WHAT started out as an online joke has now become a grim reality at Manchester United.
The Red Devils announced a new round of cost-cutting measures this week, unbelievably confirming speculative predictions from an online video by bookies Paddy Power.
After months of penny-pinching tactics under Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s Ineos, Paddy Power poked fun at the unusual measures in a lighthearted video on their social accounts.
And some of their far-fetched ideas for how United could save money appear to have actually come true in the club’s newest cuts.
Paddy Power’s video showed staff being given “free pizza and water”, an eerie foreshadowing for the pie, chips and water in plastic cups that were given to staff when they were informed of the incoming 200-strong culling of staff at Old Trafford.
That isn’t the only thing that was seemingly predicted by Paddy Power either.
Another clip showed staff making sure that nobody was wasting fruit in the office, a joke that is closer to reality than most would think.
That’s because United have made the decision to replace the free meals on offer to staff at Old Trafford with fruit.
Some of the other predictions were a little too far-fetched, like re-using tea bags four times, shortening scarves year on year and rationing toilet paper to keep costs low.
And as much as the tongue-in-cheek video pokes fun at United’s cost-cutting, staff at the club face the very real and very serious prospect of losing their jobs.
The 20-time English champions announced this week that as many as 200 staff members will lose their jobs in the coming months.
That decision comes after 250 staff were let go last year.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Andy Goldstein insists Sir Jim Ratcliffe has got everything wrong at Man Utd after drastic cuts ” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6369258649112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]While other measures have seen the scrapping of stewards’ bonuses, 250 job cuts last summer, cancelled Christmas parties, cuts to funding donation for former player’s charity and the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial role with the club.
Financial results published last week showed the club owe £391m in transfer fees and have seen interest costs since the Glazer family took over in 2005 top £1billion.
While it was also revealed that United had spent a combined £14.5m to sack Erik ten Hag and his staff and let go of sporting director Dan Ashworth.
Things aren’t any better on the pitch either.
Ruben Amorim‘s side are currently 15th in the Premier League, having won just eight of their 26 league games this season.
The club is enduring its worst season on the pitch since they were relegated in the 1970s and every position lower they go costs them £4m in prize money.
The underperformance and persistent cost-cutting has led to a damning statement from the Man Utd Supporters Trust (MUST).
It reads: “Today’s financial results lay bare the scale of the financial mismanagement we have seen at Manchester United…
“Fans should not pay the price for a problem that starts with our crippling debt interest payments and is exacerbated by a decade or more of mismanagement.
“It’s time to freeze ticket prices and allow everyone – players, management, owners and fans – to get behind United and restore this club to where it belongs.”
United have outlined plans to return to glory with their ‘Project 150’.
Those plans detail how the club can become Premier League champions again by 2028 and have put weight on making the club profitable once again to make that happen.