
Despite speaking a lot, Ten Hag gave the impression of a manager who was at a loss for words.
The Dutchman regretfully remarked, “I expected something different,” and you remembered Ratcliffe’s characterization of rigor as the “opposite of winging it.”
Given that he has been in the position for eighteen months and has spent £400 million on new players, Ten Hag appears and sounds as though he has no idea what to expect from his team week to week.
Even though Andoni Iraola has only been leading Bournemouth since the summer, he had a major influence on the outstanding display of pressure, harrassment, and outplaying United by his squad.
The Cherries shocked the Reds at Old Trafford, sending their wretched season to a new low.
On United, where is Ten Hag’s signature? What is the name of his group? Ratcliffe will be asking himself these questions as he gets ready to move into Old Trafford following the announcement that he will be purchasing a quarter of United for £1.25 billion.
Ratcliffe and Brailsford will soon be important decision-makers, but ratification of the deal will take a little while longer.
In light of this, Ten Hag’s first week as manager of United feels very important. He plays Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Tuesday in a Champions League match that could make or break him.
To advance to the knockout stage, United will need to rely on Copenhagen and Galatasaray drawing, even if they defeat the clear-cut winners of Group A.
Ten Hag then returns his squad to Anfield on Sunday, where they were defeated 7-0 by Liverpool in March. It’s okay if United supporters watched that one through their fingers. Following his booking for dissent against Bournemouth, Captain Bruno Fernandes has been placed on suspension. Ten Hag needs to find another No 10 or switch up the system because Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen are unlikely to be available.
Given this season’s wild ride, it seems unlikely at best that United will put on two outstanding performances in the same week.
Many United fans left the stadium early as their team gave a terrible performance.
Naturally, there is good in it too. The issue with consistency is that. As they shown against Chelsea in the middle of the week, United is capable of improving. Up and down, win and lose.
Having won Premier League manager of the month for November going into the Bournemouth game, Ten Hag appeared to be a strong candidate for the job. United lost their eleventh game of the season, their seventh in the league. This means that in the ten years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, the team has lost more Premier League games than in the Scot’s 26-year tenure at the club.
However, goals from Marcos Senesi, Philip Billing, and Dominic Solanke gave Bournemouth their first-ever victory at Old Trafford. It was well earned for them to win their fourth game in the previous five.
In contrast, Bournemouth’s manager, Andoni Iraola (above), has only been in control since the summer, but his influence was evident during the Cherries’ incredible victory over Manchester United.
Booed off, United toiled in the swarming Manchester downpour. They lacked teeth when it came to attacking, marking, and possession.
It reminded me of an inadvertently humorous tweet that United made on Saturday, exactly ten years ago: “David Moyes says #mufc must improve in a number of areas, including passing, creating chances and defending.”
Ten Hag finds himself in the same situation after all these years. You couldn’t help but wonder what in the world he told his guys prior to their taking the field on Saturday.
Whatever it was, he could have done worse than to impart to them the same straightforward message that Ratcliffe observed on that Australian whiteboard.