NINE AND A HALF MONTHS
In a recent interview he conducted with the excellent United We Stand fanzine, Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe spoke of the major changes required at Old Trafford to regain the “elite status” Manchester United once enjoyed as a football club under Alex Ferguson. The public face of the club ever since he handed over £1.25bn to the Glazer family for the privilege of becoming a lightning rod for the torrent of fan abuse that used to be exclusively reserved for them, Ratcliffe always likes to convey the impression he is the smartest guy in the room – and quite possibly is until the precise moment a couple of smirking Americans named Joel and Avram walk through the door and pull up chairs.
