After being official confirmed as a partial owner of Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been taking questions from the media today.
As expected, he was asked about the Dan Ashworth; their top target for their vacant sporting director role who is currently on gardening leave until 2026 unless Man Utd meet our demands.
After Ratcliffe called Ashworth a “10/10 sporting director” and “one of the best around”, he stated it would be “completely absurd” and “stupid” for the 52-year-old to be sat doing nothing for the next 18 months, calling the whole situation “a bit silly.”
He’s suggested that a grown up conversation is needed, yet speaks like a spoilt brat who can’t accept the fact we won’t simply hand over our recently appointed director for a fee that suits them. Sorry Jim, but that’s not how it works when you attempt to poach a key member of staff before even bothering to make an formal approach!
Here’s what he had to say in full about Ashworth and the rumoured £20m asking price on his head:
“I think Dan Ashworth is a 10/10 sporting director – one of the best around. He would be very good for Manchester United. It is understandable that somebody like Dan would see the Manchester United job as a very interesting challenge at this stage of his career.
“Ultimately, you can’t really criticise Dan for looking at maybe the most coveted job in football as a sporting director – particularly with the challenge at Manchester United. What doesn’t make sense is for Dan Ashworth to be sat doing nothing for 18 months. That’s completely stupid.”
“It’s a bit silly, personally. I wont get dragged into that. What I do think is completely absurd is suggesting a man who is really good at his job sits in his garden for one and a half years. We had a very grown up conversation with City about Omar Berrada.
“When things got done we sorted it out very amicably. They could see why he wanted to take that challenge. You look at Pep when he’s done with one of his footballers; he doesn’t want them to sit in the garden for one and a half years. He doesn’t do that. That’s not the way the UK works or the law works.”
The sheer arrogance and sense of entitlement to presume Man Utd can have an under-contract Ashworth – who hasn’t been here long and works for a direct rivals – on his terms. Ratcliffe will fit right in at Man Utd.
Yeah well Brighton didn’t seem to cry on much about it , depends on how long we want to pay him for sitting on his **** . Sure there must be someone better.
Broonel@yahoo.co(Quote)
1. We paid Brighton compensation so what makes them think they don’t have to?
2. Their attitude with Lingard when we tried to sign him on loan was that of a bully.
3. Karma has just taken place 👏 👏
4. Ratcliffe and his whinging should by his comments fit in extremely well with them.
Joseph(Quote)
If Dan was a player this would be called tapping up, an illegal approach. Not the way we do things in England Jim. As for sitting in his garden for 18 month, it’s just a phrase people use Jim, he doesn’t literally have to do his garden when on gardening leave. It’s not hard labour he’s been given.
Martin Hogg(Quote)
Welcome to the Big Seven Jimmy lad. Pay up or walk away. Simple…..
Must difficult being the poor man in the room.
Purely Baltic(Quote)
If I remember right Brighton also has ashworth on gardening leave for at least one transfer window
Aa(Quote)
Could be the best thing we got from the North East since Andy Cole…
Utd!(Quote)
let him sit out gardening, and lets see how ‘Sir’ Ratcliff enjoys it.
william(Quote)
simple really pay up or **** off
Porkpie(Quote)
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is worth an estimated 30 billion.
He does not “spit out his dummy”, or “throw his toys out the pram”, or “act like a spoiled brat”. He doesn’t need to. He’s a VERY successful businessman and everything he said in the interview is 100% correct.
He is sitting back, releasing considered comments that should make the Toon board have a rethink. You don’t amass a fortune of 30,000,000,000 by caving and paying the first ridiculous asking price.
Oh, and Olly, nice to see you opted for “embarrassing” this time instead of going with your stock “pathetic”, when you think there is real estate to be gained in playing to the mob.
The cheek, and frankly sheer arrogance of this man Ratcliffe, Fancy thinking that just because he’s got a few quid behind him he can just rock up and take someone else’s sporting director. Reminds me of that team that was recently taken over by the Saudis who did the same thing to Brighton!
I appreciate that a lot of fans are still bitter over the Jesse Lindgard farce, but surely they can figure out that they are not dealing with the same crowd now?
My own personal guess would have to be that the huge fee and the gardening leave is a PIF thing, because they can’t cope with the fact that anyone would want to leave THEIR company to go somewhere else, so they are desperate to manipulate the situation to make it look like they are in charge.
The sad fact is that at the end of all this posturing NUFC have painted ourselves into a corner, and with very, very slow drying paint. What do we do if we fail to reach agreement on a fee? Does Ashworth go back to work? Well that just couldn’t happen – so no matter what, he’s out.
Pundits are telling us that Newcastle hold all the cards, but from a business point of view we’ve twisted and gone bust.
The only way out, as Ratcliffe quite rightly says, is an adult conversation.
It will end quickly with Ashworth going to Man U for an undisclosed fee, (saving face both sides) with a few strings attached preventing him / Man U impinging on current Toon plans.
For those bitching about loyalty, loyalty is a myth.
The only player you MIGHT call loyal was Le Tissier, who turned down Spurs, Man U and a host of others to stay with the Saints. You might call that loyalty, but others might call it lack of ambition and laziness.
After the whole Lindgard thing, Newcastle have missed, and in fact completely mangled, a perfect opportunity to build a very advantageous working relationship with Man U. With just a little forethought instead of a total overreaction, we could have had a system in place whereby, if required when desperate, we could have had access to ManU rising stars from the academy, on loan, helping develop them with first team Prem action, , easing our injury crisis.
Let’s be honest here, Olly, the only people spitting the dummy here is us!
BykerBill(Quote)
I don’t get the reaction… Saying that its silly to have him on gardening leave for 18 months, I’m pretty sure Dan would have known about this clause in his contract, and it is put in there to protect the interests of NUFC. So that, if this did happen, he cannot take with him the plethora of data that has been collected by Dan and the rest of the staff to improve a direct rival. NUFC have worked hard to put together a team of people to scour the world to collect data on players, clubs etc. It’s not just the work of Dan that could end up in the hands of Man Utd if he’s allowed to go, hence the 20 mill asking price to allow him to do so.
Tony(Quote)
My God, the arrogance.
Do you know how much our owners are worth compared to Jim? He can sit on gardening leave until you pay up. His wages are pocket change.
As for borrowing your youth players. We wouldn’t even want any of your senior players!
Man U fans think they’re going to get back to where they were by hiring Ashworth. Our best signings have been prior to him arriving. A lot of his signings still have huge question marks hanging over them.
Man City and Liverpool are miles ahead of Man Utd. It’ll stay that way for. Long time, with Ten Hag in charge.
Memphis King(Quote)
Bykerbill :-
Your first paragraph is in places utter garbage regards the Toon board having a rethink.
Man Utd have always been awful to deal with on transfers or anything else, they have always thought they have an entitlement to everything that benefit’s them.
We had to cough up for Ashworth when we poached him from Brighton and rightly so, therefore Man Utd should do the same and get round the negotiating table, if Sir Jim is the successful business man he appears he should fully understand employment law and do just that instead of making public statements about how absurd the situation is regards gardening leave.
Joseph(Quote)
Absolutely convinced you’re a Sunderland fan.
Olly Hawkins(Quote)